This month’s ‘Notes from the Field’ focuses on Africa Check’s fact-checking work, and specifically, on civilian fact-checkers and the important role everyday people play in stopping the spread of misinformation.
Over the past three years, we have been lucky to have two communication members from Africa Check in our flagship online communication learning programme – Tshiamo Mononyane and Mmabatho Koena. Both Tshiamo and Mmabatho are part of an organisation that works tirelessly to protect us from the threat of false facts and misinformation.
To help us in our exploration, we were lucky to get some insightful input from Keegan Leech, one of Africa Check’s researchers.
First up, let’s clarify some terms.
What is misinformation?
Misinformation – also known as disinformation, false news, fake news, false facts – is information that is incorrect or misleading, and spreads easily.
A product of malice or of mistakes, misinformation floods our media channels, our online social groups online, gets passed around easily from screen to word of mouth and colours our perceptions of our world – often detrimentally.
Misinformation misleads us and confuses our sense of what is real or true. Whether to do with science, culture, health, politics, nature or people, misinformation undermines healthy society and institutions and stokes social tensions, division and mistrust.
A persistent issue in South Africa and Africa, as with the rest of the world, the flood of misinformation can be slowed by people with the skills and know-how to spot and debunk false facts.
Enter the fact-checkers.
What does fact-checking mean?
Fact-checking means to check for and debunk misinformation. Fact-checking is like being a detective. It involves investigating claims to see if they are true, false, or somewhere in between. Fact-checkers dig through data, consult experts, and cross-check sources to separate facts from fiction. Most fact checkers are professionals working with advanced tools and methods – like investigative journalists or investigating teams in civil society organisations.
The fact-checking movement has grown rapidly over the past two decades as a guard against this. In Africa, we have an avid network of professional and civilian bodies working hard to spot and debunk misinformation.
Africa Check, leading the charge since 2012
Africa Check is very much a leading figure in civil society as an independent, non-partisan, fact-checking non-profit organisation. The continent’s oldest fact-checking body (est. 2012), Africa Check works tirelessly to find and debunk vast swathes of misinformation. Africa Check has offices across several African countries, with dedicated teams in Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, and the UK. This transnational approach is essential if we are to fight the huge amount of misinformation circulating in our media and society, across national boundaries.
Africa Check’s researchers handle and verify nearly 100,000 misinformation queries every year. In addition, they produce valuable materials and resources like fact-checking sheets and reports, social media content and broad-reaching media that helps society stay informed and participate in the fact-checking mission. Africa Check also trains civil society, governments, journalists, public institutions and people to become fact-checkers.
While fact checking is hard work and doing it well often takes a lot of time and resources, everyday people have an important role to play too.
What does it take to be a civilian fact-checker? We asked Africa Check.
Africa Check and its allies agree, a civilian fact-checking movement is crucial to holding back the tide of misinformation. Concerned, connected and educated civilians are well placed to monitor these kinds of claims or false facts, ensure they don’t spread and are reported.
We wanted to know more about what kinds of everyday people can become fact-checkers and how civilians are positioned in Africa Check’s fight against misinformation. We were also curious about some of the challenges ordinary people, who are not professionals, would encounter too.
We asked Keegan Leech, a researcher from Africa Check to help us understand the role.
Question 1: What Does It Take to Be a Civilian Fact-Checker?
Our first question to Keegan was pretty straight up – what does one need to become a civilian fact-checker?
As Keegan tells us, fact checkers can be anyone with a curious mind and a desire to find the truth.The key is a willingness to question what you read and see and to use the internet to research the truth behind false facts.
Question 2: Why build a fact-checking civilian movement in South Africa and Africa?
We asked Africa Check why everyday people need to play a role in fact-checking in Africa:
Aha! To be a fact-checker is about tenacity. We need to be attentive and be able to sift through the noise and cross-check sources. Asking questions sets us on the right journey, and anyone can do it.
Can anyone become a fact checker? We asked about any special qualities people need to step into this role.
Question 3: Who is the ideal type of civilian fact-checker in South Africa and Africa? What are their qualities?
Let’s hear from the Africa-check fact-checking community
What strategies can we all adopt as we engage with online media and information? Africa Check’s fact-checkers give us some insights on ways to engage with what we consume, and how to be aware of false information.
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As you can hear, fact-checking takes focus and dedication.
Three essentials for rigorous fact checking:
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How can the fact-checking movement grow in South Africa and Africa?
For the civilian fact-checking movement to be successful in Africa, we need to make information multilingual and more relevant, and make it less expensive to get online. We also need to provide resources to support everyday fact-checkers and make it less time consuming and costly to spot and debunk misinformation.
“The future of fact checking should be focused on providing media literacy and verification skills to as broad an audience as possible. Professional fact checkers won’t stand a chance against misinformation, working on their own.”Keegan Leech, Africa Check |
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Channels and resources to help YOU become a better civilian fact-checker
We have collated several resources for you and suggestions from Africa Check and other African civil society to get you connected:
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Africa Check’s WhatsApp broadcast channel
Africa Check offers a WhatsApp service where you can receive fact-checked information and submit claims for verification.
Make the most of it:
Sign up to the WhatsApp broadcast channel in your country or area of interest.
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Africa Check’s podcast series on fact-checking
Africa Check publishes a regular podcast that looks into various topics related to misinformation and fact-checking.
Make the most of it:
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- Visit Africa Check’s podcast archive
- Subscribe to the podcast: Available on major platforms like Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts.
- Listen regularly: Stay informed about the latest episodes.
- Engage with the content: Share episodes, leave reviews, and participate in discussions on social media.
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Join Africa Check’s mailing list for updates and info
Stay updated with Africa Check’s latest fact-checks, news, and events through their newsletter.
Make the most of it:
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- Visit Africa Check’s Get Involved webpage.
- Sign up: Enter your email address and any other required information.
- Read and share: Receive the newsletter in your inbox and share important updates with your network.
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Join the conversation and learn with Africa Check on Twitter/X
Follow Africa Check on Twitter (now rebranded as X) to get real-time updates and engage with the community.
Make the most of it:
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- Follow Africa Check’s Twitter account: @AfricaCheck.
- Engage with tweets: Like, retweet, and comment on posts to spread awareness.
- Join discussions: Participate in Twitter threads and engage with other followers.
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Shift gears with Africa Check’s customised training
Africa Check offers training sessions to help individuals and organisations improve their fact-checking skills.
To request training:
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- Visit the Training Section on the Website
- Email for more info training.
- Wait for a Response: Africa Check will get in touch with you to discuss your request and schedule the training.
More fact-checking resources from African civil organisations
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Media Monitor and Real411
- Media Monitor’s Real411 allows citizens to report false information, which is then investigated by experts. By supporting these movements, we’re all playing a part in creating a well-informed, smart society that can tell facts from fiction.
- Head over to the Real411 platform.
- Fill out the training request form with details about your organisation, the type of training you need, and preferred dates
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Head over to Pesa Check’s WhatsApp broadcast channel
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- Pesa Check is Africa’s largest fact-checking organisation.
- Sign up to the Pesa Check WhatsApp broadcast channel for updates from across Africa.
Fact-checking AI tools
AI tools can scan vast amounts of data quickly, identifying potential false information faster than humans.
- Tools like Full Fact’s automated fact-checking system can monitor news articles and social media posts in real-time, flagging suspicious content for further review.
- Google’s Fact Check Tools help journalists and researchers to easily locate verified information and identify misinformation.
Fact-checking is hard and urgent business. We need to keep improving online literacy and research capabilities if we are to win the fight against false facts. Aluta Continua!
