DOCSLIB.ORG

The Challenges of Online Fact Checking About This Report

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Challenges of Online Fact Checking About This Report DECEMBER 2020 The challenges of online fact checking About this report Misinformation causes real harm to people’s lives, health, finances and to democracy. It is time consuming and often difficult to check. This report lays out the main challenges fact checkers around the world face in finding and checking claims which appear in online places. It also presents ideas for improving these processes, with a focus on technology and counteracting the pressures fact checkers face when working with internet companies. We welcome feedback and comments at fullfact.org/contact Full Fact 2 Carlton Gardens London SW1Y 5AA k fullfact.org/contact D @FullFact K fullfact.org Published by Full Fact, November 2020. Published under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Contents How we gathered the data ............................................................................................................................ 4 Introduction .................................................................................................................................................................. 6 Key recommendations ......................................................................................................................................... 8 Monitoring and selection of online claims .........................................................................................15 How fact checkers find claims ..............................................................................................................................15 How fact checkers select claims ..........................................................................................................................28 Summary of main monitoring and selection challenges and possible solutions ....................................30 Researching, writing and reviewing a fact check .......................................................................32 Overview of the research, writing and review process .................................................................................32 Skills and training for fact checking online claims ..........................................................................................39 Evidence: tools, websites, and access to data and institutions ..................................................................42 Summary of main research, writing and reviewing challenges and possible solutions .......................48 Publication and distribution of online fact checks ......................................................................50 Online promotion and presentation of fact checks .........................................................................................51 Press partnerships and syndication ...................................................................................................................55 Internet companies: distributing fact checks online automatically to mass audiences .......................56 Internet shutdowns .................................................................................................................................................65 Criticism and harassment ......................................................................................................................................66 Summary of main publishing and distribution challenges and possible solutions ................................72 Fact checkers and the internet companies .......................................................................................74 Facebook and fact checkers .................................................................................................................................80 Google, YouTube and fact checkers ....................................................................................................................93 Other internet companies ..................................................................................................................................102 Summary of main challenges of working with internet companies and possible solutions.............102 Technology and automation ......................................................................................................................104 How technology has changed the fact checking environment ...............................................................104 Automated fact checking....................................................................................................................................105 Where technology can help ...............................................................................................................................107 The fact checkers developing technology to assist their work .................................................................109 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................................................ 116 Summary of challenges ....................................................................................................................................... 