Ok FM and Local Voices Liberia on May 9 renewed a partnership to promote fact-checking and verification as a means of improving truthfulness in public information.

The partnership will see the reintroduction of the fact-checking segment of OK FM, two major talk shows.

As part of the MOU, Local Voices Liberia will also conduct a series of in-house trainings for OK FM reporters to enhance their fact-checking skills.

The MOU will also promote media literacy programs on OK FM to teach the public to be their own fact-checkers.

Signing on behalf of Local Voices Liberia, Atty. Alpha Senkpeni, Executive Director of the organization, said he was happy to be renewing a partnership that worked so well during the 2023 elections in promoting truth-telling and disseminating accurate information to help the public make informed decisions.

“Lots of people have been talking about the work done during the elections ensuring that public officials, politicians are held accountable for what they were saying which in terms help strength our democracy,” Senkpeni said.

“Again, we are happy to forget this partnership to enhance the credibility of information in the public space because the information is important to making informed decisions.”

Senkpeni recounted the praises of the public and foreign partners for the role of fact-checking during the 2023 elections.

For his part, Mr. Clarence Jackson, Manager of OK FM, thanked Local Voices Liberia for increasing fact-checking in the public.

“There would have been no better time for the signing of an MOU with Local Voices than during the 2023 elections,” he said.

“It is now even more important to do more fact-checking to ensure that the public get more authentic and credible information.”

Manager Jackson recalled that because of the MOU with Local Voices Liberia, politicians that were appearing on OK FM programs during the 2023 elections were very careful about the statements they were making.

He termed the partnership as a step towards renewing hope in the public information space and a challenge to protect the public trust while ensuring that public officials and politicians are held accountable for the information they share with the public.

The renewal of the MoU comes following a successful collaboration by the two institutions to enhance fact-checking and disseminate fact-check content on the radio during the 2023 elections.

Funding for the implementation of this fact check project is provided by the USAID/Liberia Media Activity through Internews in Liberia.