[English] https://factcheck.afp.com/fact-checking-afp

[Français] https://factuel.afp.com/propos

This page is available in every language we publish.

AFP Factuel (https://factuel.afp.com/) is the distinct fact-checking section of the legally registered French press aggency AFP (https://www.afp.com/).

All the evidence of the AFP’s legal registration are presented in the “A propos” through a reference to the french law:

https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/loda/id/JORFTEXT000000315388/

1. We started our fact-checking operations in early 2017 within the CrossCheck collaborative project with First Draft and other newsrooms. We launched our own fact-checking website in November 2017, in French: factuel.afp.com. During spring 2018, we launched in English (factcheck.afp.com), Spanish (factual.afp.com) and Portuguese (checamos.afp.com). As of March 2022, our site is available in 24 languages: French, English, Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, Polish, Catalan, Malaysian, Indonesian, Thai, Slovak, Czech, Dutch, Burmese, Serbian, German, Korean, Romanian, Greek, Bulgarian, Hungarian, Finnish, Hindi and Bengali.

2. We have nearly 130 full time journalists working for our fact-checking network. Two thirds are local journalists working in more than 30 AFP bureaus around the world, and one third are editors. Our editors are experienced journalists who oversee the entire production process, ensuring copy follows our editorial standards. They work closely with all our regional chief editors in Paris, Hong Kong, Beirut, Washington and Montevideo. In Paris, where the Agency's HQ is based, the entire fact-checking network is supervised by the digital verification editor in chief and two deputies.

3. AFP is a global news agency producing text, photos, videos and graphics. AFP's 201 bureaus cover 151 countries, with 100 nationalities represented among its 2,400 collaborators.

For more, see our last annual report.

4. We want to continue to evolve and grow while tackling new challenges in sometimes difficult or even hostile environments. We wish to strengthen our network with new hires, for which we will have a strong focus on diversity. We will also work on improving the impact of our fact-checking to reach more people in new formats. In a project around the French elections, Objectif Désinfox, we created media and disinformation literacy videos with a well-known TV figure, and we also want to develop video formats to address younger people. We also developed a free digital investigation training course for journalists around the world, which we intend to translate into at least 2 more languages over the next 5 years – it already exists in English and French. We believe it is essential to keep developing training in basic fact-checking and verification techniques, as well as media literacy, for journalists and other people, within and outside AFP.

AFP Factuel has been doing fact-checking since 2017. In 2022, the website (130 full time journalists) is available in 24 languages : French, English, Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, Polish, Catalan, Malaysian, Indonesian, Thai, Slovak, Czech, Dutch, Burmese, Serbian, German, Korean, Romanian, Greek, Bulgarian, Hungarian, Finnish, Hindi and Bengali..

The team wants to continue to grow with new hires and to work on improving the impact of its fact-checking to rech more people in new formats, to strengthen its network with new hires, to develop video formats to address younger people, to develop training in basic fact-checking and verification techniques, as well as media literacy, for journalists and other people.

We published 8,589 stories in 2021 in our 24 working languages. We published the most in English, Spanish, Arabic, French and Portuguese respectively. In the last six months, from September 2021 to February 2022 included, we published 4184 stories in our 24 working languages, with an average of over 20 fact-checks published per day. 

You can see our production on the following websites (three samples for each language below). Each story is published with the date of publication, and the date of any update if needed. 

1. French

Présidentielle: bataille et querelles de chiffres autour de la baisse du chômage [in English: Disagreements and feuds regarding the unemployment data from some of the 2022 presidential election candidates]  

Non, cette vidéo ne montre pas le ravitaillement de "terroristes" par la France au Mali [In English: No, this video does not show the French army providing supplies to “terrorists” in Mali] 

Attention à cette fausse liste de prénoms "refusés" par l'état civil en 2021 [In English: Beware of this fake list of baby names allegedly “refused” from the French Civil Registry in 2021] 

2. English

Glaciers study misleadingly used to downplay sea level rise risk 

Graphic misleadingly compares job numbers under Trump and Biden 

Unproven claims of masks harming speech development spread online

3. Spanish

With or without Uruguayan government's flagship law, rapists cannot enjoy probation 

Ukraine did not "always vote against Argentina" at the UN regarding its Falklands 

This video where FIFA sanctions Mexico for the violence in Queretaro's stadium is altered 

4. Portuguese

Video of a demonstration against Lula in Curitiba in 2018 circulates as if it were from March 2022 

The video of a Gusttavo Lima concert with shouts of "Fora, Bolsonaro" has been edited 

