Managing Fact-checking Organizations to Combat Hoaxes in Southeast Asia

This research aims to identify the organizational structure and dynamics related to fact-checking procedures in three fact-checking organizations in Southeast Asia, namely CekFakta in Indonesia, Jomcheck in Malaysia, and VERA Files in the Philippines. Using a qualitative approach and comparison study, data collection was carried out through a series of face-to-face and online interviews with 19 informants, including founders, management, fact-checkers, and editors from each organization. Another online Focus Group Discussion attended by 6 participants, as are representatives of Mafindo, the website manager of cekfakta.com, and representatives from AJI to gain in-depth insight into the process and methodology of fact-checking of the organizations forming the coalition of CekFakta. The interview framework covers critical aspects such as organizational structure, fact-checking work dynamics, and best practices in implementing fact-checking. The research results show that although the three fact-checking organizations were founded because of the election, the CekFakta Coalition and Jomcheck are alliances between media, journalists, academicians, and civil society organizations. In contrast, VERA Files was founded by six female veteran journalists with the same vision and mission regarding journalistic practices in the Philippines. Shared challenges involve the complexity of social media information, unequal public understanding, doxing risks, and bias management. The lack of legal protection for the fact-checking profession and the personal risks of fact-checking highlights the need for concerted practice and collective efforts to overcome these challenges.