Mr. Dangnoko Mohamed Sangoulé runs the news website InfHonnete.com. His journalism career includes previous positions with the daily and weekly print media in Mali and as a correspondent for Moroccan media and Voice of America. Dangnoko is a graduate of the Centre D'études des Sciences et Techniques de L'information (CESTI) in Dakar, Senegal.

IVLP Impact Award Project: Fighting Fake News from the School Benches

The project will train high school students in French and Arabic schools in the field of disinformation. The youth are the most connected and the most exposed to false information distilled on social networks. The project will include four training sessions on how to detect, verify, and combat fake news through safe media consumption. Training sessions will include discussions on the Malian crisis, the impact of false information in this crisis, and how the fight against false information can help stabilize the country. 

In August, Dangnoko selected four key organizations for workshops on addressing misinformation, advertised through magazines to attract a diverse range of participants. The first session was on September 10, followed by workshops on the 11th, 14th, and 17th. Journalists from Kalanko, a media outlet specializing in news related to education, and Studio Tamani, which broadcasts throughout Mali, covered the event, with information delivered in French and Bambara, the local language spoken by more than half of Mali's population.  

Dangnoko and his team trained 120 young people from various youth organizations on identifying and countering fake news, using fact-checking tools, and verifying information before publication. Participants wrote fact-checking articles and shared their findings on the "FactMali" platform. The project reached beyond Bamako with a final impactful workshop in Ségou bringing together participants from urban and rural areas to form a core group of young leaders dedicated to fighting misinformation. 

IVLP Exchange Experience   

Dangnoko participated in the IVLP Project Edward R. Murrow Program for Journalists - Media Responsibility in an Age of Disinformation, organized by the U.S. Department of State and FHI 360, in partnership with the World Affairs Council of Philadelphia, WorldMontana, WorldOrlando, and World Partnerships, Inc. 

Dangnoko’s exchange experience led to the development of his project: “My time in the U.S. introduced me to some new approaches that I'm going to introduce in my training session. Tools such as Deepware and factceck.org, which Professor Al Thompkins [taught us] about in Philadelphia, will be essential in convincing teenagers to fight fake news.” 

“Knowing that the media, despite their editorial lines, all contribute to the greatness of the United States has changed me and made me want this change for my country through this project I support” - Dangnoko Mohamed Sangoulé

U.S. Communities Visited   

Washington, DC; Orlando, FL; and St. Petersburg, FL; Helena, MT; Philadelphia, PA

Country: Mali 

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