In an era where information spreads amazingly fast, one of the resultant effects is people craving to play frontline role in the dissemination of information, in manners suggestive of some sort of gains in being the first, or among the first people to burst the news. Consequently, a lot of what is churned out is alarming, and it has become a norm overtime to mislead people and contradict stories with catchy headlines. While some of these information put out there are a result of shallow research and ignorance, some others are deliberate, with the author meaning to misinform and mislead people, and to spark off emotional responses.

What does this mean for library and information professionals?

Among other information commons, librarians play a key role in the dissemination of correct information, and in the information literacy of citizens. However, with the emergence of improved information and communication technologies, which enhance the information services of library and information institutions,  comes also, faster and wider spread of negative information. This is a challenge for all information professionals and a challenge for the society at large. For this reason, it is imperative that library and information professionals upgrade their fact-checking skills, using appropriate technologies and strategies, if they have to occupy front line in the war against fake news and misinformation.

Fake news and misinformation spread fast, and they have the potentiality of causing grave damage. Hence, this programme was designed to help library and information professionals stay informed correctly and stay on track, while helping others know how to differentiate between what is real and what is not, and not be victims and channels of confusion.