THE International Fact-checking Network (IFCN) has announced that the GlobalFact 11 will take place in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina in June 2024 while the GlobalFact 12 is slated to be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 2025.
IFCN director, Angie Holan, disclosed this in a statement on Monday, September 25, 2023.
“Fact-checkers in Bosnia and the rest of the Balkans were founding members of the International Fact-Checking Network and have been tireless in their efforts to bring accurate, high-quality information to their communities,” she said.
The GlobalFact is the world’s biggest and most influential fact-checking summit, hosted by the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN) at the Poynter Institute. Fact-checkers can share best practices and form partnerships at this yearly conference, which includes several days of interactive learning sessions and networking opportunities.
Also, keynote talks by professionals in journalism, academia, disinformation, and technology are included on each day of the conference.
“Each day of the summit includes keynote presentations with experts in journalism, academia, misinformation and technology. Discussions are centered on the universal challenges fact-checkers face today, such as upholding information integrity with artificial intelligence, tracking online disinformation campaigns and protecting democracy in 2024 with more than 40 high-profile elections.
“The IFCN will host the conference in 2024 in collaboration with Zašto ne, a civil society group with headquarters in Sarajevo that works to create systems for government accountability, enhance civic engagement, and protect new media and technology,” the statement read in part.
Commenting on the announcement, Tijana Cvjetićanin , the head of fact-checking at Zašto ne, said her organisation was thrilled to collaborate with the IFCN to organize the GlobalFact summit in 2024.
“Our region has been at the forefront of fighting disinformation for years, and we are thrilled that our global community will meet here, at its very heart. We are especially grateful for the opportunity to share the spirit of solidarity and cooperation that we have nurtured through our regional network,” she said.
The 2025 conference will be organized in collaboration with Brazilian fact-checking organizations including Aos Fatos, known for producing technology-driven tools and award-winning investigations for battling disinformation; Estadão Verifica, whose team debunks suspicious content that goes viral on social media and WhatsApp; Agência Lupa, an award-winning site that led innovative fact-checking of the coronavirus pandemic and strategies for media literacy; and UOL Confere, the fact-checking and verification arm of Brazil’s biggest content, technology and digital services company.
Holan added that despite a contentious political climate and other difficulties, Brazil’s fact-checkers continue to do innovative, important work.
“Fact-checking in Latin America is growing rapidly, and we look forward to inviting fact-checkers worldwide to Rio de Janeiro, with its forested mountains and stunning beaches,” she noted.
“Brazilian fact-checkers excitedly anticipate the debut of GlobalFact on our soil in 2025 in a polarized society where disinformation abounds. We lead this fight against the tides of misinformation and disinformation in a nation that is frequently the victim of such attacks,” Natália Leal, CEO of Lupa, speaking on behalf of all fact-checkers in Brazil, remarked.
It will be recalled that several industry-leading projects and fact-checking advancements have originated through past GlobalFacts, including International Fact-Checking Day, the IFCN’s Code of Principles and partnerships with major tech companies.
Since 2014, more than 3,700 people have attended GlobalFact in cities around the world including London, Buenos Aires, Madrid, Rome, Cape Town, Oslo and Seoul. While the in-person experience went online during the pandemic in 2020 and 2021, the past two years have been full hybrid events. Those who cannot physically attend the 2024 conference in Sarajevo will be invited to sign up for online viewing, live and on-demand, of select main stage sessions. The format for 2025 will be determined next fall.
Holan further stated that the dates for GlobalFact 11 will be finalized in the coming weeks, as registration and speaker submissions will open in early 2024.
Seasoned fact-checker and researcher Fatimah Quadri has written numerous fact-checks, explainers, and media literacy pieces for The FactCheckHub in an effort to combat information disorder. She can be reached at sunmibola_q on X or [email protected].
