United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) to launch professional development programme for Libyans in the media sector

The United Nations Support Mission in Libya will launch of a new professional development programme for Libyans in the media sector on 21 May. 

The programme, called Basira (بصيرة), is designed to equip media professionals with knowledge and skills to better combat the spread of misinformation, disinformation, and hate speech. Events will be offered on an ongoing basis and will include online and in-person seminars and workshops. Journalists, social media influencers, media students and professors, and fact-checkers are all welcome to join.  

“Journalists have an important role to play in Libya’s stabilization by educating the public, correcting false narratives, and holding power to account,” said Special Representative to the Secretary-General Hanna Tetteh. 

Libya’s journalism sector is relatively young and complex, she said. Journalists are working in a politically polarized information environment where the safety of those who speak out against power cannot always be guaranteed. 

“It is vital in this context that journalists have access to high-quality education and technical training,” SRSG Tetteh said. “The Basirah programme is designed to help meet this need.”  

As part of the programme, In May and June, UNSMIL has invited top researchers from Cambridge University and the University of Chicago-Illinois to discuss with Libyans the impacts of AI on politics and media manipulation tactics during wartime. Representatives from Google and the Committee to Protect Journalists will lead technical workshops on digital research and fact-checking, including the use of AI, and keeping themselves, their sources and their data safe in unstable security situations. These sessions will be conducted online so Libyan’s across the country can participate.  

UNSMIL worked with Libyan journalists and media professors to select the topics for the Basirah programme and will continue to take requests and feedback moving forward to keep the programme fresh and relevant. To facilitate two-way engagement, UNSMIL is simultaneously launching a Facebook community for Libyans in the media sector.  

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL).