English : https://factcheck.afp.com/about-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 2023, our site is available in 26 languages: French, English, Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, Polish, Catalan, Croatian, Malaysian, Indonesian, Thai, Slovak, Czech, Dutch, Burmese, Serbian, German, Korean, Romanian, Greek, Bulgarian, Hungarian, Finnish, Swedish, Hindi and Bengali.

2. We have nearly 140 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 Investigation Chief Editor 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 hired a Disinformation reporter for the wire, as a complement to the work done by the Digital Investigation team. We will also work on improving the impact of our fact-checking to reach more people in new formats : for example, we value the work we are doing on WhatsApp with 5 different tiplines, as it helps to connect us to closed groups conversations and interact with our audience directly. We also developed a free digital investigation training course for journalists around the world, which we intend to complete with new modules over the next 4 years – it already exists in English, French, Spanish and Portuguese. We recently released a module on climate misinformation in all of these languages. We started developping video training tips and tutorials on digital investigations in French, English and Spanish, which are shared widely online. By joining the EFCSN and 8 European hubs against disinformation, we also participate more closely in collaborations with fellow fact-checkers, researchers and NGOs accross Europe. 

AFP Factuel has been doing fact-checking since 2017. In 2023, the website (140 full time journalists) is available in 26 languages : French, English, Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, Polish, Catalan, Croatian, Malaysian, Indonesian, Thai, Slovak, Czech, Dutch, Burmese, Serbian, German, Korean, Romanian, Greek, Bulgarian, Hungarian, Finnish, Swedish, 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 reach more people in new formats, to develop training in basic fact-checking and verification techniques (it developed a free digital investigation training course for journalists and intend to complete with new modules over the next 4 years).

We published 7,840 stories in 2022 in our (back then) 24 working languages. We published the most in English, Spanish, Arabic, French and Portuguese respectively. In the last six months, from December 2022 to May 2023 included, we published 3,637 stories in our 24, then 26 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

Non, l'oxygène ne guérit pas le cancer [in English : No, oxygen does not cure cancer]

Non, l'OTAN n'a pas modifié sa "clause de défense collective" le 15 février [in English : No, NATO did not modify its "collective defence clause" on February 15]

Non, l'augmentation du niveau de CO2 depuis 1880 n'est pas une "bagatelle" par rapport à l'histoire de la Terre [in English : No, the increase in CO2 levels since 1880 is no mere trifle compared with the Earth's history]

French / Belgium : L'Ordre des médecins belge n'a pas "avoué que le vaccin Covid ne marche pas" [in English : The Belgian Medical Association has not "admitted that the Covid vaccine does not work"]

French / Africa : Attention à cette intox sur les mutilations des nez des statues égyptiennes [in English : Beware of this hoax about Egyptian statues having their noses cut off]

2. English

Ron DeSantis ad uses AI-generated photos of Trump, Fauci

Lightning behind multiple Quebec wildfires, not coordinated arson

'Plandemic 3' inspires false claims about early HIV treatment

English / Africa : Investigation reveals execution took place in western Ethiopian forest, not northern monastery

3. Spanish

As of June 19, 2023, Vox has not passed a law against squatting in Valencia, Spain

Video of an argument between Venezuelan military and "peace corps" was recorded in 2021, not 2023

Video of Ovidio Guzman and a fighter jet is not linked to his recapture in 2023

4. Portuguese

It is false that the hepatitis B vaccine contains graphene oxide and "poisons"

Photo that would show supply by water tanker in 2023 has been circulating since at least 2016

Woman in red lingerie and with a poster about prostitution is not first lady Janja

5. Arabic

This photo shows a man suffering from psoriasis, not a survivor form Turkey’s earthquake three months later

Treating diabetes patients with olive tree leaves tea: dangerous remedies for the silent killer patients

Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Emir of Qatar, did not leave Arab Summit when Syria President Bashar al -Assad started his speech. The video is old and altered

6. Polish

Photos showing anti-Zelensky graffiti against the backdrop of various cities are fake 

