Organization: Facta
Applicant: TFCF SRL (VAT 02595010352)
Assessor: Clara Attene
Background
Assessment Conclusion
According to my assessment, Facta is fully compliant to the IFCN's principles and it is a trustable source about news fact-checking and debunking.
Clara Attene assesses application as Compliant
A short summary in native publishing language
Facta è un progetto di fact-checking e debunking di The Fact-Checking Factory Srl - TFCF Srl (in precedenza Pagella Politica Srls): come il progetto gemello "Pagella Politica", già firmatario del Codice dei Principi dell'International Fact-Checking Network, Facta è un punto di riferimento per quanto riguarda la verifica e il debunking di contenuti nel panorama dei media italiani.
In base alla verifica fatta, Facta è pienamente conforme ai principi del Codice.
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.
Facta
23-Oct-2020 (4 years ago) Updated: 3 years ago
Facta is one of the two projects of the parent company The Fact-Checking Factory Srl - TFCF Srl (previously Pagella Politica Srls), the other one being Pagella Politica: financial and administrative structure of the two fact-checking projects are the same. An independent, for profit company, TFCF Srl has launched Facta in April 2020 as a project entirely devoted to debunking (non political fact-checking). Facta and Pagella Politica have separate websites and newsrooms, but share the same ownership and Director. The above information about the legal status of Facta is clearly set out in the Who we are (“Chi siamo”) section of Facta’s website, here: https://facta.news/chi-siamo/
Clara Attene Assessor
04-Jan-2021 (3 years ago) Updated: 3 years ago
The legal status of Facta is clearly stated in the section "Chi siamo" ("Who we are"). It is also easy for the audience to find that section following the link as it is the first you can see in the header menu on the top of the home page.
Facta is managed by a dedicated team of "The Fact-Checking Factory Srl - TFCF Srl (previously Pagella Politica Srls)", which is a limited liability company that runs also "Pagella Poltica", which already among IFCN's signatories.
done_all 1.1 marked as Compliant by Clara Attene.
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?
Facta
23-Oct-2020 (4 years ago)
Facta is a project conceived, realized and owned by the Fact-Checking Factory Srl - TFCF Srl (previously Pagella Politica Srls), a registered limited liability company (società a responsabilità limitata) born at the end of 2013 with the aim of monitoring the declarations of the main Italian politicians, in order to assess their veracity through numbers and facts. However, disinformation is not only political, and in April 2020 TFCF launched Facta with the aim of broadening its field of investigation to all forms of disinformation, whatever their topic. Therefore, at present, TFCF is the parent company of two parallel projects: Pagella Politica (https://pagellapolitica.it/) which is mainly focused on political fact-checking and Facta (https://facta.news/) which is mainly focused on debunking. Facta’s website has been online since 25 March 2020. Its team is currently composed by 5 in-house staff, namely: Giovanni Zagni (Director), Camilla Vagnozzi (Head of fact-checking), Andrea Zitelli, Simone Fontana (Fact-checker), Caterina Barbuscia (Social media manager). Since its start of activities, Facta has partnership agreements with the social network Facebook and the messaging app Whatsapp. At present, Facta mainly focuses on producing short debunking articles based on suspicious news signaled by the audience, for a daily average of 10 published articles. While it is crucial to keep offering audiences concise pieces of verified information at such a fast pace, it would also be key to provide them with more in depth investigations on a number of selected disinformation stories. For this reason, our goal for the coming year is to focus on carrying out more in depth fact-checking investigations on selected disinformation tracks, while still publishing our short debunking articles based on suspicious news reported by the audience.
Clara Attene Assessor
04-Jan-2021 (3 years ago) Updated: 3 years ago
Facta is a project run by Fact-Checking Factory Srl - TFCF Srl (previously Pagella Politica Srls), online since 25 March 2020 and officially launched on 2 April 2020, to debunk news.
At present, six people are working as a team for Facta: all those named by the applicant plus Massimo Sandal (Fact-checker, Facebook Health Fellowship).
The answers provided by Facta's team related to the team, the roles and the goals are satisfactory.
Italy, where Facta is based, is a democratic country that allows Facta to work in a independent and safe way. As other Western countries, Italy too has been targeted by different disinformation campaigns during the last years referred to different topics, not only politics. As the same, it has become common to get via social networks, messaging apps and similar tools fake-news on different topics (such as coronavirus, to give one of the most common issues in 2020).
done_all 1.2 marked as Compliant by Clara Attene.