Video showing Bolsonaro reportedly in Russia was recorded in Italy in 2021 

5. Arabic

Old footage falsely claims to show a funeral of the 81 executed people in Saudi Arabia

This video does not show children being separated from a refugee family in Sweden

This Syrian soldier died in his country in 2015 not recently in Ukraine 

6. Polish

This video about mRNA vaccines and myocarditis is misleading

Graph showing average Polish monthly salary is outdated

Beware of publications about prison sentences for removing a Ukrainian refugee from your flat. This is a manipulation aimed at stirring up resentment against refugees

7. Catalan

This Spanish minister did not encourage people who complain about gasoline prices to buy electric cars 

These list with recommendations about how to cure Covid-19 is not scientifically based 

The photo of the royal family with a Republican flag is altered 

8. Malay

Old videos of Myanmar balloon festival shared in false posts about '2022 New Year's disaster' 

These photos of Malaysia's health minister were taken at two different Covid-19 vaccine 

Video shows Putin's 2015 inauguration of Moscow mosque, built on site of former one 

9. Indonesian

Digitally manipulated video does not show 'eruption' of Indonesia's Mount Semeru 

Video of US planes that fight wildfires shared in Indonesian misleading posts about 'spreading Covid' 

Photos show Indonesian leader attending Chinese Lunar New Year event before pandemic

10. Thai

This video shows large waves hitting a building in the Canary Islands, not Tonga 

This video shows a climate protest in Austria, not 'fake' Covid-19 victims 

Photos of 'China caladium price manipulation' taken in United States 

11. Burmese

Photo shows Myanmar refugees relocated to Thai camp on Christmas Day, local media says 

This video shows the aftermath of the Lebanon port blast in 2020 -- not Ukraine in 2022

Reports of 'Myanmar junta attack' show photos taken in Libya 

12. Korean

South Korean social media users share misleading claims about Novavax Covid vaccine 

Photo shows former attorney general of Crimea, not current prosecutor general of Ukraine 

Posts mislead on voting rights for naturalised South Korean citizens in presidential election 

13. Hindi

India's new airport is not the 'largest in Asia' as claimed by ruling party 

Afghan religious building shared in false posts about 'auction of Hindu women’, scholars say 

This video shows a communal incident outside a mosque in Bangladesh, not India 

14. Bengali

This photo of a tank has been doctored to add a Ukrainian flag 

This sword was made centuries after Prophet Mohammed's lifetime 

Drinking hot water does not 'cure all types of cancers' in 9 months 

15. Slovak

Video with an angry woman who doesn't want to sit next to an unvaccinated passenger on a plane is staged 

Tens of thousands of Slovaks shared misinterpretations of the Constitutional Court's ruling

This image of Zelensky performing a Nazi salute comes from a humorous television show

16. Czech

The photos of the "brutal" vaccination campaign of the Ministry of Health show real covid patients

No, Germany does not sell overpriced gas and electricity to neighboring countries

Photo from collection site falsely presented as proof that all humanitarian aid to Ukraine ends up as trash

17. Dutch

Story in which Afghan asylum seekers unconditionally receive a "QR code" for a vaccine passport is made up

This livestream of a demonstration shows a protester kneeling, not dying 

Doctored photo falsely makes it appear as if RTL Nieuws used a photo from a film in a report about Ukraine 

18. Serbian

The European Commission did not ban the use of the word 'Christmas'

Serbian doctor falsely claims that people cannot get Covid several times

Serbian hooligans did not make a tifo with a cemetery in the colors of the Ukrainian flag; it was a movie reference

19. German

No, there is no evidence of 14 vaccine complications resulting in death in a German intensive care unit 

This old RTL documentary still does not prove a "climate swindle”

No, the visit of the German Foreign Minister to Ukraine did not violate the Minsk Agreement

20. Romanian

This video of Romanian minister Raed Arafat has been altered

The 1992 Barcelona Olympics did not anticipate the Covid-19 pandemic

This video with American tanks in Romania is not related to the current tensions between Ukraine and Russia

21. Greek

No immigrants drowned in the Aegean this year? The inaccurate statement of the Greek Prime Minister

These photos do not show the Australian police stripping a protester

Slobodan Milosevic was never acquitted before he died 

22. Bulgarian

No, the European Court of Human Rights has not ruled that Russia must return 22 tons of gold to Bulgaria

These 18 questions from a doctor about Covid and the vaccines are misleading

Ukraine's borders are internationally recognized and do not need to be "registered" with the UN

23. Hungarian

This comparison of the Covid-19 vaccine with other vaccines is misleading

Opposition politicians sang the anthem and not the Internationale at this event

Fake Twitter accounts pose as CNN to spread false news

24. Finnish

The numbers spreading on social media about the number of coal plants being built abroad are false

TYKS head of virology did not say that people are most often hospitalized because of vaccine effects

False information about bombing victim in Ukraine spreads online

AFP Factuel journalists publish 1 to 4 fact-checks in French per day on its website, and over 20 fact-checks  per day in its 24 working languages.

