Blog Post

#CoveringCOVID: Six Recommendations for Disinformation Combat

All of journalism has a role to play as a bulwark against some of these Age of Disinformation effects — from news to documentary, from radio to print, from specialist to general, from legacy to start-up, from interactive to investigative. We’re all targets of disinformation agents and we all have a role in the fightback.

Achieving Gender Equality: Five Lessons from a Latin American Network of Women Media Leaders

Today it’s not unusual to hear an organization or company saying they want to promote gender equality, but actually doing it isn’t easy. Ahead of International Women’s Day, we want to share five things we’ve learned in the process of promoting women’s leadership in media and including more women in journalism. 

Looking Ahead to 2020: Shining Light Into the Dark Spaces of Chat Apps

News has migrated from print to the web to social platforms to mobile. Now, at the dawn of a new decade, it is heading to a place that presents a whole new set of challenges: the private, hidden spaces of instant messaging apps.

ICFJ Knight Fellows Offer Key Tips for Journalists in 2020

Are you ready for a new year — and a new decade? As we enter 2020, the news industry will undoubtedly continue to experience change. How will you navigate what lies ahead? 

We turned to current and former ICFJ Knight Fellows to ask their advice for the coming year. 

Data Journalism Project Surfaces Untold Stories of Climate Change on U.S. Coasts

As global temperatures warm, rising sea levels are already inflicting damage on the planet’s coastal regions. Today, more than 90 cities in the U.S. experience “chronic flooding,” a number expected to double by 2030, according to the World Economic Forum. The flooding will only increase in intensity over time, too — especially if countries don’t curb their global carbon emissions.

Your Algorithm Hates You

Some of the decisions algorithms make about our lives are fairly benign, such as those irresistible “Suggestions for you” on Netflix. But it gets far murkier when artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning are used by businesses and governments for decision-making that affects our lives without us ever knowing about it. And worse, without us being able to appeal against those decisions.

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.

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.

A Short Guide to the History of ‘Fake News’ and Disinformation: A New ICFJ Learning Module

Fake news has a long history dating back to Ancient Rome. But it has been increasingly weaponized during the 21st century with the advent of new technology allowing for easy manipulation and fabrication of content. Thus, its important to understand the historical context of the emerging 'information arms race.'