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FactCheck Initiative, a registered non-governmental development organisation has announced plans to launch a Mobile Application and WhatsApp Chatbot – Kaci Help; using automated machine learning technology to help with real-time updates, confirm doubts, report problems, fight climate change, and request specific services such as emergency assistance, ambulance service, and more.

The Country Director of FactCheck Initiative, Adeoye Temitope, in a statement on Monday in Abuja, said that “emergencies are never anticipated, having to be in a tight spot especially a life and death situation can leave one overwhelmed and confused as to the next step to take to get the desired help.”

“With one click of the button we are enabling an option for anyone to request for help and a go-to in emergency cases for easy tracking, alerting dependants and help services. Travelers can check-in with their travel details, Kaci will then keep tabs to ensure the user gets to their destination safely.” Said Temitope.

“Climate change is having an impact on the social and environmental determinants of health, such as clean air, safe drinking water, enough food, and safe shelter. Kaci Help will be providing individuals and businesses with a simple and effective way to make a significant contribution to the fight against climate change.” Temitope Stated.

“It will guide our users through the process of changing their habits by providing a list of quick steps they can take right away to reduce their CO2 emissions, and then calculate the amount of CO2 produced by each action to ultimately help fight climate change.” Also stated by Temitope.

The society is rife with many false, misleading and inaccurate news, stories and articles usually because people who propagate this information are more interested in creating a buzz than in passing across the true story. Very low access to government activities, information, participation in decision making and access to justice.

Asides the several other benefits added like iReports, Filing Petitions or Complaints; Kaci Help is built out of the desire to provide all categories of authentic and accurate information; this is the foundation upon which it stands upon. Kaci will help to bridge the gap between the government and its citizens; allowing our users to easily resolve issues by linking or granting them access to the right agencies.

In Partnership with FactCheck Initiative, IDC Platforms designed the Kaci Help Mobile App and WhatsApp Chatbot. IDC is a Nigerian multipurpose corporation headquartered in Abuja, Nigeria. IDC began officially operating in 2010, and in a short period of time, it has created platforms with various products and delivered various types of solutions.

The circulation of fake news and false propaganda has been on the rise especially as the world has become smaller due to cutting-edge technology that has brought social media platforms to the fingertips of the average person. As the Nigeria elections draws nearer, false information, unverified news and misinformation are some of the tools some mischievous persons may try to use to cause unrest and chaos in the country.

 

However, FactCheck Initiative (FCI) has been rightly positioned to contribute its quota; by creating a team for a cause that will involve partnering with government and other agencies in other to have a free, fair and peaceful elections void of any form of violence in 2023.

 

The main aim of this cause will be to spot, examine and respond to the impact caused by any misleading information ahead of the upcoming 2023 general elections in Nigeria.

 

“Complementing the efforts of government and other institutions in achieving a state of total spread of authentic information is one of our main aims and objectives” said Adeoye Temitope (Country Director, FactCheck Initiative).

 

According to Temitope, “this cause will help to defend Nigeria’s open and democratic society and free opinions by selecting, analysing and tackling inappropriate influences and other misleading information directed at the general elections in 2023. It will swiftly determine any unsavoury information or news rapidly spreading and nip it in the bud as quick as possible.

 

“We are also open to as many partnerships and support we can get; so, organizations/individuals in and outside Nigeria can reach out to us to join the cause”.

 

“The team will be tasked with identifying and countering foreign propaganda and disinformation; also observing social media closely before the general elections in 2023 to identify countries who may have taken an interest in seeing the elections take an unpleasant turn which Nigerians may not be favourable disposed towards”.

 

Fact-checking is highly effective in fighting misinformation: It is imperative to not just consider the narratives of “facts” and “fake news” but embolden fact checking position by considering human nature, our interactions and inter-relatedness. Fact-checking is a form of critical, investigative inquiry.

We must make it our daily duty to push towards the truth as we live in a world where fame can happen overnight and it is therefore important to ground oneself in knowledge and the pursuit of knowledge. In the same vein, false statements can just as easily become viral as true ones and where untrue beliefs seem to go unchecked, it’s pretty easy to become discouraged about the truth and the pursuit of it.

 

News bodies reporting rumors and unverified claims tend to do so in ways that bias the reader toward thinking the claim is true. A claim makes its way to social media or elsewhere online.

 

A couple of other news sites choose to repeat it without verifying the source. Some even employ sensational headlines that present the claim to be true to encourage sharing and clicks, while others use hedging language such as “reportedly”. Once given a stamp of credibility by the press, the claim is now positioned for other news sites to follow-on and repeat it, pointing back to the earlier sites. Eventually its point of origin is obscured by a mass of interlined news articles, few of which add reporting or context for the reader.

In a season when untrue news is gradually influencing the outcome of activities and inciting violence all over the world, there is a dire need to expunge the internet of false news, rumors, unverified information and misinformation. This is where FactCheck Initiative (FCI) comes in; keeping in check and overriding the menace of fake news and misinformation which has proven to be an arduous obstacle to news coverage and the general public.

In 2019, our research team at FCI submitted findings indicating that young people were unable to correctly evaluate information they found online. It was discovered that well above seventy percent (70%) of middle-school students could not determine a paid story tagged as “sponsored post” from an authentic news article.

It is therefore for this reason we have taken it upon ourselves to facilitate an intensive fact-checking training workshop for students from various schools who will be taught standard fact-checking methodologies to be integrated with best-practice lessons coupled with techniques obtained through interviews granted by ethical professionals in the industry. It will also include animated discussions bordering on accuracy, responsibility, and bias in news coverage with lessons on exposing verifiable sources in fact-checking, debunking viral misinformation, and deciding if a statement can be verified.

The aim of this workshop will be to highlight journalistic and research fact-checking endeavours all over the globe. Fact-checking journalists who face challenges posed by misleading rhetoric from bloggers, politicians and government officials and the misuse of social media platforms as launching pads for viral misinformation will have their best practices developed, tested and demonstrated.

Major areas of focus include:

Relevance

* How current is the information?

* When was the information posted?

* Has it been updated?

Reliability

* How reliable is the information?

* Are there references or sources provided by the author?

* What proofs indicate that the information is reliable?

Originality

* Who is the creator or author of the information? What are their credentials?

* Who published and sponsored the information? Is this a reputable source of information?

Purpose/Mission

*What is the purpose of this information? Is it intended to inform, entertain, persuade or disuade?

*Does the information sound like a fact or opinion? Any bias detected?

* Is the creator or author attempting to sell you something?

 

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