Stages of fact-checking

Balobaki Check

A rigorous process to confirm the accuracy of information: research into reliable sources, comparison of data, and critical analysis of assertions to ensure their validity.

STEP 1

Suggested topic

STEP 2

Editorial staff

STEP 3

Publication of the Fact Check

Suggested topic

The pitch: this is the process of proposing the subject with the statement that is the subject of the proposed research.
To ensure that the essay is easy to understand, the proposal should answer a few questions, in particular :

Citation: what does the author of the publication say?

Status: is the statement true, false or needs to be verified?

Virality: has the statement been shared on other social networks? By other internet users? How many people have been reached by this publication?

Proof: if you already have leads proving the falsity of this assertion, can we see them?

Context: is this claim circulating during a specific period?

Editorial staff

We start with the statement that is the subject of our research and place it in a specific context.

Quote: what the author of the publication says
Then we move on to the facts as we found them.

Fact: what did we find after our research? Who supports the facts we found? Which media have reported it?

Background: we make sure that the reader is informed of the context in which the false information was shared? Why now? Is the writing clear? Is the choice of words accurate?

Steps for the publication of the Fact Check

Step 1: Collect and pitch the information, justifying the choice of the dubious assertion

Step 2: begin research to verify the claim

Step 3: Fact-checking by the author of the story – Fact checker

Step 4: Once a story has been written, it goes through two editors equipped with fact-checking techniques.

Step 5: the senior fact-checking service checks the hyperlinks that have been selected as evidence and unbiased information. This service also ensures that the names of people and places have been correctly written and that no bias has been slipped in.

Stage 6: The editors-in-chief edit the Fact Check, taking a rigorous approach to Balobaki Check’s mission of ensuring the integrity of information in the public arena. This person has proven experience in writing fact-checks with a global perspective. Given the sensitivity of certain subjects, the editor-in-chief must consult the editor before publication.

Stage 7: publication of the Fact-checking, at the discretion of the Editor-in-Chief if necessary. As the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has not yet enacted the law on access to public information, one of the fundamental elements that encourages work in the practice of fact-checking. As the editorial guarantor of Balobaki Check’s content, the editor-in-chief is responsible to the authorities and also monitors the legal framework for the media in the DRC.