Inside AFP
AFP extends its fact-checking operation to a fifth Latin American country
AFP is further developing its global fact-checking operation in Spanish through a new contract with Facebook covering Uruguay.
The articles will be freely accessible on the Spanish blog AFP Factual that is dedicated to verifying and debunking disinformation spread online. The articles will respect the Agency’s established editing process, and AFP will choose independently what content to fact-check.
Based in Montevideo, the new fact-checking team will work with the Agency’s existing network of journalists in the region and will check potentially fake content being distributed in Uruguay, particularly during the election campaign to be held next October. The agreement with Facebook includes the verification of statements as well as images and videos, an area of expertise for AFP.
AFP has multilingual fact-checking teams in more than 20 countries. In Latin America, the Agency is already present in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia and Mexico.
This contract joins other initiatives taken by AFP in the fact-checking area worldwide, proving its credibility in this field:
- Participation in various collaborative projects during election campaigns or elections – CrossCheck for French presidential election in 2017; Comprova during the 2018 Brazilian presidential elections and Reverso for the election campaign in Argentina.
- Recognition of the IFCN which admitted AFP among the 65 media signatories to its Code of Principles.
- Partnership with the “Journalism Trust Initiative” launched by Reporters Without Borders.
- Collaboration with the NGO Africa Check, which enjoys a global reputation for its work on verification of news in Africa.
Checking the facts is at the heart of AFP’s historic mission as it practices its expertise in this area on a daily basis to the benefit of its clients and the general public. This approach was presented by the Agency’s Global News Director Phil Chetwynd during the News Xchange 2018.