Fact-checkers face obstacles to bring news to Gazans during wartime
During the recent Israeli military attack on Gaza, misleading and fake news quickly spread, leading fact-checking platforms to work on debunking rumors and ensure fair access to information.
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — The Palestinian Observatory for Verification and Media Professionalism (Kashif) has recently intensified its monitoring of all media content related to the attacks on the Gaza Strip launched by Israel on May 10.
The observatory fact-checked all information and content of questionable authenticity that may have included excerpts taken out of context, unclear content or hate speech, among others.
People in charge of fact-checking websites who spoke to Al-Monitor said that during the 11-day conflict in Gaza, there were more rumors and misinformation compared to past periods related to the coronavirus pandemic, the legislative elections and the Israeli forced eviction of the residents of Jerusalem’s Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood.
Such misleading news was confronted by a group of fact-checking websites — in addition to Kashif — such as Tayakan, Misbar and Eekad, as well as the fact-check platform of Agence France-Presse, among others.