The fact-checks are gathered on the website section called "France" here: https://factuel.afp.com/list/38329/all/all/all/11?page=1

AFP Factuel uses 24 working languages and published more than 8500 stories in 2021. This assessment is only available for the French and the English sections of the website, here:

https://factuel.afp.com/

https://factcheck.afp.com/

/

According to our assessment, the fact-checking stories presented by "AFP Factuel" are in line with IFCN's expectations.

We find that these fact checks deal in majority (more than 75%) with “public interest” issues that “relate to or could have an impact on the well-being of individuals, the general public or society”.

NB: AFP Factuel uses 24 working languages and published more than 8500 stories in 2021. This assessment is only available for the French and the English sections of the website.

AFP has a unique status as an autonomous organization enshrined in a French law that you will find in full here.

AFP is not a public service media and has no connection with public institutions, politicians or political parties, in France or elsewhere. AFP is 100% independent.

AFP resources are provided by the sale of its production to its clients (broadcasters, written press, other news agencies, platforms, etc.), as well as financial compensation from the French state for costs generated in the fulfillment of its general interest missions, as defined in article 2 of the above-mentioned law.

AFP detailed its commercial revenue for 2020 in this press release from 2021.

Within the EU, AFP has received funds from the Commission through calls for tenders for development projects.5 of these projects are related to AFP’s fact-checking team, and some of them involve collaboration with other fact-checkers in Europe, who also have the IFCN label.

These 5 projects are following:

1. Hungary https://www.lakmusz.hu/

2. France https://defacto-observatoire.fr

3. Belgium and Luxemburg https://belux.edmo.eu/fr/

4. Poland, Czech Republic and Slovakia https://cedmohub.eu/

5. EFCSN https://eufactcheckingproject.com/

AFP and its "AFP Factuel" section explain funding or support received from foreign as well as local state or political actors over the previous financial year.

It evokes "financial compensation from the French state for costs generated in the fulfillment of its general interest missions" (115,5 M€) and funds from the European Commission, without any amount.

Article 2 of the law mentioned here [French] and here [English] states that AFP should not "under any circumstances" take into account any kind of influences that are likely to compromise the accuracy or objectivity of information, or come under the control of an ideological, political or economic group.

The AFP Factuel team explain the editorial independance of its work here:

https://factuel.afp.com/propos

https://factcheck.afp.com/fact-checking-afp

"AFP should not "under any circumstances" take into account any kind of influences that are likely to compromise the accuracy or objectivity of information, or come under the control of an ideological, political or economic group."

NB: AFP Factuel uses 24 working languages and published more than 8500 stories in 2021. This assessment is only available for the French and the English sections of the website.

ENGLISH

1) Photo of Ukrainian president holding jersey with a swastika is manipulated

In the context of the current conflict, a significant amount of pro-Russian, anti-Ukraine posts depict Ukraine as a Nazi state where Nazis can thrive, or its president as a Nazi statesman. While we have debunked a lot of those posts based on false claims or doctored images, it is also our duty to be transparent about the fact that there can be, and have been, neo-Nazi elements in the Ukraine army or paramilitary forces. A good example is a debunk in which our Belgrade team fact-checked posts showing a photo of Zelenksky with a football jersey bearing a swastika and two photos of soldiers with Nazi flags. In this case, we applied the same standards of research for all three pictures: reverse image searches, diving into old profiles, looking for signs that the images had been altered. In the end, we let evidence dictate our conclusions: we showed that the picture with Zelensky's claimed Nazi jersey was doctored, but that the two other pictures with the Nazi flags were likely genuine. We also explained how we could trace one of those pictures to a similar one posted in 2014 on the page of a man with clear neo-Nazi sympathies, and how, while we could not find the origin of the other picture, it did show a real Nazi flag carrying a specific emblem related to a Nazi WWII division, as explained by an expert in this field. The result is a very balanced fact check.

2) This alleged tweet by Friedrich Merz is based on a satirical post

The Green party is often the target of the political misinformation that we check in Germany, with a lot of our fact checks debunking false quotes or false claims related to the party and leaders. However we also make sure to debunk disinformation targeting politicians from other parties. An example is this fact check about a false tweet by CDU politician Friedrich Merz. We followed our usual standards when debunking this misinformation, first checking his Twitter profile and its archive for such tweets, then explaining that it actually came from a satirical account, and also calling his team for comment. More generally, even though misinformation often comes from, and targets, the same political forces, we believe it is important to ensure that our fact checks do not always talk about the same side.

