Support For Women Journalists in Countering Misinformation & Disinformation in The Indo-Pacific Region: Phase II

Background:

The reliability of information has become a perennial issue with severe real-world repercussions. With the rise of social media in the past decade, the reach and impact of information dissemination have grown rapidly. Digital technology has increased the amplification and distortion of information in such a way that a single piece of information holds tremendous potential to cause real-world impacts, within minutes, for millions of users.

Besides this, digital media allows for the publication and dissemination of decentralized information in the
public arena, with little to no verification and cross-referencing. Hence, malicious actors with vested interests can freely introduce distorted content into the public discourse. At the same time, digital technology also enables people to independently find information that is in line with their views and interests, thus reducing their reliance on established media houses. This, in turn, may lead them to seek out and accept information from alternative sources that are critical of the status quo, making them potential targets for disinformation.

Given this background, establishing the reliability of information is a daunting but critical task at present, demanding immediate attention, regulation, and supervision by invested stakeholders who are in charge of overseeing how information is presented and shared online (through lesser-known digital media channels, search engines, and social media platforms) as well as offline through concerned channels.

In this context, CUTS International under the initiative titled Support for “Women Journalists in Countering Misinformation and Disinformation in the Indo-Pacific Region” supported by the US Consulate, Kolkata has been organising a series of webinars and Capacity Building Workshops focusing on key themes including information literacy, countering online trolling & workplace harassment, debunking print and visual disinformation/ misinformation, innovative Storytelling using Modern Techniques and Tools etc. for last two years.

The Current Initiative

This project, supported by the US Consulate, Kolkata aims at achieving the following:

Provide a platform for men & women journalists to discuss and develop concrete strategies to address the fallacies/confusion, especially within their communities.
Identify, engage, and form a team of 20-25 men & women journalists based on their geographical location to verify and counter disinformation as well as strengthen positive narratives to maintain peace and stability in the region.

About Project

Project Brief

Project Goal-

The ultimate goal of the proposed set of interventions would now be to create a group of informed media professionals who would counter spreading mis/disinformation and fake news that could jeopardise peace and stability in Border States of Eastern and North Eastern India as well as the neighbouring country of Bangladesh. In addition, the project would also focus on network and capacity building for the local media professionals in these states so that they are well equipped to engage in cross-border media coverage and sharing with their counterparts in Bangladesh. Such collaborations could be key to the development and sharing of cross-border stories about migration, trafficking, access of women to land rights, challenges of cross-border reporting, ethical use of social media, and so on.

Project Objective-

The overall objective of the proposed intervention would be to consider 80-100 (20-25 for each of the four workshops) media practitioners from the local media houses in Eastern and North Eastern India as well as Bangladesh, for four media workshops which are to be organised at four prime locations in the same region – Guwahati (Assam), Siliguri (West Bengal), Imphal (Manipur) and Dhaka (Bangladesh). The entire cohort would be divided into four groups of 20-25 participants based on their geographical location.

These workshops will help provide adequate training to the attendees to verify and counter false information as well as reinforce positive narratives to maintain peace and stability in said region. In addition, since the aforementioned region of India consists of the border states which provide ample opportunities for the media professionals there to engage in cross-border reporting- the workshops will also train them on overcoming hurdles and challenges for the same. Hence the two key expectations from the proposed intervention would be as follows:

Objective A – 80-100 workshop participants will develop concrete strategies to counter disinformation and misinformation within 3 months of the workshop, as evidenced by collaborative stories/articles published; and
Objective B – The participants will collaborate across borders on reporting issues that are important to their communities and the U.S. government. They will develop at least 2 digital stories countering disinformation and misinformation that will be shared on Consulate’s social media platforms.

In addition to the above objectives, the project would also aim at creating a local cadre of media professionals, youth leaders, and community leaders, both men and women, who will take forward the initiative of combatting disinformation to maintain peace and geopolitical stability between India and Bangladesh.

