In Hyderabad, Jenifer Larson, Consul General of the US Consulate General, and Anjani Kumar, Telangana DGP, expressed their concern about the spread of false information on social media. They stressed the importance of trained professional journalists in countering this trend. Larson and Kumar urged journalists to be more responsible when dealing with unverified information.
Larson, during her keynote address at a training project for Urdu TV journalists, highlighted that both India and the US are targeted by those who wish to disrupt peace and growth in democracies. She emphasized that these actions are well-planned and aim to hinder the evolution of democracy.
She called on journalists to exercise caution when handling unverified information, as passing it on to the public can cause real problems. The objective of the training program is to equip journalists with the tools and techniques to verify the authenticity of information. Larson hopes that this training will create a network of well-informed and responsible journalists.
Anjani Kumar, the guest of honor at the event, emphasized the importance of self-control before forwarding messages. He stressed that individuals should think carefully before sharing information, even if it is true, as it may have a negative impact. He believes that personal vigilance is crucial, followed by the responsibility of fact-checkers.
The Department of Journalism and Mass Communication at Osmania University, in collaboration with the US Consulate General Hyderabad, organized an 8-month long training program for 37 Urdu journalists. The training aimed to empower journalists with fact-checking skills and prevent misinformation from spreading in mainstream media.
The program had a significant representation of women journalists, with around thirty percent of the trainees being women. Additionally, eight students from Maulana Azad National Urdu University also participated in the training.
Allam Narayana, Chairman of Telangana Press Academy, and MA Majid, member of the Press Council of India, were also present at the event.
