Pitch your idea by Friday, January 24, 2025!
We are looking for speakers from around the world to share their stories and expertise on fact-checking trends, best practices, tools and more in Rio de Janeiro at GlobalFact.
Perhaps you’re eager to share your research on artificial intelligence or your training on media literacy. Maybe you’d like to lead a discussion about newsroom economics and sustainability management. Whatever the idea may be, we welcome you to apply to speak to the world’s fact-checkers at GlobalFact.
The deadline to pitch your idea is Friday, January 24, 2025. After a community input process, applicants will be notified about the status of their submissions by Friday, February 21, 2024.
Topics can align with one of the following tracks:
Tech Policy
Examines platform regulation, data policy and ethics as it affects fact-checkers, especially in their collaborations with policymakers, technologists and civil society
Climate Change
The latest collaborations and projects that document climate science and extreme weather patterns around the world
Investigating Disinformation Campaigns
How to bring the latest techniques to investigations that uncover coordinated disinformation campaigns or foreign information manipulation
Artificial Intelligence
The latest news in generative artificial intelligence, automated fact-checking, chatbots and other AI use cases
Financial Sustainability
Offers leaders and managers of fact-checking organizations professional development on management, teamwork, fundraising, and the economics and sustainability of news
Other
Media literacy, reporting and editing, audience engagement, gender/LGBTQIA+, etc.
The agenda can accommodate several presentation formats.
Workshop
One or two facilitators with expertise in helping fact-checkers reach a specific goal can lead a Workshop. These educational, interactive sessions can include a Q&A and last between 55 and 100 minutes.
Featured Talk
One or two speakers can offer attendees their key insights and knowledge as leaders in the fact-checking industry during a Featured Talk. These sessions can be 30 to 50 minutes and include a Q&A.
Show and Tell
A Show and Tell is a 10-minute presentation with one speaker. Speakers might use this time to share outcomes and learnings from key initiatives or fact-checking projects.
Panel Discussion
A Panel Discussion brings one moderator and three or four speakers with diverse backgrounds and experiences together for a thoughtful, respectful discussion about a topic or theme. Panels are 55 minutes and include a Q&A.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I apply to become a speaker?
Click the "Pitch Your Idea" button to submit a speaker application and create an account. You do not need to be registered for the event to submit an application.
What questions will be included in the speaker application?
Click here to preview the application.
Will speakers receive any financial assistance to travel to Rio de Janeiro?
Speakers are eligible to receive financial assistance through our Travel Assistance Fund. Individuals who would like to speak at GlobalFact but cannot afford the travel expenses can apply for funding. Email globalfact@ifcn.org to request an application. Please note, this process is separate from the speaker application and funding is not guaranteed.
Will you accept applications for remote speakers?
No, all speakers should plan to present at GlobalFact in Rio de Janeiro. If you need financial assistance to support your trip to the summit, please contact globalfact@ifcn.org and request an invitation to apply.
Do I need to be registered for GlobalFact to submit a speaker application?
No. You can choose to wait and register for the event when you receive confirmation that your application has been accepted on February 21, 2025. Event organizers are reserving tickets for speakers. Even if the event sells out before February 21, there will be space for accepted speakers.
Everyone who plans on attending — whether they are or are not selected as a speaker — should register as soon as possible. Tickets are limited.
Will I be able to edit my application?
Yes, you will be able to log in and out of your account to edit your application. You cannot edit your application after submitting. The deadline to submit is Friday, January 24, 2025.
Can I submit more than one application?
Yes, you can submit as many applications as you wish; however, we recommend that you submit only one or two of your best pitches. GlobalFact is an international summit with fact-checkers who represent more than 80 countries. Event organizers will be building a dynamic agenda that is diverse in people, viewpoints and topics.
How many co-speakers will be accepted with my session pitch?
Panels may not have more than three panelists and a moderator. Event organizers may need to work with you to finalize the list of speakers, depending on the selected presentation type and availability.
How will speakers be selected?
After the submission deadline, event organizers will collect the pitches, select finalists and ask the fact-checking community and the public to vote for their favorite sessions.
When voting ends, applications will be reviewed and selected by a diverse selection committee made up of representatives from the IFCN, Poynter Institute and IFCN Advisory Board. Besides the popularity and overall quality of the application, the selection committee will consider relevancy, clarity, creativity and feasibility. The selection committee reserves the right to amend the agenda.
What kind of audio and visual equipment will be available for speakers?
Speakers will have access to Wi-Fi and basic technical equipment, such as lavalier and handheld microphones, podiums, digital monitors and screens, chairs and tables, cables, dongles and other connection devices to share presentations.
All speakers will work with a team of event producers before and during the event in order to deliver a high-quality program. We will try to accommodate as many of our speakers’ needs as possible. Tech checks will be available to speakers before the summit in Sarajevo. Details will be emailed to speakers weeks ahead of the event.
When will I know whether my application has been accepted or rejected?
All applicants will be notified no later than February 21, 2025.
What if my application is accepted, but I am no longer able to attend the event?
You can have a colleague present on your behalf. Please notify globalfact@ifcn.org at your earliest convenience. If you do not have a substitute, your session will be removed from the conference agenda.
Previous Keynote Speakers
Anne Applebaum
Pulitzer Prize-winning historian, journalist and commentator
Jessikka Aro
Investigative journalist and author of “Putin’s Trolls: On the Frontlines of Russia’s Information War Against the World”
Dr. Joan Donovan
Researcher, sociologist and author of “Meme Wars: The Untold Story of the Online Battles Upending Democracy in America”
Dr. Eun-Ju Lee
Professor and Associate Dean of Academic Affairs in the College of Social Sciences at Seoul National University
Steve Levitsky
Political scientist and co-author of “How Democracies Die” and “Tyranny of the Majority”
Jane Lytvynenko
Investigative reporter and trainer for journalists and researchers
Peter McIndoe
Public Information Officer for the world-renowned Birds Aren't Real movement
Rasmus Nielsen
Director of the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism and Professor at the University of Oxford
Maria Ressa
Nobel Peace Prize winner, author and co-founder and CEO of Rappler
Yoel Roth
Knight Visiting Scholar at the University of Pennsylvania and former Head of Trust & Safety at Twitter
Nikita Roy
Data scientist, journalist, Harvard-recognized AI futurist and Knight Fellow at the International Center for Journalists
Craig Silverman
Reporter for ProPublica and editor of “Verification Handbook for Disinformation and Media Manipulation”