3) More than 10.000 users shared a fictional quote in which Putin supposedly condemned Russian Muslims

While we have fact-checked a fair amount of pro-Kremlin claims since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, we have also debunked several false Putin quotes in the past year - provided, as always, that we had solid evidence. Slovak posts, for example, claimed that he made anti-Muslim comments in front of the State Duma. We did a thorough search for such claims in several languages on the websites of the Kremlin, the Duma and online, and found no evidence Putin ever uttered these anti-Muslim statements. In the second part of the fact check we broadened our scope, looking at Putin's relationship with Islam over the years to see what could be said about this and check if he could have made anti-Islam comments in a different form. The result is a section explaining that Putin has always said that Islam was an integral part of Russia's spiritual life.

4) Mistake in the THL register on hospital visits fuels misinformation online

We often cite government institutions when debunking Covid-19-related misinformation. These public bodies are an important source of statistics and generally considered a good source, when combined with independent scientists and experts. However, sometimes even a good source can make a mistake that leads to the spread of false information; in such cases, it is important these sources are also checked and their mistakes explained. This is what we did in Finland with a fact check of a mistake by the Finnish institute of Health (THL) which led to false social media posts linking the Covid-19 vaccines to an increased number of miscarriages. We explain that THL pointed out there was a mistake in their database and that the corrected numbers do not show anything alarming, which is confirmed by a Finnish obstetrician and European Medicines Agency (EMA) safety data.

5) Photo shows aftermath of 2018 fire in Turkey, not 'elderly man in Ukraine' 

This claim involved a photo of an elderly man fleeing his home and was shared by posts expressing sympathy with Ukrainian refugees displaced by the Russian invasion. We explained that while millions of Ukrainians have fled the conflict, the photo did not represent it. We conducted a reverse image search and traced the photo to AFP’s archives, which said it was taken after a fire in Turkey in 2018. We also found the photo posted on the photographer’s Instagram account.

6) False reports claim police rubber bullets killed anti-lockdown protester in Melbourne 

We fact-checked reports that a man called Kyle Mitchell was killed by a rubber bullet at an anti-lockdown protest in Australia, after photos of him with a bloodied face surfaced online. We contacted Mitchell, who said he was alive and well, and had in fact been injured in a fight with a store clerk. Local police told us they had recorded no such incident, and the police chief commissioner said in a press conference that no members of the public were injured in the protest.

7) Time magazine cover featuring Piñera as a protagonist is altered 

Before and during the inauguration of Chilean President Gabriel Boric, a leftist, we checked numerous claims disinforming about him and his program, as well as content attacking the former right-wing president, Sebastián Piñera. In this particular case, we followed exactly the same criteria we used with all the other apocryphal covers of Time magazine, whoever the featured personality was (1, 2, 3). In all these cases, we review the magazine's archive, compare the graphic design elements between a real cover and an apocryphal one, and conduct reversed image searches. The procedure is always the same regardless of the political color of the disinformation.

8) Petro and Gutierrez claims about homicides in Colombia in a recent debate are inexact 

Most of the electoral disinformation in Colombia is focused on attacking the leftist candidate, Gustavo Petro. This leads to a high volume of fact-checks that can be interpreted by his enemies as "favorable" to Petro and the left. However, this article shows we’re impartial and use the same criteria and standards to refute content that may be interpreted as "favorable" to the right. Here, we analyze a debate between Petro and his rival, Federico Gutiérrez. As in all other fact-checks, we detected the verifiable claims, and these were contrasted with data and statistics provided by NGOs and governmental institutions. The conclusions contradicted the figures used by both candidates, but especially Petro.

9) In this video, Bolsonaro did not say he would have joined the Nazi army during World War II 

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro is a large source of disinformation. During the 2018 election campaign, a serious problem of disinformation emerged in Brazil and, for the first time, Whatsapp was its main messenger. Since then, Bolsonaro -- who minimized the gravity of the pandemic, promoted hydroxychloroquine as a treatment and disputed the effects of deforestation in the Amazon -- has been frequently subjected to our debunks. However, he is also attacked with disinformation, as it happens in this claim where he is accused of having said that he would have liked to be a member of the Nazi army. With the same rigor with which we verify the false claims made by the president, we also verify comments wrongly attributed to him.

