For journalist Soloumta Abigaël of TÉCÔR Média in N’Djamena, digital verification tools, satellite mapping and artificial intelligence were largely unfamiliar before the AUB–UNESCO regional workshop. The training marked a turning point in how participants approach climate and disaster reporting.
During the session on using data and digital tools for climate journalism, UNESCO programme specialist Xu Jing stressed that journalists can no longer remain passive observers. They need to become visual investigators and interpreters of data.
Participants explored scientific and geospatial resources including the World Bank Climate Change Knowledge Portal and ThinkHazard!, which can help assess climate vulnerabilities and local risks such as floods, water scarcity and extreme heat. NASA FIRMS can map fires in near-real time, while Google Earth Pro supports historical satellite analysis. ReliefWeb provides humanitarian and emergency information.
The workshop emphasised a three-part verification discipline: check how recent the information is, confirm that the geographic scale matches the area being reported, and assess the credibility and neutrality of the source.
For viral images and videos, participants examined reverse-image search tools such as Google, Yandex and Bing Images, InVID-WeVerify for analysing video keyframes and metadata, SunCalc for checking shadows and time/location clues, and Google Earth Pro for geolocation.
With AI-generated and manipulated visuals becoming more common, Xu Jing stressed that content that cannot be verified should not be amplified. Newsrooms should be transparent when authenticity cannot be confirmed.
Data visualisation was another major theme. Tools such as Datawrapper and Flourish can turn raw data into accessible charts and maps, while QGIS and Kepler.gl support more advanced geospatial analysis. Participants were reminded that visualisations must be explained, sourced and dated, and should never be treated as decoration.
The training highlighted a broader ethical and technical transformation for African newsrooms: verification must take priority over speed, and digital tools should strengthen rather than replace professional judgement.
Irène GAOUDA and Hicham ATTMANE, N’Djamena.
