has issued a guide to fact-checking information (Belaid 2021). In the same year, the Jordanian Media Credibility Monitor (Akeed) developed a guide entitled “Media Coverage in the Time of Epidemics: Corona as a Case Study” (Darwich et al. 2021). Training centers and civil society organizations have in recent years published studies in Arabic that explore information disorder. The following are a few examples from various countries: • Lebanon: Melki, J., E. Hetti, M. Abou Zeid, and A. Takkech. 2020. “Confronting the Information Epidemic: The Uses of Media and Communication Means in Lebanon during the Pandemic.” Institute of Media Research and Training at the Lebanese American University (LAU). https://bit. ly/3xbhU6z. • Palestine: Masharka, S. 2020. “Misleading News in Palestine.” Hamleh: The Arab Center for the Development of Social Media. https://bit.ly/ 3faihIl. • Jordan: Atef, N., B. Mahdi, and B. Mostafa. 2020. “Combating Disinformation in the Arab World: Covid-19 as a Case Study.” ARIJ. https://bit.ly/ 3j3blOg. • Bahrain: Bahrain Center for Strategic, International and Energy Studies. 2019. “A Survey of the Bahraini Society’s Opinion about Social Media Sites.” https://bit.ly/3rEkEbv. • Qatar: – Alrajji, M. 2018. “The False News Industry and the Loop of Information Blocking in Public Opinion.” Al Jazeera Center for Studies. https://bit.ly/3yho5aw. – Al-Tamimi, N. 2018. “The Political Communication Model of Cambridge Analytica: Fabricating News and Engineering an Audience.” Al Jazeera Center for Studies. https://bit.ly/3j1GMss. – Al-Doulaimi, A. R. 2018. “The Problems of Fabricated News and Its Impact on Shaping Public Opinion.” Al Jazeera Center for Studies. https://bit.ly/3xb7CDv. There are not many studies or manuals in Arabic that discuss and analyze mis- and disinformation. These could potentially foster a culture of critical thinking and fact checking among journalists and the public. The Al Jazeera Media Institute, the Al Jazeera Studies Center, and the Al-Sahafa Journal41 have made concerted and continual efforts to address these issues. Muhammad Al-Khamayseh, a researcher at the Al Jazeera Media Institute, asserted that the institute is “a pioneer in its focus on these issues in the Arab world, and it is I N FO R M ATI O N D I SO R D ER IN THE GLOBA L SOUTH committed to providing the latest knowledge in the field of media disinformation and verification” (interview, July 2021). Al-Khamayseh highlighted that one of the biggest challenges he faces while working on any study related to information disorder is “the lack of Arabic sources that address the various aspects of this issue.” He believes that there is a pronounced lack of studies on misinformation and disinformation in the Arab world and that the West is far more advanced in this area. What, then, should studies and research focus on over the coming period? Al-Khamayseh believes that the focus should first be on “providing readers and journalists with knowledge on how media disinformation operates, so that they can avoid falling prey to it.” Secondly, “studies should be conducted on the extent of journalists’ knowledge of the tools, to evaluate that knowledge in order to examine gaps and address them through advanced studies and specialized training projects.” Thirdly, “the extent of the decline of the public’s confidence in the media as a major source of information has to be measured, and the reasons for this should be understood.” In the next section of this study, we explore collaboration between global and local organizations in the region to enhance factchecking best practices. 10. COLLABORATION BETWEEN GLOBAL AND LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS Most of the Arab organizations and initiatives that work to combat the spread of mis- and disinformation are supported and funded by global organizations. These organizations have also produced several notable projects in the region through awareness-raising campaigns, training sessions, and activities, and have contributed to the process of educating journalists and the public Middle East and North Africa – 58