How did it get started?
FactCheck.CM was launched by a cross-party group of trustees, led by the Cameroon Civil Society in 2021.
How is it funded?
FactCheck.CM is a registered nonprofit organisation. We rely on donations from individuals, charitable trusts, and corporate supporters. We also earn money from running fact checking and statistics masterclasses, and through advertisements.
How do you stay neutral?
We have a cross party board of Trustees, with supporters of press companies, government, Civil society.
The Board of Trustees does not have any control over day-to-day editorial decisions. These are the responsibility of the Chief Executive.
All staff are asked to complete a declaration of personal interests before they start work at FactCheck.CM. Our staff agree to abstain from expressing political opinions in public. Volunteers are also asked to provide similar declarations.
Who checks your facts?
You do. We link to sources for factual statements so you don’t have to take our word for what we say. We’re trying to make it easier for you to check things for yourself–visit our toolkit for tips.
Why should I take your word for anything?
We’d prefer you not to. Anything we publish is attributed and linked to its source, so you can make your own mind up about it.
We’re not trying to provide the final word on any given topic. Our aim is to ensure that no one has to settle for either blind faith or blind cynicism. Many of the issues we write about aren’t.
What will you do if you make a mistake?
We correct it. All of our fact checks undergo several stages of reviews, and we strive for the very highest standards of accuracy and transparency. But mistakes can happen.
If something isn’t correct, we update the record as quickly as possible. We also signpost the fact that a correction has been made.
If you see something you don’t think is correct, we encourage you to bring it to our attention.
How can I ask you to check a claim?
Contact us with your fact check request.
We cannot promise to check every claim suggested. Please say what impact you think the claim would have if it’s left unchecked.
What kind of sources do you use?We draw on publicly available information, including statistics and primary research.
We provide links to primary sources for all factual assertions. Where possible, we refer to data tables, legal documents, or other primary sources—rather than press releases or executive summaries of statistical releases.
Do I have to pay to get your content?
No. All of our fact checking content is free.
Do you work for Facebook?
Yes, we independently fact check Facebook content as part of its Third Party Fact Checking initiative. Read more about our work checking Facebook content.
Do you provide any fact checking tools?
We produce educational tools for use by students, teachers and the general public. From tips on spotting fake news, videos of our latest talks and what books to read to learn more about data, we provide resources for you to use in daily life to check the claims that matter to you.
What kind of thing do you check?
We fact check claims in public debate which are of public interest. This includes—but is not limited to—claims made by politicians and the media.
We prioritise claims that have the most potential to cause harm to people’s lives. That could mean that they’ve been widely shared online, or feature prominently in newspapers or broadcast media.
How do you fact check?
First we need to understand what has been said or printed. We don’t only fact check the evidence used in a claim, but also the underlying assumption. Factually correct information can be used to make a point which is misleading or incorrect, so it’s important to draw out exactly what someone means when they make a statement.
Then we contact the claimant. Unless the claim’s source is self-evident, we try to contact the claimant to ask them about their source, and for any other information we need to understand it.
Then we gather our evidence. We always try and gather a wide range of sources of evidence relating to a claim.