Funding challenges and a call for cross-border cooperation among fact-checking organisations

At GlobalFact 2026 in Vilnius, Lithuania, fact-checking organisations identified funding shortages and artificial intelligence (AI) as two primary threats to their operations.

During the conference, organised by the International Fact-Checking Network of the Poynter Institute, participants emphasised the critical role of fact-checking and the media in safeguarding democracy. In regions facing immediate threats from “Russian information manipulation and interference campaigns”, the “Lithuanian government’s vocal support for fact-checkers” was widely commended. This approach contrasts with that of several major actors, particularly large technology companies such as Meta, which is ending its third-party fact-checking programme on Facebook. This decision persists despite warnings from Meta’s Oversight Board that Community Notes are not a proper substitute for its fact-checking programme.

Reductions in US government funding and decreased support from major technology companies have negatively impacted the operations of fact-checking organisations. At GlobalFact 2026, participants advocated diversifying funding sources beyond grants and subsidies, including paid editorial content. This diversification is particularly important because fact-checking, described as a “broad and diffuse” public good, is inherently challenging to monetise

The work of these organisations is becoming increasingly vital. Fact-checking is fundamental to ensuring the quality of journalism, and the prominence of social media as a news source, where disinformation spreads more readily, heightens the need for it. In addition to these persistent challenges, the emergence of Large Language Models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini presents new risks. According to the Nieman Lab, “bad actors are flooding the web with articles containing false or misleading narratives in the hope that commercial generative AI products will reflect them in their responses,” a practice now commonly referred to as “LLM poisoning”.

As disinformation increasingly transcends national borders, GlobalFact 2026 emphasised that fact-checking and efforts to protect information quality must also extend beyond geographical limitations. The conference concluded by calling for enhanced cooperation, knowledge-sharing, and the development of cross-border fact-checking initiatives.