"Social media misinformation is driving men to NHS clinics in search of testosterone therapy...(but) taking testosterone unnecessarily can suppress the body’s natural hormone production, cause infertility, and increase the risk of blood clots, heart problems etc." www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

In a piece for @rsf.org, Valdez Onanina, chief editor for fact-checking group @fr.africacheck.org, talks about the cost of exposing Russian disinformation networks operating in west Africa; doxing, threats and smears rsf.org/fr/valdez-on...

I think other journalism awards need to up their game. www.youtube.com/watch?v=uEBS...

10 years ago I came to Dakar and recruited @fr.africacheck.org’s first editor, Assane Diagne, the first factchecker in Francophone Africa. This week I joined 200 others in Dakar at the fourth #AfricaFactsSummit. There are many challenges at the moment. The work of this community is reason for hope

Google’s commitment to free expression “is unwavering and will not bend to political pressure,” Google said, bending to political pressure. www.cnbc.com/2025/09/26/h...

The polio immunisation program started in the USA in 1955. Look what happened next.

Some politicians care about facts. Others, not so much A Royal Parks spokesperson: “We’ve not had any incidents reported to us of people killing or eating swans". Farage: "Migrants are eating the swans" www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c8...

Two cities at random: London, England: The crime rate in London was 106.4 crime offences per thousand people for the 2024/25 reporting year, compared with 105.8 in the previous year. Miami, Florida: In 2023, Miami’s crime index was reported as 283, aligning closely with the national average.

Besides the politics - and I am not all anti Nick Robinson - this is a truly dreadful 'think piece', that doesn't at all explore what free speech actually is and entails.

"Mel Merritt, head of policy and campaigns at the National Autistic Society said: 'This is dangerous, it's anti-science and it's irresponsible.' But hey, why would a medical expert know better than a businessman-politician. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Looking forward to taking part in this free online All-Ireland conference today on how corporate policy and mis/disinformation affect public health - and what we can do about it. It starts in half an hour. Do join if you can. #TurningTheTide2025 #CDOH #PublicHealth jointpublichealthconference.org

If "free speech" means allowing people to say things you find disagreeable, what's this?

Listening to this today. Seems relevant. open.spotify.com/episode/3XAW...

Science is real

"The Israeli military has prevented international journalists from entering and reporting on the war, and has decimated Gaza’s own media community." www.theguardian.com/global-devel...

More details on Reform UK's commitment to freedom of speech: "the principle that freedom of speech must be paired with responsibility and honesty," says Council boss. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

How to get massive economic growth overnight 👇 Change the numbers africacheck.org/fact-checks/...

Does factchecking work? Well, do you know what factcheckers do? @fullfact.org reached out to a woman misidentified in a viral online video. She found it “really helpful… it was the only organisation that tried to contact me to see if there was any truth to the claims.” fullfact.org/culture-and-...

How do fact-checkers select the claims to check? How should we develop a 'harms-based' approach and defend freedom of speech? Great to work with friend & colleague @mrdudders.bsky.social on this piece for @poynterinstitute.bsky.social Feedback welcome www.poynter.org/ifcn/2025/sp...

I wrote for @timeshighered.bsky.social blog on questions to spot fake claims 1. Where did the claim come from? 2. What do other, credible sources say? 3. What might make you likely to fall for the claim? 4. What does the context tell you? More 👇 www.timeshighereducation.com/campus/four-...

Asked by media to provide any evidence for its wild claim about the United States' traditional allies convicting citizens for criticising governments, the US State Department "declined to comment". x.com/StateDept/st...

Some viral posts say guava leaves, ginseng, ginger & lemon can “cure” blocked fallopian tubes or endometriosis. But these remedies don’t work, and promoting them can delay real medical treatment. africacheck.info/endo_fallopi...

Garbage in, garbage out. Methodology matters. archive.ph/2025.07.09-0...

Little better than to be recognised by your peers, no? 11 years ago, in London, I took part in the first Global Fact-Checking Summit. Last week in Rio, at #GlobalFact12, I was honoured for ‘outstanding service’ to the fact-checking community worldwide. Couldn’t be more grateful for the journey.

"I wasn't able to stop my sister from dying. But it would mean the world to me if I could make it that she wasn't just another in a long line of people that die in this way," says Gabriel." www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Huge thanks to @morrischris.bsky.social and all the friends and colleagues who came out on a (rare) sweltering night in London for the launch of my new book 📚 👇🏻

Shukran @arijnetwork.bsky.social. Very kind.