116 Appendix....................................................................................................................................................................118 All recommendations ...........................................................................................................................................118 CHALLENGES OF ONLINE FACT CHECKING How we gathered the data Interviewees approached for this research were chosen based on a number of factors. Foremost was the need to obtain a range of global perspectives: we wanted to hear from fact checkers in Africa, Asia Pacific, Europe, North America, Latin America and the Middle East and North Africa regions. We wanted to explore the diversity in experiences of online fact checking, so decided to approach newer as well as more established fact checkers, large and small organisations, independent organisations as well as those which are part of a larger media house, online-only fact checkers as well as those which also do political fact checking. We also wanted to interview organisations that are not Facebook partners, and at least one fact checker that is not a signatory to the International Fact-Checking Network Code. After drawing up a shortlist of fact checkers to contact against these criteria, we reached out to editors and reporters from: AFP Chequeado Factnameh PolitiFact North America Argentina Iran USA Africa Check Dubawa Fatabyyano Rappler South Africa Nigeria Jordan1 Philippines Africa Check Ellinika Hoaxes Full Fact La Silla Vacía Senegal Greece UK Colombia Animal Politico Fact Crescendo Maldita.es Teyit Mexico India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka Spain Turkey Aos Fatos Factly PesaCheck Brazil India Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda 1 Based in Jordan but serves Tunisia, Morocco, Algeria, Palestine, Syrian Arab Republic, Libya, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, Yemen, Iraq, Egypt, Sudan and Lebanon. fullfact.org 4 CHALLENGES OF ONLINE FACT CHECKING Semi-structured interviews were conducted over Zoom and telephone in February and March 2020, and ran to around 90 minutes for each fact checker, including for Full Fact. Themes included monitoring of online claims, research, publication, distribution, the Facebook partnership and working with internet companies more generally, and fact checkers’ use of technology. This was supplemented with unstructured calls with Full Fact’s automated fact checking team, the International Fact-Checking Network, ABC RMIT Fact Check, and Lead Stories’ Trendolizer. Transcripts and field notes were then thematically analysed and supplemented with further phone calls, emails or Slack communication. We are grateful to Facebook for funding this report, and would like to thank all the fact checkers and other colleagues who generously contributed their time to this research. fullfact.org 5 CHALLENGES OF ONLINE FACT CHECKING Introduction Online organisations have been publishing fact checks since the foundation of Snopes in 1994, but the profile of fact checking has increased significantly over the past decade. Among the many reasons for this are the proliferation of misinformation online and increased collaboration with internet companies. Fact checking organisations which partner with Facebook have gained powerful levers to identify and reduce the spread of online misinformation. Internet companies are finding new ways to display fact checks in products like news feeds and search results, bringing name recognition and large new online audiences to fact checkers. The consensus on what should be checked has evolved to include online content as well as claims from politicians. Some organisations, such as Maldita.es or Teyit, were founded specifically to check social media content, while others took longer to expand their scope and treat online claims as equally important to political speech. Alongside this, fact checkers have added open source intelligence tools and research techniques to their repertoire, such as reverse image searching and advanced social media monitoring. Criticisms of independent fact checking have also increased. A member of Facebook’s new oversight board raised a concern that “fact-checking is biased” during one of his first media outings as a new board member.1 During a recent UK Parliament Select Committee hearing, Twitter’s Head of Public Policy,
Load more

Recommended publications
  • PDF Communicating Fact Checks Online
    FEBRUARY 2020 Communicating fact checks online Striking the balance between commanding attention and conveying information A JOINT BRIEFING FROM: About this briefing Misinformation causes real harm to people’s lives, health, finances and to democracy. We need good evidence on how to tackle it. This briefing is part of a research programme set up by Africa Check, Chequeado and Full Fact to find that evidence and make it useful. In this briefing Full Fact’s ResearcherDr. Dora-Olivia Vicol explores the evidence on how to communicate fact checks to strike the right balance between commanding attention and conveying information online. We thank Paula Szewach and the research team at the Africa Centre for Evidence for their help in gathering regional evidence. We also extend our warmest thanks to Prof. Lisa Fazio, Libby Miller and Tristan Fern for their kind comments on earlier drafts. We welcome feedback and comments at [email protected] Full Fact 2 Carlton Gardens London SW1Y 5AA k [email protected] D @FullFact K fullfact.org Africa Check Johannesburg K africacheck.org Chequeado Buenos Aires K chequeado.com This research was supported by a grant from Luminate. Published by Africa Check, Chequeado and Full Fact, February 2020. Published under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Communicating fact checks online Contents Summary ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������4 Reach
    [Show full text]
  • Fact-Checking and Debunking a Best Practice Guide to Dealing with Disinformation
    978-9934-564-95-6 FACT-CHECKING AND DEBUNKING A BEST PRACTICE GUIDE TO DEALING WITH DISINFORMATION Published by the NATO Strategic Communications Centre of Excellence ISBN: 978-9934-564-95-6 Authors: James Pamment, Anneli Kimber Lindwall Additional Research: Leon Klingborg Project Lead: Ben Heap Project Assistant: Quentin Wight Design: Kārlis Ulmanis Riga, January 2021 NATO STRATCOM COE 11b Kalnciema Iela Riga LV1048, Latvia www.stratcomcoe.org Facebook/stratcomcoe Twitter: @stratcomcoe This publication does not represent the opinions or policies of NATO or NATO StratCom COE. © All rights reserved by the NATO StratCom COE. Reports may not be copied, reproduced, distributed or publicly displayed without reference to the NATO StratCom COE. The views expressed here do not represent the views of NATO. Contents EXECUTIVE SUMMARY � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 5 INTRODUCTION �� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 12 1. Is it possible to evaluate debunking efforts? ...............................................................................................................13 2. Who is doing what? A guide to best practice..............................................................................................................21 3. Recommendations and future prospects ...............................................................................................................40
