Department of Information Systems

Supporting fact-checking process with IT tools

Disinformation and so-called “fake news” pose a serious threat to society, influencing public opinion, political decisions and our daily lives. Therefore, research on the fact-checking process is extremely important. Initially, fact-checking consisted of checking all information in press articles before their publication, which is a basic obligation of journalists. Nowadays, the term also refers to analyzing content after its publication, especially on the Internet. Increasingly, fact-checking is carried out by people and organizations unrelated to the author of the verified information.
December 27, 2024

The recent article of our scientists entitled “Supporting fact-checking process with IT tools” presents a detailed analysis of the fact-checking process, based on a literature review and interviews with organizations specializing in this field. This combined theoretical knowledge with practical experiences of experts, which allowed to identify research gaps and challenges in current information verification methods.

Along with a comprehensive description of the fact-checking process, the paper also presents a list of potential IT tools that can improve it. Based on the analyses conducted, a reference model of fact-checking was developed, describing the main stages of the process, which allows for a better understanding and standardization of actions in the fight against disinformation. The work also includes an overview of available IT tools supporting the verification process, which also served to identify technological gaps.

A key element of the work is the description of the SocialScan tool, which was developed as part of the OpenFact project and which allows for the identification of potential fake news in social media. This tool was created to support fact-checkers in identifying information requiring verification more quickly and effectively. Consequently, it may contribute to limiting the spread of fake news.

Authors of the paper: Marcin Sawiński, Dr. Milena Stróżyna, Dr. Włodzimierz Lewoniewski, Dr. Piotr Stolarski, Prof. Krzysztof Węcel, Ewelina Księżniak, Prof. Witold Abramowicz.

The scientific article was presented at the KES 2024 conference. Participation in the conference was possible thanks to funding from the competition for financing conference trips called “RIGE – conferences”. Supported by funds granted by the Minister of Science of the Republic of Poland under the „Regional Initiative for Excellence” Programme for the implementation of the project “The Poznań University of Economics and Business for Economy 5.0: Regional Initiative – Global Effects (RIGE)”.

It is worth recalling that the Department of Information Systems is currently implementing the OpenFact research project, headed by Prof. Witold Abramowicz. As part of this project, tools for automatic detection of fake news in Polish are being developed. In July 2024, the results of the OpenFact project were rated the highest by National Center for Research and Development for the second year in a row.

The OpenFact project is financed by the National Centre for Research and Development under the INFOSTRATEG I program “Advanced information, telecommunications and mechatronic technologies”.

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