ARIJ’s AFCN Trains First Academic Cohort on the “Teaching Fact-Checking Guide”
September 28, 2025
The ARIJ’s AFCN concluded a two-day intensive training on September 27–28, 2025, titled “The Teaching Fact-Checking Guide”. The workshop brought together more than 30 professors from media and journalism faculties representing over 20 Arab universities across 13 countries.
The training was led by the guide’s authors: Dr. and journalist Arwa Kooli from Tunisia, AFCN Senior Fact-Checker, Fatima Bani Ahmad from Jordan, and Fact-Checker and Editor Mohammed Tolba from Egypt, and focused on enhancing participants’ abilities to teach fact-checking skills, particularly in the following areas:
- Information disorder and effective teaching methodologies.
- Pre-publication fact-checking methodologies.
- Steps and pedagogical approaches for post-publication fact-checking.
- Methodologies and organizational frameworks for the Arab fact-checking community.
- Digital and technical tools to enhance fact-checking skills.
The training included interactive tools and hands-on exercises designed to equip professors with the capacity to integrate these skills into university curricula in a systematic and sustainable way.
Dr. Asmaa Attar from Iraq remarked, “The workshop enriched my knowledge about different types of information, how to assess claims, and how to use various online sources. The practical applications were highly useful and deepened our understanding. It also motivated us to stay engaged with scientific and innovative developments in the field.”
Dr. Waheeb Mahdi from Yemen added, “During the training, I was introduced to new tools for verifying images and digital content, as well as practical methodologies for incorporating fact-checking skills into academic courses insights I hadn’t previously explored at this depth.”
It is noteworthy that on August 21, 2025, the Arab Fact-Checkers Network (AFCN) convened a closed meeting with professors from Arab universities, gathering representatives from more than 20 institutions to discuss the guide and ways of integration into curriculum.
This fact-checking guide is considered the first specialized regional academic reference in Arabic dedicated to this field. Developed over the course of more than a year by the AFCN team, it draws on insights from focus group discussions and surveys involving over 60 professors from across the Arab region, as well as individual consultations with international fact-checking experts.
The guide is expected to mark a significant milestone in integrating fact-checking into journalism education. Its official launch is scheduled to take place during ARIJ’s 18th Annual Forum in Amman, from December 5 to 7, 2025.
