Organization: Aos Fatos
Applicant: Tai Nalon
Assessor: Sergio Lüdtke
Background
Aos Fatos is an independent organization with regular operations in Brazil since its foundation in 2015. The agency specializes in monitoring and investigating disinformation campaigns on the internet and fact-checking. It is recognized for the excellence of its verification work and its projects in technology and innovation incubated in the Aos Fatos Lab.
The organization has 21 professionals and obtains funding through a membership program, editorial partnerships with media companies, technology projects, and grants.
Ao Fatos is also part of Facebook's independent fact-checkers program.
Assessment Conclusion
Aos Fatos is an agency recognized for the excellence of its work against misinformation in Brazil. The analysis of the information provided by the applicant and the evaluation of the agency's content and work demonstrate that it fully follows and applies the IFCN code of principles. The assessment confirmed its adherence to transparency commitments, both in its methodology and funding, and did not identify any coverage bias or inappropriate relationships with politicians, parties, or causes. It also applies high standards in fact-checking, enforces a clear error-correction policy, and is transparent in using and relating to sources.
Sergio Lüdtke assesses application as Compliant
A short summary in native publishing language
Aos Fatos é uma agência reconhecida pela excelência de seu trabalho no combate à desinformação no Brasil. A análise das informações fornecidas pela organização e a avaliação do conteúdo e do trabalho da agência demonstram que ela segue e aplica integralmente o código de princípios da IFCN. Esta avaliação confirmou a adesão aos compromissos de transparência, tanto na metodologia quanto no financiamento, e não identificou viés de cobertura ou relacionamento inadequado com políticos, partidos ou causas. Aos Fatos segue altos padrões na verificação de fatos, aplica uma política clara de correção de erros e é transparente no uso e relacionamento com as fontes.
Section 1: Eligibility to be a signatory
To be eligible to be a signatory, applicants must meet these six criteria
- 1.1 The applicant is a legally registered organization, or a distinct team or unit within a legally registered organization, and details of this are easily found on its website.
- 1.2 The team, unit or organization is set up exclusively for the purpose of fact-checking.
- 1.3 The applicant has published an average of at least one fact check a week over the course of the six months prior to the date of application. For applicants from countries with at least 5 or more verified signatories need to have at least a fact check a week over the twelve months of publishing track. Consult to factchecknet@poynter.org for confirmation.
- 1.4 On average, at least 75% of the applicant’s fact checks focus on claims related to issues that, in the view of the IFCN, relate to or could have an impact on the welfare or well-being of individuals, the general public or society.
- 1.5 The applicant’s editorial output is not, in the view of the IFCN, controlled by the state, a political party or politician.
- 1.6 If the organization receives funding from local or foreign state or political sources, it provides a statement on its site setting out to the satisfaction of the IFCN, how it ensures its funders do not influence the findings of its reports.
Criteria 1.1
Proof you meet criteria
Please explain where on your website you set out information about your organization’s legal status and how this complies with criteria. Attach a link to the relevant page of your website.
Aos Fatos
27-Jul-2021 (3 years ago)
Aos Fatos is a journalistic company trading name. It is registered under the CNPJ 22.408.117/0001-41 as news agency. Reference: https://www.aosfatos.org/quem-somos/
Sergio Lüdtke Assessor
07-Aug-2021 (3 years ago)
Ao Fatos proved to be a legally constituted company with regular activity for the Brazilian state bodies that control the operation of companies in the country.
done_all 1.1 marked as Compliant by Sergio Lüdtke.
Criteria 1.2
Proof you meet criteria
Please answer the following questions – (see notes in Guidelines for Application on how to answer)
1. When and why was your fact-checking operation started?
2. How many people work or volunteer in the organization and what are their roles?
3. What different activities does your organization carry out?
4. What are the goals of your fact-checking operation over the coming year?
Aos Fatos
27-Jul-2021 (3 years ago)
Aos Fatos is a Brazilian award-winner fact-checking organization. Launched in July 2015 with scarce funding and the ambition of shedding light on what is true and what is false in politics, Aos Fatos has grown to be one of the most innovative websites in Latin America. Its technology-savvy team of 21 multidisciplinary professionals (https://www.aosfatos.org/nossa-equipe/) adds automation solutions to a creative approach.
Aos Fatos believes that if journalism does not make an impact, it has failed in one of its main objectives: inspecting power. For this reason, it invests in multiplatform content, in order to amplify our voices and reach an audience that would never be within our grasp.
