Fake News: Facebook launches fact-checking programme in Nigeria
Determined to ensure every information posted on its platform are accurate and factual, social media giant, Facebook has extended its Third-Party Fact-Checking programme to Nigeria.
This follows its fact-checking programmes in Kenya and South Africa.
The online giant says, the idea is to reduce the spread of misinformation, whilst improving the quality of news people find on its platform.
Facebook’s fact-checking programme relies on feedback from the Facebook community, as one of many signals Facebook uses to raise potentially false stories to fact-checkers for review.
To ensure this, Facebook is expected to work with two partners, Africa Check; Africa’s first independent fact-checking organisation and AFP, a well-respected news organisation, both are part of a global network of fact-checking organizations, certified by the non-partisan International Fact-Checking Network.
Local articles will be fact-checked alongside the verification of photos and videos. If one of our fact-checking partners identifies a story as false, Facebook will show it lower in News Feed, significantly reducing its distribution.
Akua Gyekye, Facebook Public Policy Manager, Anglophone West Africa commented: “Nigeria is important to us and we’re committed to taking our responsibility seriously in tackling the spread of false news.