MOGADISHU: The Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition has launched the Peace Journalists strategic media initiative in Mogadishu “to strengthen national media capabilities and counter extremist discourse, hate speech, disinformation and terrorist propaganda online.”
The initiative was launched in the presence of the coalition’s Secretary-General Maj. Gen. Mohammed bin Saeed Al-Moghedi, Somalia’s Minister of Defence Ahmed Moallim Fiqi, and senior Somali government, security and military officials, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
Al-Moghedi said the initiative aims to equip journalists with the skills to move beyond simply transmitting information and instead analyze, verify and challenge misleading content.
Fiqi praised the coalition’s efforts, led by Saudi Arabia, to develop national capabilities and train qualified media professionals, reaffirming Somalia’s commitment to combating terrorism and cutting off its ideological, media and financial sources.
The initiative includes a specialized training program for 40 journalists, academics and media specialists, covering information disorder, digital verification, open-source intelligence, image and video analysis, network analysis, the psychological and social effects of extremist discourse, counter-narratives and media literacy.
