As part of the Digital Activism Program, representatives from the Metamorphosis Foundation attended the Global Fact 11 conference held in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, from June 26 to 28, 2024.
Fact-checking provides essential context for public debates and should not be seen as suppressing speech, declared fact-checkers from around the world at the 11th global summit for fact-checking in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
At least 130 fact-checking organizations from 80 countries around the world signed the Sarajevo Declaration, affirming fact-checking as an integral part of freedom of speech because it demands openness, transparency, and preservation of information. The statement was formally signed by attendees at the annual meeting coordinated by the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN).
“Fact-checking aims to provide additional information, setting out evidence to correct and clarify messages that are false, misleading, or lacking important context,” part of the statement reads.
“Fact-checking does not seek to erase these messages but to preserve them as part of public debate, while offering the necessary evidence for accurate information in the debate,” it adds.
Global fact-checkers issued the statement after years of dealing with persistent attacks against them, amidst claims of online censorship, leading to several cases of abuse and harassment worldwide. These claims are unfounded because “censorship removes information [whereas] fact-checking adds to it.”
Read the IFCN statement from Sarajevo on freedom of expression and fact-checking here.
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