Byline: Masaki Magack, Teaching Associate in Communication, Culture & Media Studies, Howard University

Fact-Checkers in Four African Countries Describe Roles Shaped by Political Systems

A study interviewing 19 fact-checkers in Cameroon, Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa found that political systems shape both what they can check and how they define their role. Cameroonian respondents described avoiding politics out of fear, while Kenyan and South African fact-checkers described broader public-service roles and Nigerian respondents described a split between newsroom verification and a wider accountability mission.