Organization: Fact-checking de Lavoce.info
Applicant: Mariasole Lisciandro
Assessor: Paolo Attivissimo
Edits made by the organization after this assessment
IFCN Staff wrote:
1) More details about property have been added in these pages: chi siamo, la redazione.
2) More details about costs have been added here: chi siamo, sostieni lavoce, scopri come spendiamo i vostri soldi.
3) We made a new form, that has been linked in all recent fact-checkings and in our policy.
4) We provided further details on how we correct our fact-checkings in our policy.
From the assessor:
With the additions and amendments listed above, La Voce is now fully compliant with the criteria and the recommendations.
Conclusion and recommendations
Paolo Attivissimo wrote:
Recommendation: accept with minor edits
4a) Spending is not described publicly in detail as required and there is no public statement of ownership.
5b) There is no easily identifiable way for readers to discover the Google Docs submission form.
6) The public corrections policy should be expanded from its current single-sentence terseness.
Paolo Attivissimo recommended Accept with edits
Section 1: Organization
Criterion 1a
Proof of registration
Evidence required: Please provide evidence that the signatory is a legally-registered organization set up exclusively for the purpose of fact-checking or the distinct fact-checking project of a recognized media house or research institution.
Fact-checking de Lavoce.info
21-Feb-2018 (6 years ago) Updated: 6 years ago
Paolo Attivissimo Assessor
19-Feb-2018 (6 years ago) Updated: 6 years ago
La Voce is registered as a not-for-profit association (associazione senza scopo di lucro) that has the goal of “contributing to the improvement of information, especially in economic matters in Italy” through the primary vehicle of the website www.lavoce.info. Evidence of legal registration is in the attached statement (visura) from the Chamber of Commerce of Milan (Italy). It is not set up exclusively for the purpose of fact-checking, but it does have a distinct fact-checking section (http://www.lavoce.info/archives/category/rubriche/fact-checking/).
done_all 1a marked as Fully compliant by Paolo Attivissimo.
Criterion 1b
Archive
Evidence required: Insert a link to the archive of fact checks published in the previous three months. If you do not collect all fact checks in one place, please explain how the fact-checking is conducted by your organization.
Fact-checking de Lavoce.info
19-Feb-2018 (6 years ago) Updated: 6 years ago
Paolo Attivissimo Assessor
19-Feb-2018 (6 years ago) Updated: 6 years ago
La Voce has published an average of at least one fact-check per week over the past three months (December 6, 2017 to March 6, 2018). Specifically, it has produced 15 over the past three months:
March 2: http://www.lavoce.info/archives/51516/grasso-e-levasione-fiscale/
March 1: http://www.lavoce.info/archives/51519/minniti-e-le-navi-ong/
Feb 23: http://www.lavoce.info/archives/51356/berlusconi-e-le-coperture/
Feb 23: http://www.lavoce.info/archives/51396/salvini-sa-conti-sulle-pensioni-degli-stranieri/
Feb 20: http://www.lavoce.info/archives/51330/reddito-inclusione-reddito-cittadinanza-la-differenza/
Feb 16: http://www.lavoce.info/archives/51201/partecipate-via-chiusura-numero-giusto/
Feb 16: http://www.lavoce.info/archives/51180/contratto-berlusconi-le-bufale/
Feb 9: http://www.lavoce.info/archives/51051/sanita-tagli-investimenti/
Feb 6: http://www.lavoce.info/archives/51010/berlusconi-la-moltiplicazione-irregolari-clandestini/
Jan 30: http://www.lavoce.info/archives/50870/maio-sceglie-dati-parlare-bonus-80-euro/
Jan 22: http://www.lavoce.info/archives/50695/numeri-salvini-sugli-immigrati-falsi/
Jan 17: http://www.lavoce.info/archives/50627/anche-grasso-contagiato-dai-no-vax/
Jan 12: http://www.lavoce.info/archives/50551/reddito-di-cittadinanza-se-al-pd-non-sanno-fare-i-conti/
Dec 21, 2017: http://www.lavoce.info/archives/50357/anche-la-flat-tax-puo-progressiva/
Dec 6, 2017: http://www.lavoce.info/archives/50053/monti-renzi-voluto-bail/
done_all 1b marked as Fully compliant by Paolo Attivissimo.
Section 2: Nonpartisanship and Fairness
Criterion 2a
Body of work sample
Evidence required: Please share links to ten fact checks that better represent the scope and consistency of your fact-checking. Provide a short explanation of how your organization strives to maintain coherent standards across fact checks.
