Lessons Learned from Collaboration with the Arab Fact-Checking Network

In the midst of escalating conflict in the Middle East, fact-checking organizations are facing unprecedented challenges as misinformation spreads rapidly across platforms. With the internet flooded with misleading text and videos, the need for accurate information has never been more critical.

Fact checkers across the Middle East and North Africa have long operated in complex information environments, but the current geopolitical situation has created particularly fertile ground for false narratives that cross borders and heighten tensions. The challenge isn’t just identifying misinformation but doing so quickly enough to limit its harmful impact.

To address this urgent need, Full Fact developed AI tools specifically adapted for Arabic-language content, working in close partnership with the Arab Fact-Checking Network (AFCN), which is led by Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism (ARIJ). The collaboration sought to determine whether AI-powered fact-checking technology could effectively support regional verification efforts at scale.

The AFCN has grown to include more than 35 member organizations working throughout the Arab world. Collectively, these organizations reach over 6 million followers across the Middle East and North Africa, giving them significant influence in national and regional information ecosystems.

Between 2023 and 2025, Full Fact piloted its AI tools in Arabic among AFCN members. The partnership focused not just on deploying technology but on understanding how it could be effectively used by fact checkers operating in diverse political and media landscapes. More than 25 AFCN member organizations participated in the pilot, with fifteen completing comprehensive pre- and post-use evaluations.

The results demonstrated clear benefits to the participating organizations. Thirteen of fifteen survey respondents reported that the AI tools significantly accelerated their work and improved their ability to identify claims requiring verification. This translated to less time spent monitoring content manually and more time available for actual verification and analysis.

The tools also expanded monitoring capacity, with thirteen organizations reporting they could now review a greater number of media outlets without increasing staff. Perhaps most significantly, twelve organizations gained the ability to fact-check speeches and statements in real time – with seven noting they couldn’t do any live fact-checking before using these tools.

“The time savings were substantial,” said one participant from the evaluation. “Before using Full Fact AI, media monitoring typically took more than an hour daily for most organizations. After implementation, eight organizations reported they could extract claims in under an hour.”

The technology was designed to support rather than replace human judgment – a critical balance in Arabic-language fact-checking, where dialects, political nuance, and cultural context are essential to understanding claims. By reducing time spent on monitoring and transcription, fact-checkers could focus their expertise on verification and contextual analysis.

The impact was visible in more than 145 fact checks published with the support of Full Fact AI tools over a four-month period, covering topics ranging from politics and economics to social issues and gender-related claims.

Adapting the tools for Arabic required extensive annotation and model evaluation work to ensure accurate claim identification across both Modern Standard Arabic and regional dialects. Fact checkers contributed to reviewing outputs and improving performance, helping refine how the system handled linguistic nuance and culturally specific references.

Despite its success, the partnership faced a significant setback when funding cuts from Google in 2025 resulted in AFCN members losing access to the tools – precisely when they needed them most amid regional conflicts and rising misinformation.

Rawan Damen, ARIJ Director General, highlighted the impact: “The integration of advanced verification tools was a transformative milestone for fact-checkers across the MENA region, enabling us to combat disinformation in real-time. The current funding shortfall has unfortunately reversed this progress, reverting our specialists to labor-intensive manual workflows.”

Full Fact is actively seeking new funding to restore tool access across the Arab world. The organization emphasizes that as a charitable initiative, it depends on partners who understand the critical importance of supporting fact-checking infrastructure during times of conflict and information disorder.

The AFCN partnership demonstrates how technology can strengthen fact-checking globally when thoughtfully adapted to regional contexts. As misinformation increasingly crosses borders and platforms, such collaborative approaches appear essential to building resilient fact-checking networks worldwide.