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.
Facta
23-Oct-2020 (4 years ago)
Facta has been online since 25 March 2020. We currently publish an average of 25 debunking articles per week to which are added in depth-analyses and fact-checking articles related with wider issues. From March 25th to October 8th, we published 715 fact-checking articles and 617 (86,3%) focused on claims related to “public interest” issues as the IFCN definies it. The majority of Facta’s fact-checking articles are related to Covid-19 pandemic disinformation followed by political or social issues. Those topics cover a key role on the welfare of individuals and common citizens.
The articles published in the last 6 months are in the spreadsheet attached. For each article we specified: publication date, link, topic, category and public interest (yes/no).
Clara Attene Assessor
04-Jan-2021 (3 years ago) Updated: 3 years ago
As the spreadsheet shows Facta is compliant with the requirement to publish at least one fact check a week during the six months prior to the date of application.
done_all 1.3 marked as Compliant by Clara Attene.
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.
Facta
23-Oct-2020 (4 years ago) Updated: 3 years ago
Clara Attene Assessor
04-Jan-2021 (3 years ago) Updated: 3 years ago
The articles presented by Facta are in line with IFCN's rules.
As I can confirm after verifyng a sample of 30 randomly chosen, more than 75% of them are about "public interest" issues as required by the IFCN.
done_all 1.4 marked as Compliant by Clara Attene.
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.
Facta
23-Oct-2020 (4 years ago) Updated: 3 years ago
Facta is one of the two projects of the parent company The Fact-Checking Factory Srl - TFCF Srl (previously Pagella Politica Srls), the other one being Pagella Politica: financial and administrative structure of the two fact-checking projects are the same. The company TFCF receives no funding from state, politicians or political parties in any country. TFCF is part of some of the main European projects in the field of disinformation, that until now have been operated solely under the label Pagella Politica. Those projects are: SOMA (Social Observatory for Disinformation and Social Media Analysis, part of the Horizon 2020 program), EDMO (European Digital Media Observatory, part of the Connecting Europe Facility program), and Spotted (School policies to detect and tackle fake news, part of the Erasmus+ program), all financed by the European Commission. Pagella Politica’s involvement in these projects is explicitly mentioned here https://pagellapolitica.it/static/progetti, where we also explicitly state that Pagella Politica’s involvement in these projects has no impact on its editorial independence.
Clara Attene Assessor
04-Jan-2021 (3 years ago) Updated: 3 years ago
Facta is a branch of The Fact-Checking Factory Srl - TFCF Srl (previously Pagella Politica Srls): the parent company is independent from state, politicians and political parties in Italy.
At present the company has had some funds via European projects about disinformation, which have been realised only by the other project's company "Pagella Politica".
done_all 1.5 marked as Compliant by Clara Attene.
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.
Facta
23-Oct-2020 (4 years ago) Updated: 3 years ago
At the top of the webpage where we detail Pagella Politica’s participation into projects financed by the European Commission (https://pagellapolitica.it/static/progetti), we clearly state that such participation does not impact our editorial independence.
Facta
02-Feb-2021 (3 years ago)
At the top of the webpage where we detail Pagella Politica’s participation into projects financed by the European Commission (https://pagellapolitica.it/static/progetti), we clearly state that such participation does not impact our editorial independence.
Clara Attene Assessor
04-Jan-2021 (3 years ago) Updated: 3 years ago
Although this statement makes clear that the projects financed by EU don't affect "Pagella Politica" editorial independence, it would be better to specify as above that those funds don't apply until this moment to "Facta" works.
cancel 1.6 marked as Request change by Clara Attene.
Clara Attene Assessor
03-Feb-2021 (3 years ago) Updated: 3 years ago
Although this statement makes clear that the projects financed by EU don't affect "Pagella Politica" editorial independence, it would be better to specify as above that those funds don't apply until this moment to "Facta" works.
As part of the reassessment process, together with the update of the website, Facta clearly states at this link https://facta.news/progetti-e-finanziamenti/ that any of its sources of funding affect its editorial independence.
done_all 1.6 marked as Compliant by Clara Attene.
