AFP Takes A New Step In The Fight Against Misinformation

AFP continues to develop its digital investigation activities on the American continent with the deployment of a new unit based in Washington, covering the whole of the United States.

As such, the Agency bolsters its fact-checking operations via an expanded partnership with Facebook and reasserts its leadership in this domain. The articles produced independently in English and Spanish will be accessible to the general public on the multilingual blog AFP Fact Check, dedicated to verifying and demystifying false information spread online. AFP has the largest network in the world of expert journalists in charge of digital investigations. The Agency has deployed teams dedicated to digital investigations in more than 30 countries, working in 10 languages.

Phil Chetwynd, Global News Director at AFP, says “This new project shows again that AFP is among the leading voices in the fight against disinformation with a global network of more than 70 specialized fact-checking journalists. The creation of a team based in the United States to track and report on misinformation and disinformation will greatly enrich all AFP's journalism and coverage of the US presidential election.

...We are also delighted to be extending our fruitful global relationship with Facebook into the United States.” “AFP is our most expansive global fact-checking partner, working with us on nearly every continent to combat the spread of misinformation.

Their global reporting footprint is invaluable to our program, and we're excited to bring their expertise to the U.S.” Keren Goldshlager, Integrity Partnerships, Facebook said. In addition to the United States, new operations in various countries have been launched in recent months: Thailand, Chile, Venezuela, Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru. About AFP: AFP is a leading global news agency providing fast, comprehensive and verified coverage of the events shaping our world and of the issues affecting our daily lives.

Drawing from an unparalleled news gathering network across 151 countries, AFP also is a world leader in digital verification. With 2,400 staff representing 100 different nationalities, AFP covers the world in six languages, with a unique quality of multimedia storytelling spanning video, text, photos and graphics.