ISLAMABAD: The challenge of `fake news` and the gathering of reliable information at the community level will become all the more important as the general elections draw nearer.

In this context, Media Matters for Democracy (MMFD) on Saturday launched Awam a citizen journalism platform aimed at highlighting underreported stories and important issues facing those who do not live in the major cities of Pakistan.

Introducing the platform, which will be available in the form of a smartphone app and can also be accessed from a web portal, MMFD`s Asad Baig termed it a digital tool to facilitate citizens in the generation of multimedia content focusing on local governance issues in their communities.

The tool will, it is expected, provide ordinary citizens a forum to interface their content with mainstream media outlets and popular social media platforms.

MMFD`s Komal Tariq explained the various layers of checks that would ensure that content was original and authentic as far as possible.

`The app will require real name-verification for all users, and only footage or images shot through the Awam app in real-time can be uploaded to the platform,` she said, explaining how items in the phone`s memory, such as memes or doctored images, cannot be posted.

The event also saw the beta launch of the Awam web portal, which was preceded by a panel discussion on the need for citizen journalism and the various challenges faced by citizen journalists.