News

Fact-Checking Service Helps Counter Dangerous Health Claims in East Africa

Late last year, the PesaCheck fact-checking initiative helped debunk a fake story about the outbreak of the human papilloma (HPV) virus in the western Kenya county of Kisii. According to the claim, the disease was spread through kissing and killed faster than the AIDS virus. The hoax originated on Whatsapp, spread on Facebook and then was picked up by a local radio station, Ghetto Radio. 

How a Cross-Border Reporting Team Exposed Venezuela’s $28 Billion, Oil-for-Allies Scheme

As Venezuela’s citizens suffer from rampant food shortages, the government is spending billions to bolster political allies in Latin America, a team of pioneering reporters recently revealed in an unprecedented expose.

CONNECTAS, a cross-border investigative journalism organization in Latin America, directed the project, called Petrofraude. Adding heft to CONNECTAS, ICFJ Knight Fellow Fabiola Torres López coached the reporters on their data efforts, helping them clean up and analyze thousands of government records.

Kenyan Journalist Wins 2019 Michael Elliott Award for Coverage of Fight Against Female Genital Mutilation

Dorcas Wangira, who reported on the harm caused by female genital mutilation and the hope offered by five tech-savvy teenage girls, has been named the 2019 winner of the Michael Elliott Award for Excellence in African Storytelling. A distinguished panel of judges selected the Kenyan journalist from among 218 applicants for this prize.

Velocidad Ayuda a Medios Digitales Independientes Latinoamericanos a Lograr Sustentabilidad

Hoy se anunció el lanzamiento de Velocidad, una iniciativa pionera en América Latina que identificará e invertirá $1.5 millones en empresas de medios de comunicación independientes de la región. Velocidad busca impulsar los esfuerzos de medios emprendedores para convertirse en negocios prósperos.

Velocidad to Help Latin American News Startups Accelerate Revenue Growth

A pioneering initiative announced today will identify and invest $1.5 million in promising news media startups in Latin America and accelerate their efforts to grow into thriving businesses.

To Reach a Wider Audience, Expand Fact-Checking to Broadcast News

Fact-checkers don’t just have a misinformation problem. They also have an audience engagement problem.

Tackling a New Disinformation Threat on WhatsApp in Indonesia

Astudestra Ajengrastri, a Jakarta-based TruthBuzz Fellow with the International Center for Journalists (ICFJ), has the difficult task of countering the plague of disinformation on social media in Indonesia. In the runup to the country’s presidential elections in April, she faced a particularly big challenge: a convincing audio message went viral on WhatsApp claiming that millions of fake ballots were about to be cast in favor of the incumbent president.

ICFJ Alums Receive Data Journalism Grants to Investigate Child Mortality and Climate Change

Journalists from Kenya and the United States are the first recipients of special grants and mentoring for data-driven investigations into child mortality and climate change. These inaugural ICFJ Alumni Reporting Grants, backed by the Microsoft Modern Journalism program, help support data journalism and immersive storytelling projects.

Building a Bot to Monitor Politicians' Twitter Accounts

Given the relevance Twitter has gained in politics, it’s important we know what elected officials are publishing on the site, and that we keep a detailed, searchable record of their posts. This is why Aos Fatos, the Brazilian fact-checking organization, in partnership with the International Center for Journalists (ICFJ), developed a bot to monitor Bolsonaro’s Twitter account.

Reporting on Early Childhood Issues Is Prompting Better Health Policies Worldwide

Reporters with the year-long Early Childhood Development Reporting Fellowship, an International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) program, have produced nearly 700 stories since March 2017 that have been viewed more than 15 million times. The health journalists, who are from Bangladesh, Brazil, India, Kenya, Nigeria and Tanzania, are building their expertise thanks to seasoned mentors, international reporting trips and virtual trainings.