Deadline: 29 July 2018

The US Embassy in Togo has announced the NOFO for a new program aimed at countering the spread of misinformation in society and educating citizens to distinguish “fake news” from real news via an innovative strategy comprising three components:

• A workshop for journalists
• A workshop in each administrative region capital for civil society groups and community leaders
• A weekly online news program that analyzes fake news examples in a humorous way.

The main goal is to educate the whole population through its traditional interfaces: journalists, community leaders, youth and civil society activists.

Main Activities

Activities will comprise three phases:

• The first phase will be a series of workshops for journalists and journalism students in Lomé. Participants will include Lomé-based journalists but also prominent reporters from around the country. These workshops will provide a global look at the fake news phenomenon, and provide concrete strategies to help journalists discern real from fake news using various material including the “YALI Checks” anti-fake news campaign, among other sources.
• The second phase will involve regional workshops on fake news targeting civil society organizations, community leaders, local officials, youth groups, and members of the YALI network. These classes will teach by journalists who participated in the Lome workshops, as well as by YALI Network alumni who took the “YALI Checks” pledge.
• The third phase will involve the creation of a weekly parody news show in the form of a web series. Each week, the 5-minute program will take a humorous look at news in Togo. The centerpiece of each episode will be a critical analysis of a widely shared fake news story. The hosts will pick apart bit by bit the photo, video, or message and reveal how it was manipulated or why the information is false. In addition to being shown online on the website, these segments will also be disseminated in low-resolution via WhatsApp.

Funding Information

Approximate Total Funding: $69,300

Eligible Applicants

Media organizations, educational and research institutions, foreign public entities, U.S. not-for-profit/non-governmental organizations

How to Apply

Completed applications should be submitted electronically at the address given on the website.

Eligible Countries: Togo and United States

For more information, please visit U.S. Embassy in Togo.