| Workshop on Qualitative Research Methodology |
Date: February 25, 2020 – March 1, 2020
Participants: CQS staff
Description: This was an in-house training workshop by Dr. Shahaduz Zaman, Reader, Brighton and Sussex School of Global Health, University of Sussex, UK, where two day-long sessions were conducted to train the CQS staff on qualitative research methodology.
| Internet Security for Journalists: A Workshop |
Date: November 19, 2020
Participants: Journalists from diverse media organizations
Description: The workshop discussion featured various issues of digital journalism and social media, specifically, internet safety, media ethics and freedom, and digital critical literacy, particularly intended for journalists working in the print and broadcast media. It was an invite-only, off-the-record workshop to arm journalists with the tools and resources to make the best use of and safeguard themselves in the rapidly evolving digital space.
Session One: Internet Security
Presented by: Faheem Hussain, Clinical Assistant Professor, School for the Future of Innovation in Society (SFIS) at Arizona State University (ASU)
Session Two: Using Social Media to Strengthen Journalism
Presented by: Aya Lowe, News Partnerships, Facebook
| Fact-Checking and Misinformation: Problems, Prospects, and Challenges |
Date: December 18, 2020
Description: A virtual conference titled Misinformation and Fact-Checking: Problems, Prospects, and Challenges took place on Friday, December 18, 2020. It was organized in partnership with UNDP Bangladesh. The objective of this conference was to update participants on current debates on fact-checking, fake news and misinformation, newer tools and techniques of fact-checking, and to share our diverse experiences of keeping the information ecosystem safe in Bangladesh and beyond. The conference brought together a panel of high-level experts and practitioners from around the world and fact-checkers of Bangladesh so that all may benefit from each other in terms of knowledge sharing, capacity building, and subject coverage.
| Fundamentals of Research Methodology and Academic Writing |
Facilitator: Nasrin Jabin, Research Associate, CQS
Participants: Graduate and Post-graduate Students and Young Professionals
Description: A workshop on research methodology and paper writing was conducted with 25 participants (graduate/post-graduate students from different public and private universities and young professionals). The topics covered in the course are - conceptualizing research, the strategy of writing literature review, qualitative and quantitative research methodology, data collection methods and tools, data analysis strategy, the strategy of writing abstract, and a brief introduction to a collection of essential software - MS Excel, SPSS, Grammarly, Quillbot, Word Ai, Google Docs, Zotero, Mendeley. The classes were conducted online on Zoom virtual platform every Saturday and Monday evening. A google classroom was utilized as a medium of communication and for providing class notes and reading materials to the students.
| Fact-Checking the Pandemic |
Date: May 24, 2021
Description: The Center for Critical and Qualitative Studies (CQS) organized a One Day Conference on "Fact-Checking the Pandemic" on 24 May 2021 in collaboration with the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN), Agence France Presse (AFP), and the University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB). The honorable panelists were Ferdi Ozsoy (Program Manager of IFCN), Cat Barton (Head of Asia, AFP Fact Check), Qadaruddin Shishir (Editor, AFP Fact-Check BD), and Sazia Sharmin (Deputy Editor, FactWatch). The director of CQS, Prof. Dr. Sumon Rahman facilitated the conference with welcome remarks from Prof. Shamsad Mortuza, Acting VC of ULAB. The discussion ended with the vote of thanks by Prof. Imran Rahman, former Special Advisor, BoT, ULAB (currently the Vice-Chancellor).
| Fact-Checking in Bangladesh: Prospects and Challenges |
Date: April 1, 2022
Description: FactWatch organized a closed-door invite-only event in celebration of the International Fact-Checking Day of 2022, that featured a panel discussion titled, “Fact-Checking in Bangladesh: Prospects and Challenges”, on 1 April 2022 at the ULAB Campus A, Research Building in Dhanmondi, Dhaka. This was the first offline event in Bangladesh that featured a showing from nearly every prominent fact-checking organization in the country, including notable fact-checkers from AFP, Boom Bangladesh, Rumor Scanner, and FactWatch, as well as renowned journalists, development workers, and academicians. Shafiqul Alam, the Bureau Chief in Bangladesh of AFP, was present as the Chief Guest, while the welcome remarks were provided by Prof. Imran Rahman, the Vice-Chancellor of ULAB. The discussions touched on how the concept of fact-checking could be applied by both the general public and the news agencies of Bangladesh. However, the key topic of discussion was regarding the grave ramifications of misinformation or disinformation in mainstream and online media, and how it ultimately affects lives throughout Bangladesh, thus displaying the vital importance of Fact-Checking in today’s times.
| Workshop Series on Fact-Checking Basics: A Beginner’s Workshop on Combating Misinformation |
Date: August 2022 - January 2023
Facilitator: Prof. Sumon Rahman, Apon Das, Shuvashish Das Ray Dip, and Rahul Roy, all members of the experienced FactWatch team.
Participants: Young students, journalists, and academics.
Description: FactWatch developed the hands-on training course "Fact-Checking Basics: A Beginner's Workshop on Combating Misinformation" with the goal of equipping young students and journalists with fundamental fact-checking abilities. The training program, funded by the Asia Foundation, entails a series of six workshop sessions led by the FactWatch team. This all-day program consists of four modules that were created to give students and journalists a fundamental grasp of the pattern of disinformation and fact-checking in digital cyberspace. Participants in this interactive program will receive first-hand instruction from highly knowledgeable professionals in media and information literacy as well as qualified fact-checkers.