FactCheck and Media Lab ZW (FactCheckZW) was established by the Fact Check Zimbabwe Trust in March 2022, set up for the purposes of creating a fact checking and media literacy platform to provide fact checking services in the country; train journalists and citizens in fact checking and media literacy; and support universities in fact checking and media literacy related research work. Fact Check Zimbabwe is registered as a Trust with the Registrar of Deeds as set out in the Deeds Registration Act Chapter 20:05 – registration number MA0000108/2022.
Objectives and aims:
- To ensure public sector accountability through fact checking.
- To hold elites accountable to giving accurate information to citizens through fact checking their claims made in the public domain.
- To promote good journalistic practice by working with journalists on information verification.
- To train journalists, teachers, students and citizens in the techniques of identifying and challenging misinformation through media information and literacy programmes.
- To promote research around fact checking and media literacy through working with, and supporting, local universities
- To contribute towards a free and fair election by verifying election information before, during and after elections.
Publishing fact-checked information has been shown generally to have a positive effect in terms of correcting inaccurate information.
Whether or not verification directly changes people’s minds though, as fact-checkers we work to hold elites accountable, teach audiences to handle dubious information appropriately, and promote good journalistic practice.
At the same time, we continue to actively develop strategies to improve the effectiveness of our work by remaining true to the code of ethics that guide fact checking globally.