The combination of journalism, social engagement, technology and design results in groundbreaking tools to tackle misinformation, such as an algorithm that automatically tackles fake news, conversational and monitoring bots, works of art against misinformation, as well as cartoons.
In 2020, Aos Fatos launched its most ambitious product so far: Radar Aos Fatos, a social media monitoring tool that aims to identify, in real time, content that has a higher chance of being misleading/misinformative.
For 2021, Aos Fatos is also leading a cohort of 20 visual artists, comic artists and illustrators to create exclusive, unprecedented Covid-19-related artworks advocating for immediate vaccination measures and conscious consumption of verified information about the pandemic in Brazil. By the end of the year, all the commissioned artists will be invited to sell their originals in a beneficiary auction. The funds raised will be shared among the participant artists and philanthropic institutions working together with vulnerable communities severely affected by the pandemic effects. Brazil is the country with the highest amount of deaths by Covid-19 per million inhabitants in the world.
Sergio Lüdtke Assessor
07-Aug-2021 (3 years ago) Updated: 3 years ago
Ao Fatos responded to all points of this criteria, and it offered data and links so that assessor could check the provided information. The activities and goals mentioned in the application are also widely recognized in the country. The organization fully meets the criteria of this item.
done_all 1.2 marked as Compliant by Sergio Lüdtke.
Criteria 1.3
Proof you meet criteria
- The applicant has published an average of at least one fact check a week over the course of the six months prior to the date of application.
- For applicants from countries with at least 5 or more verified signatories need to have at least a fact check a week over the twelve months of publishing track.
- Consult to factchecknet@poynter.org for confirmation.
Aos Fatos
27-Jul-2021 (3 years ago)
Besides debunking false or misleading content online, Aos Fatos also fact-checks statements from politicians and published investigations and fact-sheets regarding popular mis/disinformation topics.
All of Bolsonaro's statements, fact-checked: https://aosfatos.org/todas-as-declara%C3%A7%C3%B5es-de-bolsonaro/
All of Aos Fatos' fact-checks in one place: https://aosfatos.org/noticias/
Also, in the past 12 months, Aos Fatos fully developed Radar Aos Fatos' award-winning algorithm, through which one can predict the chances of a certain post on social platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp and Instagram to be misinformative. Radar monitors more than 90,000 publications per week and, with its algorithm, classify each one according to their quality of information. (https://www.aosfatos.org/radar/#!/)
Sergio Lüdtke Assessor
07-Aug-2021 (3 years ago) Updated: 3 years ago
Aos Fatos fully meets the requirements of these criteria. In 2021, the applicant published about 15 reports each week. These publications include checks on social media misleading content, statements from politicians, and fact-checks about other misinformation topics.
done_all 1.3 marked as Compliant by Sergio Lüdtke.
Criteria 1.4
Proof you meet criteria
The assessor will assess compliance through a review of the fact checks published over the previous three months. No additional information required.
Aos Fatos
27-Jul-2021 (3 years ago)
Sergio Lüdtke Assessor
07-Aug-2021 (3 years ago) Updated: 3 years ago
The investigations published by Aos Fatos and evaluated in this application prove that the choice for the contents checked considers the impact that the uncontrolled dissemination of these contents would have on the health of individuals and the well-being of society. During the period examined, Aos Fatos published dozens of checks on problematic content about the covid-19 pandemic and false content posted on social media platforms by groups questioning vaccines. In addition, the agency has followed false information that seeks to discredit the Brazilian electoral process and attacks potential candidates for the 2022 presidential elections.
done_all 1.4 marked as Compliant by Sergio Lüdtke.
Criteria 1.5
Proof you meet criteria
Please explain any commercial, financial and/or institutional relationship your organization has to the state, politicians or political parties in the country or countries you cover. Also explain funding or support received from foreign as well as local state or political actors over the previous financial year.
Aos Fatos
27-Jul-2021 (3 years ago)
Aos Fatos has never received any funding from the state or politicians or political parties in Brasil or anywhere else. It is registered here: https://aosfatos.org/nossos-parceiros/
Aos Fatos, however, collaborates with Election Courts and state level agencies around the country in order to republish its content for free. It is coherent with our efforts to reach as many people as possible with verified information.