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.
Facta
23-Oct-2020 (4 years ago) Updated: 4 years ago
1.https://facta.news/notizia-vera/2020/07/10/il-video-delluomo-ucciso-dopo-aver-preso-unanziana-in-ostaggio-e-reale-ed-e-stato-girato-in-brasile/ - accurate news regarding Brasil
2.https://facta.news/notizia-falsa/2020/06/29/no-questo-video-non-smentisce-lesistenza-di-una-nuova-ondata-di-covid-in-brasile/ - false news regarding Brasil
3.https://facta.news/notizia-vera/2020/07/07/si-il-sindaco-di-reggio-calabria-ha-firmato-unordinanza-per-sospendere-linstallazione-delle-antenne-5g/ - accurate news regarding 5G
4.https://facta.news/notizia-falsa/2020/05/12/non-e-vero-che-secondo-il-parlamento-ue-il-5g-accelera-la-pandemia-di-covid-19/ - false news regarding 5G
5.https://facta.news/storie/2020/06/17/che-cosa-e-successo-tra-youtube-e-radio-radio/ - story aimed at neutrally presenting the positions of both sides in the dispute between Youtube and Radioradio (an italian radio).
6.https://facta.news/notizia-vera/2020/07/17/le-lampade-a-raggi-uv-sono-in-grado-di-sterilizzare-il-coronavirus-sulle-superfici-ma-la-ricerca-e-ancora-una-bozza/ - accurate news regarding Covid-19
7.https://facta.news/notizia-falsa/2020/07/06/no-il-vaccino-di-gates-per-la-covid19-non-modifica-il-dna/ - false news regarding Covid-19
8. https://facta.news/fuori-contesto/2020/04/23/la-storia-degli-immigrati-senza-regole-nel-bergamasco-viene-da-una-lettera-su-libero-e-le-foto-dei-migranti-sono-decontestualizzate/ - misleading news on the topic of immigration
9.https://facta.news/notizia-falsa/2020/04/10/a-occupare-la-casa-della-coppia-di-anziani-morti-per-coronavirus-non-sono-stati-degli-immigrati-ma-un-uomo-italiano-e-la-sua-compagna-marocchina/ - false news on the topic of immigration
10.https://facta.news/notizia-vecchia/2020/07/15/i-migranti-che-gettano-a-terra-del-cibo-e-la-risposta-di-luca-zaia-sono-eventi-avvenuti-nel-2015/ - old news on the topic of immigration
The 10 fact-checks listed above concern four main topics which have been viral in Italy in the period prior to this application, namely, Brasil (different news coming from that country), 5G, Covid-19 and immigration. For each topic, we have selected news to which we have assigned a different verdict (accurate, false, misleading) in order to highlight that we only assign verdicts based on facts.
Our fact-checks focus on viral hoaxes and generically non-political disinformation. We collect the content that we check mainly from users and we deal with them in a consistently equivalent manner, meaning that the same verification process is carried out for every information that we check.
The logical procedure that we follow to perform the fact-checks starts from an analysis of the piece of content and its stated context (where it was originally published and by whom); verification of its veracity (for example: is the quote real? does the photo portray what the caption says? etc.) and a consequent drawing of conclusions. Our “verdicts” regarding the veracity of the analyzed content are based on the results of our verifications.
We point out all the factual evidence that we can find that demonstrates why that specific piece of content is false, manipulated or misleading. For example, when dealing with images and videos, we check for the original version and provide it through a link to the reader, in order to show when it was manipulated or published out of context (e.g. with a misleading caption).
Generally, we provide a link to all the information that we utilize in making our assessment, so that the evidence is provided to the users and they can evaluate by themselves the soundness of our process.
Clara Attene Assessor
04-Jan-2021 (3 years ago) Updated: 3 years ago
After checking the articles submitted by Facta plus other 10 selected accordingly to the IFCN rules I find that Facta's team work in a way that is respecful of the high standards of evidence and judgement for equivalent claims regardless of who made the claim prescribed by IFCN's principles.
done_all 2.1 marked as Compliant by Clara Attene.
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.
Facta
23-Oct-2020 (4 years ago) Updated: 4 years ago
The pieces of content that we check are mainly collected from our audience, through direct messages (social media accounts, email, WhatsApp) and a specific page on our website (https://facta.news/segnalazioni/). The WhatsApp number is publicized through our social media accounts and is easily accessible through a button on our website.