10) Comparison between gasoline prices in 2008 and in 2022 disregards exchange rate and inflation effects 

The fluctuation of gasoline prices are a frequent the subject of disinformation in Brazil, with claims that alternately favor the government or the opposition. At AFP we verify all these contents with the same criteria and methodology. In a country where the far-right president, Jair Bolsonaro, is one of the main sources of disinformation, at AFP we also verify disinformation that favors the left. This is the case of this table. There, it is argued that under former President Luiz Inácio Lula Da Silva gasoline prices were lower. Our fact-check puts these figures in relation to the value of the local currency (the real) and inflation, to conclude that this comparison is misleading.

FRENCH

1) L'OTAN a-t-elle rompu un accord passé à la fin de la Guerre froide prévoyant qu'elle n'étendrait pas ses frontières à l'Est ? [In English: Has NATO broken a Cold War agreement planning that it would not expand its borders eastwards?] 

This fact-check asses claims that were widely spread on social media, and used by three of the French presidential elections candidates, from both the right and the left of the political scope. The process for this fact-check followed the standard protocol used for every fact-checking investigation: conducting a search and finding evidence to assess whether the assertions are true, misleading, false or taken out of context. Here, the research showed that the claims were false. To demonstrate that, the fact-check uses multiple historical sources, including open source documents that can be found online. In addition, numerous experts who work on the topic are cited to bring elements that answer the initial question and provide historical background information.

2) Pas d'aléas dans le nucléaire? Attention à cette affirmation d'Emmanuel Macron [in English: No hazard in the production of nuclear energy? Beware of Emmanuel Macron’s assertions] 

This fact-check is part of AFP’s verification work during the 2022 French elections: we verify, as fairly as possible, assertions from all of the candidates. It focuses on claims from the president Macron, candidate for his own succession, on nuclear energy in France. The fact-check follows the usual protocol for political verifications: it provides a link to the video excerpt with the claims that are being verified and details the evidence and information collected on the topic. The fact-check presents data and cites various sources including independent experts and official agencies working on nuclear energy, which can provide information to the readers on Emmanuel Macron’s misleading assertions.

3) Attention, cette "charte de l'impérialisme" est un faux [In English: Beware, this “imperialist charter” is fake]

This fact-check analyzes claims that circulated widely on social media in French-speaking Africa pretending to show an “imperialist charter” created in the 19th century by Western countries. In this thorough fact-check, various sources including the woman who claims to have found the original charter, the museum which it would supposedly be conserved in and historians who are experts on the topic are cited. All of that enables the readers to get a lot of information and context, some of which being contradictory, showing that the research was conducted in a neutral and objective way in order to demonstrate the veracity of the claim.

4) Non, les données anglaises ne prouvent pas que la vaccination anti-Covid entraîne une destruction du système immunitaire [In English: No, official British data do not prove that anti-Covid vaccination leads to a destruction of the immune system] 

Online articles, sometimes cited by political figures, claimed that official British data could show that vaccines against Covid-19 could lead to a destruction of the immune system. Those claims were false, as detailed in the fact-check with various evidence including the data themselves, which were misinterpreted by the online articles, as the British health authorities confirmed. Independent experts in immunity and virology were also cited to give out additional information on vaccination and the immune system.

5) Attention à ces publications sur des soldats ukrainiens décédés en "héros" sur l'île des Serpents [In English: Beware of those publications on Ukrainian soldiers who supposedly died as “heroes” on Snake island] 

With the Russian invasion of Ukraine, a lot of misleading content circulates on social media, which can come from both sides. This fact-check, starting from a claim that was shared by Ukrainian officials but also reported by media outlets in France, gives out context based on various sources including both official Ukrainian communications and official Russian media. In addition, experts on war communication and disinformation who follow carefully the updates of the conflict are cited in the fact-check to analyze the situation and give out background information, which can allow readers to draw their own conclusions.

___

As an additional example, our team analyzed our coverage of the political scope in 57 fact-checks produced by the French fact-checking AFP team from the beginning of September 2021 to March 21, 2022. All of these fact-checks were specifically made around the French elections. In the graph attached you can see that there is a good diversity in the political parties covered, taking into account the speaking time of each stakeholders. 

The "AFP Factuel" fact-checks seem to use the same high standards of evidence and judgement for equivalent claims regardless of who made the claim. We didn't find any example of obvious unfair treatment...

The team explains how the fact checks they selected show that they use the same high standards of evidence for equivalent claims.

NB: AFP Factuel uses 24 working languages and published more than 8500 stories in 2021. This assessment is only available for the French and the English sections of the website.

[English] https://factcheck.afp.com/fact-checking-afp

[Français] https://factuel.afp.com/propos

This methodology page is available in every language we publish. 

