As misinformation becomes an increasingly complex phenomenon, fact-checking and research in this field demand sharper critical thinking and more advanced investigative skills.
Our Digital Verification Fellowship is built around this broader understanding. It goes beyond mastering software and verification tools. The program is designed to help the fellows understand the systems, strategies, and power structures behind today’s information disorder: how information is weaponized to shape public perception, how narratives are constructed, amplified, contested, and dismantled, and why defending information integrity has become an urgent public-interest mission in Bangladesh and beyond.
As generative AI, synthetic media, coordinated influence operations, and cross-platform manipulation make deceptive content faster to produce, harder to trace, and easier to amplify, the need for skilled and locally grounded investigators continues to grow. In response, we are broadening our team and strengthening our collective capacity to confront these evolving challenges.
While our previous cohorts continue to create meaningful impact in ongoing disinformation research and critical digital investigations, we are excited to welcome and equip the 2026 cohort of Digital Verification fellows. This year, four young fellows have joined Dismislab in our fight to combat misinformation and conduct evidence-based research on online harm to expose patterns, inform action, and drive systemic change in information governance.
In the next six months, they will
- Explore how information flows across platforms and borders, shaping public perception both globally and locally.
- Dive deep into disinformation, misinformation, and malinformation — how they are produced, spread, and weaponized.
- Learn to verify online content using advanced techniques such as open-source intelligence (OSINT), digital forensics, and metadata analysis.
- Build skills to detect inauthentic behavior, narrative manipulation, state/non-state propaganda, and coordinated disinformation networks.
- Contribute to ongoing disinformation research, media monitoring, and critical digital investigations.
Meet the Fellows
Mou Das
Das holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Journalism and Media Studies from Jahangirnagar University. Her master’s thesis investigated religious misinformation on social media during Bangladesh’s July–August 2024 movement, focusing on its influence on public perception and social cohesion.
She has presented her research at national and international conferences and continues to examine emerging challenges in the digital information ecosystem. Her research interests include fact-checking, open-source investigation, misinformation and disinformation, digital verification, media literacy, digital rights, platform governance, and data-driven analysis of online narratives and public discourse.
Mohammad Al Mukit
Mukit, with experience in background research for editorial talk shows, holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Mass Communication and Journalism from the University of Dhaka. His research interests lie at the intersection of the media–politics nexus, political communication, protest movements, and digital investigation. Having recently studied trends in misinformation and disinformation, as well as the role of fact-checking organizations during the July mass uprising, he is driven to explore how false narratives spread in the digital sphere. Through this fellowship, he aims to sharpen his skills in digital verification, OSINT, and data-driven investigation to help build a more transparent information ecosystem.
Zannatul Firdaus
Firdaus is a journalism graduate with expertise in monitoring national media coverage, conducting trend analysis, and contributing to research on media representation of marginalized communities. Her interests include fact-checking, digital verification, combating disinformation, and promoting information integrity.
Md. Himel Hasnat Rafi
Rafi is a Journalism and Media Studies graduate with practical experience in reporting, field research, and community-based storytelling. He holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from Jahangirnagar University, and his research interests lie at the intersection of digital media, political communication, and strategic communication, with a particular focus on fact-checking and data journalism.
He has worked in diverse roles, including as a Staff Reporter for The Daily Observer, a Freelance Journalist for The Business Standard, and a Research Assistant at the University of Oregon. As a Master Trainer with BBC Media Action and JAAGO Foundation Trust, he also delivered workshops on digital literacy and safe internet practices to local communities.
He believes the Fellowship offers an ideal opportunity to strengthen his skills in disinformation research and digital investigation, enabling him to contribute meaningfully to efforts against misinformation.