Being a project focused on online disinformation, with no political focus, there is no danger of excessive coverage of any “side”.
Reach and importance – interpreted as the diffusion of the material – is taken into account from the editorial managers when deciding which content is to be checked first.
Clara Attene Assessor
04-Jan-2021 (3 years ago) Updated: 3 years ago
As we can observe, Facta does not unduly concentrate its fact-checking on any one side.
The most part of the pieces come from signalations by audience, as stated inside the articles.
In the webpage "Chi siamo" (https://facta.news/chi-siamo/), it is also possible to read how they pick, select and treat the claims to analyse:
"We monitor daily the contents circulating via WhatsApp, on traditional media and on social networks by examining what our readers report to us and what is published by the main Italian newspapers - both print and online, nationally and locally - together with the content provided by the news agencies.
We pay particular attention to Facebook pages or Twitter and Instagram accounts that have already conveyed disinformation in the past.
Through a WhatsApp API service, a dedicated e-mail signalazioni@facta.news, Facta profiles on social networks and a page with a dedicated box on our site we receive daily news, images, videos, voice messages from our readers, content posted on social media that could potentially prove to be false and harmful.
We only choose to analyze content that is based on verifiable facts or numbers.
When verifying the data as true or false, we always cite - using numerous links - the sources on which we base our assessments, so that we can easily be refuted if we have misinterpreted the data available."
done_all 2.2 marked as Compliant by Clara Attene.
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.
Clara Attene Assessor
04-Jan-2021 (3 years ago) Updated: 3 years ago
According to the evidences found reviewning the selected claims, Facta discloses in its fact-checking if there are relevant interests of the quoted sources as well as any commercial or other relationships it has.
done_all 2.3 marked as Compliant by Clara Attene.
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.
Clara Attene Assessor
04-Jan-2021 (3 years ago) Updated: 3 years ago
As we have observed, Facta is not affiliated or has shown support for any political party, politician or candidate as well as any advocacy group.
done_all 2.4 marked as Compliant by Clara Attene.
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.
Facta
23-Oct-2020 (4 years ago) Updated: 3 years ago
A public non-partisanship statement of the editorial staff is provided here: https://facta.news/chi-siamo/. Our internal hiring policy foresees that only individuals with no affiliation to political parties or political activism can be hired, and candidates are explicitly asked about it during the job interview.
Clara Attene Assessor
04-Jan-2021 (3 years ago) Updated: 3 years ago
Facta explains its policy on non-partisanship for staff at this link: https://facta.news/chi-siamo/, where it states: "None of the founders or staff members are part of political parties and / or movements and not being active in politics - in parties, movements or pressure groups - it is one of the fundamental requirements for working or collaborating with Facta, verified during the process of selection of candidates."
Facta also says in this application form that: "Our internal hiring policy foresees that only individuals with no affiliation to political parties or political activism can be hired, and candidates are explicitly asked about it during the job interview."
done_all 2.5 marked as Compliant by Clara Attene.
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.
Clara Attene Assessor
04-Jan-2021 (3 years ago) Updated: 3 years ago
According to our checks, Facta identifies and provides to its readers all source of significant evidence that allow them to replicate the work done.
done_all 3.1 marked as Compliant by Clara Attene.
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.
Clara Attene Assessor
04-Jan-2021 (3 years ago) Updated: 3 years ago
Facta uses almost all the times the best available primary sources. When it needs, it also specified if they have used a secondary source or if they have asked for clarification (i.e. to specific sources, bodies or experts) as well as they use to update pieces when they received answers after publications.
done_all 3.2 marked as Compliant by Clara Attene.
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.
Clara Attene Assessor
04-Jan-2021 (3 years ago) Updated: 3 years ago
Facta, as we have observed, uses as a standard to check key elements against more than one source.
done_all 3.3 marked as Compliant by Clara Attene.
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.
Clara Attene Assessor
04-Jan-2021 (3 years ago) Updated: 3 years ago
According to our verification, Facta identifies correctly the relevant interests of the sources they use to check the claims.
done_all 3.4 marked as Compliant by Clara Attene.
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.
