What The Fact?
Spotlight on: AfricaCheck.org
Photo: © AU-UN IST PHOTO / Stuart Price – AMISOM Public Information via Flickr (public domain)
“Poor information contributes to poor decision-making”
About AfricaCheck.org
Africa Check: A non-profit fact checking organisation to promote accuracy in public debate and the media in Africa
Established: June 2012
Goal: To raise the quality of information available to society across the continent of Africa
Focus countries: South Africa; Kenya; Nigeria; Senegal (but also other countries within the Continent of Africa)
Office locations: Kenya; Nigeria; Senegal; South Africa; UK
Languages: The site is available in English and French
The AfricaCheck.org website is a treasure trove of reliable information, facts, resources, factsheets, tips, data, blogs, podcasts, etc., for those interested and concerned about the misrepresentation and spreading of fake news/lies on a wide range of issues and topics covering the continent of Africa, and specifically the countries of Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa. All facts are researched and checked for their accuracy by a team of researchers and variety of independent experts throughout the continent and abroad. These are named and listed in the website under each inclusion.
Various issues and topics are segregated into the following sub-headings and you can search this information according to country in Africa:
- Agriculture;
- Crime, justice & security;
- Economy; Education; Elections & political parties; Environment;
- Gender; Governance;
- Health; Housing;
- Land;
- Migration;
- Natural resources & energy;
- Welfare & population
Each of the topics are sorted into ‘Key facts’ and ‘Useful sources’, which have links to relevant documents for example: in exploring the topic ‘gender’ a key fact is: “How much do women earn in comparison to men in South Africa? In 2016, women earned a median income of R2,900 per month while men earned R3,700”. Africa Check link to a useful resource such as the Gender Paygap calculator, which assesses the gender paygap across different African countries.
Some other examples of really interesting fact checking inclusions in the site:
- How to fact check – E.g: Tips and advice for fact checking in 7 steps; Reports by country and topic
- Fact Sheets and Guides: such as Five steps to fight fake news and false information on WhatsApp; How to locate (almost) any place on Earth; How to verify a Twitter account or images on your smartphone; Frequently asked questions about poverty in South Africa; and much more.
- You can even get Africa Check to fact check information on your behalf.
- Factcheck podcasts –“Widely quoted WHO doctor-to-population ratio does not exist” and “Why do People Believe Fake News?”
- The quick ‘key facts’ section which fact-check in one line/paragraph for example:
Which countries in Africa have the most migrants living in Europe and the US?
Research by the Pew Research Centre in 2018, using United Nations data, indicates that Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa and Kenya are the main countries of origin for sub-Saharan migrants living the US and Europe. Nigeria has the most migrant workers both in the US (280,000) and Europe (390,000).
The AfricaCheck approach to promoting ‘accuracy and honesty in public debate and the media in Africa” is 8-fold. This includes:
- Selecting the claim to check
- Establishing exactly what was said
- Asking for the evidence
- Checking archives and other sources
- Discussing the evidence with experts
- Writing up the report – setting out evidence step-by-step and providing links
- Having a colleague review the report and its findings
- Publishing and monitoring feedback
Verified claims are then rated according to “accuracy of the statement – according to the best evidence publicly available at the time”. There are 8 accuracy ratings. Based on evidence publicly available at the time, the claim is either:
- Correct: based on the evidence which leaves out nothing significant
- Mostly correct: has elements of truth but is either not entirely accurate or needs further clarification
- Unproven: neither proves nor disproves the statement
- Misleading: elements of the claim are accurate but presented in a way that it is misleading
- Exaggerated: The claim exaggerates the facts
- Understated: The claim understates the facts
- Incorrect: The claim is inaccurate according to the available evidence
- Checked: Multiple claims have been fact-checked.
Let’s take one example from the AfricaCheck website.
The Claim
Did Uganda receive more refugees daily in 2016 than many European nations did the whole year?
Claim made by Jan Egeland, secretary-general of the Norwegian Refugee Council, said that Uganda received more refugees daily at the end of 2016 than many wealthy European countries did the entire year. Do the numbers add up?
The Conclusion: Number of European countries had fewer annual asylum applications in 2016 than those experienced daily in Uganda.
The Verdict Rating: Correct
At least 6 European countries had registered fewer refugees than Uganda, with possibly 9 more EU countries who had yet to finalise their asylum numbers. However, the expectation was that there would be less than the 3,162 applications experienced in Uganda during a 98-day period in 2016.
The claim was fact checked based on figures from the Norwegian Refugee Council and cross-checked with figures from the UN High Commission for Refugee agency (UNHCR), both in Uganda. The figures focused on refugee arrivals from South Sudan, which borders with Uganda, over a 98-day period between 30 August and 5 December 2016. Arrivals averaged at 3,162 people per day. Figures for Europe were sourced through the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa and the European Union’s statistical office, Eurostat.