fact checking Archives — LIRNEasia


On the 1st of July 2025, LIRNEasia in collaboration with the University of Jaffna held an event titled Launch of the information disorder research in Sri Lanka and a forum on building digital resilience. The event centered around the launch of results from a LIRNEasia study assessing the ability of Tamil news readers in Sri Lanka to classify information as true/false, and measuring the effectiveness of popular countermeasures to misinformation, such as fact-checking and media literacy programs. The opening address was given by Prof. Sivakolundu Srisatkunarajah, Vice Chancellor of the University of Jaffna, talked about the digital revolution, the newer challenges arising due to the information disorder and the importance of information literacy as a counter measure. The chief guest at the event, the Hon.
In an era where information spreads rapidly and widely, distinguishing fact from fiction has become a critical societal challenge. False and misleading content — what experts term information disorder — threatens public health, undermines democratic processes, and erodes trust in institutions. At LIRNEasia, we have been deeply engaged in understanding this issue through a nationally representaitve research and experimental studies aimed at identifying effective countermeasures. On July 3, 2025, we will share these insights at a special event in Colombo, convening researchers, media professionals, and technology innovators for a day of evidence-based dialogue and collaborative problem-solving. The event will begin by addressing a fundamental question: What is information disorder?
The following article was originally published on the IDRC – Resisting information disorder in the Global South website. LIRNEasia studied information disorder in Asia for a scoping study on challenges of information disorder in the Global South in 2022[1]. We conducted over 80 key informant interviews, including fact checkers and journalist to gather data for the study. Fact checkers and journalists talked about use of digital tools, including AI tools in their day-to-day work. Some of their Digital tools included ‘the Social-People Index, Facebook Ad Library, Crowd Tangle, Sentione, Google fact-check tool, Claim Buster, and TinEye’.