The "AFP Factuel" team does not seem to unduly concentrate its fact-checking on any one side; it seems to consider the reach and importance of claims it selects to check.

The team publishes an explaination on its website to set out how it selects claims to check, here:

https://factuel.afp.com/propos

"We choose the content we investigate on the basis of several criteria, including their editorial interest, their virality depending on the date of publication and the platform on which they are broadcast. We pay particular attention to false statements conveying a speech that is hateful, racist, dangerous for health and / or which may affect the integrity of a person or a group of people."

https://factcheck.afp.com/fact-checking-afp

"We select content to investigate based on criteria including editorial interest, how widely something has been shared and whether it has entered public debate. We pay particular attention to misinformation that could endanger people's health or lives, or damage democratic processes, as well as potentially harmful hate speech and racism."

NB: AFP Factuel uses 24 working languages and published more than 8500 stories in 2021. This assessment is only available for the French and the English sections of the website.

/

In view of what we have observed, the "AFP Factuel" team discloses in its fact checks relevant interests of the sources it quotes and any commercial or other such relationships it has.

NB: AFP Factuel uses 24 working languages and published more than 8500 stories in 2021. This assessment is only available for the French and the English sections of the website.

/

In view of what we have observed, the "AFP Factuel" team doesn't show support for any party, any politician or political candidate.

NB: AFP Factuel uses 24 working languages and published more than 8500 stories in 2021. This assessment is only available for the French and the English sections of the website.

Our work follows the editorial standards and key guiding principles of AFP global news agency (see link in French below). These state that "AFP journalists are expected to provide accurate, balanced and impartial news coverage, and to correct errors quickly and transparently." They state that "AFP journalists must speak with an independent voice, free of prejudice, bias or external influence." Failure to respect these principles can lead to sanctions.

[English] https://factcheck.afp.com/fact-checking-afp

[Français] https://factuel.afp.com/propos

[Français] https://www.afp.com/fr/lagence/charte

This page is available in every language we publish.

The "AFP Factuel" team explains its policies to preserve its non-partisan way of fact-checking claims here:

https://factuel.afp.com/propos

"Our work follows the mission described by the charter of Agence France-Presse, which undertakes to "provide accurate, impartial and trustworthy information at all times on current affairs around the world"."

https://factcheck.afp.com/fact-checking-afp

"Our work is carried out by fact-checking editors and a worldwide network of journalists, following the editorial standards and key guiding principles of the AFP global news agency."

The team evokes the editorial standards and key guiding principles of AFP global news agency:

https://www.afp.com/sites/default/files/20_principles_of_sourcing_march_2018.pdf

NB: AFP Factuel uses 24 working languages and published more than 8500 stories in 2021. This assessment is only available for the French and the English sections of the website.

/

NB: AFP Factuel uses 24 working languages and published more than 8500 stories in 2021. This assessment is only available for the French and the English sections of the website.

/

NB: AFP Factuel uses 24 working languages and published more than 8500 stories in 2021. This assessment is only available for the French and the English sections of the website.

/

NB: AFP Factuel uses 24 working languages and published more than 8500 stories in 2021. This assessment is only available for the French and the English sections of the website.

/

NB: AFP Factuel uses 24 working languages and published more than 8500 stories in 2021. This assessment is only available for the French and the English sections of the website.

We are the fact-checking section of AFP. 

[English] https://factcheck.afp.com/fact-checking-afp

[Français] https://factuel.afp.com/propos

This page is available in every language we publish.

"AFP Fcatuel" is the fact-checking section of AFP. 

The explaination is here: 

https://factuel.afp.com/propos

https://factcheck.afp.com/fact-checking-afp

NB: AFP Factuel uses 24 working languages and published more than 8500 stories in 2021. This assessment is only available for the French and the English sections of the website.

[English] https://factcheck.afp.com/fact-checking-afp

[Français] https://factuel.afp.com/propos

This page is available in every language we publish.

AFP’s management team is led by a CEO (currently Fabrice Fries), a Global News Director (currently Phil Chetwynd), and a Managing Director (currently Dalila Zein). The full organizational chart can be found here.

AFP also has a managing board made up of representatives of the media, public services (including government departments), employees, and five independent members chosen by AFP’s council based on their experience and knowledge. The full list of board and council members can be found here (this page is available only in French). 

As a fact-checking section of AFP, "AFP Factuel" shares a link to the statement on its website about its management:

[English] https://factcheck.afp.com/fact-checking-afp

[French] https://factuel.afp.com/propos

NB: AFP Factuel uses 24 working languages and published more than 8500 stories in 2021. This assessment is only available for the French and the English sections of the website.

