What is FactCheck Initiative (FCI)?
FactCheck Initiative (FCI) is a non-governmental development organization focused on checking factual accuracy, sensitizing and proffering solutions to combat misleading news, stories, agendas or manifestos across the continent and the world. FactCheck Initiative reality-checking and unique insightful reporting, lights the best approach to evidence-based and contextualized analysis. We always archive our sources, so readers are empowered to do independent research and make up their own minds.
Is FCI Partisan?
We have performed the remarkable feat of being decidedly biased in every possible direction.
What makes FCI a reliable resource?
Of course, we don’t expect anyone to accept us as the ultimate authority on any topic. No single source, no matter how reliable, is infallible. Anyone can make mistakes. Or get duped. Or have a bad day at the fact-checking bureau.
However, unlike so many anonymous individuals who create and spread unsigned, unsourced messages across the internet, we show some of our works here. Research materials used in the preparation of any particular page are listed so that readers who wish to verify the validity of our information may check those sources for themselves. Just click the “Sources” button at the bottom of an article.
Feeling skeptical? That’s probably a good sign. Keep looking for more information. We will, too.
See something we missed? Contact us.
May I submit questions or images to be fact-checked?
Yes! We always welcome reader tips and queries. Send us links to articles, social media posts, or images using our contact form. If you have screenshots or other relevant attachments, click the “Add File” button on the contact form. Include as much information as possible, including when and where you came across the information in question.
Due to the volume of correspondence we receive every day, we regret that we may not be able to respond to you personally.
You can typein one or two keywords into our site searchto check if we have researched the claim in question. Searches that are too lengthy or specific tend to produce fewer results.
What tips is FCI looking for?
FCI cannot investigate every dubious claim ever published, so we try to tackle what seems most prominent each day. In other words, we write about whatever the greatest number of readers are asking about or searching for at any given time, without any partisan considerations.
If any questionable materials come across your screen that you cannot confirm or debunk yourself, let us know. Be sure to include a link or a screenshot if you can.
Due to the volume of submissions we receive, we regret that we may not be able to respond to you personally. Know that we are very appreciative of you taking the time to engage with www.fcihq.org
What are FCI fact checking processes?
Each entry is assigned to one of the members of our editorial staff who undertakes the preliminary research and writes the first draft of the verification.
Our research begins with attempting to contact the source of the claim for elaboration and supporting information. We also contact individuals and organizations who would be knowledgeable about the subject at hand, as well as searching out printed information (news articles, scientific and medical journal articles, books, interview transcripts, statistical sources) with bearing on the topic.
The final product will pass through the hands of at least one editor. Any piece that is not deemed up to our standards by one or more editors is subject to further revision and review before being released for publication.
How do you decide what to write about?
We have long observed the principle that we write about whatever items the greatest number of readers are asking about or searching for at any given time, without any partisan considerations.
The inputs we use to determine reader interest include the tabulation of terms entered into our search engine, reader email submissions, comments and items posted to our Twitter and Facebook accounts, external social media posts, what’s trending on Google and social media sites.
What’s the deal with your rating system?
Our rating system has a variety of labels so we can be accurate, clear, and fair. It’s important to take note of the claim statement on each article, as the specific wording of the claim is what the rating evaluates.
Why are some articles published without a ‘True’ or ‘False’ rating?
In addition to verification, FCI publishes original news stories, in-depth investigations, and other material we believe will help readers understand and contextualise information they encounter.
To stay up-to-date on all FCI content, Sign the Petition form.
What are your corrections policy?
Our policy is to promptly correct errors of fact and to clarify any potentially confusing or ambiguous statements in ourarticles. Readers can submit potential corrections through our contact form.
Whenever we change the rating of a fact check (for any reason), correct or modify a substantive supporting fact (even if it does not affect the item’s overall rating), or add substantial new information to an existing article, those changes are noted and explained in an Update box at the foot of the article.
Corrections of typographical errors, misspellings, or other minor revisions not deemed substantive by our editors are not noted.
Please keep in mind that text appearing inside a box with a colored background is either an example of collected folklore or a quotation from another source, not our own writing. We reproduce these items exactly as we find them and do not edit them to correct orthographical errors.
Why do you sometimes analyze the content of political pieces, but other times you only verify who wrote them?
In general, when a political piece is primarily an editorial or other expression of opinion, we tag it as such and attempt to verify only whether the attribution is correct (since opinions are not falsifiable, the attribution is the sole aspect of the piece that may be objectively determined as being true or false). When a political piece purports to offer facts, we place it in a relevant category and analyze the factual claims made within for veracity.
Why are some true stories labeled as ‘urban legends’ or ‘legend’?
An urban legend is not the same thing as a fictional tale or an apocryphal anecdote, although many people mistakenly use the term in that sense (e.g., “That’s not true; it’s just an urban legend!”).
A tale is considered to be an urban legend if it circulates widely, is told and retold with differing details (or exists in multiple versions), and is said to be true. Whether or not the events described in the tale ever actually occurred is irrelevant to its classification as an urban legend.
For example, the tale about a student who mistakes a math problem thought to be unsolvable for a homework assignment and solves it is an urban legend, even though something very similar did once happen in real life. The tale is still an urban legend, however, because over the years many of its details (i.e., when it happened, where it happened, the identity of the student, the reaction of the student’s instructor) have changed as it has spread.
How about creating a version of the site for kids?
That would be difficult because urban legends and viral memes are often expressions of adult fears and concerns and, as such, often convey those messages via stories that are unsuitable for children.
Do you accept guest posts?
No. Although the notion of inviting guest writers and experts to research for FCI on special topics outside our regular writers’ beats is intriguing, we have to be extremely careful to protect the trust we have built with our readers. Properly verifying the credibility of myriad guest writers and their sources requires time and resources we just don’t have.
