Pre-bunking: what journalists can learn from AfricaCheck

One of the most useful lessons journalists can take from Africa Check is that fact-checking does not have to start after a false claim goes viral.

It can start before.

Africa Check has fact-checked South Africa’s State of the Nation Address every year since 2013. Their researchers do not know in advance exactly what the president will say. But they do know the kinds of claims that are likely to come up: social grants, unemployment, housing, crime, education, health and the economy. So they prepare the data before the speech begins.

This is called pre-bunking. It means giving people accurate information before false or misleading claims take hold.

For journalists covering the 2026 local government elections, this is a practical habit to build. Reporters can identify the issues most likely to attract disinformation in their communities: water, electricity, migration, housing, service delivery, crime, coalition politics, voter registration and voting procedures.

Then they can prepare verified facts in advance. What does the municipality’s budget say? What does the IEC say? What do official crime, water, audit or service delivery records show?

The point is know the facts well enough to respond quickly, clearly and accurately.

Read Africa Checks’ step-by-step process here.