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A neverending mountain of misinformation regarding Covid-19 has proliferated online to the extent the WHO has dubbed it a fake news "infodemic". In this webinar, AFP's acting head of fact check, Rachel Blundy helps you better understand how AFP fact-checkers tackle the "infodemic" and how you can deal with the onslaught of questionable viral content and misinformation that spreads online like wildfire.
May 21, 2020
AFP FACT CHECK:
Debunking Misinformation in Asia
Rachel Blundy, Senior Fact-check Editor for AFP in Asia
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Extended Q&A
A continuance of the webinar Q&A session by Rachel...
Would you consider "virality" as a news value in this day and age of increased digital consumption?
Yes virality in this context is important. The prominence of a particular piece of content online might influence our decision whether to fact check it.
How does misinformation on Facebook for example, get onto AFP's radar? You mentioned before that Facebook sends you some suspect news - is that based on the public's abilty to identify and 'report' it to Facebook?
Yes we receive a feed of misleading content from Facebook which is collated by moderators/reports submitted by users. We also do lots of independent keyword searches for misinfo circulating on Facebook.
Facebook has restrictions on checking claims by politicians on social media, saying this could interfere with the democratic process. What is your experience of this?
We look at how what a politician has said may have affected the wider spread of misinformation and write reports based on this. One example would be Donald Trump’s comments about disinfectant as a cure for Covid-19.
How does AFP handle conspiracy theory documentaries or videos that go viral, particularly those containing potential misinformation? A recent example is "Plandemic".
We don’t generally fact check conspiracy theories because by their nature they are not debunkable. But our US team made an exception with Plandemic because they felt they could debunk specific claims in the video and it had been shared very prominently.
What is the most popular type of fake news that circulated in Asia?
It’s really difficult to choose a specific type in terms of themes but in terms of categories I noted in my presentation, I would say ‘false context’ or ‘false connection’ - generally old photos and video circulated with a new misleading/false claim.
How do you fact-check "good news" stories such as the dolphins swimming in Venice?
We adopt the same verification techniques as when we fact check other more misleading stories. Sometimes we take a decision not to fact check certain innocuous content if there is something else which is causing more obvious harm. Our reporters prioritise the harmful content.
Which social media platforms or apps see the most amount of misinformation circulating around?
Facebook is still the platform with the most users in the world, so we generally see the largest volume of misinfo on there. But this is closely followed by YouTube/Twitter. I would say there is also significant amounts of misinfo on Instagram/TikTok but it’s harder to detect unless you know the specific hashtags people are using. It’s also prevalent on WhatsApp/Line but obviously we have to be in those groups where the misinfo is being shared to spot it.
More and more misinformation is being circulated on closed social networks such as WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and private Facebook groups. How should we go about detecting what is being spread on these networks?
Unfortunately this is an ongoing problem in the fight against disinformation. I think we just have to focus on educating people about misinfo/disinfo and hope that less people forward it. Whatsapp has made efforts to reduce the number of people you can forward a message to, which it says has helped to reduce the spread of misinfo on the app. We need to keep a balance between fighting disinformation and respecting people’s privacy.
How do you differentiate misinformation from fake news?
I personally don’t really like the term fake news because it was coined as a political slogan to suit a certain agenda. I prefer the term “disinformation”. But broadly speaking, I would say misinformation is any inaccurate information which has been shared accidentally or inadvertently, and disinformation is false information which is shared deliberately.
Is AFP can check only on facebook misinformation news?
We fact check anything that appears online - it can be on any social media platform on website. But we only have the power to rate it as false or misleading in the Facebook system.
How do you identify suspicious accounts that continuously spread fake information? Is there usually a network behind?
It’s really just a case of looking at how often they post false or misleading content, then looking at where they claim to be based/their profile picture. If they don’t appear to have any other corresponding social media accounts with a genuine name, I’d be suspicious. I’d also be suspicious if they appear to be regularly retweeting other false or misleading content. Unfortunately it can be hard to track down where these accounts are based or if they are part of a network.
What is the composition of a fact checking team? So far, I've been doing social media monitoring and research all on my own. Sometimes I consult with some people I consider knowledgeable in certain matters. But do you have any tips and insights to navigate smoothly?