    [Show full text]
  • E-Conomy Africa 2020 Report
    e-Conomy Africa 2020 Africa’s $180 billion Internet economy future Table of Contents Foreword ............................................................................................................................................ 2 Executive Summary ........................................................................................................................ 3 Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................................ 4 Section 1: The State of the Continent, Macro Trends, and Drivers of Change ............. 5 Section 2: Africa’s Growing Internet Economy, Trends, and Projections ...................... 11 Development Opportunities within the Informal Sector .............................. 26 Section 3: Overview of Africa’s Growing Developer and Digital Talent ....................... 28 Section 4: A Review of Africa’s Venture Capital and Funding Landscape .................. 45 Section 5: The Role of Africa’s Hubs and Accelerators ................................................... 52 The Impact of Global Tech Initiatives on Africa’s Internet Economy ................................................................................ 58 Section 6: Infrastructure is Key: Increasing Connectivity on the Continent ............. 60 Section 7: Regulatory Hurdles and Opportunities for Africa’s Internet Economy ..... 69 Appendix: Abbreviations and Acronyms .................................................................................. 81 References .....................................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Regional Report Media Programme Sub-Sahara Africa
    August 2019 Regional report Media Programme Sub-Sahara Africa Fact vs. Fake The impact of fact-checking and its measurement by African fact-checking organisations Franziska Krämer Shenilla Mohamed, Executive Director of Amnes- Foreigners are overburdening South Africa's pub- ty International South Africa, warns that Motsoal- lic hospitals. This is what Aaron Motsoaledi, edi fuels xenophobia with such statements. Dep- South Africa’s then Health Minister, claimed in uty Public Protector Kevin Malunga tweeted that November 2018 when he spoke at the Nurses the Minister of Health's statements are aimed at Summit in Johannesburg. There, he discussed the deflecting from his own challenges regarding the challenges hospital staff face in their everyday health system. His tweet triggered a discussion in working life. In an interview with radio station the comments on whether or not foreign nation- SAfm, Motsoaledi blamed the country's immigra- als are responsible for overburdening the health tion policy for overburdening the healthcare system. system. 700 babies were born in May 2017 at Charlotte Maxeke Academic Hospital in Johan- The fact-checking organisation Africa Check con- nesburg, "and 400 of them were not South Afri- tacted the hospitals and checked the figures the can at all,” Motsoaledi said, for instance. Minister of Health quoted in the interview. Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung e. V. Regional report July 2019 2 The result: none of the figures quoted by Mot- ing that the worldwide growth of the fact- soaledi could be substantiated. Wrong infor- checking industry is also being experienced in mation circulating in public can cause great harm, Africa, the Duke Reporter Lab currently mentions depending on the topic.
    [Show full text]
  • Challenges for Marxism and Anti-Racism
    DEMOCRATIC MARXISM DEMOCRATIC MARXISM SERIES Series Editor: Vishwas Satgar The crisis of Marxism in the late twentieth century was the crisis of orthodox and van- guardist Marxism associated mainly with hierarchical communist parties, and imposed, even as state ideology, as the ‘correct’ Marxism. The Stalinisation of the Soviet Union and its eventual collapse exposed the inherent weaknesses and authoritarian mould of vanguardist Marxism. More fundamentally, vanguardist Marxism was rendered obsolete but for its residual existence in a few parts of the world, as well as within authoritarian national liberation movements in Africa and in China. With the deepening crises of capitalism, a new democratic Marxism (or democratic his- torical materialism) is coming to the fore. Such a democratic Marxism is characterised in the following ways: • Its sources span non-vanguardist grassroots movements, unions, political fronts, mass parties, radical intellectuals, transnational activist networks and parts of the progressive academy; • It seeks to ensure that the inherent categories of Marxism are theorised within constantly changing historical conditions to find meaning; • Marxism is understood as a body of social thought that is unfinished and hence challenged by the need to explain the dynamics of a globalising capitalism and the futures of social change; • It is open to other forms of anti-capitalist thought and practice, including cur- rents within radical ecology, feminism, emancipatory utopianism and indigenous thought; • It does not seek to be a monolithic and singular school of thought but engenders contending perspectives; • Democracy, as part of the heritage of people’s struggles, is understood as the basis for articulating alternatives to capitalism and as the primary means for con- stituting a transformative subject of historical change.