AFP's fact-checking activities are overseen by the digital verification chief editors, based at the agency's headquarters in Paris, with regional editors in Hong Kong, Washington DC, Beirut, Johannesburg and Montevideo.

[English] https://factcheck.afp.com/fact-checking-afp

[Français] https://factuel.afp.com/propos

This page is available in every language we publish.

AFP Factuel presents its organizational structure and makes clear how and by whom editorial control is exercised (Chief editor, deputy-chief editor, etc.) here:

[English] https://factcheck.afp.com/fact-checking-afp

[French] https://factuel.afp.com/propos

NB: AFP Factuel uses 24 working languages and published more than 8500 stories in 2021. This assessment is only available for the French and the English sections of the website.

[English] https://factcheck.afp.com/about-us

[Français] https://factuel.afp.com/qui-sommes-nous

This page is available in every language we publish.

We make our best efforts on our pages to mention all the editors and journalists who carry an editorial responsibility for our fact-checks. We nevertheless can’t be comprehensive, in the interests of the security and protection of our reporters. This does not undermine in any way the editorial supervision of all our work.

The "AFP Factuel" team presents a page detailing the first and last names of most team members (except those who could be endangered), and their biographies, here:

[English] https://factcheck.afp.com/about-us

[French] https://factuel.afp.com/qui-sommes-nous 

NB: AFP Factuel uses 24 working languages and published more than 8500 stories in 2021. This assessment is only available for the French and the English sections of the website.

[English] https://factcheck.afp.com/contact

[French] https://factuel.afp.com/contact

This page is available in every language we publish.

We also have a contact button at the top of the home page of our websites (see attached screenshot).

We do not encourage people to submit individual claims to fact check on the websites in order to avoid spam.

The vast majority of audience submissions come directly from Twitter (DMs or replies), Facebook (comments or Messenger) or WhatsApp (notably in Brazil, India, Mexico, Germany, France and English-speaking Africa with dedicated tiplines).

In the context of our project around the French elections in 2022 we also provided a Hearken contact form for AFP and all the media partners in France to receive the audience’s questions between February and June 2022. This form is available only in French. 

It’s easy for readers to contact the "AFP Factuel" team.

The link to do that, in the menu, is here:

[English] https://factcheck.afp.com/contact

[French] https://factuel.afp.com/contact

And they have a contact button at the top of the home page of the website.

NB: AFP Factuel uses 24 working languages and published more than 8500 stories in 2021. This assessment is only available for the French and the English sections of the website.

Our methodology is explained on this dedicated page, while this page also highlights how we select our fact checks.

You will find the same pages in French here and here. 

These pages are available in every language we publish.

The "AFP Factuel" team gives precisions about its fact-checking methodology, here:

[English] https://factcheck.afp.com/fact-checking-how-we-work

[French] https://factuel.afp.com/fact-checking-comment-nous-travaillons

NB: AFP Factuel uses 24 working languages and published more than 8500 stories in 2021. This assessment is only available for the French and the English sections of the website.

/

In view of what we have observed (20 fact checks selection), the "AFP Factuel" journalists select claims to check based primarily on the reach and importance of the claims, and sometimes explains the reason for choosing the claim to check.

NB: AFP Factuel uses 24 working languages and published more than 8500 stories in 2021. This assessment is only available for the French and the English sections of the website.

/

NB: AFP Factuel uses 24 working languages and published more than 8500 stories in 2021. This assessment is only available for the French and the English sections of the website.

/

NB: AFP Factuel uses 24 working languages and published more than 8500 stories in 2021. This assessment is only available for the French and the English sections of the website.

/

NB: AFP Factuel uses 24 working languages and published more than 8500 stories in 2021. This assessment is only available for the French and the English sections of the website.

Our teams make every effort to review all questions submitted to us. If users wish to get in touch with editors to make a suggestion for a fact check, comment or point out an error, they can leave a message.

We have specified that visitors can submit any content that they believe needs verifying (photos - videos - articles - statements by political/public figures – claims that they’ve come across, etc.)

They are also invited to look at our page "Fact-checking at AFP" to know more about how we select content.

[English] https://factcheck.afp.com/contact

[French] https://factuel.afp.com/contact 

Our teams make every effort to review all questions submitted to us. If users wish to get in touch with editors to make a suggestion for a fact check, comment or point out an error, they can leave a message.

We have specified that visitors can submit any content that they believe needs verifying (photos - videos - articles - statements by political/public figures – claims that they’ve come across, etc.). 