Facta
23-Oct-2020 (4 years ago) Updated: 3 years ago
Facta is a project conceived, realized and owned by The Fact-Checking Factory Srl - TFCF Srl (previously Pagella Politica Srls), which is an independent, for profit organization.
Clara Attene Assessor
04-Jan-2021 (3 years ago) Updated: 3 years ago
As stated in this page of the ewbsite (https://facta.news/chi-siamo/) as well as in this application, Facta is a project conceived and run by The Fact-Checking Factory Srl - TFCF Srl (previously Pagella Politica Srls).
done_all 4.1 marked as Compliant by Clara Attene.
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.
Facta
23-Oct-2020 (4 years ago) Updated: 3 years ago
Facta is one of the two projects of the parent company The Fact-Checking Factory Srl - TFCF Srl (previously Pagella Politica Srls), the other one being Pagella Politica: financial and administrative structure of the two fact-checking projects are the same. In its Who we are (“Chi siamo”) webpage, Facta’s relationship to its parent company TFCF and with its sister project Pagella Politica is clearly stated: https://facta.news/chi-siamo/. At the same page, we also share the link to Pagella Politica’s webpage for details about the legal status and funding of Pagella Politica.
Facta
02-Feb-2021 (3 years ago) Updated: 3 years ago
Facta is one of the two projects of the parent company The Fact-Checking Factory Srl - TFCF Srl (previously Pagella Politica Srls), the other one being Pagella Politica: financial and administrative structure of the two fact-checking projects are the same. In its Who we are (“Chi siamo”) webpage https://facta.news/chi-siamo/ , Facta’s relationship to its parent company TFCF and with its sister project Pagella Politica is stated. Also, Facta’s complete financial information is available at this link: https://facta.news/progetti-e-finanziamenti/ , which users can find at the bottom of the “Chi siamo” webpage on Facta’s website (https://facta.news/chi-siamo/ ).Please note that the data on the sources of financing refers to the year 2020 and includes all sources accounting for more than 5% of the total.
We have also amended the “chi siamo” page of Pagella Politica (https://pagellapolitica.it/progetto/index) to better convey information about the relationship between TFCF, Pagella and Facta. In particular, we have done two main amendments there. First, we have stated that TFCF is the parent company of both Pagella and Facta. And then, in the section “How are we financed”, we have specified that the financial information refers to the whole TFCF (and therefore both Pagella and Facta).
Clara Attene Assessor
04-Jan-2021 (3 years ago) Updated: 3 years ago
Facta is a unit of The Fact-Checking Factory Srl - TFCF Srl (previously Pagella Politica Srls), with a dedicated team, which is focused on fact-checking and debunking non political news.
This status is declared in this page: https://facta.news/chi-siamo/.
In this page of Pagella Politica's website, instead, there are details about the legal status of the main organizationTFCF and about the funding of the sister project "Pagella Politica": https://pagellapolitica.it/progetto/index
About the sources of funding, they are stated at the same link above (https://pagellapolitica.it/progetto/index), but they are updated only until 2018, with no explicit reference to Facta's sources of funding.
It needs to update them to the last financial year available and, if this is not possibile, providing draft figures for income to date and the identities of funders accounting for more than 5% as well as the final financial figures have to be published on the website within three months from the end of the financial year.
cancel 4.2 marked as Request change by Clara Attene.
Clara Attene Assessor
03-Feb-2021 (3 years ago)
Facta is a unit of The Fact-Checking Factory Srl - TFCF Srl (previously Pagella Politica Srls), with a dedicated team, which is focused on fact-checking and debunking non political news.
This status is declared in this page: https://facta.news/chi-siamo/.
In this page of Pagella Politica's website, instead, there are details about the legal status of the main organizationTFCF and about the funding of the sister project "Pagella Politica": https://pagellapolitica.it/progetto/index
About the sources of funding, they are stated at the same link above (https://pagellapolitica.it/progetto/index), but they are updated only until 2018, with no explicit reference to Facta's sources of funding.
It needs to update them to the last financial year available and, if this is not possibile, providing draft figures for income to date and the identities of funders accounting for more than 5% as well as the final financial figures have to be published on the website within three months from the end of the financial year.
As part of the reassessment process, Facta has precisely updated the financial data related to 2020.
done_all 4.2 marked as Compliant by Clara Attene.
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.
