The Centre for Excellence in Journalism (CEJ) at the Institute of Business Admini­stration and the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN) at the Poynter Institute, United States, have signed a partnership to train journalists in Pakistan, it emerged on Monday.

The five-month project, which aims to build fact-checking skills of journalists in the country, includes both self-directed courses and live trainings, the CEJ said in a press release.

It noted that the project would build the capacity of media organisations to "verify and fact-check information before it is published, helping raise reporting standards at a time when the fake-news phenomenon is becoming a massive problem".

CEJ Director Kamal Siddiqi said the centre was "very excited" to partner with the network at Poynter which was "respected the world over". The project would "raise standards of journalism by inculcating a culture of news verification", he added.

Read: Living in the age of fake news

IFCN Director Baybars Örsek said the network's objective was to provide Pakistani journalists with the "essential know-how on building a fact-checking unit".

These units would provide reliable and accurate information to the public, especially amid the coronavirus pandemic and vaccination campaigns, he said.

"We have seen that fact-checkers have been instrumental in helping consumers and disseminators of information during times of uncertainty," Örsek added.

According to the press release, the IFCN is dedicated to bringing together fact-checkers worldwide and support fact-checking initiatives by promoting best practices and exchanges in the field.

The IFCN monitors trends, formats and policymaking about fact-checking worldwide, it added.