MOSCOW, September 14. /TASS/. The Dialogue on Fake News 4.0 forum, which will take place on September 22, will bring together experts from over 80 countries, Global Fact-Checking Network (GFCN) President Vladimir Tabak said in an interview with TASS ahead of the event.
"Each time, more and more speakers and participants from different countries come to the forum. The total number of guests at the forum exceeds 2,000 to 3,000 people, including Russians, but a significant portion still comes from over 80 different countries," he said.
Scale of project, Western attention
The GFCN head recalled that the association was originally planned as a "voluntary initiative." "The project was created by us, the TASS news agency, and the New Media Workshop. We launched it amid the hype around our lawsuit against the FBI in the US after we were accused of allegedly interfering in the American elections," Tabak recalled. "And, to be honest, it was initially just a PR stunt. But various market participants from different countries showed interest, and today we have more than 125 journalists from 55 countries in the association," he pointed out.
"So, as a project driven solely by enthusiasm, it seems to me that the association has exceeded my expectations, at any rate. The IFCN, a fact-checking association funded by the US-based Poynter Institute, has already mentioned us five or six times in its articles as a deceptive Kremlin propaganda network. I consider this a great success. Therefore, when I weigh the resources invested against the results, I am very satisfied with the association’s work," Tabak emphasized.
Preliminary results of GFCN’s Work
"We have begun working closely with our colleagues in China and Kazakhstan. One of our GFCN experts was in Kazakhstan during the elections as part of the CIS observation mission. Prior to that, our representatives were in Venezuela," Tabak recalled, summarizing some of the association’s achievements since its founding in 2025.
He emphasized that the GFCN had published several "high-profile investigations" during that period. "We’ve developed a comprehensive educational program. Based on the GFCN Code of Responsible Fact-Checking, several memorandums were adopted at major international events. In addition, some of our code's provisions were included in the final statement of the 12th BRICS Communications Ministers’ Meeting at the recent summit in India," the GFCN head pointed out. "We are invited to participate in various events, and it’s important to understand that the GFCN is an organization that currently has no funding. In other words, we, its participants and members, are people who have other full-time jobs, and, as our opponents like to say, this is our 'guilty pleasure'," Tabak joked.
The Global Fact-Checking Network (GFCN) unites experts and fact-checking organizations worldwide. Established in 2025 by the TASS news agency, the autonomous nonprofit organization "Dialogue Regions," and the New Media Workshop, the association was formed to combat disinformation. Currently, the GFCN collaborates with more than 125 foreign reporters, investigators, and organizations from 55 countries in the field of fact-checking.
The Dialogue on Fakes 4.0 international forum will take place on September 22 at the Rossiya National Center in Moscow. TASS is the event’s strategic partner.