We have a team of 11 reporters and 6 editors in APAC. I would say you could sometimes try crowd sourcing information from people you trust on a private WhatsApp group. You can also follow lots of fact checking/news sites to help you!
Given the wide-range interest in China's handling of information, especially censorship on social media, what strategies do you use to 'save' information before it disappears? Are the tools to check the history of a page also apply to social media apps and in countries such as China?
Archiving websites can be used for China based content too. We have Chinese speaking journalists who are particularly good at navigating Chinese social media for this content.
In the fact checking process, is there a sort of checklist or hierarchy of elements that you work through and verify? Ie. are there particular factual elements that are prioritised in that process?
Yes, firstly we look at whether we can verify the content/time/location of a video or photo, then we look at whether we can verify/debunk the wider claim in the post.
What advice do you have for organizations that want to generate factual content on nuanced and complex issues? For example, if I were from a nonprofit representing social groups that are frequently targeted by hatred-inciting fake news -- is there anything I can do to encourage a better understanding of issues?
Ensure you use respected sources for your reporting and attribute everything accurately. Don’t publish anything that you don’t have solid evidence for.
What countries in Asia produce the most amount of fake news stories?
We tend to see the largest amounts of false or misleading posts in India, Indonesia and the Philippines, closely followed by Pakistan, Thailand, Hong Kong and Malaysia.
In this current situation, you did a lot of fact-checks on Covid-19. Do you have any feedback or statistics from social media to sort of measure your impact? For example, to what extent do your fact-check messages get attention from the users? Or to what extent do your fact-checks influence people's perception towards certain issue or problem about Covid-19?
We have received lots of positive feedback on our work during the pandemic and our web traffic has never been higher. Separately, Facebook has analysed the data on misinformation spreading generally and items that are fact checked by independent fact checkers are not subsequently shared up to 90% of the time. But I’m afraid we don’t have specific data for the coronavirus pandemic.
Is there any action being taken against those recognised as creators of fake content?
Yes, people who are repeat offenders on Facebook may have penalties imposed against their page (limiting their reach), or sometimes they even have their accounts suspended. Facebook controls these penalties -- we take no part in this process, we just fact check the content on the site.
Misinformation in Cambodia becomes more challenging now during this pandemic with several millions now go online. Are you also planning or also already working with Cambodian press community to expand you fact-check in Cambodia in particular?
We don’t have any plans to launch fact checking in Cambodia at present but we are continuing to expand our service globally so watch this space...
Any thoughts on Singapore online falsehoods law? Is that helpful?
We see significantly less misinformation in Singapore than other parts of Asia but there are concerns that laws such as this could be stifling free speech. Governments need to take a balanced view on this.
Do you have any suggestions on how we can fight misinformation among older readers, who may be less IT-savvy and less trusting of mainstream Western media?
I would suggest that as a very basic tip we should be emphasising to people not to forward content on social media if they can’t verify it. We should emphasise the importance of checking sources online before forwarding/accepting certain pieces of information as true.
How does AFP compare to the other agencies who also position themselves as the experts in this field?
We currently cover the most continents for fact checking of any news organisation in the world. We are also the world’s oldest news service, founded in 1835. We have journalists in 151 countries around the world.
Surely there comes a point when it's just easier to flag what's true?
The AFP fact check service is designed to complement our general reporting on the AFP wire. We’ve decided to focus on debunking false or misleading information for our fact check blog, but that should be read alongside our fact-based reporting on the wire. We also help our general reporters to verify specific pieces of UGC for their reports and the video/photo desk.
Apart from AFP, what other organization is working with Facebook to dispel false news? What qualifies an organization to be able to fact check for Facebook? What happens if another organizations contradicts an AFP fact check?
We are one of many news organisations working as part of the third-party fact checking programme. You can read more about the project here. Other organisations are free to contradict our fact check but we have not encountered this situation as of yet. They cannot remove our false or misleading rating on a piece of content.
Other than Google Images, what are the reliable tools for a reverse image search?
RevEye extension, Yandex reverse image search and TinEye.
Have AFP done research into the psychology as to why people create fake news posts on purpose?
No we haven’t done our own research on this. First Draft has published reports on this topic, such as this one.
