THE International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN) at the Poynter Institute has awarded $300,000 as part of Meta’s “Spread the Facts” grant to ten fact-checking organisations globally.
The grants aim to help fight AI-generated misinformation on WhatsApp and enhance fact-checker’s workflows using generative AI.
This was disclosed via a statement signed by the director of the IFCN, Angie Holan, on August 15, 2024.
READ: FactsMatterNG, 38 others get Google/YouTube grant from IFCN
Holan noted that the initiative, in collaboration with Meta, will allow recipients to experiment and innovate with WhatsApp features, expanding the reach of their current projects and improving the user experience for their audience.
“We are excited to see how these projects will push the boundaries of what’s possible in tackling misinformation on WhatsApp and using AI-driven techniques to do it,” Holan said.
Also speaking, Clair Deevy, director of external affairs at WhatsApp stated that it was elating to deepen its partnership with IFCN and other fact-checking partners across the globe.
“These projects will help fact-checkers adapt to the latest trends in the fact-checking ecosystem and connect users to accurate, reliable information,” Deevy said.
The statement noted that each of the 10 selected projects will run for six months under the programme, which aims to create findings and best practices that benefit the broader fact-checking community.
WhatsApp Business awardees will receive a grant of $20,000 each, while WhatsApp Business Platform + Business Solution Providers (BSP) awardees receive $40,000 each.
FactSpace West Africa, a fact-checking organisation in Ghana with its Project: WhatsApp Initiative for Strengthening Expertise & Guarding Against Disinformation (WISEGUARD) which would target political, health, and social issues, aiming to reach the public, media, and civil society in the Sub-Saharan Africa. It will develop a chatbot that allows users to submit content for rapid, automatic verification.
While The Stage Media, a fact-checking organisation in Liberia with its Project: Pidgin – You geh it teh eye? / Did you verify? will focus on developing its WhatsApp Business App tip line service and expanding it to make it available for the Pidgin-speaking audience in Liberia.
The IFCN announced this new opportunity earlier this year, building on the $450,000 it awarded to 11 projects in 2022.
Below are the list of grant winners and their projects:
1. Digital Forensics, Research and Analytics Center (DFRAC) – India
Project: AI Against AI: Fighting Misinformation with Technology on WhatsApp
2. FactSpace West Africa – Ghana
Project: WhatsApp Initiative for Strengthening Expertise & Guarding Against Disinformation (WISEGUARD)
3. Lupa – Brazil
Project: AI Match
4. The Stage – Liberia
Project: Pidgin – You geh it teh eye? / Did you verify?
5. Verify Media Platform – Turkey
Project: Verify+ ًAI bot
6. Aos Fatos – Brazil
Project: Fátima 3.0
7. Facta – Italy
Project: AI-powered chatbot to optimize response to climate-related misinformation.
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8. Factly – India
Project: Increasing Capacity & Reducing WhatsApp Tipline Response Time with SACH Browser Extension Chatbot Powered by Gen AI
9. Maldita – Spain
Project: NARRADisinfo: Narrative and AI Responses for Resilience Against Disinformation
10. Factchequeado – USA
Project: Combating Immigration Disinformation: Development of an AI-Powered Chatbot for Latino Communities
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].
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