Abideen Olasupo selected for AI journalism lab leadership cohort in US

Abideen Olasupo, the founder of FactCheck Africa, a nonprofit fact-checking platform, has been selected for the 2025 AI journalism lab leadership cohort. 

The Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at the City University of New York (CUNY), United States, will host the cohort.

In partnership with Microsoft, CUNY’s cohort will unite journalists, media executives, and technologists worldwide while focusing on the intersection of artificial intelligence and the future of journalism.

The organisers, in a statement, said participants selected for the programme are “trailblazers at the intersection of journalism and technology”.

They noted that the lab would empower participants to navigate the complexities of AI.

The cohort members were selected from 12 countries, including Brazil, Germany, India, Ireland, Jordan, and Kenya.

Other countries are Mexico, Nigeria, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, and the United States.

The programme will run virtually from January to April 2025, beginning with a two-day in-person introductory session at CUNY.

Olasupo joins 23 prominent media figures worldwide.

They will explore cutting-edge technologies that are transforming the media landscape.

Olasupo will deepen his understanding of AI-driven tools that can enhance fact-checking processes through this cohort.

He will also learn how to integrate machine learning into media workflows from AI and journalism experts.

Other lessons will tackle deepfakes, algorithmic bias, and data manipulation challenges.

He was selected for his contributions to fact-checking in Africa through his FactCheck Africa.

In April 2024, the organisation unveiled ‘MyAIFactchecker’, Africa’s first artificial intelligence-powered fact-checking platform, to counter misinformation and disinformation.

The platform allows you to verify the authenticity of news, social media posts, and other online content quickly and conveniently.

It has a chatbot interface, feedback mechanism, and voice search capability in English, Swahili, French, Arabic, and other popular local languages in Nigeria.

Also, in 2024, Olasupo’s organisation launched a 3-month AI Journalism Fellowship to equip selected journalists in West Africa with the knowledge, skills, and ethical considerations needed to navigate AI in journalism.

FactCheck Africa recently developed a flashcard gamification to simplify fact-checking and media literacy for children.

Speaking on his selection, Olasupo said the programme aligns with FactCheck Africa’s mission “to improve media literacy, promote critical thinking, and provide reliable fact-checking services to the African public”.