Winners have emerged at the 2022 African Fact-checking Awards held on November 10, 2022 in Nairobi, Kenya, marking the end of the inaugural Africa Facts Summit 2022.
The Africa Check awards have three categories: Fact-Check of the Year by a Working Journalist; Fact-Check of the Year by a Professional Fact-Checker; and Fact-Check of the Year by a Student Journalist.
The winners of the working journalist and professional fact-checker categories each receive a cash prize of US$3,000. The runners-up received $1,500 each. The winner of the student journalist category was awarded $2,000, and the runner-up $1,000.
Winners Of 2022 African Fact-checking Awards
- Fact-Check of the year by a Professional Fact-Checker category
DUBAWA fact-checker, Jonas Nyabor won the award with his report on Unmasking the faces behind the COVID-19 anti-vaccination campaign in Ghana, which exposed perpetrators of an anti-vaccination campaign in Ghana.
James Okong’o of AFP Fact Check emerged runner-up with his fact-check article, titled: ‘False political quotes fuel online disinformation ahead of Kenya election.’
- Fact-Check of the Year by a Working Journalist category
Kunle Adebajo of HumAngle Media emerged winner for his fact-check: “Russia Claims U.S. Is Making Bioweapons In Nigeria. True?”.
Kabir Yusuf of Premium Times was adjudged, runner-up.
Mr. Yusuf’s fact-check of President Muhammadu Buhari’s claim of “leaving Nigeria better than he found it” won the coveted runner-up award.
The report, published in July, examined the three areas of governance that Mr Buhari was asked about in his June interview with Bloomberg – corruption, security, and the economy.
Using internationally recognized metrics, Mr. Yusuf’s fact-check found the president’s claim to be largely false. All economic indices have got worse under Mr Buhari’s administration while security and anti-corruption cannot be said to have improved in the last seven years.
- Fact-Check of the Year by a Student Journalist category
A group of three students of the University of Mauritius; Vidyasharita Bumma, Kokeelavani Mauree and Sachita Gobeen won with their story fact-checking a Mauritian media organisation’s “misleading claims on vaccination for children.”
The runner-up was Elizabeth Henri-Héloïse.
