BY BEN BILUA
THE Isabel Provincial Government (IPG) acknowledges the efforts of BBC Media Action for organising a Digital Media Literacy training for leaders in Buala, Isabel Province.
Speaking during the opening of the training, Deputy Premier of Isabel Provincial Government, Tony Vahia, said the workshop is timely as it provides a significant step towards building knowledge and countering risks as the digital world continues to evolve.
He said the Digital Media Literacy training lays an important foundation for Isabel Province to address the growing threat of misinformation and disinformation that often undermines social harmony.
Vahia said the provincial government is pleased that the training is being conducted in Isabel to help community, provincial and youth leaders navigate the digital space responsibly by learning how to access and verify information before sharing it with wider audiences.
“Having such training for community leaders, provincial leaders and youth leaders helps guide communities and the province to engage in digital media constructively,” he said.
Vahia calls on participants to make full use of the training opportunity and acquire knowledge that can help promote unity rather than division in the digital space.
“You will be our digital media ambassadors for truthful communication in your respective roles,” he said.
Vahia acknowledged BBC Media Action and the British High Commission Honiara for supporting the workshop.
“Your commitment to building digital capacity in Isabel Province is deeply valued,” he said.
Director of Isabel Health Authority who was also a participant, Martin Gavira, described the workshop as an eye-opener for many participants.
He said the lessons learnt will play a key role in helping leaders access and verify information before communicating it to wider audiences.
“Digital Media Literacy is a new concept to us. We have heard about digital media but did not fully understand what digital media literacy means or the risks of misinformation and disinformation within the wider world web.
“This workshop is timely and relevant, especially as our communities will soon have access to the internet in the future,” Gavira said.
Speaking on behalf of the provincial government participants during the closing of the workshop, Cynthia Vunagi also acknowledged BBC Media Action and its partners for choosing Isabel Province as the first province to undergo the training.
She said the two-day training was intense as participants were introduced to new knowledge about digital media.
“We can now verify information using the steps we learned to ensure our audience is well-informed.
“I have learned a lot, particularly how to verify information by using the ‘source’ principle. We hope there will be more training like this for us in the future,” Vunagi said.
Photo: Supplied
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