Who We Are
The FactCheckHub is an initiative of the International Centre for Investigative Reporting (The ICIR) aimed at combatting misinformation in the society. Established in May 2020 with headquarters in the Federal Capital Territory -Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, we are an independent, impartial fact-checking organisation from Africa.
Our Mission
The FactCheckHub is a non-partisan platform for fact-checking with the primary aim of combating misinformation, disinformation, hoaxes and rumours about topical issues including COVID-19, elections, health and governance, among others.
We also monitor the factual accuracy of what is said by major political and business players across Africa; be it in the form of TV ads, debates, speeches, interviews or press releases.
Our goal is to apply the best practices of both journalism and technology to increase public knowledge and understanding on all public issues.
Our Objectives
- To promote and create awareness on public issues through the dissemination of balanced and evidence-based reports, while also combating rumours and misinformation about COVID-19.
- To foster a fact-checking culture among the general public, by improving public knowledge and creating an online platform that serves as a repository of factual and truth-based information that will assist members of the general public in making informed decisions and holding the government accountable.
Our Ethical Policy for FactCheckHub Journalists
At The FactCheckHub, we strive to present factual, fair, independent and objective reports devoid of personal biases and opinions.
Our editors and reporters are non-partisan and open-minded in their work. We avoid doing anything that compromises The FactCheckHub’s credibility and our editorial independence. Our ethical policy applies to full-time fact-checkers and interns.
Our Ownership
The FactCheckHub is owned by The ICIR, a non-profit organisation promoting accountability and transparency in governance in Africa.
The organisation and governance of The ICIR can be seen here.
The ICIR was registered in Nigeria in 2010. It’s registration number is RC 41451.
The ICIR has always been interested in dispelling misinformation, particularly in the months leading to the 2019 election, the centre undertook a collaborative project which birthed the CrossCheck Nigeria.
The CrossCheck was a collaborative verification project aimed at helping the public make sense of what and who to trust online, ahead of Nigeria’s 2019 general elections.
Since then, The ICIR has maintained a robust fact-check operation. The misinformation epidemic that came with Coronavirus provided the impetus to start a full-fledged fact-check operation, with its own newsroom and dedicated staff.
Our Partners/Funders
The FactCheckHub does not accept donations from anonymous sources, political parties, elected government officials or candidates seeking public office, or any other source we would consider a conflict of interest.
As a matter of policy, we do not give donors or advertisers any influence over our reports or ratings, as our editorial independence and fairness is pertinent to the work we do. This is clearly stated in our Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) with our partners/grantors.
Also, our team of dedicated journalists solely decide on claims to fact-check, as well as our ratings.
The FactCheckHub is funded by the International Centre for Investigative Reporting (The ICIR).
Also, our team of dedicated journalists solely decide on claims to fact-check, as well as our ratings.