Sergio Lüdtke Assessor
07-Aug-2021 (3 years ago) Updated: 3 years ago
Ao Fatos declares on its "Quem Somos" (About us) page that it has never received contributions from national or foreign governments, political parties, or official authorities. The applicant mentions a partnership with a state TV broadcaster, TV Cultura, but claims that it is not paid for the republishing of the content made by the broadcaster.
The collaboration with Election Courts, mentioned in the application, is not described on the Aos Fatos website. Still, it is public knowledge, and the main Brazilian fact-checking organizations that provide their checks for republication by the Tribunal Superior Eleitoral (Supreme Electoral Court) are part of it.
Just as advice, the link provided to evaluate these criteria directs to a page that does not exist on the website. The page (https://aosfatos.org/nossos-parceiros/) was found using Wayback Machine. There is another page on the Aos Fatos website with updated information, accessible through this link: https://www.aosfatos.org/quem-somos/.
done_all 1.5 marked as Compliant by Sergio Lüdtke.
Criteria 1.6
Proof you meet criteria
If you confirmed the organization receives funding from local or foreign state or political sources, provide a link to where on your website you set out how you ensure the editorial independence of your work.
Aos Fatos
27-Jul-2021 (3 years ago)
It doesn't.
Sergio Lüdtke Assessor
07-Aug-2021 (3 years ago) Updated: 3 years ago
The applicant claims not to receive resources from a local or foreign state or political sources. And no evidence has been found that this occurs.
done_all 1.6 marked as Compliant by Sergio Lüdtke.
Section 2: A commitment to Non-partisanship and Fairness
To be compliant on nonpartisanship and fairness, applicants must meet these five criteria
- 2.1 The applicant fact-checks using the same high standards of evidence and judgement for equivalent claims regardless of who made the claim.
- 2.2 The applicant does not unduly concentrate its fact-checking on any one side, considers the reach and importance of claims it selects to check and publishes a short statement on its website to set out how it selects claims to check.
- 2.3 The applicant discloses in its fact checks relevant interests of the sources it quotes where the reader might reasonably conclude those interests could influence the accuracy of the evidence provided. It also discloses in its fact checks any commercial or other such relationships it has that a member of the public might reasonably conclude could influence the findings of the fact check.
- 2.4 The applicant is not as an organization affiliated with nor declares or shows support for any party, any politician or political candidate, nor does it advocate for or against any policy positions on any issues save for transparency and accuracy in public debate.
- 2.5 The applicant sets out its policy on non-partisanship for staff on its site. Save for the issues of accuracy and transparency, the applicant’s staff do not get involved in advocacy or publicise their views on policy issues the organization might fact check in such a way as might lead a reasonable member of the public to see the organization’s work as biased.
Criteria 2.1
Proof you meet criteria
Please share links to 10 fact checks published over the past year that you believe demonstrate your non-partisanship.
Please briefly explain how the fact checks selected show that (I) you use the same high standards of evidence for equivalent claims, (II) follow the same essential process for every fact check and (III) let the evidence dictate your conclusions.
Aos Fatos
27-Jul-2021 (3 years ago)
Each link listed here has a different main character and complies with our policy of fact-checking as many different topics and politicians as possible, without leading to false equivalences and a biased coverage.
1. Osmar Terra (PMDB, Bolsonaro's ally): https://www.aosfatos.org/noticias/osmar-terra-mente-cpi-ao-falar-de-imunidade-de-rebanho-e-decisoes-do-stf/
2. Luiz Henrique Mandetta (DEM, former Bolsonaro ally, now adversary): https://www.aosfatos.org/noticias/mandetta-falseia-fatos-sobre-sua-gestao-na-saude-em-depoimento-cpi-da-covid-19/
3. AstraZeneca (vaccine misinformation): https://www.aosfatos.org/noticias/astrazeneca-nao-significa-estrelas-de-matar-ou-estrelas-da-morte-em-latim/
4. Cuba and Raúl Castro (anti-leftist misinformation): https://www.aosfatos.org/noticias/foto-em-que-raul-castro-desembarca-de-aviao-e-antiga-e-nao-prova-que-ele-fugiu-para-venezuela/
5. Randolfe Rodrigues (one of Bolsonaro's opposition leaders): https://www.aosfatos.org/noticias/recibo-de-aluguel-de-randolfe-pago-por-assessor-nao-prova-que-senador-faz-rachadinha/
