Guinea
ABSTRACT
GuinéeCheck is an independent citizen initiative whose purpose is to combat misinformation, hate speech and manipulation of information in the Republic of Guinea. GuinéeCheck was created by the Association Villageois 2.0 in September 2020. GuinéeCheck is an independent citizen media outlet dedicated to providing verified and sourced information.
PROGRAMME DESCRIPTION
GuinéeCheck’s main purpose is to expose false information, media manipulation, disinformation campaigns and hate speech that proliferate on the Internet and social media.
GuinéeCheck is a platform with three (3) components:
I- GuinéeCheck: the main fact-checking website;
II- Podcasts: transcripts of content in four local languages (Poular, Soussou, Kpèlé and Malinké) and Guinea’s official language, French.
III- Tutorials: beyond exposing fake news, GuinéeCheck provides citizens and/or the Internet with free resources on basic fact-checking and media and information literacy (MIL) by publishing:
- Educational videos to enable citizens to check false information for themselves;
- Interviews with people involved in the fight against disinformation;
- Legal resources and studies on the phenomenon of disinformation and the media environment in Guinea.
ENABLING FACTORS
GuinéeCheck is a non-partisan fact-checking platform whose main goal is to counter disinformation, hate speech, information manipulation and rumours about current events such as elections, politics, health and governance, among others. We also monitor the accuracy of statements made by Guinea’s key socio-political actors, whether in the form of television advertisements, debates, speeches, interviews or disguised press releases.
Objectives
To promote and raise awareness of issues of general interest through the dissemination of evidence-based articles;
To promote a culture of fact-checking to help citizens make informed decisions and hold socio-political actors accountable for their statements and/or commitments.
IMPACT
The Association Villageois 2.0 has always been a champion of promoting good information in Guinea. During the 2018 communal elections, the association launched the #VlogCommunal to present the candidates’ various governance projects to citizens. During the Covid-19 pandemic, it was also heavily involved in raising awareness and combating infodemia. During the October 2020 presidential election, Villageois 2.0 helped to combat hate speech, disinformation campaigns and gendered disinformation. Since then, the Association, through its independent citizen media GuineeCheck, has maintained a solid fact-checking operation.
An initiative of Association Villageois 2.0
