5/27/22, 7:10 PM Faster facts: The rapid expansion of fact-checking – News in Asia Chapter 06 Faster facts: Therapid expansionof factchecking Masato Kajimoto SEPTEMBER 2021 In partnership with the Journalism and Media Studies Centre of The University of Hong Kong As the world grapples with an ‘infodemic’, Asia has seena proliferation of fact-checking initiatives and innovation. Introduction The proliferation of misinformation has become a global concern in recent years. Misleading rhetoric, gross exaggeration, dubious claims, fake photos and videos, groundless rumours, conspiracy theories and other types of falsehood and deliberately manipulative messages now form a part of the media content we consume every day. In 2020 the severity of the issues surrounding misinformation took centre stage. While governments and medical workers around the world struggled to contain the spread of Covid-19, media professionals and news audiences were engulfed by inaccurate information https://newsinasia.jninstitute.org/chapter/faster-facts-the-rapid-expansion-of-fact-checking/ 1/13