Would you be able to clarify False Connection vs False Context with some additional examples, please?
False Connection; when something is shared with a completely false headline/caption. E.g. this video of Cyclone Fani that was shared as though it was Cyclone Amphan.
False Context is similar, but perhaps the post would be more nuanced. E.g. this video does show people shouting at a station in Mumbai, but the posts contained a false accusation that the people were shouting pro-Pakistan slogans.
What do you think motivates people to share this kind of content?
I would say up to 50% of people who share misinformation are doing so because they want to check whether something is true or they are genuinely misled. Perhaps another 30-40% are motivated by a desire to create a particular reaction in an individual country. The remaining group might just be sharing this type of content as a joke.
Do you hold claims by NGOs to the same standard of fact checking?
Yes we would; we regard any false/misleading statement shared as fact online as potentially fact checkable.
Does fact checking of misinformation apply to information disseminated by individuals in positions of power?
Often we track how misinformation spread by someone in power has contributed to a larger wave of misinformation online. But we do need to take care when we fact check what someone has or hasn’t said - we are not omniscient. It’s easier to fact check what someone has said in a specific video, or what they have published publicly.
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Rachel Blundy, Senior Fact-check Editor for AFP in Asia offered pointers for dealing with the alarming amount of inaccurate health information circulating online. During the webinar, Rachel tackles the following, among other things:
MARCH 18, 2021
AFP FACT CHECK:
Combating Health Misinformation
Rachel Blundy, Senior Fact-check Editor for AFP in Asia
View the Recording
Download the Slides
Extended Q&A
A continuance of the webinar Q&A session:
Have you ever investigated and reported the source or background of fake-news or misinformation generally?
Yes sometimes we sometimes produce investigations about this for our newswire. It is not always easy, however, to identify individuals who share misinformation unless they are public figures. We tend to focus on more general trends and the overall impact of misinformation if we cannot establish the identity of individuals sharing it.
What topics would your fact check training cover? Is it just like this webinar?
AFP is recognised as the world leader in fact-checking. We have launched a tailored training offer designed to provide media with tools to best counter misinformation. The standard offer includes 2 days of training with modules such as identifying the right sources, monitoring social media, advanced search investigation, and how-to write a factcheck. The difference between a fact check training and webinar lies in their objectives: indeed, the aim of the training is to improve your personal or team performance using in-depth learning methods and interactive activities focused on specific topics, and customised based on your needs. On the other hand, webinars are less personal, with limited resources given their nature. Feel free to reach out to factcheckenquiry@afp.com to discuss about your training needs.
When you come across zombie content in other languages, do you bother fact-checking it again or just translate a post into say Korean?
We would translate our previous fact-check report into the language in which the content has re-circulated online.
What are the main differences you've observed in how misinformation and disinformation is spread in APAC compared to other regions? Is it almost always centered around issues specific to the country. Are certain closed networks used more frequently?
I don’t have as much expertise on how misinformation spreads in other regions, but broadly I would say that Facebook, WhatsApp, YouTube, Twitter and Instagram are the most popular platforms where misinformation spreads in our region. As well as these platforms, we see apps and platforms that are popular in specific countries and/or languages where misinformation will spread widely. For example in South Korea, we see a lot of misinformation spreading on Korean platforms including Kakao Talk and Naver Blog. These platforms predominately attract Korean speakers in South Korea, but they are also used by some Korean speakers globally. Meanwhile, in Thailand, the Line messaging app is popular, and can be a source of misinformation. We don’t tend to see this app being used outside of Asia. Every country has particular topics which regularly crop up in the online misinformation we debunk, but broadly the most popular topics in Asia Pacific are; politics, society, religion and health.
Can you fact-check another fact-checker? And has AFP's fact-checks been challenged?
We don’t tend to fact-check other fact-checkers because there is generally more serious misinformation circulating online that we prefer to focus on. We do, however, sometimes fact-check other media organisations if they have made a serious error in reporting on a hoax as though it were fact e.g. a false sighting of a UFO. In those cases, we would give the media organisation right of reply as well as the opportunity to correct their post.
Separately, any Facebook user whose content is rated as false or misleading by AFP can appeal the rating against them. They have to provide a correction in their post before we will lift the rating.