6. Sérgio Moro (former Bolsonaro ally, now adversary, conservative); Guilherme Boulos (opposition leader, leftist); João Amoedo (former Bolsonaro ally, now allegedly independent, liberal); Alexandre Frota (former Bolsonaro ally, now adversary); Tabata Amaral (opposition, moderate); Rodrigo Maia (former Bolsonaro ally, now adversary, liberal): https://www.aosfatos.org/noticias/e-falso-que-moro-participou-de-live-com-boulos-frota-amoedo-e-maia/
7. Eduardo Leite (former Bolsonaro ally, now opposition leader): https://www.aosfatos.org/noticias/posts-enganam-ao-alegar-que-leite-quer-ideologia-de-genero-nas-escolas-do-rs/
8. China (sinophobic misinformation): https://www.aosfatos.org/noticias/video-nao-mostra-vermes-dentro-de-mascaras-cirurgicas-vindas-da-china/
9. Presidente Jair Bolsonaro; Covid-19 misinformation; social media policies: https://www.aosfatos.org/noticias/falas-de-bolsonaro-sobre-tratamento-precoce-ferem-regras-de-redes-sociais-mas-seguem-no-ar/
10. Election fraud conspiracy; voting suppression: https://www.aosfatos.org/noticias/facebook-exibiu-anuncios-de-defesa-do-voto-impresso-ao-menos-22-mi-de-vezes-em-2021/
Sergio Lüdtke Assessor
07-Aug-2021 (3 years ago) Updated: 3 years ago
Although Brazil has a president who has positioned himself on social networks against restrictive measures recommended by health agencies and promotes treatments without proven efficacy against covid-19, Aos Fatos has checked his statements in a balanced way, but without force false equivalences. Bolsonaro's statements were considered false, unsustainable, or inaccurate for the most part, but Aos Fatos did not fail to acknowledge the veracity of Bolsonaro's true statements.
The contents published on the website and the links provided by Aos Fatos include political figures from different parties and follow the organization's investigation method described on its website.
done_all 2.1 marked as Compliant by Sergio Lüdtke.
Criteria 2.2
Proof you meet criteria
Please share a link to a place on your website where you explain how you select claims to check, explaining how you ensure you do not unduly concentrate your fact-checking on any one side, and how you consider the reach and importance of the claims you select to check.
Aos Fatos
27-Jul-2021 (3 years ago)
Sergio Lüdtke Assessor
07-Aug-2021 (3 years ago) Updated: 3 years ago
The applicant describes how it chooses the contents it decides to check on the "Nosso Método" (Our methodology) page, published on its website. Aos Fatos clearly describes the seven steps of its methodology and admits that although it strives not to focus its fact-checking on one side unduly, it believes that the investigation must consider the relevance of those who deliver a speech or share problematic content. Thus, it is natural that whoever is in power should and deserves to be under preferential scrutiny.
done_all 2.2 marked as Compliant by Sergio Lüdtke.
Criteria 2.3
Proof you meet criteria
The assessor will assess compliance through a review of the fact checks published over the previous year. No additional information required.
Sergio Lüdtke Assessor
07-Aug-2021 (3 years ago) Updated: 3 years ago
As a rule, the conclusions of the fact-checking present a good contextualization of the investigated contents, and the sources consulted for these verifications are diverse and reliable. The agency uses official data sources and seeks support in news published in media outlets of recognized credibility. We do not identify in the checks accessed any relationships that may have influenced the conclusion of the fact checks.
done_all 2.3 marked as Compliant by Sergio Lüdtke.
Criteria 2.4
Proof you meet criteria
The assessor will assess compliance through a review of the fact checks published over the previous year. No additional information required.
Sergio Lüdtke Assessor
07-Aug-2021 (3 years ago) Updated: 3 years ago
It was not possible to identify any relationships or affiliations with parties, politicians, or candidates. Nor were publications found that could demonstrate advocacy or reveal political positions that could compromise the findings of the investigations or the principles of transparency and accuracy of the agency's work.
done_all 2.4 marked as Compliant by Sergio Lüdtke.
Criteria 2.5
Proof you meet criteria
Please share a link to a place on your website where you publish a statement setting out your policy on non-partisanship for staff and how it ensures the organization meets this criteria.
Aos Fatos
27-Jul-2021 (3 years ago)
Sergio Lüdtke Assessor
07-Aug-2021 (3 years ago) Updated: 3 years ago
The agency's staff policy of non-partisanship is described on the "Nosso Método" page on the Aos Fatos website. The agency declares on this page that the professionals who work on it are instructed not to endorse any political party discourse, nor act as activists, or express political preferences. Ao Fatos guarantees that any behavior inconsistent with the search for exemption and plurality is not part of the organization's philosophy or editorial line.
done_all 2.5 marked as Compliant by Sergio Lüdtke.