Fact-checking de Lavoce.info
19-Feb-2018 (6 years ago) Updated: 6 years ago
http://www.lavoce.info/archives/51010/berlusconi-la-moltiplicazione-irregolari-clandestini/
http://www.lavoce.info/archives/50695/numeri-salvini-sugli-immigrati-falsi/
http://www.lavoce.info/archives/50627/anche-grasso-contagiato-dai-no-vax/
http://www.lavoce.info/archives/50053/monti-renzi-voluto-bail/
http://www.lavoce.info/archives/48734/pensione-piu-tardi-dei-tedeschi/
http://www.lavoce.info/archives/48229/fact-checking-piu-incendi-senza-forestali/
http://www.lavoce.info/archives/47754/davvero-ceta-pericoloso-dice-salvini/
http://www.lavoce.info/archives/47409/neanche-parlamentari-sanno-bene-cose-reddito-cittadinanza/
www.lavoce.info/archives/47004/renzi-buco-delletruria-poca-cosa/
http://www.lavoce.info/archives/50870/maio-sceglie-dati-parlare-bonus-80-euro/
Explanation: our process is standardized for all the fact-checkings, and is composed of four phases: 1) picking up of the statement, from tv shows, newspapers and social networks; 2) verifying data and facts, adding all the links available; 3) a peer review made by other fact-checkers; 4) a final peer review by our editorial staff of professors.
Paolo Attivissimo Assessor
19-Feb-2018 (6 years ago) Updated: 6 years ago
Signatory has provided the following fact-checks, which cover statements made by a broad range of political figures:
http://www.lavoce.info/archives/51010/berlusconi-la-moltiplicazione-irregolari-clandestini/
http://www.lavoce.info/archives/50695/numeri-salvini-sugli-immigrati-falsi/
http://www.lavoce.info/archives/50627/anche-grasso-contagiato-dai-no-vax/
http://www.lavoce.info/archives/50053/monti-renzi-voluto-bail/
http://www.lavoce.info/archives/48734/pensione-piu-tardi-dei-tedeschi/
http://www.lavoce.info/archives/48229/fact-checking-piu-incendi-senza-forestali/
http://www.lavoce.info/archives/47754/davvero-ceta-pericoloso-dice-salvini/
http://www.lavoce.info/archives/47409/neanche-parlamentari-sanno-bene-cose-reddito-cittadinanza/
www.lavoce.info/archives/47004/renzi-buco-delletruria-poca-cosa/
http://www.lavoce.info/archives/50870/maio-sceglie-dati-parlare-bonus-80-euro/
Signatory has explained how La Voce strives to maintain standards as follows:
Explanation: our process is standardized for all the fact-checkings, and is composed of four phases: 1) picking up of the statement, from tv shows, newspapers and social networks; 2) verifying data and facts, adding all the links available; 3) a peer review made by other fact-checkers; 4) a final peer review by our editorial staff of professors.
done_all 2a marked as Fully compliant by Paolo Attivissimo.
Criterion 2b
Nonpartisanship policy
Evidence required: Please share evidence of your policy preventing staff from direct involvement in political parties and advocacy organizations. Please also indicate the policy your organization has as a whole regarding advocacy and supporting political candidates.
Fact-checking de Lavoce.info
19-Feb-2018 (6 years ago) Updated: 6 years ago
http://www.lavoce.info/la-redazione/
The members indicated by the asterisk are involved in government institutions or political parties. They are still members of the editorial staff, but they can not write about issues regarding their role (or the conflict of interest is clearly indicated at the end of the article).
Paolo Attivissimo Assessor
19-Feb-2018 (6 years ago) Updated: 6 years ago
The members indicated by the asterisk [in the list at http://www.lavoce.info/la-redazione/ supplied by signatory] are involved in government institutions or political parties. They are still members of the editorial staff, but they can not write about issues regarding their role (or the conflict of interest is clearly indicated at the end of the article).
This statement was spot-checked and found to be correct.
done_all 2b marked as Fully compliant by Paolo Attivissimo.
Section 3: Transparency of Sources
Criterion 3a
Sources Policy
Please share a brief and public explanation (500 words max) of how sources are provided in enough detail that readers could replicate the fact check. If you have a public policy on how you find and use sources for your fact-checking, it should be shared here.
Fact-checking de Lavoce.info
19-Feb-2018 (6 years ago) Updated: 6 years ago
As written, we use just public sources available by direct links, in order to let the readers check our verifying process. It happened that we corrected a fact-checking after a warning of a reader. Here it's the policy: www.lavoce.info/fact-checking-de-lavoce/.
Paolo Attivissimo Assessor
19-Feb-2018 (6 years ago) Updated: 6 years ago
As written, we use just public sources available by direct links, in order to let the readers check our verifying process. It happened that we corrected a fact-checking after a warning of a reader. Here it's the policy: www.lavoce.info/fact-checking-de-lavoce/.
The link provided in the above statement does indeed present a description of the fact-checking process used by La Voce and can be considered a policy on sources. The description also references the IFCN code of principles. Fact-checks provide an abundance of direct links to sources and verbatim quotes of the claims being checked.
done_all 3a marked as Fully compliant by Paolo Attivissimo.
Section 4: Transparency of Funding & Organization
Criterion 4a
Funding Sources
Evidence required: Please link to the section where you publicly list your sources of funding (including, if they exist, any rules around which types of funding you do or don't accept), or a statement on ownership if you are the branch of an established media organization or research institution.
Fact-checking de Lavoce.info
19-Feb-2018 (6 years ago) Updated: 6 years ago
Paolo Attivissimo Assessor
19-Feb-2018 (6 years ago) Updated: 6 years ago
Sources of funding are listed publicly at www.lavoce.info/chi-ci-finanzia/.