These cows died of food poisoning, not because of the Covid vaccine

This video shows exercises in Sweden, not Polish Leopards buried in the mud in Ukraine 

7. Catalan

This Arabic poster is not a call from the Swedish police to Muslim women, it is a montage

The objective of troll accounts is to confuse and delegitimize from anonymity

The photo of a woman reading without a veil is not from an Afghan artist, it comes from a Czech magazine

8. Malay

This is video from India, not 'Rohingya refugees selling toxic vegetables in Selangor'

This is video of ritual dance in India, not adhan recital 'at temple in Malaysia'

Posts share false claim that 'doctor executed in Malaysia for giving Covid vaccines' 

9. Indonesian

Doctored news report used in 'magic money' scam

Old video used to spread false claim that 'Ronaldo supports Indonesia's rejection of Israeli team in U20 World Cup'

Anti-LGBT posts share misleading claim that 'pelvic bone determines binary sex'

10. Thai

Thailand's Move Forward Party leader hit with false claim he 'did not graduate from Harvard'

Old photos of Andy Lau in Thailand resurface online with misleading claims

Video of Chinese plateau falsely linked to Turkey-Syria earthquake

11. Burmese

False posts tout unregistered supplement as 'diabetes cure found in Myanmar'

US Constitution does not say president 'must be Christian'

Facebook posts falsely claim Thai army chief 'declared war on Myanmar'

12. Korean

Japanese leader did not 'accept' South Korea's sovereignty over disputed isles

Old X-ray images lifted from satirical tweets about fugitive South Korean entrepreneur's arrest

Health insurance data falsely shared as 'spike in vaccine-related cancer cases' in South Korea

13. Hindi

Indian same-sex marriage advocate targeted by fake 'dancing video' posts

Modern artwork from Mexico passed off as 'ancient Indian temple sculpture'

Old video of Sudan factory explosion misleadingly linked to 2023 crisis

14. Bengali

Consuming cold drinks after eating mangoes does not 'cause death’

Man wounded in Bangladesh religious clashes debunks death rumours

Doctored photo of Bangladeshi PM 'receiving vermilion' misleads online

15. Slovak

One year after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, false claims about atrocities in Buča are spreading again

MP Prochko was not recently caught driving under the influence of alcohol, this article is 15 years old

This video, in which gunmen are said to be threatening a female driver with a child, was filmed in Russian-controlled territory

16. Czech

Video showing Pavel calling for Czech Republic to enter war with Russia is manipulated 

Czech presidential election results were not manipulated by software 

Ukrainian students have to take entrance exams to Czech secondary schools 

17. Dutch

This video does not show Polish people fleeing to Germany to avoid military exercises, but a road heading to Ukraine

Several videos falsely claim that the Dutch supermarket Jumbo is scamming customers with its product scales 

Misleading posts sow doubt about the heat wave in Spain

18. Serbian

A scene from Disney's 2014 film 'Big Hero 6' was edited to promote bigotry against the LGBTQI+ community 

Misleading video takes statements on recent mass shooting out of context

AI-generated image used in misogynist attacks on female politician doesn't show 'Japanese minister'

19. German

In Norway, rejected asylum seekers receive social benefits in reception centres

This building was really hit by a rocket at the beginning of the war - but it was renovated 

This video is from a film set in Latvia, it doesn't prove that the war is staged 

20. Romanian

Baseless conspiracy theories blame Turkey earthquake on US research station

Social media posts share misleading claims on "15-minute cities" 

This footage shows president Zelensky's personal bodyguard, not his double or clone

21. Greek

The label with the green frog "Rainforest Alliance" does not indicate that a product contains transgenic raw materials 

Users falsely claim only one locomotive was destroyed in Tempi crash

Javied Aslam, leading figure in the Pakistani community in Greece, is not running in upcoming national elections 

22. Bulgarian

No, Bulgaria is not the only EU country that has not held a referendum on joining the EU or the eurozone 

False publications claim Pernik prosecutor's son received life sentence 

For years, publications have spread misleading claims about welfare and Roma people 

