A year of fact-checking: Lessons learned as an Africa Check researcher
When I joined Africa Check at the beginning of 2024, I was excited to start my journey in a new field. Before this, I had researched the government's spending on education and the feasibility of free higher education in South Africa. My master's dissertation focused on barriers to the implementation of development policies in post-apartheid South Africa.
During this period of my career, I believed that false information was driven by the public's lack of understanding of processes and professionals' constant use of jargon. After joining Africa Check, I found this was not entirely the case.
I quickly realised that several barriers to quality information exist. There are many reasons why false information spreads, and while we have a fair idea of how to address some, others are more tricky to navigate. Here are four lessons I've learned over the last 12 months.
Neutrality bias is still bias
I joined Africa Check during a super-election year. With almost 20 African countries set to go to the polls, the need for election-focused fact-checking was clear.
As my editor warned, I was well and truly thrown into the deep end. From viral rumours that the ink in the pens provided at voting stations would disappear after you had cast your ballot to suggestions of foreign interference, we had our hands full in the run-up to the South African election.
Claims of election fraud also circulated widely on social media. Targeting electoral management bodies has proven to be a powerful tactic in other African countries. Soon after the South African election, I wrote about how quickly the "vote rigging" narrative took hold and how the media helped by playing into neutrality bias.
Neutrality bias is when the media reports on events without adding context or refuting what is being said. Instead of helping their audiences to understand exactly what happened, they publish claims - true or false - verbatim.
@newslitproject ✨Neutrality bias✨ is when a journalist or news outlet tries so hard to avoid sounding biased that they misrepresent the facts #neutralitybias #falsebalance #bothsidesism #newsliteracy #medialiteracy #journalism #misinformation ♬ Lofi Vibes - Gentle State
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Zombies may be fiction, but zombie claims are a thing
Africa Check has previously written about "zombie claims", which are false claims that refuse to die, despite being debunked before, sometimes on several occasions.
For example, in 2022, Africa Check debunked a claim about poisonous biscuits that supposedly caused the death of 45 people. We found that the claim originated in 2016 and was also debunked that year. But it made a comeback in 2019 and was flagged again in 2022.
The biggest issue with these kinds of claims is that they put people in a seemingly never-ending cycle of panic-calm-panic. And while we're not opposed to fact-checking the same claim repeatedly, it detracts from our other work.
This is why staying informed about current events and taking initiative is important. If a claim sounds familiar, chances are you've heard it before. Even if you haven't, it's good practice to look online to see if it's previously been debunked. We also recommend following credible fact-checking organisations on social media to stay up-to-date with false information trends.
Your friends may be on WhatsApp, but WhatsApp isn't always your friend
Now, don't get me wrong, WhatsApp is great! Except when your auntie sends you a message about how eating some inedible plant is a cure for cancer. I've written about how the intimacy of WhatsApp allows false information to spread. Unlike other social media platforms, where you may not know the identities of the people you follow, it's very rare to have WhatsApp conversations with people you don't know. Therefore, you're more likely to believe what they send you.
This, coupled with the fact that the messaging platform is end-to-end encrypted, means that fact-checkers can only access the false information that spreads on WhatsApp if users share messages with us. Although WhatsApp is more intimate, you have to be even more vigilant when sending and receiving information.
In this guide, we've outlined some steps to fight false information on WhatsApp. I also recommend subscribing to What's Crap on WhatsApp?, a bi-monthly podcast that debunks the most viral false information circulating on the platform and allows subscribers to submit potentially false information to be fact-checked.
'A lie can travel halfway around the world before the truth puts on its shoes' - Mark Twain
The origin of this quote has been contested. In 1979, UK politician Jim Callaghan was quoted as saying something similar: "A lie can be halfway around the world before truth has got its boots on." In 1710, the Irish writer Jonathan Swift wrote that "falsehood flies, and truth comes limping after it". But you get the point ...
Fact-checking often feels like playing catch-up. If it's all we do, we will never successfully win the fight against false information.
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At Africa Check, we believe that media literacy plays a key role. We all need to be active participants when we consume information. Asking yourself a series of key questions before sharing anything (for example, "Does this information make me feel extreme emotions? Why?" or "Could this be too good to be true?") can help you take a moment to think.
For false information to have an effect, many people must believe and share it. By that logic, if fewer people are susceptible to false information, it will lose its ability to spread at such a breakneck speed.
Even this is not enough. I always thought that Africa Check found false information, debunked it, and published fact-checks - I was wrong!
Combatting the harmful effects of false information requires a holistic approach. This includes pursuing public corrections from people who share false information, reaching out to oversight mechanisms and standards boards, and engaging with civil society, online platforms and relevant government departments.
All in all, I've learned a lot this year, and I'm excited to continue my journey as a fact-checker. I'm also determined to create a culture of active participation in the fight against misinformation and disinformation.
