AFCN community met ARIJ’s Investigative Journalists at the 1st Regional Meeting in 2025

February 18, 2025

The Arab Fact-Checkers Network (AFCN) from ARIJ held its first regional meeting of 2025, bringing together investigative journalists from the ARIJ community with fact-checkers from the AFCN community, alongside ARIJ’s editorial and AFCN teams. The gathering aimed to discuss methodologies for conducting investigative reports on disinformation campaigns and to exchange ideas for investigations that strengthen efforts to combat the global information disorder.

The meeting brought together 42 fact-checkers and investigative journalists from 10+ Arab countries, in addition to the AFCN team and ARIJ’s editorial staff. ARIJ Director General, Rawan Damen, opened the meeting and emphasized ARIJ’s commitment to “enhancing and developing investigative journalism by integrating it with fact-checking, thereby strengthening collaboration between the two fields to advance Arab journalism in combating disinformation”. Munir Al-Khatib, Editor-in-Chief at ARIJ, elaborated on the concept of investigative reporting on disinformation, outlining the criteria for targeting the right cases that warrant investigation based on their objectives and potential impact. He also provided practical case studies to illustrate key points.

This meeting,  which was moderated by AFCN Manager Saja Mortada, featured an interactive agenda where participants were divided into six groups. Each group included a member of the AFCN team, two members of ARIJ’s editorial team, and a mix of investigative journalists and fact-checkers. Mortada underscored AFCN’s role in fostering this collaboration, stating:

“For the first time, ARIJ has brought together Arab investigative journalists and fact-checkers to produce this type of investigative work. We aim to strengthen their skills in this field using ARIJ’s investigative journalism handbook and AFCN’s resources. This meeting marks the beginning of a structured collaboration to produce investigative reports“. 

Through group discussions, participants generated a range of investigative ideas targeting various disinformation campaigns. These ideas were reviewed at the meeting by ARIJ’s editorial team, who provided feedback and recommendations for further enhancements. Participants were also encouraged to submit their investigation proposals to ARIJ through its form, to receive full support in turning their ideas into full-fledged investigations.

Reflecting on the meeting’s objectives, Noura Al-Dhafiri, an investigative journalist from Yemen, noted that the event fulfilled her expectations regarding “collaboration and networking between investigative journalists and fact-checkers, as well as the structured process of developing and refining ideas through discussions with ARIJ’s team and editorial committee. This deepened my understanding of investigations around disinformation“.

Meanwhile, Samia Allam, an independent fact-checker from Egypt, highlighted that one of the meeting’s most valuable takeaways was “a solid understanding of investigative reporting in the field of disinformation, along with the brainstorming of potential investigative ideas“.

Key Recommendations from the Meeting:

1. Develop a comprehensive strategy to integrate disinformation investigations within fact-checking platforms.
   
   
2. Identify technological challenges related to tools and skills needed to detect patterns and behaviors of disinformation campaigns.
   
   
3. Conduct training workshops on recognizing disinformation cases worth investigating—focusing on detecting recurring patterns and efforts, uncovering underlying motives, and ultimately providing data-backed narratives that expose those behind such campaigns.
   
   
4. Foster continuous collaboration between fact-checkers and investigative journalists through joint projects, shared opportunities, and regular brainstorming sessions to generate actionable investigative ideas.
   
   
5. Launch pilot investigative projects on disinformation, involving specialists from various fields to ensure a multidisciplinary approach.

This regional meeting marked the 13th in a series of AFCN meetings since 2022, continuing its mission to strengthen the ecosystem of investigative journalism and fact-checking in the Arab world.