Section 3: A commitment to Standards and Transparency of Sources
To be compliant on sources, applicants must meet these four criteria
- 3.1 The applicant identifies the source of all significant evidence used in their fact checks, providing relevant links where the source is available online, in such a way that users can replicate their work if they wish. In cases where identifying the source would compromise the source’s personal security, the applicant provides as much detail as compatible with the source’s safety.
- 3.2 The applicant uses the best available primary, not secondary, sources of evidence wherever suitable primary sources are available. Where suitable primary sources are not available, the applicant explains the use of a secondary source.
- 3.3 The applicant checks all key elements of claims against more than one named source of evidence save where the one source is the only source relevant on the topic.
- 3.4 The applicant identifies in its fact checks the relevant interests of the sources it uses where the reader might reasonably conclude those interests could influence the accuracy of the evidence provided.
Criteria 3.1
Proof you meet criteria
The assessor will review the applicant’s use of sources in a randomised sample of its fact checks to assess compliance. No additional evidence is required.
Sergio Lüdtke Assessor
07-Aug-2021 (3 years ago) Updated: 3 years ago
Ao Fatos links to all the sources it uses in the checks and even lists those sources again, as references, at the end of each report. When it does not offer a link, it is common to present an image that reproduces the screenshot of the document whose content it wants to display.
done_all 3.1 marked as Compliant by Sergio Lüdtke.
Criteria 3.2
Proof you meet criteria
The assessor will review the applicant’s use of sources in a randomised sample of its fact checks to assess compliance. No additional evidence is required.
Sergio Lüdtke Assessor
07-Aug-2021 (3 years ago) Updated: 3 years ago
The applicant most often uses primary sources to which it offers a link so that the reader can also go directly to these sources if desired. The evaluation did not observe situations where it was necessary to explain the use of secondary sources. In the evaluated reports, these sources were media outlets with an undeniable reputation, and there is no need to justify their use.
done_all 3.2 marked as Compliant by Sergio Lüdtke.
Criteria 3.3
Proof you meet criteria
The assessor will review the applicant’s use of sources in a randomised sample of its fact checks to assess compliance. No additional evidence is required.
Sergio Lüdtke Assessor
07-Aug-2021 (3 years ago) Updated: 3 years ago
In most of the fact-checks conferred by this assessment, Aos Fatos uses primary sources and provides information from other sources that help contextualize and reinforce its checks' findings.
done_all 3.3 marked as Compliant by Sergio Lüdtke.
Criteria 3.4
Proof you meet criteria
The assessor will review the applicant’s use of sources in a randomised sample of its fact checks to assess compliance. No additional evidence is required.
Sergio Lüdtke Assessor
07-Aug-2021 (3 years ago) Updated: 3 years ago
Yes, it is possible to observe care with contextualization in the use of sources and, in this sense, a concern also to reveal the interests of these sources. What is also noticed in the verifications and represents something increasingly common in Brazil is the silence of official sources when asked for some verification work.
done_all 3.4 marked as Compliant by Sergio Lüdtke.
Section 4: A commitment to Transparency of Funding & Organization
To be compliant on funding and organization, applicants must meet these five criteria
- 4.1 Applicants that are independent organizations have a page on their website detailing each source of funding accounting for 5% or more of total revenue for its previous financial year. This page also sets out the legal form in which the organization is registered (e.g. as a non-profit, as a company etc).
- 4.2 Applicants that are the fact-checking section or unit of a media house or other parent organization make a statement on ownership.
- 4.3 A statement on the applicant’s website sets out the applicant’s organizational structure and makes clear how and by whom editorial control is exercised.
- 4.4 A page on the applicant’s website details the professional biography of all those who, according to the organizational structure and play a significant part in its editorial output.
- 4.5 The applicant provides easy means on its website and/or via social media for users to communicate with the editorial team.
Criteria 4.1
Proof you meet criteria
Please confirm whether you are an ‘independent organization’
or ‘the fact-checking section or unit of a media house or other parent organization’ and share proof of this organizational status.