23. Hungarian

Orbán did not announce that Hungary would leave the EU

This map showing Ukrainian territory as a part of Poland is a fake

This picture of Zelensky with EU leaders has been doctored

24. Finnish

Social media posts misinterpret Arctic ice data to deny effects of climate change

Social media posts draw misleading conclusions about Finnish Long Covid study

Social media claims about voting fraud misrepresent voting figures

25. Croatian

Research on mice is not proof that scientists are hiding vaccine mRNA in cow's milk

Vaccinated citizens are not prohibited from donating blood in Serbia

CO2 emissions are key driver of climate change, contrary to false claims

26. Swedish

Social media posts falsely claim that climate change is natural and beneficial to the planet

Social media posts use old news about insect-based bread to spread food misinformation

The claim that Sweden would be the world's second most dangerous country for female travellers is based on a misleading report

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 26 working languages.

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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”.

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

This unique status, as well as AFP's main clients and partnerships are detailed on our websites (here in English, here in French), in all 26 languages. 

Please note that, on this page, we mention that we are working with Twitter. This is not the case anymore, we will delete it in our next update of the 26 websites, during the summer. 

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 2022 in this press release.

Since 2021, AFP has been increasingly involved in collaborative projects between European media, researchers and other experts that are co-financed by the European Commission and other European institutions, to fight disinformation. In particular, AFP receives EU funding for its involvement in several fact-checking and research hubs belonging to the European Digital Media Observatory (EDMO) network: DE FACTO for France, CEDMO for the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia, EDMO BELUX for Belgium and Luxembourg, HDMO-Lakmusz for Hungary, GADMO for Germany and Austria, BROD for Romania and Bulgaria, ADMO for Croatia and Slovenia, and MedDMO for Greece, Cyprus and Malta.

All of our European projects are described in full on this page. This page is available in full in all of our languages. 

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.

The team mentions "financial compensation from the French State for the costs incurred in carrying out its missions of general interest" (€113.3 million) and other funds from the European Commission in particular. But the "About" section needs to be corrected with 2022 data.

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/about-afp

"AFP speaks with an independent voice free from political, commercial or ideological influence. These commitments are reflected in AFP’s Charter and editorial standards."

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 George Soros at DeSantis event is doctored

The use of prominent personalities and their purported views or image is a constant driver of misinformation in American politics. As such, we often debunk claims said to have involved those well-known figures. The billionaire George Soros is a frequent target of misinformers, who decry him as a socialist stooge of Democratic politicians and causes. But this fact check illustrates that the American right has its own internal splinters used to curry favor for one candidate over another. By claiming that Soros attended a fundraising event for Republican U.S. presidential candidate Ron DeSantis, a series of social media accounts sought to damage the Florida governor's conservative credentials. In this case, we used reverse image searches, conducted research looking for signs that the images had been manipulated, and spoke with people present and crucially, not present, at the event in question. In the end, we spoke with a person who attended the gathering and posted the original image on their Twitter and Instagram accounts. By doing this we showed key differences between it and the altered photo circulating on social media. This corroborated other evidence that Soros's head had been superimposed on a guest pictured behind DeSantis, then misleadingly posted on social media. The result is a well-reported and thoroughly explained fact check that shows our process of evidence gathering and political neutrality.

2. Nashville shooting sparks false image of killer's bedroom

School shootings in the United States are presenting new challenges to fact checkers. In this example, we showed how someone's identity and online content was misrepresented following a tragedy at the Covenant School in Nashville in March 2023, and how the attention garnered was used to wantonly spread anti-LGBTQ sentiment. Using reverse image and other searches we showed the photo was, in fact, originally posted on Reddit in 2021 in an entirely unrelated context. We managed to contact the user – who was not the suspected shooter – and confirmed that she had simply been cleaning her room had decided to post before and after pictures. Regardless, soon after the 2023 shooting the image appeared on the fringe message board 4chan, before spilling on to other platforms and mainstream sites, with posts accusing her of being the school killer. By doing our research and respecting the process of evidence discovery we showed how an authentic but old image had been used to spread a false narrative about a newsworthy real-life tragedy.

