The Center for the Advancement of Rights and Democracy (CARD) in partnership with RNTC/RNW Media of the Netherlands has been offering training to Ethiopian journalists and online content creators in countering disinformation and how to combat it.

RNW Media has over 10 years of experience building digital communities for social change in restrictive settings and fragmented societies, operating at the intersection of media, new technology, and international development. Moreover, with a respected history as an international media organization, RNW Media has 75 years of experience producing and disseminating content and supporting free speech.

The training offered under CARD’s Media Literacy Program reached journalists and online content creators in Addis Ababa and several regional towns across the country.The training was held in 15 different cities of the country including Addis Ababa, Adama, Hawassa, Jimma, Gondar, Bahir Dar, Harar Dire Dawa, Dessie, Debris Brihan, Jigjiga, Semera, Asossa, Arba minch, Gambella. The training was facilitated between August 9 and December 15, 2022 reaching a total of 465 trainees, 150 female and 315 male participants, across the country.

There were 6 training sessions in Addis Ababa with a total number of 110 trainees (34 females and 76 Male participants). Apart from training journalists on the topic, CARD’s partnership with RNW media enabled the creation of trainers on the subject matter. This will help enhance the reach of such training programs to more journalists and online content creators.

Committed to supporting efforts of ensuring professionalism in Ethiopia, CARD’s project involving training journalists and online content creators will enhance the skill sets of journalists and strengthen the institutional capacity of Ethiopian media organizations with the overarching goal of improving the quality of information available to the Ethiopian public in a democracy. 

Hence, CARD believes that, this way it can address the need for improving journalists’ skills to produce fact-based, non-biased content that facilitates debate and serves the public interests, and improve their commitment to one of the bedrocks of democratic societies, people’s rights to freedom to receive factual and impartial information. The main goal of the program is to improve the quality of information available to the
Ethiopian public as a part of an essential component of a democratic society.