Ouagadougou: Approximately sixty journalists and media professionals from the Bankui and Sourou regions are participating in a training session on the use of new communication tools, taking place in Ddougou from July 14 to 17. Organized by the Ministry of Communication, the initiative aims to strengthen the capacity of media professionals in the fight against disinformation and fake news.
According to Burkina Information Agency, the third training session on new communication tools for media professionals in the Bankui and Sourou regions began on Tuesday, July 14, 2026, in Ddougou. Over four days, participants will strengthen their skills in verifying information and using digital communication tools. Chaired by technical advisor Batour Lamizana, representing the Minister of Communication, Culture, Arts, and Tourism, she welcomed the mobilization of the participants and invited them to use the gains from this training as a lever for improving their professional practices.
'This session is part of the ongoing efforts by the government to strengthen the capacities of media professionals, following training sessions held in Bobo-Dioulasso and Tenkodogo. It also responds to a request made by media professionals in Bankui and Sourou and illustrates the authorities' willingness to take into account the concerns of those working on the ground,' she stressed.
For the director of media development, Christine Nabaloum/Bationo, this third session has a special character in that it responds favorably to the advocacy of media professionals from these two regions. She indicated that, over four days, participants will be trained in better use of new communication tools, with an emphasis on understanding the mechanisms of disinformation and fake-checking techniques.
"The journalist must himself be a good fake-checker," she insisted, specifying that three modules will be developed to enable participants to process information responsibly, in compliance with ethics and professional standards. Participants will be introduced to modern fact-checking techniques, digital tools for content authentication, and good journalistic practices in an environment marked by the rise of artificial intelligence and the proliferation of manipulated content.
Therefore, journalists will now need to permanently integrate fact-checking practices into their daily work in order to contribute to strengthening media credibility and public trust.
Journalist Bienvenu Dembl expressed his gratitude to the authorities for having given a favorable response to the plea from media actors in the Bankui and Sourou regions. He indicated that this training will enable journalists and communicators to better master new communication tools in order to produce professional, reliable, and verified information.
"People cannot always distinguish between genuine information and manipulated content. Thanks to the skills we will acquire, we will be able to provide them with fair, verified, and true information," he stated. This third session on the appropriation of new communication tools should contribute to consolidating the skills of media professionals in Bankui and Sourou and to strengthening the resilience of the information space in the face of disinformation, for the benefit of the populations.