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AFP has the largest network in the world of expert journalists in charge of digital investigations. AFP’s fact-check service is covering 36 countries. In Asia alone, 11 countries and territories in five languages, including English, Thai, Bahasa Indonesia, Bahasa Malay and Burmese. Burmese is the 14th language to be added to the AFP Fact Check website. 

Rachel Blundy, the acting Head of AFP Fact Check in Asia, said: “We are really pleased to expand our fact-checking service to Myanmar, where we already have a thriving news team. Our fact-checkers will debunk widely circulating misinformation on topics including health, the economy, politics and science.”   

Richard Sargent, AFP’s Myanmar bureau chief, said:  "We’re excited to welcome our new team members in a country with no shortage of false and misleading claims to disprove. The fact-check operation will become only more pertinent as Myanmar heads towards expected elections later this year." 

“We're committed to reducing the spread of false news and misinformation on Facebook. We are pleased AFP Fact Check has joined our third-party fact-checking program in Myanmar to review and rate the accuracy of content on our platform.” Anjali Kapoor, Director of News Partnerships Facebook Asia Pacific. 

AFP is part of Facebook’s Third Party Fact Checking programme, which includes more than 60  media organisations worldwide. The company has also been certified by the Poynter Institute’s non-partisan International Fact Checking Network.  

AFP’s Fact Check team produces daily reports debunking prominent online misinformation. Once a fact-check report has been published, AFP’s journalists review and rate pieces of online content on Facebook, marking them as false or misleading. Facebook users who subsequently try to share the misleading piece of content will receive a notification that it has been fact-checked by AFP.