This archive report was first published on 10 October 2019.
On October 10, 2019, Facebook announced its plan to combat misinformation in Kenya by partnering with local fact-checking organizations.
As part of its efforts to reduce the spread of false news, Facebook has included Kenya in a list of 10 African countries where it will work with local fact-checkers to verify news stories.
Facebook uses feedback from its community, including reports of suspicious stories, to identify potentially false news and send it to fact-checkers for review.
Once a story is flagged as false by a fact-checking partner, Facebook will reduce its visibility in News Feed, making it harder for users to share and see.
Facebook has partnered with Agence France-Presse (AFP), the France 24 Observers, Pesa Check, and Dubawa to implement this program in Kenya and other African countries.
‘Our African users are constantly sending us questionable images and messages they’ve received via social media, asking us ‘Is this true? Can you check it?’
It’s our responsibility as fact-checking journalists to verify the information that’s circulating and get the truth back out there. Participating in the Facebook program helps ensure that our fact-checks are reaching the people who shared the false news in the first place, ’ said Derek Thomson, editor-in-chief of the France 24 Observers.
