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CSA EQUIPS JOURNALISTS TO COMBAT MIS/DISINFORMATION AHEAD OF DECEMBER ELECTIONS

The Cyber Security Authority (CSA) in partnership with the Ghana Journalists Association organised a one-day capacity-building forum for journalists in the Ashanti Region to effectively equip them with knowledge to detect and mitigate the spread of misinformation and disinformation.

The event which was organised as part of the month-long activities to celebrate this year’s National Cyber Security Awareness Month on the theme: “Combating Misinformation and Disinformation in a Digitally Resilient Democracy; Our Collective Responsibility” was held at the Eye Clinic Conference Centre at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), and attended by editors, senior journalists and senior broadcast journalists in the Ashanti Region.

Speaking to the journalists, the Director of Capacity Building and Awareness Creation at the CSA, Mr. Alexander Oppong noted that Ghana’s digital penetration has shot up from five million in 2014 to 24.2 as of January 2024 with seven point-six million of the users actively on social media.

He added that this advancement had increased the spread of online misinformation and disinformation and called for a collaborative approach to combating the menace.

“Online misinformation and disinformation have emerged as critical cyber threats and as Ghana approaches a critical electoral period in December, it is essential for all stakeholders to actively work towards safeguarding the integrity of our information ecosystems” he stated.

The General Secretary of the GJA, Mr. Kofi Yeboah in his remarks urged his colleague journalists to desist from mis/disinformation and advised the media to give out factual information especially as Ghana goes to the polls later this year.

To equip participants, Mr. Isaac Socrates Mensah, an official of the CSA took them through techniques to combat disinformation such as the use of fact-checking tools and employing the use of visual tools for debunking. He also shared some best practices that journalists can utilise to protect their devices and social media devices including the use of strong passwords and two-factor authentication.