Worried by fake news especially during hajj exercise in Saudi Arabia, Independent Hajj Reporters, IHR a civil society organisation that monitors and reports hajj and Umrah activities is organising a workshop for Public Relations Officers, PRO of states Muslim Pilgrims Boards, Hajj service providers and the media unit of National Hajj Commission of Nigeria, NAHCON.
A statement by its national coordinator, Ibrahim Mohammed said the workshop aims to bring together hajj information managers, Media practitioners and social media providers for a better understanding of what constitutes fake news with regards to Hajj and Lesser Hajj known as Umrah, how to detect and deal with fake news in social media and its mitigation.
The statement added that the capacity building workshop is meant to equip hajj information officers on hajj information management and identifying, countering and mitigating the negative effects of fake news especially in the social media before, during and after hajj operation.
It is also expected to address the challenges of misinformation and disinformation as it relates to hajj/umrah administration in Nigeria.