Aos Fatos
27-Jul-2021 (3 years ago)
Aos Fatos is a journalistic company trading name. It is registered under the CNPJ 22.408.117/0001-41 as news agency. Reference: https://aosfatos.org/quem-somos/
Sergio Lüdtke Assessor
07-Aug-2021 (3 years ago) Updated: 3 years ago
The applicant provided a valid and updated document that attests to its activity as an independent organization and its constitution model.
done_all 4.1 marked as Compliant by Sergio Lüdtke.
Criteria 4.2
Proof you meet criteria
If your organization is an “independent organization”, please share a link to the page on your website where you detail your funding and indicate the legal form in which the organization is registered (e.g. as a non-profit, as a company etc).
If your organization is “the fact-checking section or unit of a media house or other parent organization”, please share a link to the statement on your website about your ownership.
Aos Fatos
27-Jul-2021 (3 years ago)
Sergio Lüdtke Assessor
07-Aug-2021 (3 years ago) Updated: 3 years ago
On the "Quem Somos"(About Us) page, the applicant describes the nature of its business, indicates its revenue sources, underscores its participation in Facebook's independent fact-checkers program, and declares the total amount of revenue last year. Ao Fatos does not detail the revenue of each of the sources.
done_all 4.2 marked as Compliant by Sergio Lüdtke.
Criteria 4.3
Proof you meet criteria
Please share a link to where on your website you set out your organizational structure, making clear how and by whom editorial control is exercised.
Aos Fatos
27-Jul-2021 (3 years ago)
Our staff: https://aosfatos.org/nossa-equipe/
Our editorial control as a method: https://aosfatos.org/nosso-m%C3%A9todo/
Sergio Lüdtke Assessor
07-Aug-2021 (3 years ago) Updated: 3 years ago
Aos Fatos presents its organizational structure and work process in two pages. The information on these two pages clarifies how decisions are made and how control is exercised in the organization.
done_all 4.3 marked as Compliant by Sergio Lüdtke.
Criteria 4.4
Proof you meet criteria
Please share a link to where on your website you set out the professional biographies of those who play a significant part in your organization’s editorial output.
Aos Fatos
27-Jul-2021 (3 years ago)
Our staff: https://aosfatos.org/nossa-equipe/
Sergio Lüdtke Assessor
07-Aug-2021 (3 years ago) Updated: 3 years ago
Aos Fatos lists its team members on the "Nossa Equipe" (our staff) page on its website. In this list, there is also the bio of each one of the collaborators.
done_all 4.4 marked as Compliant by Sergio Lüdtke.
Criteria 4.5
Proof you meet criteria
Please share a link to where on your website you encourage users to communicate with your editorial team.
Aos Fatos
27-Jul-2021 (3 years ago)
There are different instances:
1. WhatsApp and Messenger: https://www.aosfatos.org/fatima/
2. Homepage: https://www.aosfatos.org/
Sergio Lüdtke Assessor
07-Aug-2021 (3 years ago) Updated: 3 years ago
There are several contact points on the Ao Fatos website homepage for readers to contact the organization. The main one is the link that leads to a page dedicated to serving readers through WhatsApp (Fátima, the checking robot of Aos Fatos).
These links are absent when readers are accessing the fact-checking report pages. As many readers directly access these reports from links posted on the web, it would be recommended that the organization promote the contact points on its internal pages.
done_all 4.5 marked as Compliant by Sergio Lüdtke.
Section 5: A commitment to Standards and Transparency of Methodology
To be compliant on methodology, applicants must meet these six criteria
- 5.1 The applicant publishes on its website a statement about the methodology it uses to select, research, write and publish its fact checks.
- 5.2 The applicant selects claims to check based primarily on the reach and importance of the claims, and where possible explains the reason for choosing the claim to check.
- 5.3 The applicant sets out in its fact checks relevant evidence that appears to support the claim as well as relevant evidence that appears to undermine it.
- 5.4 The applicant in its fact checks assesses the merits of the evidence found using the same high standards applied to evidence on equivalent claims, regardless of who made the claim.
- 5.5 The applicant seeks where possible to contact those who made the claim to seek supporting evidence, noting that (I) this is often not possible with online claims, (II) if the person who makes the claim fails to reply in a timely way this should not impede the fact check, (III) if a speaker adds caveats to the claim, the fact-checker should be free to continue with checking the original claim, (IV) fact-checkers may not wish to contact the person who made the claim for safety or other legitimate reasons.
- 5.6 The applicant encourages users to send in claims to check, while making it clear what readers can legitimately expect will be fact-checked and what isn’t fact-checkable.
