On a pan-African scale, the Africa Check website has been operating since 2012 to promote accuracy and honesty in public debate and the media in Africa. The organization has four official offices in Nairobi, Johannesburg, Lagos, and Dakar, which are dedicated to "separating fact from fiction" by checking false information circulating on the continent on a daily basis in order to actively combat misinformation.
To mark the organization's tenth anniversary, editors in Kenya, Senegal, South Africa, and Nigeria reveal the 10 key lessons learned from these years of activity, particularly during major election periods when honesty in public debate is paramount:
- The importance of local context. While fake news is a global phenomenon, there is no single strategy that can be deployed to eradicate it. According to Africa Check's editors, "fake news—the people who spread it and their motivations, the platforms on which it is disseminated, and the types of topics—vary considerably from one country to another…" and particularly on the African continent. It is therefore necessary to understand each country and each situation in order to decide on the best fact-checking strategy to adopt.
- The importance of collective action in verifying information. Since its inception, Africa Check has multiplied its initiatives and collaborations with media partners, influencers, associations, and social media platforms to strengthen their work and the integrity of information, but also to raise awareness about fake news. The goal is to have a lasting impact on disinformation.
- The importance of not limiting oneself to fact-checking. Propaganda and fake news are a "sprawling" phenomenon that is sometimes difficult to stop. Beyond fact-checking itself, it is essential to educate and raise awareness about the issues surrounding fact-checking in order to actively combat misinformation. This necessarily involves media literacy, truthful journalism, and collaboration with institutions to improve the quality of information and public access. Africa Check is therefore increasing the number of training courses and masterclasses to support the development of critical thinking among as many people as possible.
- The legislative framework against fake news can have its limitations. Many laws are being passed in African countries to combat fake news, but according to Africa Check, these laws can also undermine freedom of expression. According to a 2021 study by Africa Check founder Peter Cunliffe-Jones, laws against fake news do not necessarily reduce the harmful effects of misinformation.
- Closed social media platforms must be addressed. As we all know, social media is flooded with fake news. To combat this, Africa Check collaborates with open platforms such as Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. However, the task is more difficult when it comes to closed social media platforms such as WhatsApp and Telegram. These platforms are widely used by politicians for campaigning. To slow down the spread of false information during election periods, Africa Check has launched the "Fact Ambassadors" project. Thanks to a network of volunteers, teams can access false information and dubious claims circulating on these platforms. Video is a real scourge when it comes to misinformation. Short fake videos are increasingly being used in political campaigns to manipulate public opinion. TikTok is widely used for this purpose, but so is YouTube! The Africa Check teams recently published an open letter to YouTube, accusing the platform of allowing false information to circulate around the world. "We find that YouTube is one of the main vectors of online misinformation in the world. This is a major concern within our global community of fact-checkers. We note the glaring lack of initiatives on the part of YouTube to implement policies to address the problem."
- The importance of experimentation, innovation, and adaptation. Those who spread false information are becoming increasingly creative and strategic in their efforts to circumvent regulations and continue to spread misinformation. Africa Check teams must therefore constantly find new strategies to identify false information, regardless of the channel, even using artificial intelligence-based tools to quickly identify and verify information.
- The importance of "strategic silence." During election periods, Africa Check editors have observed that political disinformation is sometimes used to divert the attention of fact-checkers and thus spread other false claims. It is therefore sometimes wise not to verify false information in favor of another topic that could have a real impact.
- Verifying information between elections. According to the Africa Check team, "working in the relative calm between elections means that projects and organizations will have time to improve the skills and knowledge needed to identify and understand trends. They will also have time to build relationships with institutions and statistical agencies, and to develop experience that will enable them to engage meaningfully with public figures."
- The importance of the public. Africa Check draws one final conclusion from its years of activity: it is essential to stay connected to its audience by asking them to submit information for verification while protecting their privacy. And that requires working in local languages.