As part of its commitment to corporate social responsibility, BENEFIT, the Kingdom's leading Fintech and electronic financial transaction services provider, organized a series of fact checking and information verification workshops. The workshops were held in collaboration with the Bahrain Public Relations Association (BPRA) and led by Bahraini Journalist Ghassan Al Shehabi as part of the AFCN FactLab project of the Arab Network for Information Verifiers, with the support of the Google News Initiative.
Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Manager of PR and Communications at BENEFIT and Vice President of the BPRA commented, “These workshops are designed to address the critical issue of misinformation, which poses significant challenges for societies and entities by spreading confusion and misunderstanding. By equipping participants with the essential tools and knowledge to identify and counteract false information, we aim to enhance their ability to navigate and mitigate the effects of disinformation.”
She added, “As we continue to experience a remarkable technological revolution, particularly with the pervasive integration of artificial intelligence across sectors, it is crucial to recognize that these advancements can be misused for malicious purposes. With the majority of individuals now owning smartphones and actively engaging on social media platforms, they are increasingly susceptible to deception and exploitation. BENEFIT is committed to raising awareness and contributing to the fight against misinformation through initiatives such as these educational workshops.
BENEFIT hosted three workshops at its headquarters in Seef District. attendees represented various government and private sector companies as well students from public and private universities, particularly those studying journalism. BENEFIT’s commitment to its social responsibility is ongoing and looks forward to organizing more such events in the future, following the positive feedback from workshop participants regarding the theoretical and practical value they gained.
