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The AFP Foundation, the AFP news agency’s non-profit media training organisation, and www.africacheck.org, Africa’s first fact-checking website, today announced the continent’s first awards honouring journalism that scrutinises what public figures in Africa say.

“It is essential for democracies to function properly, that claims made by public personalities can be checked objectively,” said Emmanuel Hoog, Foundation Chairman and CEO of its parent company. 

“It is important to honour those who do this vital fact-checking work.”

The awards will be jointly financed by the AFP Foundation and Africa Check. They will be open to all journalists working for media houses that are based in Africa, whether the work is carried in print, on a website, on radio or television or on a blog.*

To be considered for the awards, the work must be an original piece of fact-checking journalism, published for the first time between 1 September 2013 and 1 September 2014, by a media house based in Africa. A translation into French or English must be provided if it is in another language.

The jury for the awards – eminent African and European journalists – will be announced later in 2014. They will judge the entries based on the following criteria:

• - The importance of the issue
• - The way the claim was tested ; impartially and based on the best available evidence
• - The way the report presented the evidence
• - The impact of the report’s publication on the public debate

The winners of the awards will be announced in November 2014. The top prize will be worth 2000 euros. Two runners up will each receive 1000 euros.

AFP Foundation and Africa Check will announce details shortly on how entries for the awards can be submitted. They will do this on their respective websites: www.fondation.afp.com  and www.africacheck.org

* Staff of the AFP news agency and www.africacheck.org may not apply for the award.  

About the AFP Foundation:
The AFP Foundation is a non-profit organisation set up in 2007 by the AFP news agency to provide media training and support press standards in countries around the world.

About Africa Check:
Africa Check was formed in 2012 in a partnership between the AFP Foundation and the Journalism Department of the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa. It exists to promote accuracy in public debate and the media in Africa.