Publishers Correction Policy

Dubawa has the mandate to fight false information, misleading content and other forms of manipulated media intended to or inadvertently used to harm the public. By engaging in fact-checking, Dubawa always seeks to replace false news with verified information. By applying a rating scale to fact-checks and articles, and identifying the agent of the incorrect information, Dubawa also seeks to deter false news propagators from spreading unverified information in the future.

While false news propagation may not always be intentional, its dangers [rumours and fake news] are real, regardless of the intent.

Hence, we appeal that all content creators [news organizations and individuals] should promptly publish corrections and clarifications to their articles once it is rated false or misleading by Dubawa.

The Process

Content creators and publishers should promptly make amendments to an article which has been found false or misleading. If the rating is in dispute, the publisher should contact us and request a review of the evaluation. We will access the integrity of the content based on information provided and available at the time of publication. Peradventure, a third party or we discover that we made a mistake, we will promptly clarify, correct or update the story. In the spirit of transparency, we will offer explanations on what warranted the change, why we made it, and when we corrected said article.

On the other hand, if we still find the article to be false or misleading after appeal, the content creator or publisher is responsible for alerting the public about inaccurate information and must make necessary changes. Further, the author should note the update at the top of the article. Clarifications and corrections should be clear, concise and direct; stating the exact wrong information in the article and should include the URL to Dubawa’s rated piece. In essence, anyone reading the correction should be able to understand how and why the mistake was corrected.

EXAMPLE: “An earlier version of this content was rated false by Dubawa +link to our fact check. The version of the story incorrectly stated that Nigeria was no longer a member of ECOWAS. We also incorrectly reported that Nigerians had been banned from entry into Ghana as a result. This version has been corrected. Nigeria remains a member of ECOWAS and maintains cordial diplomatic relations with other West African states. Read the previous text below.”

[This is a fictional example]

For appeals related to the Facebook Third-Party Factcheckers Program, refer to Facebook’s FAQs. In this instance, liable parties must make corrections both the post on Facebook and other social media platforms as well as the website. The process outlined above also applies.

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