Africa Check, the continent’s pioneering fact-checking organisation, has been debunking falsehoods and promoting information credibility since 2012. We have four offices across the continent: in Johannesburg, Nairobi, Lagos, and Dakar. We have verified more than 1,500 claims in English and French, focusing on areas from education and health to elections and the economy. Our guides and factsheets, which deal with similar topics, proactively provide quality information and tools for navigating digital spaces. Our aim is to create a society where people have the skills and knowledge to critically evaluate information and where evidence-based discourse can flourish.
Based in our head office, located in the Journalism Department of Wits University in Johannesburg, Africa Check seeks to appointa
Junior Researcher
Reporting to: Deputy Chief Editor
Contract: Six months
Effective from: 01 April 2025
Key responsibilities:
The researcher is responsible for identifying important claims in public debate to be fact-checked, undertaking research to verify or debunk them, and writing up the findings in an easily understandable way.
Specifically, the researcher is responsible for the following duties:
- Researching and producing reports on key claims circulating in public debate in South Africa and surrounding countries
- Researching and writing viral checks
- Where required, acting as a spokesperson for Africa Check on claims researched and assisting with training for media, civil society organisations, the general public and policymakers
- Contributing to impact tracking and assessment of Africa Check’s work, including reporting on a regular basis
- Other ad hoc tasks and responsibilities as required, including supporting organisational planning and coordination
Requirements:
- A bachelor’s degree
- A minimum of three years experience in fact-related fields such as media, research and academia
- And interest in media and a well-honed nonsense detector
- Ability to act impartially
- Ability to explain complex issues in simple language
- Specialist subject knowledge in, for example, health, economics or statistics (advantageous)
Include in your cover letter:
- a claim in the news that should be fact-checked and the steps you would take to do it
- a brief explanation of the difference between a fact and an opinion
- your understanding of what or who is a reliable source
Method of Apply
Interested and Qualified candidates visit AfricaCheck to apply
Application Dealine : 17 February 2025
Note: Applications without the above will not be considered as attention to detail is a consideration.
If you do not hear from us within two weeks of the closing date, please accept that your application was unsuccessful