Project Deliverables-

Connect and create a group of 80-100 informed journalists (men and women) over four workshops;
Provide a platform for the media persons to discuss and develop concrete strategies to fact-check, especially among their communities;
CUTS to monitor and facilitate the development of two digital stories in close coordination with the Consulate team.

Project audience-
Mid-career journalists, editors, bureau chiefs, and digital media persons from local media houses in Eastern and North Eastern India as well as the neighbouring country of Bangladesh, with requisite college or university degrees. The project would also invite international media representatives and trainers as resource persons to share their experiences and key learning.

Project Activity-

Consultation with the U.S. Consulate General, Public Affairs Section in Kolkata
Mapping of workshop participants and mentors/trainers
Finalization of workshop components
Organizing a series of webinars with women journalists and other relevant stakeholders
Workshop In Kolkata
The sequences of the workshops are as follows-
I. Guwahati (Assam),
I. Siliguri (West Bengal),
II. Imphal (Manipur),
III. Dhaka (Bangladesh)
Project Summary report.

In the series of workshops, the training program will focus on the following practices, such as fact-checking, cyber-safety, workplace harassment, and online trolling.

Details of the workshop locations-

Guwahati (Assam) workshop – For media professionals based in Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, and Meghalaya
Siliguri (West Bengal) workshop- For media professionals based in West Bengal (except Kolkata), Sikkim, Bihar, and Jharkhand
Imphal (Manipur) workshop- For media professionals based in Manipur, Nagaland, and Mizoram
Dhaka (Bangladesh) workshop- For media professionals based in Dhaka, Kolkata, and Tripura

CUTS International

Established in 1983, Consumer Unity & Trust Society (CUTS International) is a non-profit non-governmental organization, engaged in promoting consumer sovereignty in the framework of social justice, economic equality and environmental balance, within and across borders. It is a leading Southern voice working on three verticals: Rules-based trade; Effective regulation; and Good governance. More information is available here: http://www.cuts-international.org/pdf/Programme_Brochure.pdf

CUTS operate out of 14 Centers spread across India, Africa, South East Asia, Europe and USA. More information is available here: http://www.cuts-international.org.

CUTS Calcutta Resource Center (CUTS CRC), more details available at (https://www.cuts-crc.org/).

Expected Outcomes

Enhanced Level of Media Literacy amongst the Participants.
A well trained journalist fraternity to counter misinformation, disinformation, fake news by appropriate use of analytical tools and techniques

Digital stories

Training Manual

Training Guidebook on Media Literacy (for media professionals in the Indo-Pacific Region)

Research Outputs/Event

Consolidated report – Role of Women Journalists in Countering Misinformation and Disinformation in the Indo-Pacific Region
Strategy Note on Media Literacy Drive in the Indo-Pacific
Capacity Building Workshop on Media Literacy
Agartala (Tripura), December 27, 2023
Capacity building workshop on Media Literacy
Gangtok (Sikkim), December 11, 2023
Capacity Building Workshop on Media Literacy
Jamshedpur (Jharkhand), October 10, 2023
Capacity Building Workshop on Media Literacy
Siliguri, August 17, 2023
Capacity Building Workshop on Media Literacy
Dimapur, June 02, 2023
Capacity Building Workshop on Media Literacy
Guwahati, April 18, 2023

Key Resource Group*

Media

Tripura: 30 Percent MSMEs Run By Women In India, Claims CI Director Arnab Ganguly At Cyber Crime Workshop In Agartala
North East Today, September 22, 2023
Assam: CUTS International and US Consulate host workshop on media literacy in Guwahati
NE Now, April 18, 2023

Contact Us

CONSUMER UNITY & TRUST SOCIETY (CUTS)
D–217, Bhaskar Marg, Bani Park, Jaipur 302016, Rajasthan, India
Ph: +91 141-2282821/22/23
Fax: +91 141 2282485
Email: cuts@cuts.org

For any immediate assistance related to this project, please contact
Mr. Arnab Ganguly: +91 9874410391,
Mrs. Sucharita Banerjee: +919051745664,
Ms. Baishali Lodh Chowdhury : +916290506507