How do you come across potential false information? Do you track particular forums/FB groups or are they mostly tip-offs?
Our reporters use CrowdTangle to monitor groups and pages sharing misinformation. They conduct keyword searches on social media for specific news events that may have prompted a spike in misinformation. They also sometimes receive tip-offs from readers. In each of the countries we monitor in Asia Pacific, Facebook provides us with a feed of posts that it has flagged as false or misleading. We can then investigate these posts to see whether they might be debunkable, although there is no obligation on us to fact-check those specific posts.
Can I republish content from your fact check blog on my news website by linking back to your site?
Most of our digital verification production is being published on factcheck.afp.com. This content works the same way as editorial content in general, protected by copyright and having intrinsic restrictions on its usage. AFP can provide license in ready-made packages adapted to your needs. We’re committed to protect the rights of both AFP fact checkers and users, through appropriate licensing. Please note that the AFP fact check RSS feed can be tested via the brand new product page available here.
Feel free to reach out to factcheckenquiry@afp.com to license this content at any stage.
Sometimes you don't get credible sources or experts to debunk a false claim. But the content would go viral. What do you do in such a case?
We would look at specific elements of the post, such as an image or video, and see whether we can find examples of it circulating online previously in a different context. Then we might at least be able to show that the post is misleading and its contents likely presented in a false context. If the content is harmful but not fact-checkable (e.g. hate speech), we can also flag it to the social media platform it was posted on. The platform may choose to remove it under its policy rules.
I often find the archive.org/archive.vn/is/fo are not working for hours. Do you face similar issues when archiving in these sites? Are there any other archiving websites you use?
This can be a problem for us too sadly. When the free tools are not working smoothly, I would suggest leaving your browser open to complete the archiving of a post, while you work on something else. We generally use the Perma.cc tool for archiving, but you need a subscription for it.
How do you fact check deepfake videos?
We currently don’t have access to a “magic wand” tool for detecting/debunking deepfake videos, so generally I would just recommend slowing down the video into individual keyframes and analysing the facial movements for inconsistencies, such as the mouth moving independently of the face. I would also listen carefully to the video’s audio to check whether it is consistent with the facial movements in the clip. Of course you can also check whether there are any credible reports of the person in the video making the purported comments, as deepfakes often target well-known personalities.
How long does it take to debunk a false post?
It really depends on a post’s length and complexity. It can take anything from two hours to two days. Sometimes we need to request statements from officials, institutions or individuals cited in the post to debunk a particular claim. For posts which incorporate content in non-Asian languages, we often have to contact our journalists in other global bureaus for translation/support.
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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 re.presenting 100 different nationalities, AFP covers the world in six languages, with a unique quality of multimedia storytelling spanning video, text, photos and graphics.
About AFP
Aspects of COVID misinformation and their effect on online health communication
Impact of misinformation on health literacy
Methods used to debunk misleading health claims
What have been the biggest challenges you've encountered in fact checking health mis-/disinformation and how have you addressed these?
The biggest challenge we face is when health misinformation incorporates elements of conspiracy theories, making it harder to debunk. In these cases, we focus on the debunkable elements of the post in order to ensure we do not tie ourselves up in knots by analysing undebunkable content.
Now we've got so many kinds of social media, and so much information to truck. Social media is taking the most important role than ever before in terms of thought contagion. Then I would like to ask what your take is on prevention from spreaeding false information beforehands.
I think education is key here; we need to start teaching people from a young age (preferably in schools) about the importance of only sharing verified information. At the very least, we need to educate people not to share content that is not verified or that they cannot verify themselves. Then we need to encourage conversations in the classroom about how to find credible information online. This is happening in many parts of the world already, but there is definitely a lot more work to do.
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Do you offer fact-checking service to clients?
Yes, we do offer fact-checking services to media clients on a case-by-case basis. Please reach out to factcheckenquiry@afp.com should you have any questions about that service.
Rachel Blundy
Senior Fact-check Editor for AFP in Asia
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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 re.presenting 100 different nationalities, AFP covers the world in six languages, with a unique quality of multimedia storytelling spanning video, text, photos and graphics.
About AFP
