For the International Fact-Checking Day, Misbar asked fact-checkers and media experts about fact-checking’s meaning to them. For Saja H. Mortada, data and an investigative journalist at ARIJ Network and the Arab Fact-Checkers Network Manager, fact-checking means transparent, objective, and impartial journalism, free from misinformation, lies, and interests.
“Fact-checking is not a luxury anymore. It is a necessity,” she told Misbar. “Without fact-checkers, we can't fight misinformation and disinformation in the Arab world, and without applying pre-publication fact-checking within newsrooms, we can not have transparent and objective media organizations,” she added.
“We used to deal with the statements of politicians as if they were taken for granted once we put what they say inside two quotation marks, and relieve our consciences that we, as journalists, conveyed what they said,” Montaser Marai, a journalist at Al Jazeera Media Institute told Misbar.
However, for Mr. Marai, after information sources became available, especially the open ones, in addition to different verification tools, a journalist should not become a “mailbox” transferring politicians’ speeches or promoting their agendas.
It became possible to verify information and data that journalists receive from politicians and official institutions as this information can no longer be considered irrefutable facts. “The public has the right to receive accurate and verified information,” he told Misbar.
How Fact-Checking Impacts the Media Industry
According to Saja H. Mortada, pre-publication fact-checking can save the reputation of media organizations, protect them from any legal threats, and increase the audience's trust in the content provided by the outlet.
Post-publication fact-checking can expose the misleading media organizations, influencers, and politicians. It also helps raise awareness regarding mis/disinformation and correct all the fake information spread online.
“Today, Fact-checking is reshaping the media and making a big positive impact in the battle against mis/disinformation,” Ms. Mortada told Misbar.
Most traditional newsrooms, for Mr. Marai, are now in the process of being digitally transformed. The assimilation of digital platforms and tools in news collection and distribution became part of this transformation.
Open Sources or User Generated Content (UGC) are also becoming significant sources alongside traditional sources. Mr. Marai believes that dealing with these new sources requires verification. For this reason, new newsrooms should include special fact-checking units within their management structure.
Similarly, Almakhfi Jalal, Moroccan journalist and media trainer, believes that verifying information in this misinformation era is of “great and unprecedented importance” in various fields, given the negative impact of misleading information due to its fast spread.
According to Mr. Al Makhfi, misinformation causes hundreds of billions of economic losses, lack of trust in public and private institutions and civil society, and the growth of isolationism, fear, and doubt among individuals and groups, as well as the emergence of violence.
However, the verification process constitutes an additional burden on journalists and the institutions. Instead of devoting themselves to verifying the information they collect, as required by journalistic rules, to inform the public, they find themselves allocating additional time to verify published misleading information, Mr. Almakhfi told us.
Today, Mr. Almakhfi agreed with Mr. Marai regarding the necessity of establishing departments specialized in information verification in media organizations. “Verification has become an independent profession in the media industry, and it is in continuous development trying to keep up with developments,” he said.
Does Fact-Checking Impact the Institutions’ Editorial Policies?
Despite the importance of Fact-Checking in all the journalistic production phases, some may think that Fact-Checking can affect the editorial policies or guidelines of the media outlets.
According to Saja H. Mortada, working for ARIJ, the network has a strict pre-publication fact-checking methodology. The network does not publish any investigation/in-depth report before fact-checking and reviewing it legally. “This takes time and costs. However, it is very crucial to ensure the content's accuracy.”
“Fact-Checking makes the editorial policy of any media outlet more effective. It organizes the tasks and saves the organizations from any loss of trust by the audience or bad reputation,” she concluded.
Fact-Checking will affect the editorial policy by expanding it to include digital media in general and avoiding media misinformation in particular, Mr. Marai asserted.
According to Mr. Marai, the news agenda should not be limited to the basic information available, including statements made by politicians, influencers, or official and economic institutions that have an impact on the public and the public interest. “Fact-checking will make editorial policy careful and deliberate.”
Challenges of Fact-Checking
Fact-Checking can also help clarify relations with sources, especially in the political field, as the journalist’s agenda differs and may contradict the sources' agenda, especially the political one. For Mr. Almakhfi, “the more dealing with sources is subject to precise rules, the more the journalist and the media organization avoid falling into exploitation and exploitation by the sources.”
Fact-Checking may also be a new income source for media institutions and journalists, as some international media outlets have invested and established sections and units for information verification; benefiting from their fact-checking services requires paid subscriptions. This new strategy can enhance the independence of the media organization, the expert confirmed.
Fact-Checking does not only have positive effects. It also has a negative impact, threatening the fact-checkers safety and putting them at risk. The journalist or fact-checker may be exposed to bullying and harassment, as well as theft of personal information and blackmail.
Therefore, according to Mr. Jalal Almakhfi, journalists and fact-checkers must be cautious and follow regular training to strengthen their digital safety while performing their duties. They also need to have profound legal knowledge since any risk affecting the journalist can also impact the editorial policy of the media organization.