3. Posts push unsubstantiated claim Covid vaccines killed medics

Inflammatory rhetoric about Covid-19 vaccines remains common on social media, more than two years after the shots first became available, and despite evidence they protect people from severe disease. This fact check allowed us to deconstruct a false claim that 80 doctors in Canada between the ages of 25 and 55 had died within 60 days of taking a vaccine dose. The claim was especially worth tackling because it was made by doctors, likely making it appear more credible than it normally would, something reflected in high online virality. Articles carried names of the said doctors, and cited a letter said to be source material for the death statistics. We reviewed obituaries as well as news reports about all 80 doctors and found their deaths dated as far back as December 2020 – not within the “last 60 days” – and almost half were above age 55. In 12 cases, cancer was the said cause of death, further damaging the claim. Others died because of different disclosed causes and tragedies, including a car crash. We spoke to Health Canada who called the claim “misinformation”. We also contacted the Canadian Medical Association who dismissed the posts as a “conspiracy theory”. One early iteration of the misleading claim named three victims, only to be publicly debunked by the doctors’ own employer on Twitter. Reports and other testimony confirmed that none of the three had died as the result of recently taking a vaccine. Again, we looked at cited evidence and discovered the claim had no foundation, despite it being made by persons that the public could reasonably consider to be plausible on medical matters. This made the fact check especially worthwhile and a matter of public service.    

4. This is a manipulated picture, it does not show László Kövér next to János Kádár 

A lot of the disinformation we see in and about Hungary is favourable to PM Viktor Orban, who has transformed the public media into organs of state propaganda. However, in this Hungarian fact check, we debunked claims targeting one of Orban’s closest and oldest allies, speaker of the National Assembly László Kövér. Social media posts shared a picture claiming to show Kövér next to former socialist leader János Kádár and accusing Kövér of hypocrisy because he regularly labels his own political opponents as communists. Using usual tools and techniques such as reverse image search, we found the original picture and could see that Kövér was not present, showing that the photo being shared on social media had been manipulated. By choosing to debunk disinformation targeting an ally of Orban, we have shown our non-partisanship with this debunk.

5. Photos of a model do not show Vladimir Soloviev's son 

Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the vast majority of the false information we have been debunking originates from pro-Russian sources. But we also verify false information targeting Russia when it comes up. This German fact check is a good example, debunking claims coming from a Ukrainian journalist and targeting Russian propagandist Vladimir Solovyov by alleging that his model son fled Russia to work in London. Our investigation found that those photos show another model called Solovyov, who is from Ireland and has no relation to the propagandist. And while we could not independently verify Solovyov's son's whereabouts, we did publish his father's denial that he was in England.

6. This old SWR report is not proof that infrasound from wind turbines is harmful 

The vast majority of what we fact check comes from social media posts and dubious online portals, and we generally use established media as credible sources. But it also happens that we fact check them, too. In this German story, we explain that an old video of regional broadcaster SWR, which claims that infrasound from wind turbines can damage the heart, turned out to be misleading as the study it cites was criticised by various experts and later refuted by other studies. We also published a comment by SWR telling us that such a report would not be broadcast today anymore.

7. Locked grave photo from India falsely shared as Pakistan 'anti-rape gate'

We used a combination of reporting and multiple digital verification techniques (Twitter keyword searches, geolocation) to debunk false posts that say a photo shows an "anti-rape gate" put on a grave in Pakistan to stop necrophilia. We found the photo actually shows a grave in India while a local social worker told us the gate is unrelated to necrophilia.

8. Videos of Japanese rescue robot falsely shared as 'corpse disposer in China'

This debunk relates to false posts that claim to show a video of an "automatic corpse disposer" in China as the country witnessed a surge in its Covid death toll. Using reverse image searches of keyframes and visual analysis, we tracked the footage down to fire safety videos from Japan that have circulated online years before the pandemic.