    [Show full text]
  • Us Media Coverage of Africa: a Content
    U.S. MEDIA COVERAGE OF AFRICA: A CONTENT ANALYSIS OF THE NEW YORK TIMES FROM 2003 TO 2007 By JOSHUA ADAM DANKER-DAKE Bachelor of Arts Oral Roberts University Tulsa, Oklahoma 2004 Submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate College of the Oklahoma State University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE May, 2008 U.S. MEDIA COVERAGE OF AFRICA: A CONTENT ANALYSIS OF THE NEW YORK TIMES FROM 2003 TO 2007 Thesis Approved: Jami A. Fullerton Thesis Advisor Joey Senat Lori McKinnon A. Gordon Emslie Dean of the Graduate College ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Dr. Jami Fullerton, my advisor, gave me considerable guidance and assistance throughout this project. She was thoroughly supportive, and did much to shepherd this study along. Dr. Lori McKinnon and Dr. Joey Senat gave me plenty of input on this study, primarily in the form of constructive, fair, and eminently necessary (albeit sometimes harsh) criticism. Without their expertise, this study would be decidedly inferior. Dr. Stan Ketterer was of great help to me in dealing with the bureaucratic end of things – in keeping up on deadlines, in dealing with contacts in the Graduate College, and with shuttling paperwork back and forth between Tulsa and Stillwater. David Lange assisted me in coding the data for this study. Gratefully and sincerely, I thank you all for your time and efforts on my behalf. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter Page I. INTRODUCTION……………………………………………………………………....1 The Decline of Foreign Correspondence………………………………………….2 American Ignorance……………………………………………………………….3 The New York Times………………………………………………………………4 Theoretical Approach……………………………………………………………...5 Statement of the Problem………………………………………………………….6 Significance of the Study………………………………………………………….6 Methodology………………………………………………………………………6 Research Questions………………………………………………………………..7 Limitations………………………………………………………………………...7 Thesis Plan………………………………………………………………………...7 II.
    [Show full text]
  • Advanced 2014 Key.Pages
    Universidad Nacional de La Pampa - Facultad de Ciencias Humanas-SEREX ! Examen de Acreditación de Niveles de Lengua Inglesa 2014 Candidate’s Name .………...……………………………… DNI …………………………………………………………. Nivel: AVANZADO Paper: READING (1 h 15 min) ! A. Read the following text, adapted from http://voanews.com New Fact Checking Website Arrives JOHANNESBURG— The ‘facts’ in South Africa now have a kind of watchdog. Africa Check, a fledgling fact checking website, is attempting to pin down unfounded claims made by the country's leaders, media outlets along with widely held beliefs. There is a common claim in Johannesburg that it has the largest man-made forest in the world. It's easy to believe; the city has lush, green canopy that covers many neighborhoods. (1) But it's not true, according to Africa Check, which found that the largest man-made forest is actually in China, next to the Gobi desert. Debunking bogus claims, politically charged fictions and unfounded statements, Africa Check is a website that challenges media, politicians and the occasional social media celebrity when they massage the truth, or ignore it completely, said Julian Rademeyer, southern Africa editor for the site. "I think the fundamental element of our work is that we are trying to get people to question what they're told, what they read, what politicians say to them, and to look at what the information that is there and ask essentially what the fundamental question is 'Where is the evidence?' If someone makes a claim, where is the evidence to support that claim, and to actually interrogate those claims and not to accept things purely for what they are," Rademeyer said.
