Fact Checking the Arab Media -Providing independent context, facts and analysis for the public

In 2021, after nearly 18 years of translating the Arabic media, Mideastwire.com’s core editorial team - Nicholas Noe, Mirella Dagher, Zeina Rouheib, Mohamed-Dhia Hammami and Ibrahim Jouhari, launched our Value Checking effort. Mideastwire.com's original purpose has therefore expanded: To reliably translate key articles appearing in the Arabic media but also to regularly provide objective, fact-based Value Checks in Arabic and English for some of the pieces that we think our subscribers, as well as the public at large, will benefit from in furthering their own understanding of the Middle East and beyond. Indeed, as in most other parts of the global media-scape, the Arabic media also suffers from misinformation, a lack of context and poor transparency, especially when allowing readers to easily understand the sources for various claims.

In August 2021, after nearly 18 years of translating the Arabic media, four Mideastwire.com team members – Nicholas Noe, Mohamed-Dhia Hammami, Marlene Khalife and Ibrahim Jouhari – launched Arabmediafactcheck.org as a separate effort under Mideastwire.com LLC in order to exclusively focus on providing independent context, facts and analysis in Arabic and English for some of the media content that we think the public at large will benefit from in furthering their own understanding of Western Asia and North Africa.

Indeed, as in most other parts of the global media-scape, the Arabic media, as well as international media covering Western Asia and North Africa, also suffers from misinformation, a lack of context and poor transparency, especially when allowing readers to easily understand the sources for various claims.

Through this effort, we hope to address at least one aspect of a global disconnect that continues to threaten a wide spectrum of socio-political and economic relationships, both here in the region and beyond.

Ask Our Team To Fact Check A Claim!: We welcome suggestions for Fact Checking. Please make sure the print/online media report, broadcast or social media content adheres to at least three requirements: 1) The claim(s) are assertions of fact and not opinion; 2) the claim(s) do not involve predictions about the future; and 3) the individual or organization making the claim(s) has a demonstrably wide reach and/or a significant status in the media, commercial/non-commercial sectors and/or in the public sector. Email us suggestions you might have directly at info@arabmediafactcheck.org. Please include all relevant links as well as a short summary of why you believe the content is ripe for Fact Checking.

Correct Us!: We are committed to an honest and open corrections policy. Please email info@arabmediafactcheck.org if you notice any typo and/or if you disagree with our Fact Check in any of its dimensions. All substantive submissions will be evaluated by the Editor, the Fact Checker who wrote the article and one other Fact Checker who didn’t participate in the Fact Check in question. If two out of the three agree to a substantive alteration, the Fact Check will be revised online and in our database and the original correction requestor will be notified of our action along with the reasons underlying the alteration(s). Furthermore, if you identify a substantive correction(s) (i.e. those that are beyond typos which substantively alter our Fact Check), we will explain the changes we have made in the text and mark the date that the text was altered - all before the opening paragraph of the Fact Check so our readers can immediately identify and understand the correction(s).

In order to be as clear as possible with our readers about our track record, we constantly update the number of times we have gotten Fact Checks wrong and changed the assessment determination.

Until today, we have changed < 0 > of our Fact Checks.

While there is a broad range of Arabic language media outlets reporting stories from and about the Middle East, there is currently no affordable and reliable means for English speakers to gain access to this content. As a result, many English speaking businesspersons, students, journalists and others who have an interest in the affairs of the region are largely unaware of what the Middle East media is covering and how they are covering these stories. Mideastwire.com aims to close this gap by offering a daily menu of translations covering some of the key political, cultural, economic and opinion pieces appearing in the media of the 22 Arab countries and the Arab Diaspora.

Through these efforts, we hope to address at least some of the elements of a global disconnect that continue to threaten a wide spectrum of socio-political and economic relationships, both here in the region and beyond.

It should also be noted that, since our founding in 2005, Mideastwire.com is wholly funded by the content license fees paid by individuals and organizations. As such, there is no government, commercial or non-profit support, an aspect that we believe provides a relatively independent platform for understanding.

For more information about our status as a New York State registered LLC, please email info@arabmediafactcheck.org or view or registration via the public inquiry.