Anti-Disinformation Tools Session

On the third day of the Third Yemeni Media Conference 2024, more than 150 participants attended the first training session on the role of modern technical tools in helping journalists detect disinformation, including photos and videos.

This event reflects a serious work towards enhancing the capacities of media workers considering the spread of disinformation.

The session was moderated by the journalist Hamdi Rasam, where the open-source investigator, Mohammed Kassab, provided a set of tips and techniques for verifying information.

Kassab highlighted AI’s growing role in promoting verification efforts, noting that it had become an important tool for journalists.

The session focused on the importance of journalists’ familiarity with modern tools and techniques, which help them distinguish between real and false information.

The trainer Kassab emphasized the importance of critical thinking and not relying solely on the tools available, stressing that reverse image search is one of the essential tools journalists should use for verification.

He also explained that there are applications that help improve image quality and extract text from videos, making it easier for them to detect fake content more effectively.

He presented a range of practical tips, including using different search engines, and reading audience comments on photos, which may reveal useful leads that help in accurate investigation.

Kassab also touched on the need to use multiple methods during verification, such as accurately describing the image, cutting parts of it, and not only relying on Google search results, but searching programs and apps that archive images.

This training session is an important step towards strengthening the professionalism of the press in Yemen and raising male and female journalists’ awareness of the risks of disinformation, to provide accurate and reliable information to the public.

To watch the full session, click here