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The International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN) has called for unity, innovation, and resilience as the fact-checking community faces unprecedented global challenges.
IFCN Director Angie Holan made this call at the opening of Global Fact 12, a gathering of fact-checkers worldwide currently being held in Rio, Brazil.
The Director stated that the challenges facing the community include disinformation, disruption by Artificial Intelligence, funding, and the weaponization of free speech.
Angie’s keynote address set a sober yet well-determined tone for the world’s largest gathering of fact-checkers hosted at Fundação Getulio Vargas in Rio de Janeiro.
Speaking to attendees from across the globe, Angie warned of a growing “culture of division and distraction” that has transformed political discourse into a battleground, amplified by the unchecked power of social media.
“Our political life no longer feels like a conversation among friends with different opinions,” Holan said. “It has become a contested battle between enemies seeking total victory.”
She cited countries such as Brazil, the United States, the Philippines, South Korea, Serbia, and Georgia as examples of places where divisive propaganda has proliferated, demonstrating that no nation is immune to the toxic effects of disinformation.
Free Speech Misused to Undermine Fact-Checkers
Angie raised concerns over how populist figures and governments have manipulated the principle of free speech to discredit fact-checkers, branding them as censors. She argued that this has emboldened technology platforms to retreat from their duty to moderate false information, leaving individual users to sift through lies and conspiracy theories unassisted.
“Such expectations are not only unrealistic but cruel,” she said. “They do nothing to create an informed public capable of making sound decisions.”
Angie reaffirms IFCN’s commitment to freedom of expression, referencing a statement issued at last year’s Global Fact summit in Sarajevo.
She stressed that fact-checking is not about erasing or censoring speech but about providing evidence that clarifies and informs public debate.
Artificial Intelligence: Double-Edged Sword
She also addressed AI’s growing influence on the information ecosystem while acknowledging the usefulness of AI tools, including those she uses herself. She did not mince words about their possibility and potential for harm.
“These tools hallucinate a pleasant way of saying they make things up,” she noted. “If they were human beings, we would say they lie.”
She warned that spreading false claims will only accelerate without collaboration between AI companies and fact-checkers. Angie further called for meaningful partnerships that include fair compensation for the work fact-checkers do to uphold information integrity.
A Fight for Resources and Relevance
Amid technological and political challenges, Angie also spotlighted a growing financial crisis facing journalism and fact-checking. The collapse of traditional advertising models and tech companies retreating from partnerships has left many fact-checkers under-resourced. She cited the recent termination of USAID funding for fact-checking in Eastern Europe and Africa as a worrying sign.
“Companies may ignore complaints from ordinary people,” Angie said, “but they will quickly correct actions when faced with news storms or lawsuits. Yet journalism faces new pressures.”
She urged philanthropists, individuals, and institutions to support sustainable, independent journalism.
While concluding her keynote address, Angie shared a personal story about her father, who was born in post-World War II Yugoslavia and raised in Venezuela after being denied entry to the United States. She said his experiences with authoritarianism and his belief in democracy shaped her worldview.
“My father warned me of governments seeking power over vulnerable individuals,” she said. “Democracy was the answer, a system of checks and balances frustrating human passion and human greed for the benefit of all.”
She acknowledged public distrust in institutions and journalists but insisted that this is precisely when fact-checkers must evolve.
“Are we lecturing our audience, “or are we in dialogue? Are we writing obligatory stories, or seeking compelling narratives that spark engagement?” These are questions we need to answer.
“The future of fact-checking rests on our ability to evolve methods while holding firm to our values. We must make the truth compelling and accessible. The work ahead will be difficult, but it is vital. And in that work, truth alone triumphs,” Angie concluded.
