The Pakistan Information Center (PIC) on Wednesday organized a two-day training workshop titled news authenticity and tools to counter fake news, anti-state propaganda and blasphemy’. More than 20 local journalists and students of mass communication participated in the session acquiring skills in conducting research to authenticate news stories before dissemination. Deputy Director Press Information Department (PID), Mohammad Hanif, in his opening remarks, said that a separate unit had already been established in the Cyber Wing at Islamabad to enhance various aspects of news reporting. He shared that a total of four training workshops on the subject had been conducted across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, benefitting hundreds of journalists, freelancers and students. These workshops aimed at equipping participants with the necessary tools to generate content based on verified facts using fact-checking mechanisms. The resource person highlighted the essential tools of digital media technology utilized in fact-checking news stories. The participants were urged to refrain from producing news stories that are commonly disseminated on social media platforms without considering public interest. He said that disinformation and misinformation were the basic elements in circulating fake news. He emphasized avoiding generating news stories that are usually disseminated as content on social media keeping in view the public interest. He said that any persuasive communication was propaganda and an attempt to change opinions by persuasively presenting new ones. He emphasized counterpropaganda which is a form of communication consisting of methods taken and messages aired to oppose propaganda that seeks to influence action or perspectives among a targeted audience.