{"id":46431,"date":"2026-06-16T19:51:43","date_gmt":"2026-06-16T19:51:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/media.am\/?p=46431"},"modified":"2026-06-16T19:51:43","modified_gmt":"2026-06-16T19:51:43","slug":"tom-chases-jerry-an-iverify-fact-checking-lesson","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/media.am\/en\/newsroom\/2026\/06\/16\/46431\/","title":{"rendered":"Tom Chases Jerry: An iVerify Fact-Checking Lesson"},"content":{"rendered":"

“Disinformation and fact-checking resemble the famous cartoon characters Tom and Jerry, where Jerry represents fake news and Tom the fact-checker, always playing catch-up,” one of my international colleagues vividly explained to me. In today\u2019s information landscape, the most valuable resource is reliable information. The iverify.am platform<\/a>, launched in Armenia, aims to connect citizens directly with fact-checking journalists.<\/p>\n

When doubt becomes a citizen’s duty<\/p>\n

The project, carried out in Armenia by Civilnet, Hetq, and the Media Initiative Center, is based on a straightforward concept: individuals can submit claims that seem suspicious to them, and journalists then investigate them and publish their findings. This initiative is not merely a technological platform; it also serves as an experiment in fostering cultural change. Journalists are exploring whether the practice of requesting fact checks will become a significant habit among audiences. The platform was launched two weeks before the parliamentary elections on June 7, 2026. During this period, around a dozen applications were received from citizens, some related to future predictions and others concerning political rumours. Often, people struggle to distinguish between fact and opinion. Fact-checking adheres to strict guidelines.<\/p>\n

“It must be a fact. It could be a statistic, a legal issue, or a historical matter, something that we can verify through open sources,” says Ani Grigoryan, Head of the Fact-Checking Team at CivilNet.<\/p>\n

This approach is particularly important during election periods when public discourse is often dominated by assumptions, emotions, and political loyalties rather than facts. In polarised societies, individuals frequently assess information not based on its accuracy, but on how well it aligns with their political beliefs.<\/p>\n

“Listening and not doubting is a significant issue we want to change in society. Even when your favourite politician makes a statement, it’s important to question it and verify the facts,” says Ani.<\/p>\n

This reflects the core principle of the fact-checking philosophy. It aims not to breed distrust towards any political force or figure but to foster a culture of critical thinking.<\/p>\n

 Fact-checking is for the people<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Gegham Vardanyan, the editor of the Media.am website at the Media Initiatives Center, discusses the platform’s unique features. “Previously, it was up to editorial offices to determine which topics were verification worthy. Now, citizens have the opportunity to influence the agenda directly. The platform also allows users to track the progress of their applications, receive responses, and stay in touch with fact-checkers,” Vardanyan explains.<\/p>\n

What was the public particularly interested in during the pre-election period?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The Iveryfy.am platform could serve as a valuable tool for determining public interest. During the pre-election period, there was significant interest in allegations concerning political backroom relationships. Many of these allegations focused on the authenticity of videos featuring candidates like Nikol Pashinyan, concerns about Samvel Karapetyan’s activities and past, narratives regarding the return of Azerbaijanis, as well as issues related to demographics and security. People expressed suspicion toward political advertisements distributed by anonymous or unknown sources. In addition to political statements, there was also public curiosity about myths related to everyday health and consumer topics. Since the platform is still new, there haven’t been many submissions so far, but journalists are hopeful that people will soon bombard it with intriguing claims.<\/p>\n

\nPeople often send verified or refuted materials<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

“Many people send in materials that we have already addressed, which likely suggests that our fact-checking resources are not being circulated widely enough. It appears that people encounter fake materials more often than our verified information,” says Milena Gevorgyan, a fact-checking journalist at Hetq.<\/p>\n

\nClaims about the future are not verifiable<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Milena explains that predictions about future events are not verifiable because they cannot be objectively confirmed or disproven. Her experience demonstrates that, during election periods, many old or obscure false stories are “repackaged” and presented in an electoral context. Typically, these repackaged stories do not address misinformation that has not been widely circulated. One of the key principles of fact-checking is to avoid spreading false information. Therefore, if a topic is not present in the Armenian information landscape, it is often not advisable to write an article about it.<\/p>\n

The success of the project greatly depends on citizen participation. The more individuals report suspicious information, the more valuable and effective the system will be. “This format is being implemented for the first time in Armenia, though it has been tested in several other countries, including Malawi, where positive results and a strong bond between the public and fact-checkers have been observed,” explains Gegham Vardanyan.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Citizens can submit suspicious materials<\/a> to the iverify.am platform via Facebook or WhatsApp, including a link and a description of what they find concerning. The primary goal of this platform is to educate users on how to use the service effectively, enabling them to quickly verify the information they are interested in without spending unnecessary time on independent research.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Nelly Rafaelyan<\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

“Disinformation and fact-checking resemble the famous cartoon characters Tom and Jerry, where Jerry represents fake news and Tom the fact-checker, always playing catch-up,” one of my international colleagues vividly explained to me. In today\u2019s information landscape, the most valuable resource is reliable information. The iverify.am platform, launched in Armenia, aims to connect citizens directly with Read the full article…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":186,"featured_media":46393,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[212,18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-46431","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured-post","category-newsroom"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/media.am\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46431","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/media.am\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/media.am\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/media.am\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/186"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/media.am\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=46431"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/media.am\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46431\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":46432,"href":"https:\/\/media.am\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46431\/revisions\/46432"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/media.am\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/46393"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/media.am\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=46431"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/media.am\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=46431"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/media.am\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=46431"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}