" False, the CAF has not canceled the DRC football championship ", " context: the CENI has not (yet) announced the postponement of the elections of governors and senators " " Factcheck: a parodic account confused with the real Katumbi account ". In Africa, Congo Check lifts the veil on the reality of the facts. First organization of verification of facts certified by the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN) in French-speaking Africa, it is also the country's first media to have specialized in the theme. Created in 2018, Congo Check is now one of the names to be remembered in the fight against disinformation on the continent. The organization covers the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Central African Republic.
" As the false information abounds on social networks, even in the conventional media [...] at a time when public figures change speeches in a versatile manner, abusing the credulity of the population, it was time to bring a tool to verify facts " advocates the site. The many actions of the media make it a key player in fact-checking in Africa. It has become a regional reference by carrying out and publication of articles on subjects relayed massively online. Through the Congo Check Academy , media development center, it offers training open to as many people as possible. The goal is to participate in the development of everyone's critical thinking in the face of news and the information circulating on social networks. Congo Check is also betting on checking political claims, embarking on the promises of leaders and politicians, thanks to its " promise barometer ".
Back on his story
Launched 6 years ago by three journalist friends to cover violence in the DRC, the project is led by the ASBL Initiative of the “Fact-Checkers” of Congo (ASBL IFC).
Co-founder, Rodriguez Katsuva testifies: “ We knew very well that there was a great need for verified information. Because unconorified information directly affects people's lives, it can very well kill.
The organization consists of around twenty people, installed in Goma, in the east of the country. Their job is to watch tirelessly, before starting a race against the watch to limit the distribution of an info. This follows an important work of research to go back to real sources. Everyone is among "at least 40 different WhatsApp groups" to see what is said and being able to quickly react to rumors.
Testimonials from the quality of his work, Congo Check has received various prizes since its creation. In 2020, the initiative won first place in the French -speaking innovation in the media prize. More recently, the organization received the Prize from the Google News Initative to set up the “Checks” project, Fact-Checking service by SMS, in 2022.