The widespread circulation of #scams on #Facebook and #Instagram highlights the limitations of #Meta's current #contentmoderation and #advertising review systems, write @thanossitistas.bsky.social & @cianellaaa.bsky.social in the latest EDMO investigation: loom.ly/nxDJeqs

STOREHOUSE has been included in Radio Times' Best Immersive Experiences in London. What are you waiting for? 🎟️ sageandjester.com/storehouse

Busy times! Misinformation poses challenges for us all - Thrilled to work with the great team at @sageandjester.bsky.social over the past weeks as they bring their vision of empowering people to sort truth from nonsense ... and bring it to life like this. The show - STOREHOUSE - launches today

Important work showing AI chatbots like ChatGPT and Grok are misleading audiences about major events. The International Fact-Checking Network's code of principles has a clear corrections system when fact-checkers get things wrong. Not so the chatbots www.ifcncodeofprinciples.poynter.org/complaintsNo

🔎 Facts matter. Your donation helps us fact-check claims that shape public opinion and policy. Show your support here: africacheck.org/donate

The best way to fight false information after security incidents is to release what we DO know I. As timely a way as possible - as these examples in the UK and Ireland show

This week's "All in the Mind" with @claudiahammond.bsky.social talks about what we do to "flourish". It's from a serious report. Play is key & one way we're told is to "take different routes on your way home or to work...opening yourself up to different experiences" 1/2 www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

Grateful to Sean for inviting me on to his Podcast #TheNewAbnormal to talk about my new book, and what got me interested in 'fake news' ... starting in Bosnia in the 1990s. open.spotify.com/episode/6NAK...

Cc @africacheck.org - of interest to the Africa Facts network?

👏👏 "Scientists have no more power to censor others than anyone else without legal authority. Americans want to learn about misinformation and then decide what to do based on that research. The NSF's decision will prevent that from happening." www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Don’t trust social media posts claiming to have the cure for diabetes and asking users to reach out for more details – they’re FALSE. There is still no cure for diabetes. africacheck.info/diabetes_sou...

Hey @ohgodwhatnow.bsky.social. Great to hear the team discussing my research on spotting what misinformation is potentially harmful & what is not camri.ac.uk/blog/2025/04... If you plan to chat about the subject again... happy to connect (am actually both an ex-journalist & factchecker & do talk 😀)

My son was born in Hong Kong and I am a lifelong Liverpool supporter. It really would take a heart of stone not to laugh…

My team at AFP can confirm the MAHA report cites studies that do not exist. With contributions from @billmccarthy.bsky.social, @manonjacob.bsky.social and Gwen Roley www.france24.com/en/live-news...

ICYMI: Yesterday @indicator.media revealed that the top Community Notes author is a security startup that flagged >52,000 crypto scams. This raises questions about the alleged democratizing purpose of the program and the value X extracts for free from contributors. indicator.media/p/the-top-co...

When people in high places make false claims, it's important to turn to reliable sources @africacheck.org has been fact-checking false claims about murder rates in South Africa - for males, and females and different races - since 2013. Still fact-checking them today 👇

After what happened in 2024, good to see the police have learned a lesson; in incidents like the one in Liverpool yesterday, you counter the risks posed by mis/disinformation by providing accurate information as rapidly as possible.

Little off my normal topic ... but if you're in need of reminding 'what a wonderful world' it is - these photos & more in the link below ... just wow.

All killings are terrible but instead of "stories talking about it" try facts. @africacheck.org first tackled false claims of a 'white genocide' in 2013. If you go through this report - as relevant today as in 2013 - the facts are clear & picture remains the same. africacheck.org/fact-checks/...

It is great to see @economist.com feature a discussion of a trial that I ran at University of Westminster, that found that fact-checkers could create consistent data identifying false claims that have greatest potential to cause or contribute to harm. www.economist.com/internationa...

As UK fact-checker @fullfact.org argues today, 2025 is "a moment of crisis" for anyone who cares about facts. True in the UK & around the world. And I would add, a crisis for anyone affected when key life-changing decisions are made based, at least in part, on factually false claims. 1/4

"Empowering people to spot manipulation—irrespective of the issue—is the opposite of censorship. It’s not about taking stuff down or reducing visibility. Prebunking, debunking, and fact-checking are examples of 'counter-speech.' They allow more speech to happen" time.com/7282640/how-...

1/ World Press Freedom Day on 3 May highlights the importance of press freedom in supporting democracy and access to accurate information. With misinformation spreading quickly, Africa Check is committed to providing reliable, fact-checked content.