Fact-Checker at Code for Africa (CfA)

Code for Africa (CfA) is the continent’s largest network of indigenous African civic technology and investigative data journalism laboratories, with over 80 staff in 22 countries, who build digital democracy solutions that are intended to give citizens unfettered access to actionable information that empowers them to make informed decisions and that strengthen civic engagement for improved public governance and accountability.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Fact-Checker

Location: Nigeria

Job Description
Do you want to help debunk misinformation across Africa?

• Code for Africa (CfA) has immediate vacancies for full-time Fact-Checkers based in Nigeria and South Africa to join our PesaCheck team.
• PesaCheck is the continent’s largest indigenous fact-checking initiative by geographic coverage, with teams in 15 African countries. 
• It researches and debunks misinformation published both online and elsewhere in more traditional media, publishing over 2,000 fact-checks per year, in partnership with major platforms ranging from Facebook and TikTok, to traditional media. 
• PesaCheck also tracks promises by public officials and shines a light on public finances to ensure the public is not misled. PesaCheck forms part of Code for Africa (CfA), which is Africa’s largest non-profit digital/data journalism initiative. 
• The successful candidate will work as part of a multinational and multilingual team using digital collaboration tools to create content for a global audience and international media partners.

About the Role 

• The successful candidates will join PesaCheck’s transnational fact-checking team working as part of a network of locally-based fact-checkers in 15 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, 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.

Your daily responsibilities will include:

• Proactively monitoring a variety of local/regional public sources, ranging from mainstream media to social media and chat apps, to detect possible instances of misleading or malign content (such as hate speech).
• Analysing selected public statements/manuscripts for factual errors, logical flaws, and/or significant omissions to determine whether PesaCheck should classify the content as misinformation or as another form of misleading or malign 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.

Job Requirements
Required - minimum requirements include:

• 3+ years proven experience in journalism or research on a climate desk
• Excellent research skills
• Excellent numeracy and analytical skills, and the ability to break down complex issues and explain them in a way that any audience can understand
• Excellent written and verbal skills 
• The ability to handle large volumes of work within a limited time period and deliver consistent results within deadlines
• An eye for accuracy and truth and a nose for news
• Top-notch news literacy, and a well-honed nonsense detector
• Critical thinking skills

Preferred - Candidates who are able to demonstrate the following will have an advantage:

• Work experience in transnational multilingual digital newsrooms.
• An understanding of fact-checking, disinformation and misinformation, and digital tools for fact-checking
• Familiarity with mining and handling large datasets
• Strong decision-making skills
• Amazing presentation skills

Language and Location Requirements:

• Location: South Africa and Nigeria
• Languages: English and at least one of the following:  Zulu, Afrikaans, Xhosa, Sesotho, Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo, Pidgin 
• Preferred but not required: French, Arabic

What We Offer

• A competitive salary, subject to experience, with opportunities for performance-based growth, both in terms of career path and public stature.
• A dynamic workplace, with a transnational team, occasional international travel, and generous vacation benefits.
• Ongoing opportunities to learn new cutting-edge skills and techniques/technologies to future-proof yourself in a rapidly evolving industry.
• A chance to shine on a global stage, writing for international audiences, and interacting with colleagues around the world.

Application Closing Date
6th January, 2023.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online

Note: Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.