Tahaqaq

Tahaqaq (Arabic: تحقق), also known as the Palestinian Observatory for Fact-Checking and Media Literacy, is a Palestinian fact-checking organization founded in 2015 by Baker Mohammad Abdulhaq. It is a member of the Arab Fact-Checkers Network (AFCN).

Tahaqaq was created in 2015 by Baker Mohammad Abdulhaq, a journalist and fact-checker based in Nablus, a Palestinian city in the West Bank. Abdulhaq created it as part of his master's thesis in fact-checking. It ran out of money in 2017, but restarted in 2020 to fact-check COVID-19 misinformation.¹ In July 2022, Tahaqaq became part of the Arab Fact-Checkers Network (AFCN).²

Tahaqaq has reported on the Gaza war, including on Israel's use of white phosphorus against civilians.¹ It has also debunked online misinformation in the war,³¹ such as AI-manipulated content and the Pallywood disinformation campaign.⁴⁵ On October 23, 2023, Tahaqaq was targeted by cyberattacks attempting to disable its website after it reported on the Al-Ahli Arab Hospital explosion.¹

In 2024, Tahaqaq won an award from the Arab Fact-Checkers Network (AFCN) for the "Fact-Checking Platforms Collaboration to Counter Mis/Disinformation During the War on Gaza and South Lebanon" project, done in collaboration with Misbar in Jordan and Sawab in Lebanon.⁶

Tahaqaq largely publishes its reporting in Arabic. As of late 2023, Tahaqaq's team consisted of Abdulhaq and nine fact-checkers.¹

Tahaqaq fact-checker Rana Salahat said in 2023, "There are several challenges, including restricted access to the materials we publish on social media platforms, as it is considered Palestinian content. Additionally, [Tahaqaq] has faced attempted breaches and numerous instances of electronic spam appearing on our posts."³