They are also invited to look at our page "Fact-checking at AFP" to know more about how we select content. This page specifies what isn't fact-checkable: "AFP fact-checking teams verify facts, not opinions or beliefs. A lack of context or a lack of strong and cross-checked evidence can also lead to the inability to publish a fact-check."

[English] https://factcheck.afp.com/contact

[French] https://factuel.afp.com/contact 

There’s a page to invite readers to submit claims to fact-check on AFP Factuel website here :

[English] https://factcheck.afp.com/contact

[French] https://factuel.afp.com/contact

And there's a page where readers can find an explaination about which claims are fact-checkable or not here:

https://factuel.afp.com/propos

https://factcheck.afp.com/fact-checking-afp

But, in the website, there is no explanation "making it clear what isn’t fact-checkable".

NB: AFP Factuel uses 24 working languages and published more than 8500 stories in 2021. This assessment is only available for the French and the English sections of the website.

There’s a page to invite readers to submit claims to fact-check on AFP Factuel website here :

[English] https://factcheck.afp.com/contact

[French] https://factuel.afp.com/contact

And there's a page where readers can find an explaination about which claims are fact-checkable or not here ; it makes it clear what isn’t fact-checkable here:

https://factuel.afp.com/propos

https://factcheck.afp.com/fact-checking-afp

"AFP fact-checking teams verify facts, not opinions or beliefs. A lack of context or a lack of strong and cross-checked evidence can also lead to the inability to publish a fact-check."

NB: AFP Factuel uses 24 working languages and published more than 8500 stories in 2021. This assessment is only available for the French and the English sections of the website.

We have a dedicated page in every language (here in English, here in French), compiling all the corrections made on our stories. In each case, the date of the correction, its nature and the link to the story are indicated.

This page is available in every language we publish. 

The "AFP Factuel" blog gives precisions about its corrections policy, here:

https://factcheck.afp.com/corrections

https://factuel.afp.com/corrections

"If we make a factual error we will correct it and note it on the original item. This will be clearly marked as "CORRECTION" at the bottom of the article, with the date of the modification and an explanation. If the mistake is significant we will take down a story and leave an explanation."

NB: AFP Factuel uses 24 working languages and published more than 8500 stories in 2021. This assessment is only available for the French and the English sections of the website.

/

We have updated our contact page to explain that some complaints may justify no response: "We consider that claims which are whimsical, groundless, insulting, threatening or obviously coordinated spam do not require an answer from us."

NB: AFP Factuel uses 24 working languages and published more than 8500 stories in 2021. This assessment is only available for the French and the English sections of the website.

NB: AFP Factuel uses 24 working languages and published more than 8500 stories in 2021. This assessment is only available for the French and the English sections of the website.

Most of the time, our errors are detected internally - during a translation from one language to another, for example - or by internet users who point out a lack of precision via a comment, tweet or email. In almost all cases, these are minor errors which do not affect the overall validity of an article. It is extremely rare that we have had to correct one of our fact checks following a formal and official complaint.

French

18 mars 2022 : Corrige la date dans le chapô : 2014 et non 2015

2 février 2022 : Bien lire que l'efficacité globale du vaccin Gardasil est estimée à 90% et non pas 85% au 11e paragraphe (correction apportée après qu'un chercheur a rectifié les chiffres de l'estimation)

English

February 8, 2022: This article was corrected to explain that 'BMD' referred to a type of Soviet military vehicle and not Ballistic Missile Defence as previously stated

September 23, 2021: This article was updated to correct the date that Scott Pauley spoke to AFP, which was 8 September 2021, not 8 August 2021 as originally stated

NB: AFP Factuel uses 24 working languages and published more than 8500 stories in 2021. This assessment is only available for the French and the English sections of the website.

It's stated that "if you believe AFP has not respected the code of principles, you can directly inform the IFCN here" with the relevant link.

[English] https://factcheck.afp.com/fact-checking-afp

[French] https://factuel.afp.com/propos   

NB: AFP Factuel uses 24 working languages and published more than 8500 stories in 2021. This assessment is only available for the French and the English sections of the website.

The AFP Editorial standards and best practices (available on the company website here) making it clear that "AFP must correct errors quickly and transparently. The Agency does not set a time limit on corrections - even if days or weeks have passed, factual errors must be corrected and if necessary, the story killed and removed from the database".

The fact-checking unit strictly applies the same rules and reports corrections directly on stories as well as on a dedicated page (here in English, here in French). 

The fact-checking unit's correction page is available in every language we publish. 

NB: AFP Factuel uses 24 working languages and published more than 8500 stories in 2021. This assessment is only available for the French and the English sections of the website.