Facta
23-Oct-2020 (4 years ago) Updated: 4 years ago
Information about our organizational and editorial structure can be found here https://facta.news/chi-siamo/
Clara Attene Assessor
04-Jan-2021 (3 years ago) Updated: 3 years ago
The organizational structure of Facta is stated at this link, where it is also possible to see who is in charge of the editorial control: https://facta.news/chi-siamo/
done_all 4.3 marked as Compliant by Clara Attene.
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.
Facta
23-Oct-2020 (4 years ago) Updated: 3 years ago
The professional bios of the staff are available in our “who we are” section, here: https://facta.news/chi-siamo/
Clara Attene Assessor
04-Jan-2021 (3 years ago) Updated: 3 years ago
The professional biographies of the editorial team of Facta are available here:
https://facta.news/chi-siamo/
done_all 4.4 marked as Compliant by Clara Attene.
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.
Facta
23-Oct-2020 (4 years ago) Updated: 3 years ago
This link https://facta.news/segnalazioni/ provides users the possibility to contact our editorial team through a webform. The link is easily accessible, as it is displayed on the homepage as one of the buttons of the main menu.
Users can also reach out to Facta’s editorial team through our Whatsapp service, whose number is displayed on the homepage https://facta.news/ and on the https://facta.news/segnalazioni/ page.
Clara Attene Assessor
04-Jan-2021 (3 years ago) Updated: 3 years ago
To reach out the editorial team of Facta, users can find information at this link: https://facta.news/chi-siamo/.
Here it is stated that they can use:
- the dedicated session "Segnalazioni" at this link: https://facta.news/segnalazioni/;
- send a Whatsapp message at +393421829843;
- sending a mail to segnalazioni@facta.news;
- sendig a message via Facta's social media accounts;
- it is possible also to contact the newsroom via this mail: contatti@facta.news.
In the home page (https://facta.news/) and in the page "Segnalazioni" there is also the Whatsapp button usable to report a news to fact-check.
done_all 4.5 marked as Compliant by Clara Attene.
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.
Facta
23-Oct-2020 (4 years ago) Updated: 3 years ago
At the “Who we are” webpage on our website (https://facta.news/chi-siamo/), we have a paragraph titled “How do we work” (“Come lavoriamo”, in Italian), where our methodology is illustrated. This is what we write there:
1. We monitor news and social media viral contents by constantly reviewing the main Italian newspapers, both print and online, at a national and local level; we also monitor the leading press agencies; a blacklist of websites, Facebook pages and groups and Twitter profiles;
2. Through a WhatsApp API service, a dedicated email (segnalazioni@facta.news), Facta’s social media platforms and a specific page and box on Facta’s website (https://facta.news/segnalazioni/), we daily receive from our readers news, images, videos, voice messages, social media content that could potentially be false;
3. We then choose the content that contain facts or data that we can fact-check;
4. We fact-check the data and facts of the content, accurately quoting all the sources which we base our fact-checks on. Each article is checked by at least two people;
5. Finally, we give the article a grade based on a spectrum that goes from “Fake news” to “Real News”, passing through “Old News”, “Inaccurate News”, “Out of contest”, “Modified Image”, “Satirical News”.
Clara Attene Assessor
04-Jan-2021 (3 years ago) Updated: 3 years ago
Inside the page "Chi Siamo" (https://facta.news/chi-siamo/), under the section "COME LAVORIAMO:", Facta explain the methodology they use for fact cheking as resumed in this application.
The page is easy to find as well the section that specifies this aspect.
done_all 5.1 marked as Compliant by Clara Attene.
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.
Clara Attene Assessor
04-Jan-2021 (3 years ago) Updated: 3 years ago
According to our check, Facta is compliant with the rule to select the claims to check primarly on the reach and importance of the claims.
done_all 5.2 marked as Compliant by Clara Attene.
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.
Clara Attene Assessor
04-Jan-2021 (3 years ago) Updated: 3 years ago
As we can check, Facta respects the rule to set out both evidences that support or undermines the claims fact-checked.
done_all 5.3 marked as Compliant by Clara Attene.
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.
Clara Attene Assessor
04-Jan-2021 (3 years ago) Updated: 3 years ago
According to our check, Facta usually assesses the merits of the evidence using the same standards, regardless of who made the claim.
done_all 5.4 marked as Compliant by Clara Attene.