9. Old video of football stadium punch falsely shared as clip from 'Indonesia disaster in 2022'

A football stadium disaster in Indonesia that became one of the deadliest in the history of the sport spurred false posts that a video shows a police officer punching a fan at the ill-fated match, triggering the deadly crush. But through a combination of reverse image and keyword searches, we found the video shared is actually old. We also reached out to local police who said the video did not show the deadly stampede.

10. The first presidential debate for the 2022 elections, verified

Context: The main presidential candidates met in the first televised debate before the October elections in Brazil. The exchange on August 28 brought together the incumbent president, an ex-president, and other candidates. The debate featured heated exchanges and the dissemination of misleading information.

Methodology: Our journalists watched the program selecting objective statements that could be confronted with open and credible data, that were thoroughly explained and made available in our fact-check. Claims made by all the candidates were analyzed with the same objectivity, which can be seen in the final text that includes three statements by then president Jair Bolsonaro (two that were false and one that was true), two by candidate Ciro Gomes (one misleading and one false) and one by now president Lula Da Silva (misleading).

French:

Emmanuel Macron’s presidency has been widely criticized those past months, particularly on pension reform, which sparkled massive demonstrations, and police violence that occurred during those demonstrations. AFP debunked false claims regarding those topics, regardless of their political origin.

1. Attention à cette image d'un "homme âgé au visage ensanglanté manifestant en France" [in English: Watch out for this image of an "elderly man with a bloodied face” demonstrating in France]

Despite police being regularly accused of using disproportionate violence during demos, with several people being severely injured, we chose to debunk a highly viral AI generated image purportedly showing an old man being violently molested by police. Once we secured the debunk (visual analysis + interview of experts and the creator), we added much context to explain that despite the inauthenticity of this particular image, people had really been beaten up by police during pension reform demos in France and that dozens of complaints had been filed for this.

2. Non, ce n'est pas grâce à la réforme que les femmes partiront à la retraite plus tôt que les hommes [in English: No, it is not thanks to the reform that women will retire earlier than men]

This claim was repeatedly used by French ministers, during the controversial battle on pension reform. 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 or false. A detailed analysis of what the retirement guidance council had written and by interviewing the public pension system, we were able to explain that women were anyway due to retire earlier (mainly because their careers got better and better) than men, even without the reform the government was pushing. The claim was misleading as it was used to justify the reform.

3. Pas d'obstacle juridique au recours au référendum sur la réforme des retraites, selon les experts [in English:No legal obstacle to the use of the referendum on the pension reform, according to the experts]

The government spokeperson claimed it was legally impossible to organize a referendum on reform pension. Opposition claimed it was possible. So we decided to ask experts in the French constitution. It was so tricky we had to ask 5 to get a proper picture, as law can be open to different interpretations. It turned out that, even if France never saw a referendum of that sort, experts explained there was indeed no legal obstacle for the government to organize one if it wanted to.

4. Non, un arrêté n'autorise pas des coupures d'électricité cet hiver [in English: No, a decree does not authorize power cuts this winter]

Rise of energy prices prompted many anti-Macron’s claims. Many internet users blamed Macron’s government for allegedly issuing a decree allowing power cuts during last winter so as to save electricity. The public electricity operators explained it was not the case : the idea was to allow hot water tanks to automatically heat up during the night and not during the day, so as to avoid rush hour surcharge and possible outages. We also asked a consumer organization for an independent view : they confirmed the decree would not allow power cuts. 

5. (Belgium) Cette critique du Forum de Davos émane d'un parti d'opposition et non du "gouvernement flamand" [in English : This criticism of the Davos Forum comes from an opposition party and not from the 'Flemish government'] 

This Belgian story debunks viral claims that the Flemish "government" is planning to leave the World Economic Forum - a regular target of misinformation and conspiracy theories. The fact check explains how a Flemish far-right party - and not the "government" - has indeed heavily criticised the WEF, a "global lobbying organisation" with a "globalist agenda", as well as the cost of the WEF membership for the Flemish government. This shows that while a lot of misinformation is traditionally coming from far-right parties, and while the WEF is a common target of false information, we were still committed to describing and quoting this far-right party's opinion on the WEF, which was later distorted to become misinformation.