Criteria 5.1
Proof you meet criteria
Please provide a link to the statement on your website that explains the methodology you use to select, research, write and publish your fact checks.
Aos Fatos
27-Jul-2021 (3 years ago)
Sergio Lüdtke Assessor
07-Aug-2021 (3 years ago) Updated: 3 years ago
On the page "Nosso Método" (our methodology), the applicant describes the methodology used by the organization. On that page, Aos Fatos shows how it selects the contents it investigates, describes the step-by-step verification work and the tags used to reinforce the conclusions of its checks.
done_all 5.1 marked as Compliant by Sergio Lüdtke.
Criteria 5.2
Proof you meet criteria
The assessor will review the methodology used in a randomised sample of your fact checks to assess compliance with these criteria. No additional evidence is required.
Sergio Lüdtke Assessor
07-Aug-2021 (3 years ago) Updated: 3 years ago
The fact-checks published on the Ao Fatos website are consistent with the methodology. There were no cases of fact-checking reports that did not comply with the method.
done_all 5.2 marked as Compliant by Sergio Lüdtke.
Criteria 5.3
Proof you meet criteria
The assessor will review the methodology used in a randomised sample of your fact checks to assess compliance with these criteria. No additional evidence is required.
Sergio Lüdtke Assessor
07-Aug-2021 (3 years ago) Updated: 3 years ago
All the fact-checking reports examined on the Ao Fatos website proved to be very convincing. These reports are supported by facts and information that leave no doubt in their conclusions.
done_all 5.3 marked as Compliant by Sergio Lüdtke.
Criteria 5.4
Proof you meet criteria
The assessor will review the methodology used in a randomised sample of your fact checks to assess compliance with these criteria. No additional evidence is required.
Sergio Lüdtke Assessor
07-Aug-2021 (3 years ago) Updated: 3 years ago
No relevant differences were found in the approaches, the merits of the evidence, or any difference in treatment that could establish false equivalences or different weights to the evidence in the actors' claims, even from those who are in opposite fields.
done_all 5.4 marked as Compliant by Sergio Lüdtke.
Criteria 5.5
Proof you meet criteria
The assessor will review the methodology used in a randomised sample of your fact checks to assess compliance with these criteria. No additional evidence is required.
Sergio Lüdtke Assessor
07-Aug-2021 (3 years ago) Updated: 3 years ago
Ao Fatos seeks for the claims authors when they are politicians and public figures. The version of these actors appears in the verification reports identified by the title "Outro Lado" (another side). Even when no feedback is received, the applicant informs that it tried to obtain a pronouncement.
In the case of online claims, there are no records of these versions in the analyzed verifications nor an unsuccessful attempt to contact the sources of these contents.
done_all 5.5 marked as Compliant by Sergio Lüdtke.
Criteria 5.6
Proof you meet criteria
Please describe how you encourage users to send in claims to check, while making it clear what readers can legitimately expect will be fact-checked and what isn’t fact-checkable. Include links where appropriate. If you do not allow this, explain why.
Aos Fatos
27-Jul-2021 (3 years ago)
Aos Fatos' WhatsApp is one of our most strategical communication engines, with over 10,000 subscribers. It has a link in the homepage (https://api.whatsapp.com/send?phone=5521999565882). Aos Fatos receives some 200 messages daily with fact-checking suggestions, compliments and complaints. There are two journalists in our team that are focused in answering those messages and improving our readers' experience. Either way, an automatic message is sent to our readers proving that we received their suggestion and we'll keep them posted if their suggestion is fact-checked.
Also, Aos Fatos has the WhatsApp chatbot Fátima (https://www.aosfatos.org/fatima/), always disclosed in our social media profiles and WhatsApp transmission lists. It provides on-demand fact-checks based on linguistic patterns.
Sergio Lüdtke Assessor
07-Aug-2021 (3 years ago) Updated: 3 years ago
Ao Fatos encourages the submission of verification suggestions in a prominent space on the website's home page. This link takes the user to a page that describes how to connect to the applicant using versions of Fátima, a robot that provides automated service to users by WhatsApp, Twitter, and Messenger. The access test carried out using Fátima showed that the answers were consistent with the questions. Still, no information clarifies what is not verified by Ao Fatos in a request to check the content that has not been reviewed or is outside the agency's scope.
done_all 5.6 marked as Compliant by Sergio Lüdtke.
Section 6: A commitment to an Open & Honest Corrections Policy
To be compliant on corrections policy, applicants must meet these five criteria
- 6.1 The applicant has a corrections or complaints policy that is easily visible and accessible on the organization’s website or frequently referenced in broadcasts.