    [Show full text]
  • Download the Pictures Can Still Engage with What Is Shared (Dr Rashid Raji, Administrator, Citizen Wellness & Advocacy Foundation, US)
    Working paper Advancing youth-centred digital ecosystems in Africa in a post-Covid-19 world Melanie Pinet, Sanyu Phiona and Ariana Youn March 2021 Key messages Covid-19 has had multidimensional impacts on young people’s lives and livelihoods. Digital technologies have enabled them to respond to these challenges through youth-led activism and community engagement. However, access, awareness and the quality of skills-building opportunities is unequal. Barriers driving the youth digital divide in Africa are multifaceted. Youth are subject to a double disadvantage: unequal or inadequate infrastructure and affordability. Poor infrastructure restricts youth access to the internet and affordability limits access to devices and data. These limitations restrict young people’s internet exposure, which they need to acquire basic digital skills. Greater investments and incentives to telecoms and the private sector are needed to provide opportunities for change. Digital-enabled interventions and programmes aimed to equip youth with 21st-century skills should consider designs grounded in creative and participatory approaches, be tailored to young people’s local contexts, reflect their lived experiences and aspirations, and go beyond short-term outcomes. Special attention should be paid to vulnerable groups including young women, young people with disabilities, youth migrants and LGBT youth and their intersecting vulnerabilities and needs. Participatory Development Associates Ltd. Readers are encouraged to reproduce material for their own publications, as long as they are not being sold commercially. ODI requests due acknowledgement and a copy of the publication. For online use, we ask readers to link to the original resource on the ODI website. The views presented in this paper are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the views of ODI or our partners.
    [Show full text]
  • Biographical Statement Eric Chinje Is the Chief Executive Officer of the Nairobi-Based African Media Initiative (AMI). Prior To
    9826 Bolton Village Court Fairfax, Virginia 22032, USA Email: [email protected] Tel: +1 703 344 3406 Biographical Statement Eric Chinje is the Chief Executive Officer of the Nairobi-based African Media Initiative (AMI). Prior to moving to Kenya in July 2014, he was (and still is) a Visiting Scholar at the George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. He served as an Adviser to the governments of the Democratic Republic of Congo(DRC), Liberia and South Sudan on their strategic, development and international communications - an extension of his role as a Senior Advisor at the Washington- based International Communications and Trade-relations firm, KRL International. He came to KRL after a stint as Director of Strategic Communications at the London-based Mo Ibrahim Foundation. Prior to that he led the Global Media Development Program at the World Bank Institute (WBI) and, in that capacity, launched the IMAGE (Independent Media for Accountability, Governance and Empowerment) e-learning program and network to build media capacity to report on and analyze global development issues. Mr. Chinje moved to the WBI from his position as External Affairs and Communications Manager in the World Bank’s Africa Region and the institution's spokesperson on Africa. He initiated and ran a series of workshops on Economics and Business Reporting, Investigative Journalism, Budget Coverage, and Reporting on Agriculture, involving over 2000 journalists in Africa and Asia. He spent four years at the African Development Bank in Tunis as head of that institution’s External Affairs and Communications Unit. Mr. Chinje is a founding Board member of "Africa Check", a nonprofit and non-partisan organization established to improve fact-checking and news gathering in Africa.