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.

"We apply the same investigative approach and standards of evidence regardless of who has made the claim, and we do not focus on any one candidate, party or website. We may however produce more fact-checks on sources that are consistent spreaders of potentially harmful misinformation.

[English] https://factcheck.afp.com/afps-editorial-and-ethical-standards and https://factcheck.afp.com/how-we-work

[Français] https://factuel.afp.com/regles-editoriales-et-ethiques and https://factuel.afp.com/comment-nous-travaillons

Both these pages are 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://factcheck.afp.com/afps-editorial-and-ethical-standards

https://factcheck.afp.com/how-we-work

"AFP’s fact-checkers seek to investigate dubious claims circulating online which are viral, impactful and potentially harmful to the public. The claims we verify surface in a variety of ways, including on social media platforms, blogs and websites, messaging apps and other forums in the public sphere. We identify claims we want to investigate by assessing whether a fact-check would be in the public interest and whether we would be able to gather clear and sufficient evidence to disprove the specific claim or claims being made. AFP fact-checking teams verify facts, not opinions or beliefs. If we are unable to establish strong and cross-checked evidence, we will not publish a fact-check.We pay particular attention to misinformation that could endanger people's health or lives, damage democratic processes, or promote hate speech and racism."

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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.

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

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.

AFP's Digital Investigation team also now has a Fact-checking Styleguide with guidelines more specific to fact-checking (here in English and here in French).

[English] https://factcheck.afp.com/afps-editorial-and-ethical-standards

[Français] https://factuel.afp.com/regles-editoriales-et-ethiques

The Editorial and Standard page is available in every language we publish.

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

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

"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."

https://factcheck.afp.com/afps-editorial-and-ethical-standards

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

chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://www.afp.com/sites/default/files/12_april_2016_afp_charter_1.pdf

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In view of what we have observed, the "AFP Factuel" team identifies the source of significant evidence used in its fact checks.

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In view of what we have observed, the "AFP Factuel" team uses (most of the time) the best available primary sources of evidence.

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In view of what we have observed, the "AFP Factuel" team checks all key elements of claims with more than one source of evidence.

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In view of what we have observed, the "AFP Factuel" team dentifies in its fact checks the relevant interests of the sources it uses where the reader might reasonably conclude those interests could influence the accuracy of the evidence provided.

We are the fact-checking section of AFP, as explained in the links below.

English : https://factcheck.afp.com/about-afp

French : 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/about-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’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 ownership:

"AFP has a unique status under French law, which requires the Agency never to compromise the accuracy and objectivity of the information it provides or fall under the control of any ideological, political or economic grouping. As detailed in AFP’s founding statute, an oversight body known as the Upper Council is tasked with ensuring the continuity of the Agency and monitoring its compliance with these fundamental obligations. AFP also has a Board of Directors that is responsible for the administration of the Agency and elects its CEO. The Board includes the Chairman and CEO Fabrice Fries, as well as five representatives from the French press, three government representatives from France’s culture, foreign and economy ministries, two members from the French audio-visual sector, three members elected by AFP staff, and five external experts chosen by the Agency’s Upper Council."

https://factcheck.afp.com/about-afp

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/about-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:

https://factcheck.afp.com/about-afp

Our editorial structure as well as the Digital Investigation team in general is described in the links below.

[English] https://factcheck.afp.com/meet-team

[Français] https://factuel.afp.com/notre-equipe

This page is available in every language we publish.

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:

https://factcheck.afp.com/meet-team

[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).

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).

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

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

https://factcheck.afp.com/contact

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

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

You will find the same pages in French here (methodology) and here (fact-checking stylebook).

We update our Fact-checking stylebook regularly, depending on the new challenges we face on an editorial level.

Our "How we work" page is available in every language we publish. Our Fact-checking stylebook is available on every website, but for the moment only in English, French, Spanish and Portuguese.