- 6.2 The policy sets out clear definitions of what it does and does not cover, how major mistakes, especially those requiring revised conclusions of a fact check, are handled, and the fact that some complaints may justify no response. This policy is adhered to scrupulously.
- 6.3 Where credible evidence is provided that the applicant has made a mistake worthy of correction, the applicant makes a correction openly and transparently, seeking as far as possible to ensure that users of the original see the correction and the corrected version.
- 6.4 The applicant, if an existing signatory, should either on its corrections/complaints page or on the page where it declares itself an IFCN signatory inform users that if they believe the signatory is violating the IFCN Code, they may inform the IFCN, with a link to the IFCN site.
- 6.5 If the applicant is the fact-checking unit of a media company, it is a requirement of signatory status that the parent media company has and adheres to an open and honest corrections policy.
Criteria 6.1
Proof you meet criteria
Please provide a link to where you publish on your website your corrections or complaints policy. If you are primarily a broadcaster, please provide evidence you frequently reference your corrections policy in broadcasts.
Aos Fatos
27-Jul-2021 (3 years ago)
Sergio Lüdtke Assessor
07-Aug-2021 (3 years ago) Updated: 3 years ago
Ao Fatos detailed its error correction policy on a specific page. On this page, there is information on what channels and how to alert for errors. The applicant also informs its commitment to the IFCN standards and a link to denounce Aos Fatos if the users feel that the organization does not follow these commitments.
The link to the error correction policy page is at the bottom of every page on the website.
done_all 6.1 marked as Compliant by Sergio Lüdtke.
Criteria 6.2
Proof you meet criteria
The assessor will review the corrections policy to verify it meets critera. No additional information needed.
Sergio Lüdtke Assessor
07-Aug-2021 (3 years ago) Updated: 3 years ago
Ao Fatos' correction policy is quite clear and informs how errors are handled and corrected by the organization.
done_all 6.2 marked as Compliant by Sergio Lüdtke.
Criteria 6.3
Proof you meet criteria
Please provide a short statement about how the policy was adhered to over the previous year (or six months if this is the first application) including evidence of two examples of the responses provided by the applicant to a correction request over the previous year. Where no correction request has been made in the previous year, you must state this in your application, which will be publicly available in the assessment if your application is successful.
Aos Fatos
27-Jul-2021 (3 years ago)
Our correction policy is here, with details on how to proceed in case of mistakes made by our team: https://aosfatos.org/politica-de-erros/
During a live coverage, we classified as false a true statement made by Bolsonaro. We referenced it after readers (and haters) pointed our mistake: https://www.aosfatos.org/noticias/em-pronunciamento-bolsonaro-infla-acoes-do-governo-durante-pandemia/. President Bolsonaro also attacked us on social media due to this correction: https://twitter.com/jairbolsonaro/status/1401996788207439874
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Sergio Lüdtke Assessor
07-Aug-2021 (3 years ago) Updated: 3 years ago
Aos Fatos presented an example of the correction of an error made in checking a statement by President Jair Bolsonaro. The error was informed in the report itself, in accordance with the correction policy, and also in the applicant's social media accounts. Bolsonaro retweeted Ao Fatos' post with the admission of the error and the correct information.
done_all 6.3 marked as Compliant by Sergio Lüdtke.
Criteria 6.4
Proof you meet criteria
If you are an existing signatory, please provide a link to show where on your site you inform users that if they believe you are violating the IFCN Code, they may inform the IFCN of this, with a link to the complaints page on the IFCN site.
Aos Fatos
27-Jul-2021 (3 years ago)
Sergio Lüdtke Assessor
07-Aug-2021 (3 years ago) Updated: 3 years ago
The applicant declares its commitment to the IFCN standards on its correction policy page and provides a link to denounce Aos Fatos if the users feel that the organization does not follow these commitments.
done_all 6.4 marked as Compliant by Sergio Lüdtke.
Criteria 6.5
Proof you meet criteria
If you are the fact-checking unit of a media company, please provide a link to the parent media company’s honest and open corrections policy and provide evidence that it adheres to this.
Aos Fatos
27-Jul-2021 (3 years ago)
We are not.
Sergio Lüdtke Assessor
07-Aug-2021 (3 years ago) Updated: 3 years ago
Ao Fatos is an independent organization dedicated to fact-checking.