There is a partial overview of spending, with a limited amount of detail, on the same page; further detail is provided at http://www.lavoce.info/sostieni-la-voce/come-spendiamo-i-vostri-soldi/, although not as strict accounting but more as a general description.
The form in which the organization is registered (associazione, i.e., association) is stated at www.lavoce.info/chi-ci-finanzia/.
There is no public statement of ownership, which is instead recommended by the criteria for fact-checking sections of media houses.
done 4a marked as Partially compliant by Paolo Attivissimo.
Criterion 4b
Staff
Evidence required: Please link to the section detailing all authors and key actors behind your fact-checking project with their biographies. You can also list the name and bios of the members of the editorial board, pool of experts, advisory board, etc. if your organization has those.
Fact-checking de Lavoce.info
19-Feb-2018 (6 years ago) Updated: 6 years ago
The fact-checking team is listed here: http://www.lavoce.info/fact-checking-de-lavoce/. The biographies are available at the end of each fact-checkings.
Paolo Attivissimo Assessor
19-Feb-2018 (6 years ago) Updated: 6 years ago
Authors and key actors are listed clearly at http://www.lavoce.info/la-redazione/il-comitato-di-redazione/ and http://www.lavoce.info/la-redazione, together with their biographies.
done_all 4b marked as Fully compliant by Paolo Attivissimo.
Criterion 4c
Contact
Evidence required: Please link to the section where readers can get in touch with the organization.
Fact-checking de Lavoce.info
19-Feb-2018 (6 years ago) Updated: 6 years ago
The readers can contact the organization by an email address shown in the homepage.
Paolo Attivissimo Assessor
19-Feb-2018 (6 years ago) Updated: 6 years ago
The public can easily reach La Voce via an e-mail address displayed on the home page (info@lavoce.info).
done_all 4c marked as Fully compliant by Paolo Attivissimo.
Section 5: Transparency of Methodology
Criterion 5a
Detailed Methodology
Evidence required: Please link to a section or article detailing the steps you follow for your fact-checking work.
Fact-checking de Lavoce.info
19-Feb-2018 (6 years ago) Updated: 6 years ago
Paolo Attivissimo Assessor
19-Feb-2018 (6 years ago) Updated: 6 years ago
Methodology, topic selection criteria and motivations are described adequately at http://www.lavoce.info/fact-checking-de-lavoce/.
done_all 5a marked as Fully compliant by Paolo Attivissimo.
Criterion 5b
Claim submissions
Evidence required: Please link to the page or process through which readers can submit claims to fact-check. If you do not allow this, please briefly explain why.
Fact-checking de Lavoce.info
19-Feb-2018 (6 years ago) Updated: 6 years ago
Paolo Attivissimo Assessor
19-Feb-2018 (6 years ago) Updated: 6 years ago
Signatory notes that readers can submit a claim for fact-checking via a Google Docs form (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScnarfSd1sc5uDH8CMdog6-zPB3IciSb_vOGO4Pat3XR8Y6hw/viewform?usp=sf_link). However, there is no easily identifiable link to this form on the home page or in the fact-checking section of the site. A reader would probably find it difficult to locate this submission form.
An e-mail address for generic contact (info@lavoce.info) is provided on the home page and might be assumed by readers to be a way to submit claims for fact-checking.
Moreover, fact-checking articles include a space for comments which could be used to submit claims.
The Google Docs form describes concisely the kind of claims that La Voce is available to fact-check.
done 5b marked as Partially compliant by Paolo Attivissimo.
Section 6: Open & Honest Corrections Policy
Criterion 6a
Corrections policy
Evidence required: Please link to the page with your policy to address corrections. If it is not public, please share your organization's handbook.
Fact-checking de Lavoce.info
19-Feb-2018 (6 years ago) Updated: 6 years ago
Paolo Attivissimo Assessor
19-Feb-2018 (6 years ago) Updated: 6 years ago
A rather terse corrections policy is stated at http://www.lavoce.info/fact-checking-de-lavoce/ and consists of a single sentence which can be translated as “In case of errors, articles are corrected in a conspicuous manner”.
Signatory provided two examples of implemented corrections (http://www.lavoce.info/archives/48734/pensione-piu-tardi-dei-tedeschi/ and http://www.lavoce.info/archives/46504/fact-checking-alitalia/). Both clearly indicated that a correction had been made. The corrections were clearly stated, presented as a footnote and dated. In both cases, the original text of the fact-check appeared to be unchanged but a callout (in the form of an asterisk) was added to the incorrect part of the text.
done 6a marked as Partially compliant by Paolo Attivissimo.
Criterion 6b
Examples of corrections
Evidence required: Please provide two examples of a correction made, or correction requests handled, in the past year.
Fact-checking de Lavoce.info
19-Feb-2018 (6 years ago) Updated: 6 years ago
Paolo Attivissimo Assessor
19-Feb-2018 (6 years ago) Updated: 6 years ago
The evidece fully complies with IFCN standards