Fact-Checkers - Nairobi, Kenya - Code for Africa

Description

ABOUT THE COMPANY

Code for Africa (CfA) is the continent's largest federation of data journalism and civic technology laboratories, with labs in four countries and affiliates in a further six countries. CfA manages the $1m/year and $500,000/year , as well as key digital democracy resources such as the data portal and the election toolkit. CfA's labs also incubate a series of trendsetting initiatives, including the PesaCheckfact-checking initiative in East Africa, the continental africanDRONEnetwork, and the African Network of Centres for Investigative Reporting (ANCIR) that spearheaded Panama Papers probes across the continent. CfA is an initiative of the International Center for Journalists (ICFJ).

JOB SUMMARY

The successful candidates will join PesaCheck's transnational fact-checking team working as part of a network of locally-based fact-checkers in 18 African countries. The team is responsible for helping the public separate fact from fiction, using a range of journalistic techniques and digital verification tools.Your core duty is to produce fact checks and investigate questionable content on social media, on mainstream media and utterances/claims by public figures. You will also, from time to time, collaborate with PesaCheck media partners and/or Code for Africa's digital innovation teams on other special projects.Required: minimum requirements include:3+ years of proven experience in journalism or research, preferably on a fact-checking deskExcellent research, numeracy, and analytical skills to break down complex issues for all audiencesExceptional written and verbal communication skillsAbility to manage high work volumes within tight deadlines while maintaining consistency and accuracyStrong news literacy, critical thinking skills, and a keen sense of accuracy and truthPreferred: candidates who are able to demonstrate the following will have an advantage:Experience in transnational multilingual digital newsroomsUnderstanding of fact-checking, disinformation, and digital tools for fact-checkingFamiliarity with mining and handling large datasetsStrong decision-making and exceptional presentation skillsLanguage and Location Requirements:Location: Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa and Tanzania.Languages: Amharic, English, Hausa, Igbo, Kiswahili, Pidgin, Ssesotho,Tigrinya, Xhosa, Yoruba, ZuluPreferred but not required: Arabic, French, Portuguese

RESPONSIBILITIES

Proactively monitor various local/regional public sources, from mainstream media to social media and chat apps, to detect misleading or malign content, such as hate speech.Analyse public statements/manuscripts for factual errors, logical flaws, and significant omissions to determine their classification as misinformation or another form of misleading content.Examining the sources mentioned in selected public statements/manuscripts and, where necessary, identifying additional documents and/or sources to help determine whether PesaCheck should classify the content as misinformation or as another form of misleading or malign content.Producing 'explainer articles' that outline why a specific public statement/manuscript has been classified as misinformation or another form of malign content. Your articles will be based on substantive desktop research and interviews, accurately distilling relevant information into explanations that are easily understandable by 'ordinary' audiences, and that are substantiated by tangible evidence.

REQUIRED SKILLS

Internal communication, Public Relations, Written communication, Journalism, Research planning, Corporate communications

REQUIRED EDUCATION

Bachelor's degree