ISLAMABAD: Media Matters for Democracy (MMfD), a Pakistani information literacy organization, on Friday launched a collaborative fact-checking tool, called ‘Facter,’ to support newsrooms in countering misinformation and delivering accurate information, the organization said.
Facter, which functions both as a tool and a platform, leverages technology to aggregate verified content from various news sources and its own monitoring and fact-checking team.
Its launch came days ahead of national elections in Pakistan that is facing overlapping political, economic and security challenges and digital rights activists and groups have warned of the dangers of misinformation, fake news and hate speech marring polls in a country that has a burgeoning young population, with millions using Facebook, X, Instagram, TikTok and other social media platforms.
“Facter is designed to empower credible newsrooms against disinformation. In the age of digital misinformation, our primary challenge is sustainability, both for fact-checking operations and newsrooms,” Asad Baig, the MMfD founder, said at the Facter launch in Islamabad.
Trends Monitor, MMfD’s technical toolkit for digital investigations, is employed to monitor social media platforms for mis- and disinformation, according to Baig. The analyzed content is categorized as suspected information, misinformation, misleading information, or verified information.
He said the fact-checking tool was already being adopted by more than 10 mainstream newsrooms, and his organization aimed to leverage these collaborations to effectively combat disinformation.
Key features of the tool include a constantly updated list of fact-checks and related news content published by leading credible newsrooms, according to Baig.
It also aligns with MMfD’s long-term goal of enabling newsrooms to enhance web traffic and digital revenue through the publication of verified, credible information.
“We have successfully piloted similar partnerships with news organizations and are looking to expand with Facter,” he said.
