Facebook expands its fact-checking programme to Nigeria

FILE PHOTO: Silhouettes of mobile users are seen next to a screen projection of Facebook logo in this picture illustration taken March 28, 2018. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/File Photo

Joining fact-checking programmes in Kenya and South Africa, Facebook has launched Third-Party Fact-Checking to help assess the accuracy of news in Nigeria, and reduce the spread of misinformation, whilst improving the quality of news people find on its platform.

Working with two partners, Africa Check; Africa’s first independent fact-checking organisation and AFP, a well-respected news organisation, both are part of a global network of fact-checking organizations, certified by the non-partisan International Fact-Checking Network.

Facebook’s fact-checking programme relies on feedback from the Facebook community, as one of many signals Facebook uses to raise potentially false stories to fact-checkers for review.

Local articles will be fact-checked alongside the verification of photos and videos. If one of our fact-checking partners identifies a story as false, Facebook will show it lower in News Feed, significantly reducing its distribution.

Akua Gyekye, Facebook Public Policy Manager, Anglophone West Africa commented: “Nigeria is important to us and we’re committed to taking our responsibility seriously in tackling the spread of false news.