International Fact-Checking Day

International Fact-Checking Day is an international holiday dedicated to verifying the authenticity of information. Today, we live in a world of information: countless facts from the Internet, websites, and news reports. We learn something new every day, but we must ask ourselves whether what we’ve been told is true. In a vast information space, it’s very easy for falsehoods to spread, so it’s essential to verify information to avoid being misled or even falling into the traps of fraudsters. The holiday is observed annually on April 2.

History

The history of International Fact-Checking Day began in 2016, when it was officially established. The annual celebration started in 2017. The reason for its creation is simple—during that year’s elections in the United States, the information space was flooded with thousands of fake news stories, causing confusion in society. It was then decided to create this holiday to draw public attention to the problem of unreliable information.

Today, there are many useful tools on the Internet. For example, you can use browser searches to upload a photo and check its authenticity. The Google Earth tool can verify the accuracy of descriptions of geographical objects, helping to eliminate false information. Society is working every year to tighten control over the information posted in various sources and to prevent falsehoods from spreading in the information space.

Interesting Facts

• The most common fake news stories are based on high-profile events, as their creators try to attract more attention.
• Fake news is usually quickly exposed, and the average duration of its existence does not exceed 3 days.
• To check the authenticity of a website, it is recommended to use services like whois databases, which can verify the creation date of the site and its owners, helping to avoid visiting fly-by-night sites.

How to Celebrate

Refrain from using unverified social networking sites and newsgroups. If you notice fake news, inform others about it. The problem should not be ignored. Use various online tools to verify the authenticity of information.

Spread the word about the holiday on social media. Ask users how often they encounter fake information.

When is International Fact-Checking Day in 2025?

International Fact-Checking Day is observed on April 2 each year.

Observations