iVerify Project - Sierra Leone

The development of the iVerify platform is a joint initiative of the European Commission and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and has been used since 2021 in a number of countries as part of multi-stakeholder fact-checking initiatives in the run-up to elections. The platform helps blend human fact-checking skill with the use of technology to counter disinformation and hate speech and allows for easier and faster fact-checking. In Sierra Leone, iVerify is being run by a team of eight fact-checkers and two coordinators working under the leadership of SLAJ. Potential problematic content  

circulating in the country is verified, and evidence is published on the publicly available website: Separating Truth from Fiction for Breaking News in Sierra Leone.



The public, including journalists, can request for stories to be fact-checked by the team, sharing any type of content - ranging from an article to a video or picture via the dedicated tiplines set up through WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and Twitter. In addition, leveraging the capabilities of artificial intelligence, the team flags potentially false or harmful content for verification. Following a fact-check, the results are shared not only with those who requested the verification but also with all other Sierra Leoneans who visit the website and social media channels.



Due to the fact that almost three-quarters of people in Sierra Leone do not have internet access and rely on the radio for information, the project worked with the IRN to use radio to drive traffic to the platform and to allow for wide distribution of verified news. IRN broadcast weekly radio shows that focused on verified elections-related content, as well as programmes on media literacy and electoral education. Four weeks prior to the election, the frequency of programmes increased in order to respond to the growing demand for information.



BBC Media Action (BBC MA) provided support to the iVerify initiative by leading on research and learning, supporting capacity building, and producing social media content to build media literacy and awareness of mis/disinformation. BBC MA trained the fact-checkers to run the iVerify platform and ran training sessions around the country, providing local journalists and social media influencers with the skills to help them understand tactics, motivations behind information disorder, and strategies for detecting and debunking it. Training on issues of safety and security was also offered for those covering elections. In addition, BBC MA ran training sessions for marginalised groups who are often left out of discussions around misinformation and media literacy to ensure they understand how to detect false and misleading information and what to do if they come across it. As part of the effort to build media literacy, BBC MA developed a series of public service announcements with local comedians and worked with IRN to help them form ideas for their 30-minute programmes on mis- and disinformation.



Following the completion of the elections, the iVerify platform continues to fact-check news and information for the benefit of the Sierra Leonian public. 

The launch of iVerify in Sierra Leone was in response to the growing trend of people sharing and accessing unverified information. As explained on the iVerify platform, "When the information environment during elections is characterised by false information, the public at large are denied an opportunity to appreciate the electoral choices available and this can undermine the electoral process and environment. Misinformation and disinformation can raise alarm and trigger conflict. Good journalism can be obstructed as it can be difficult to tell the difference between false information and the truth."

Initiated by the European Commission and UNDP, iVerify was piloted in Zambia in 2021, ahead of their August 2021 elections, and was subsequently also implemented in Kenya and Honduras. In partnership with the Local Voices Liberia network of journalists, UNDP has also launched iVerify as part of the Liberia Electoral Support Project to help combat hate speech and disinformation in the lead-up to the Liberian general elections in October 2023.