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

https://factcheck.afp.com/how-we-work

And in the AFP fact-checking stylebook here:

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

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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.

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In view of what we have observed (20 fact checks selection), the "AFP Factuel" journalists set out in their fact checks relevant evidence that appears to support the claim as well as relevant evidence that appears to undermine it. 

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In view of what we have observed (20 fact checks selection), the "AFP Factuel" journalists assess the merits of the evidence found using the same high standards applied to evidence on equivalent claims, regardless of who made the claim.

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In view of what we have observed (20 fact checks selection), the "AFP Factuel" journalists seek where possible to contact those who made the claim. 

Our teams make every effort to review all questions submitted to us. If users wish to get in touch with our team to make a suggestion for a fact check, comment or point out an error, they can leave a message on our Contact page (here in French. This page is available in all the languages we publish).

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 "How we work" 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. If we are unable to establish strong and cross-checked evidence, we will not publish a fact-check." The same page is available here in French, and in all of the languages we publish. 

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

https://factcheck.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://factcheck.afp.com/how-we-work

"AFP fact-checking teams verify facts, not opinions or beliefs. If we are unable to establish strong and cross-checked evidence, we will not publish a fact-check."

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.

The same corrections are also mentionned on the related article pages (see screenshot below). 

The Correction page is available in every language we publish. 

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

https://factcheck.afp.com/corrections

"If we make a factual error in a publication, we correct it and add a note at the bottom of the publication that explains what has been changed and the date of the modification. A record of all corrections published in recent years is maintained below. If a mistake is substantial, we will take down an article and leave an explanation of the error and the circumstances that allowed it to occur. We will also publish such a correction in the same social media channels as the original, to ensure it is widely seen. When an error has been made in a format that is not editable, such as certain social media posts, we delete the incorrect post and publish a correction in the same channel. We also note at the bottom of our articles any updates, clarifications or new information that has been added after publication."

But it could be better to make the correction more visible at the bottom of each publication, cause it's not very readable like that.

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The policy sets out clear definitions of what it does and does not cover, how major mistakes, especially those requiring revised conclusions of a fact-check, are handled.

The "AFP factuel" journalists seems to follow this corrections policy quite scrupulously.

They also clearly set that some complaints may justify no response here:

https://factuel.afp.com/contact

"We consider that requests which are whimsical, groundless, insulting, threatening or obviously coordinated spam do not require an answer from us."

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

11 février 2023: Merci de bien lire après le 1er intertitre que les chiffres de l'Insee montrent que les femmes partent actuellement à la retraite "environ sept mois plus tard que les hommes", et non "six mois avant les hommes" comme écrit par erreur précédemment - voir l'article

30 janvier 2023: Correction concernant la définition de la chitine, qui est un polysaccharide et non une protéine - voir l'article

English

April 10, 2023: This article was updated to correct a typo of the acronym of CBDC in a subhead and penultimate paragraph - See the article

February 27, 2023: This article was amended to correct the attribution of a news headline in the 12th paragraph. - See the article

The "AFP Factuel" journalists provide credible evidence that it makes corrections openly and transparently.

The team gives 2 examples from 2 different articles both in English and French.

AFP Fact-Check mentions that it is an IFCN signatory on its Editorial and Ethical Standards page (here in French). 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.

This page is available in all the languages we publish.  

The "AFP Factuel" website has a page where it declares itself an IFCN signatory here;

https://factcheck.afp.com/afps-editorial-and-ethical-standards

The website informs users that if they believe its journalists are violating the IFCN Code, people may inform the IFCN, with a link to the IFCN site.

The AFP Editorial standards and best practices (available on the company website here in English and here in French) 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. When in doubt, the journalist should contact the chief editor and legal department for advice".

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. 

The parent media company of "AFP Factuel", called AFP, has its own code of ethics (AFP editorial standards .and best practices) :

https://www.afp.com/en/agency/charter

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It contains references to an honest and open corrections policy:

"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".