    [Show full text]
  • South Africa: Current Issues, Economy, and U.S
    South Africa: Current Issues, Economy, and U.S. Relations Updated September 17, 2020 Congressional Research Service https://crsreports.congress.gov R45687 SUMMARY R45687 South Africa: Current Issues, Economy, and September 17, 2020 U.S. Relations Nicolas Cook South Africa, a majority black, multiracial country of nearly 60 million people, has cordial Specialist in African Affairs relations with the United States, notwithstanding periodic strains, and is the largest U.S. trade partner in Africa. President Cyril Ramaphosa took office in 2018, after a series of corruption scandals under the administration of his predecessor, Jacob Zuma. Zuma, elected in 2009, resigned under intense pressure in early 2018, shortly after then-Vice President Ramaphosa was elected to replace Zuma as leader of the African National Congress (ANC), South Africa’s dominant party. The ANC has held a parliamentary majority since the first universal suffrage elections in 1994, which marked the end of apartheid, a system of codified state racial bias favoring whites, but is facing headwinds. In the last general elections, in May 2019, it earned 57.5% of the vote—its lowest margin ever. South Africa has Africa’s largest Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) caseload and a rapidly accelerating outbreak, which has devastated the economy and sharply intensified prior challenges facing the government. Notable among these are years of anemic economic growth and corruption linked to Zuma and a network of business and political associates tied to him. Such graft was so systematic that it was dubbed “state capture.” Multiple efforts to address this problem are underway, including a high-profile commission of judicial inquiry.
    [Show full text]
  • South Africa: Current Issues, Economy, and U.S. Relations
    South Africa: Current Issues, Economy, and U.S. Relations Updated September 17, 2020 Congressional Research Service https://crsreports.congress.gov R45687 SUMMARY R45687 South Africa: Current Issues, Economy, and September 17, 2020 U.S. Relations Nicolas Cook South Africa, a majority black, multiracial country of nearly 60 million people, has cordial Specialist in African Affairs relations with the United States, notwithstanding periodic strains, and is the largest U.S. trade partner in Africa. President Cyril Ramaphosa took office in 2018, after a series of corruption scandals under the administration of his predecessor, Jacob Zuma. Zuma, elected in 2009, resigned under intense pressure in early 2018, shortly after then-Vice President Ramaphosa was elected to replace Zuma as leader of the African National Congress (ANC), South Africa’s dominant party. The ANC has held a parliamentary majority since the first universal suffrage elections in 1994, which marked the end of apartheid, a system of codified state racial bias favoring whites, but is facing headwinds. In the last general elections, in May 2019, it earned 57.5% of the vote—its lowest margin ever. South Africa has Africa’s largest Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) caseload and a rapidly accelerating outbreak, which has devastated the economy and sharply intensified prior challenges facing the government. Notable among these are years of anemic economic growth and corruption linked to Zuma and a network of business and political associates tied to him. Such graft was so systematic that it was dubbed “state capture.” Multiple efforts to address this problem are underway, including a high-profile commission of judicial inquiry.
    [Show full text]
  • A Whatsapp Fact-Checking Podcast by Africa Check and Volume with the Support of the International Fact-Checking Network
    a WhatsApp fact-checking podcast By Africa Check and Volume with the support of the International Fact-Checking Network How to start a WhatsApp fact-checking podcast 1 BUY A 1. Buy a device and sim card DEVICE Purchase a phone or tablet. A device with large internal memory and a large central processing unit is recommended. This will reduce the chance of the device crashing as subscribers and submissions increase. Introduction Buy a sim card from a mobile network with good coverage in your area. Misinformation is like a mushroom: it’s based on crap and grows well in the dark. There’s widespread fact-checking of content on open social media platforms, like Twitter and Facebook. But “dark” platforms, like messaging app WhatsApp, pose a Insert the sim card and set up your new device. particular challenge. Africa Check and South African podcast company Volume partnered in 2019 to create a new, innovative approach to podcasting with the goal of debunking misinformation on WhatsApp. The outcome was “What’s Crap on WhatsApp?”: a short fact-checking voice-note show based on and distributed through WhatsApp. The project was the winner of the International Fact-Checking Network’s 2019 Fact Forward Fund. This handbook explains how you can start your own WhatsApp voice-note fact-checking show in nine simple steps. 2 How to start a WhatsApp fact-checking podcast How to start a WhatsApp fact-checking podcast 3 2. Download WhatsApp Business SET QUICK WHATSAPP Download the WhatsApp Business app onto your device. REPLIES Personalise your profile and add a website address.
    [Show full text]