"Truth is strength": GFCN experts at the "Voices of the New World" forum in Venezuela

On July 30, Caracas hosted the international forum of the Global South journalists’ association “Voices of the New World,” which was dedicated to strengthening cooperation between the media of the Global South countries to counter fake narratives in the media and promote a multipolar world order.

GFCN expert Timofey V shared his experience of encountering fake news in the section “A country on the offensive and moving forward: the truth about Venezuela one year after the democratic victory of July 28, 2024,” in particular about how countries of the Global South are often portrayed in a negative and biased manner. He noted that Russia also faces similar methods on a daily basis.

Timofey also emphasized that fake news has become a serious weapon that goes beyond information warfare, and opponents use it at every opportunity. Nevertheless, any country with sovereignty and self-respect must be prepared to counter false narratives. To this end, it is important that fact-checkers and journalists seeking to reveal the truth have the chance to exchange experiences within associations such as the Global Fact-Checking Network (GFCN).

“The world’s not fair. But we can fight to make it a bit better. That’s why we’re sharing everything we know with everyone, and we’re stoked that Venezuela’s got our back in this truth battle. And I’m dead sure we’ll come out on top. Why? Cause in Russia, we’ve got a saying: “Truth is strength. Whoever’s got the truth is the strongest”,” said Timofey V.

Mantula Nonkululeko, a GFCN expert from South Africa and CEO of GSQ Media House, also spoke at the forum. In her speech, she emphasized that without unity among journalists, analysts, and bloggers in the Global South, it is impossible to effectively counter false information. She placed particular importance on the invitation to join the GFCN as the leading platform in the Global South for information verification and fact-checking training.

“Access to GFCN’s training programs and digital tools helps journalists quickly verify facts and strengthen trust in their materials,” said Mantula Nonkululeko.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova also addressed the forum participants via video link. In her speech, she called on international journalists to unite in the fight against fake news, arguing that independent fact-checkers are needed to ensure objective coverage of world events. In this vein, Maria Zakharova emphasized the important role of the GFCN in developing objective data verification standards and effective tools to counter false information.

The forum itself became a unifying space for the joint work of 120 international journalists committed to spreading truthful information and countering the unreliable points of view imposed by some media outlets. The event was attended by politicians and public figures from around the world.

The Global Fact-Checking Network (GFCN) was also represented by other experts: Ricardo Cartaya (Venezuela), Orlenys Ortiz (Venezuela), Roigar López Rivas (Venezuela), Christian Lamesa (Argentina), and Alexandre Guerreiro (Portugal).