The Africans Time uses source-based verification to distinguish confirmed information from claims, projections, analysis, announcements and speculation.
The amount of verification required depends on the nature, complexity and potential impact of the story. The objective is not to apply an identical checklist mechanically to every article, but to ensure that the material claims carrying the greatest weight are supported by appropriate evidence.
Our Verification Process
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Identify What Needs Verification
Editors identify the factual claims that materially affect the story and the reader's understanding of it. Greater attention is given to details that determine identity, scale, status, legality, financial significance or the credibility of a central claim.
These may include:
- names and identities;
- official titles;
- dates and locations;
- company and institutional names;
- financial figures and currencies;
- percentages and statistics;
- ownership;
- project status;
- legal or regulatory status;
- quotations;
- policy and investment claims;
- charts and calculations.
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Select the Strongest Available Sources
Primary and authoritative sources are preferred where reasonably available because they can establish official decisions, filings, figures, legal status and documented project information directly.
These include official legislation, government publications, central-bank data, regulator records, court documents, statistics offices, company filings, stock-exchange disclosures, procurement and project documents, public datasets, the African Union, the AfCFTA Secretariat, the African Development Bank, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and United Nations agencies.
Reputable secondary sources may be used for context, corroboration or where primary material is unavailable. Their role is assessed in relation to the claim they are being used to support.
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Check the Primary Claim
We ask what the source actually proves rather than assuming that a source supports every interpretation attached to it.
For example, a company announcement does not by itself prove that:
- financing has closed;
- capital has been deployed;
- construction has started;
- a project is operational;
- a forecast has been achieved.
This distinction is especially important in investment, infrastructure, energy, mining and industrial reporting, where announcements can precede implementation by substantial stages.
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Verify Names, Dates, Numbers and Quotes
Names and roles should be checked against reliable records or direct source material so that people, companies and institutions are identified correctly.
Dates should reflect the event being described rather than merely the publication date of a source. Where several dates are relevant, the wording should make clear whether the reference concerns an announcement, approval, agreement, filing or later implementation.
Financial and statistical information is checked for currency, units, reporting period, revisions, scope and methodology where relevant. A figure can be technically correct but still misleading if the reporting period or basis of comparison is omitted.
Quotes should be checked against direct interviews, recordings, official transcripts, speeches, written statements or original documents where practical.
The Africans Time does not invent quotations or attribute words to a source that the source did not say.
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Check Status and Context
Projects can move through very different stages, and those stages materially affect what a reader should understand about progress and execution.
Where material to the story, editors distinguish between:
- proposed;
- announced;
- agreed;
- approved;
- financed;
- in procurement;
- under construction;
- operational;
- delayed;
- suspended;
- cancelled.
Editors should avoid collapsing these stages into a generic claim that a project is already being implemented. Where status cannot be established beyond an announcement, the language should remain limited to what can be supported.
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Review Sensitive or Disputed Claims
Allegations are attributed to their source and distinguished from established facts. The seriousness of an allegation affects the level of evidence and caution appropriate to its publication.
Where serious allegations affect an identifiable person or organisation, we consider seeking a response before publication where practical and appropriate.
A response can provide additional evidence, identify a factual error or place a disputed claim in context. A failure to respond does not prove the allegation.
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Final Editorial Review
Depending on the article, final review may include:
- source checks;
- link checks;
- fact verification;
- quote verification;
- headline review;
- image review;
- review of sensitive allegations;
- a final human publication decision.
The purpose of final review is to ensure that the article's headline, wording and presentation do not claim greater certainty than the supporting evidence allows.
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Continue Verification After Publication
Fact-checking does not necessarily end at publication because official information, responses and data can change or become available later.
An article may be updated, clarified or corrected when:
- new official information appears;
- source documents are published;
- a company or institution responds;
- figures are revised;
- project status changes;
- new evidence demonstrates that a factual claim was wrong.
An update based on later information does not necessarily mean the original article was inaccurate if it correctly reflected the evidence available at the time.
Higher-Risk Claims
Some claims require additional scrutiny because errors can carry significant financial, legal, reputational, political, health or safety consequences.
Company and Government Claims
Statements from companies and governments can be important primary sources because they establish what an organisation officially says, announces or reports. They are also statements from interested parties and should be understood in that context.
Material claims may therefore be checked against regulatory filings, financial reports, stock-exchange announcements, public records, project documents or other independent evidence where relevant.
Promotional language should not be adopted as editorial fact without appropriate verification. Descriptions such as market-leading, largest, fastest-growing or transformational require evidence if they are presented as factual conclusions rather than attributed claims.
Data Across African Markets
Data from different countries is not always directly comparable, even when the same indicator name is used.
Editors consider differences in definitions, collection methods, currency, inflation, population, market size, reporting periods, regulatory systems and data completeness.
A larger absolute number does not automatically indicate stronger relative performance. Where methodological or reporting differences materially affect interpretation, the comparison should be framed accordingly.
Unnamed Sources
The Africans Time rarely uses unnamed sources and prefers attributable sources wherever practical.
When an unnamed source is used, the source's identity should be known to the relevant editor, the source should be in a position to know the information, there should be a legitimate reason for anonymity, and important claims should be corroborated where possible.
Single-source anonymous allegations receive additional scrutiny because readers cannot independently assess the identity or interests of the source.
Images and AI-Generated Visuals
Images should be relevant to the article and should not materially misrepresent the event, location or people being discussed.
The Africans Time uses AI only for image generation and other visual preparation or editing, not for research, fact-checking or editorial text.
AI-generated images are illustrations, not evidence. They must not fabricate visual proof that an event occurred, a person attended an event, a document is authentic or a dataset exists.
Where an AI-generated image could reasonably be mistaken for documentary photography, its illustrative nature should be made clear.
Reporting a Possible Error
Send factual concerns to [email protected].
Please include:
- the article URL;
- the statement or data point in question;
- a short explanation of the suspected error;
- a reliable supporting source or document where available.
This information helps identify the disputed claim and compare it with the source material used in the article. Verified errors are handled under the Corrections Policy.
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