2016 polls: 57 campaign claims fact-checked - 33% of claims false

As the campaign for the December general elections intensifies, contesting candidates have been making several campaign claims and allegations meant to either support their campaign messages or refute messages of opponents.

In previous elections, claims by contending parties and candidates have often passed unverified, thus inuring to the benefit of those who peddled false claims and half-truths.

As part of its project to promote issues-based and fact-based campaigning, the MFWA has commenced a project to fact-check claims and allegations being made by Presidential and Vice Presidential Candidates, Campaign and Communications Directors as well as other key stakeholders in the electioneering process. The fact-checking project is being implemented with funding support from Germany’s leading media development organisation, DW Akadamie.

A dedicated team of experienced journalists and researchers have been engaged and trained for the fact-checking of campaign claims based on a fact-checking Instrument. Fact-checkers also have back-up support from international fact-checking experts. Claims are fact-checked by cross-checking claims with existing empirical data from credible and trusted national and international institutions.

The project team has so far fact-checked a total of 57 claims made by different key personalities.  Put together, about a third (33.33%) of the claims fact-checked are false. Other claims were found to be half-truths (17.54%), while others were found to be true but misleading (8.77%).

The 57 claims that were fact-checked were made by personalities including President John Mahama, Nana Akufo-Addo, Ivor Greenstreet, Dr. Edward Mahama, who are flagbearers of the NDC, NPP, CPP, and PNC respectively. Claims made by other leading political figures were also fact-checked.

This initial aggregate report does not draw comparison among candidates. Subsequent aggregated reports will, however, feature a trends analysis to establish which candidates are being less truthful in their campaign claims.

Please read the full aggregate report here