Transparency of Funding
Local Voices Liberia is committed to transparency about its support and the funds it receives from donors and partners. However, our partners and donors do not influence the production of our work.
LVL is not affiliated with any individual, government organization or agency although we work to provide media literacy (fact-checking training) for media workers of government institutions.
We are a not-for-profit organization registered with the Liberian government with Business Registration Number 51609646.
Local Voices Liberia runs an active fact-checking desk which was launched in 2021 as part of the Liberia Media Initiative project co-financed by the European Union.
Since establishing the fact-checking desk, we have partnered with Internews, Africa Check and UNDP to implement projects and have received funding from the European Union and USAID.
Currently, our funders are the USAID Media Activity implemented by Internews and the Liberia Electoral Support Program, co-implemented by the UNDP.
Below is a breakdown of our income based on the funding support from donors:
Where We Get Our Funding
Local Voices Liberia Fact Checking Desk is an independent fact-checking organization that is committed to countering and debunking mis/disinformation and hate speech. Currently, we get our funding from USAID Media Activity co-implemented by Internews in Liberia and the Liberia Electoral Support Program (LESP) co-implemented by UNDP. LVL Fact Checking Desk implements the iVerify Liberia project as part of the LESP.
About LESP (iVerify) Support to LVL Fact Checking Desk
The Liberia Electoral Support Project (LESP) is supporting the Liberian Government through the National Elections Commission (NEC) to conduct credible, transparent, inclusive, and peaceful elections leading to accountable and confident public institutions, in line with the Pro-Poor Agenda for Prosperity and Development (PAPD), Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 16 on Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions and a comprehensive UNDP Governance Portfolio. Currently supported by Ireland and Sweden the project adopts a human rights-based approach, striving to Leave No One Behind (LNOB), and focuses on interventions for the most vulnerable and marginalized. The project encompasses a conscious gender lens to fully consider the different needs, roles, and access to and control of resources by women and men, as well as ensure gender equality. The project builds on the previous Electoral Support of the 2015 – 2018 Electoral Cycle Project supported by the European Union, Sweden, Ireland, Canada, Japan, and Germany. In 2022/2023, LESP seeks to increase its efforts towards supporting infrastructure and tools to improve election-related communication and combat misinformation at the national level through the implementation of the iVerify mechanism, in partnership with the Local Voices Liberia (LVL). The iVerify system will contribute towards strengthening the capacity of journalists through improved quality reporting and awareness raising. Local Voices Liberia is a well-established and renowned fact-checking initiative currently active and present in the 15 counties of Liberia. It has trained personnel with a well-tested methodology, various visibility platforms and strong partnerships which present an opportunity for collaboration in the implementation of the iVerify System. The iVerify system is designed to counter, debunk, or limit the spread of disinformation and hate speech before and during the 2023 general elections in Liberia. It is expected to contribute towards information, resource and knowledge sharing by establishing databases that allow all relevant actors to access reports and knowledge about where misinformation is likely to emerge, which narratives and artifacts exist, and which counter-narratives are used and prove successful. The implementation of the iVerify will include enhancing the capacity of the implementing partner by providing both technical and human resource support. Local Voices Liberia will use its existing capacity as a major fact-checking organization to collaborate with other civil society organizations, media organizations and journalists to achieve the objective of the project, to support the conduct of a peaceful election by combatting the spread of disinformation and hate speech in Liberia’s information ecosystem.
About USAID Media Activity Support to LVL Fact Checking Desk
The Media Activity was designed to enhance the human and institutional capacity of the media while advocating for and maintaining current media freedoms to reliably carry out responsible journalism, drive reforms, increase revenue, expand Liberians’ engagement with government and increase accountability. The project is being implemented through four intertwined objectives:
- The capacity of media to produce reliable, relevant, and accurate information is enhanced.
- Media’s ability to serve as a conduit for information between citizens and the government enhanced.
- The organizational and financial sustainability of community radio stations improved.
- Enabling environment for freer media strengthened. Inclusive local ownership has been key for Internews’ work in Liberia since 2014.
Activities conceived and implemented under Year One of the Media Activity were locally co-designed by a consortium of seven media CSOs that are Internews’ primary sub-grantees. Our approach aims to ensure sustainability and responsiveness to the real needs of Liberian media. Local partners, beneficiaries, and other stakeholders will continue to assume active roles in designing and implementing the Media Activity activities. As Liberia heads to legislative and presidential elections in October 2023, preparations for the electoral plebiscite are already underway. During elections, the work of the media becomes essential to the success of the electoral process. While responsible, accurate and timely coverage can contribute to a peaceful electoral process, poor quality or inflammatory coverage can ignite crisis, sow mistrust, and damage citizen confidence in the elections. Due to the essential nature of the work of the Media, Year Two of the project activities will be tailored mainly to preparing the Liberian media to do their best work before, during and after the election. This entails specialized training, workshops, programs, and other activities, all geared toward preparing the media to play its proper fourth estate role as watchdog and purveyor of independent information to the citizens of Liberia Through hands-on, thematic training and mentoring, the Media Activity will continue build professionalism, strengthen investigative journalism skills, and ensure journalists are digital-ready. Media Activity will focus on the pipeline of up-and-coming journalists—especially emerging women journalists. By enhancing skills and interest in journalism at both the high school and university levels, Media Activity will build a diverse and sustainable cohort of Liberian journalists and enhance access to information. Ultimately, this will enable the Liberian media to play its watchdog role, strengthen accountability, and increase citizen-government engagement. Under Media Activity, Local Voices Liberia will be supported to increase media literacy and information verification skills among citizens by targeting key populations able to cascade these skills to their communities: namely, students. To this achieve this goal, Local Voices Liberia (LVL) will work along with Youth Media Action to develop a media literacy training approach, including: (i) pilot media literacy/fact-checking classes at three high schools (30 students each); (ii) a two-week, mobile-based media literacy training series engaging at least 100 youths; and (iii) fact-checking training workshops for community media.