• “Fact-checking Harmful Information” Training

AFCN organizes an intensive three-day (12-hour) training during the ARIJ 18th Annual Forum, which will be held from December 5 to 7, 2025. The training will be led by the British fact-checking expert, researcher Peter Cunliffe-Jones, and focuses on the latest research related to methods for selecting claims for fact-checking, methodologies for assessing their potential harm, and standards for measuring the quality of the fact-checking processes.

This training is supported by SKUP, and aims to enhance the effectiveness and accountability of the fact-checking process by emphasizing the importance of prioritizing the verification of the most substantive and harmful claims. 21 participants representing 19 fact-checking organizations will take part in the training, and they will learn how identifying and assessing harm can elevate their daily work.

• “Beyond the Hype: How to Report on AI Responsibly” Training

A specialized two-day training program on Friday and Saturday, December 5th and 6th, 2025. This program is designed to equip over twenty journalists and fact-checkers with the necessary skills to cover Artificial Intelligence topics with a focus on accountability. The training will be led by Ethar Al Azem, a data journalism expert and member of ARIJ’s editorial board, and will encompass a review of fundamental technical concepts alongside practical guidance for identifying significant journalistic narratives within this domain.

• “Storytelling Techniques for Investigative and In-depth Reports” Training

As part of the 18th ARIJ Annual Forum, this two-day training (a total of 8 training hours) will be organized on December 5 and 6, 2025. It will be led by the journalist and novelist trainer “Abdullah Maksour“.

The training, within ARIJ’s “Bousolah” project supported by the European Union, aims to:

• Develop creative writing skills in journalistic texts.
• Learn methodologies for refining and improving texts.
• Explore the uses of Artificial Intelligence as an assisting tool in the writing process.

The training targets 20 journalists and fact-checkers, and its content is based on the trainer’s book on storytelling, which ARIJ will launch during the Forum, entitled “هندسة المعنى”.

• Utopia or Dystopia? The Good and Bad of Artificial Intelligence

This panel explores the new frontiers in AI encompassing tech, safety, and governance. Experts will investigate AI harms while discussing its integration into training—from data management to generative models and ethics, reflecting current high-stakes debates on AI’s societal trajectory.

The panel, moderated by ARIJ communication manager Samya Ayish, features the ARIJ team members Ethar Al Azm, Editorial Board Member, and Mohammad Komani, Investigative Journalist and Investigations Supervisor. They are joined by Ludovic Blecher, CEO and Partner at WhiteBeard, and Abit Hoxha, Assistant Professor at the Institute of Nordic and Media Studies at the University of Agder in Norway.

• The War on Facts: Lessons from Fact-Checkers from Around the World

Integrating Fact-Checking into Resilience Strategies: Experts from Italy, the UK, Brazil, India, and MENA provide insights on countering threats and enhancing societal strength.The panel features Peter Cunliffe-Jones, a researcher at the University of Westminster and fact-checking expert, Daniel Bramatti, Editor-in-Chief of Estadão Verifica, Francesca Capuccia, a fact-checker at Facta, and Rajneil Kamath, Founder of Saksham Senior and Newschecker, and is moderated by “BN Check” Fact-checking Organization director Rabeb Aloui.

• One Book a Day – Five Years Together: The Power of the AFCN Community

In this session we will launch the Arab Fact Checkers Network curriculum for Arab Universities, and celebrate 5 years of AFCN efforts in combating disinformation and empowering fact-checking in the region.

• AFCN in-person Regional Meeting in 2025

Under the title “Five Years of AFCN… The Road to 2030!”, more than 60 fact-checkers from the ARIJ’s AFCN community will meet in an in-person regional meeting on Friday, December 5th. This is the fourth meeting this year after a series of virtual meetings during 2025. This meeting is the sixteenth for the AFCN community, and will focus on summarizing five years of its work and discussing the priorities for the next five years in strengthening the field of fact-checking and combating disinformation.

• Pre-publication Fact-Checkers and Media Outlets Meeting: What is still missing?

A closed meeting bringing together pre-publication fact-checkers and Arab media organizations, dedicated to reviewing and exchanging various experiences in pre-publication fact-checking in the Arab world. The discussion aims to:

• Identify and assess the current challenges facing the fact-checking process.
• Evaluate the necessary requirements to raise the quality and efficiency of this process.
• Work on integrating pre-publication fact-checking to become an essential part of the editorial workflow, to ensure the highest levels of accuracy and reliability for journalistic content.

• Media Professors’ Meeting: Toward Integrating Investigative Journalism and Fact-Checking Curriculums

This closed meeting brings together media professors and academics from the Arab world to discuss ways to integrate the ARIJ investigative journalism and fact-checking curriculum into university courses. This step comes as part of ARIJ’s update of its investigative journalism guide and the release of the first edition of its fact-checking teaching guide tailored for Arab universities. The primary goal is to develop academic and professional competencies and ensure the graduation of journalists equipped with advanced skills in investigative journalism and fact-checking.