BOOM is a part of Ping Digital Network (http://www.pingnetwork.in), a private limited company registered in India. Ping is a full-fledged food to living digital video network. BOOM is the news division of the network and has been in existence since 2014 and as a full-fledged fact checking initiative since November 2016. 

The company is a wing of a registered private media company. This wing is set up for the purpose of fact-checking.

Since November 2016, BOOM (www.boomlive.in) has only focused on publishing stories that either fact check claims made by those in public life or busts fake news. Please refer to these two links - (https://www.boomlive.in/category/fake-news/) and (https://www.boomlive.in/category/factcheck/) for a list of stories published in the previous three months. 

An average of about ten stories a month, which makes it more than one a week. Therefore is quite regular.

For us, wherever there is a claim, we will fact check it. While we do regular editorial checks followed by any mainstream media newsroom on the importance and virality of the claim made by the claimant, there is no exclusion policy to keep anyone (political leader/political party) out of our fact checking radar. The same process is followed for every fact check and even if the claim, however outrageous, is found to be true based on the evidence, we are only happy to publish it.

1) https://www.boomlive.in/was-a-terrorist-nabbed-at-dwarka-flyover-delhi-police-says-no/

2) https://www.boomlive.in/video-showing-minor-girls-abduction-is-true-but-the-context-is-false/

3) https://www.boomlive.in/modi-vs-gandhi-twitter-analytics-reveal-fake-followers-plague-both-handles/

4) https://www.boomlive.in/beware-emirates-airasia-are-not-offering-any-free-tickets/

5) https://www.boomlive.in/the-truth-behind-this-gruesome-photo-shared-by-hindus-muslims-and-christians-a-factcheck/

6) https://www.boomlive.in/upa-government-invited-taliban-leader-in-2013-claims-times-now-a-factcheck/

7) https://www.boomlive.in/gory-mexican-cartel-video-shared-as-rss-men-rip-out-muslim-mans-heart/

8) https://www.boomlive.in/viral-message-claiming-combiflam-can-kill-you-are-misleading-false/

9) https://www.boomlive.in/gujarat-polls-did-pm-modi-meet-muslim-religious-leaders-to-appease-voters/

10) https://www.boomlive.in/factchecking-predictions-of-an-earthquake-before-december-31-2017/

The website does cover a variety of subjects and speakers.

Objective and fair journalism is BOOM’s goal. So while BOOM recognises that every team member will have their own political views, there is a clear and mandatory requirement to be objective and independent while writing a fact check story. Personal biases are weeded out of every story through a clearly laid down process (Please see methodology in About us section) that only looks at the hard facts available. Every fact check is a team play with several eyes looking at the same story to avoid the risk of any individual point of view finding its place in the story. Team members are not allowed to affiliate with any political party or advocacy organisation to avoid any potential conflict of interest. The work done over the last one year stand testimony to the fact that there were no stories published due to partisan interests.

While employment contracts do not demand any disclosure of any affiliations, in its application, the signatory has explained that several eyes look at a story to ensure objectivity. It also explains that team members are not allowed to affiliate with any political party or advocacy organisation.

We rely on multiple sources to write our fact checks and bust fake news. They range from web versions of newspaper articles, Youtube links of news shows, tweets, Facebook pages to government documents on the web. Every source we refer to is hyperlinked or attributed in the story. In some cases, we also refer to them at the bottom of the story. Since tweets, Facebook posts and Youtube links are embedded in the story, there is clarity in the minds of the readers on the references we have used to write the story.

We also speak to police chiefs, government officials, company spokespersons and politicians wherever the fact check process demands it. In case of not being able to reach them, we usually mention it upfront in the story.

In the Methodology section of About Us, more details have been provided in point no. 2, 3 & 4. 

Most key sources are linked, as are the infographics and other evidence it provides.

BOOM is part of Ping Digital Network, a private limited company in India. The website is funded by Ping and its investors. Ping’s unique identification number is U74900MH2012PTC232599, assigned by Registrar of Companies (ROC) under Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA), Govt. of India.

Each source of funding is not listed, but the website makes it clear that it is the news division of a private digital network.

For details on all authors and key actors, please refer to https://www.boomlive.in/about-us/

Listed and profiled. 

https://www.boomlive.in/about-us/

Contact details are clearly listed with a helpline, email address and social media details.

https://www.boomlive.in/about-us/

Clearly explained methodology

We run a helpline on WhatsApp and a number has been provided in the ‘About Us’ section of the website. We also regularly publicise the existence of such a helpline on Twitter and Facebook and invite images, videos and claims for us to verify and publish fact check stories. Please see this link https://www.boomlive.in/about-us/

Invites readers to email claims to fact-check.

Please refer to point no. 7 in our About Us section https://www.boomlive.in/about-us/

The corrections policy is clearly listed.

1) https://www.boomlive.in/is-kerala-the-progressive-utopia-we-think-it-is-a-data-factcheck/

2) https://www.boomlive.in/did-edelmans-trust-report-call-indian-media-least-trustful-a-factcheck/

3) https://www.boomlive.in/rbi-introduces-fluorescent-blue-new-50-rupee-note/

The corrections policy examples have been provided.