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.
Clara Attene Assessor
04-Jan-2021 (3 years ago) Updated: 3 years ago
According to our checks, Facta usally seeks to contacts those who made the claims under fact-checking. In those cases where thay are not able to reach them, they state it clearly, specifiyng too the way they contact them and updating pieces when they have news in this sense.
done_all 5.5 marked as Compliant by Clara Attene.
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.
Facta
23-Oct-2020 (4 years ago) Updated: 4 years ago
To encourage users to send in claims to check we:
give them the possibility to do so via social media, WhatsApp and email;
have put on our home page a WhatsApp button and relative dedicated banner which allows users to directly access the WhatsApp service from there;
on our home page we also have a banner inviting users to submit claims to be checked;
one page of the website is entirely dedicated to a box giving users possibility to send in claims.
We only verify claims which can be verified through official information and data, or accredited reports and studies.
Clara Attene Assessor
04-Jan-2021 (3 years ago) Updated: 3 years ago
Facta allows readers to send claims to fact-check through a number of different channels (Whatsapp number and button, mail, social networks).
Where it explains how the staff works, it is also stated which kind of contents - based on facts and numbers - are suitable to be fact-checked.
done_all 5.6 marked as Compliant by Clara Attene.
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.
Facta
23-Oct-2020 (4 years ago) Updated: 4 years ago
Link to Facta’s correction policy: https://facta.news/correzioni-rettifiche-aggiornamenti-quando-i-fact-checker-sbagliano/ . The link is well visible and accessible from the homepage.
Clara Attene Assessor
04-Jan-2021 (3 years ago) Updated: 3 years ago
Facta shows its corrections policy at this link in a dedicated webpage: https://facta.news/correzioni-rettifiche-aggiornamenti-quando-i-fact-checker-sbagliano/.
The link is present in the homepage and it is easy to find.
The policy states that readers can contact the staff via email (segnalazioni@facta.news), social networks and comments below the fact-checked claims.
Globally, as we have observed, the correction policy is clear and accessible.
done_all 6.1 marked as Compliant by Clara Attene.
Criteria 6.2
Proof you meet criteria
The assessor will review the corrections policy to verify it meets critera. No additional information needed.
Clara Attene Assessor
04-Jan-2021 (3 years ago) Updated: 3 years ago
About the content of the correction policy, Facta website states:
"Correction proposals must be detailed and provided with an indication to freely accessible sources.
Proposals limited to changing the chosen category will not be taken into consideration, if there are not new elements to be taken into account for the analysis.
Similarly, we invite readers to consider the complete and exact analysis at the date of its publication, without taking into account any data or elements not publicly available at the time of going online.
We are committed to evaluating all reports as quickly as possible (usually 24-48 hours).
The author of the analysis and the person who carried out the second verification (peer-review) will be involved in the review process.
If we deem a substantial correction necessary, not limited to typos, oversights or minor errors, the text will be changed and the update (with the date) will be clearly indicated at the beginning of the piece.
The same policy also applies in cases where the correction does not come from a reader report but from a member of Facta staff, including the authors of the analysis themselves.
The correction will be published on Facta's social accounts (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram).
Starting from 23 June 2020, for reasons of transparency and fairness towards readers, we collect on this page - clearly visible on the homepage - all the times in which it was necessary to correct, rectify or update our analysis."
Specifically, this phrase explains in which case complaints may justify no response:
"Proposals limited to changing the chosen category will not be taken into consideration, if there are not new elements to be taken into account for the analysis."
done_all 6.2 marked as Compliant by Clara Attene.
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.
Facta
23-Oct-2020 (4 years ago) Updated: 4 years ago
So far we received a correction request and we modified (https://facta.news/correzioni-rettifiche-aggiornamenti-quando-i-fact-checker-sbagliano/) 3 fact-checking articles that were about that topic. The correction request was about a date: we wrote that a protest in Seoul took place on the 8th of October 2019. The correct date was the 3th of October 2019. We added the correction at the top of each fact-checking article that was about this topic (see: https://facta.news/fuori-contesto/2020/08/17/no-questa-manifestazione-contro-lo-stato-corrotto-non-si-e-svolta-il-16-agosto-a-seul/ ; https://facta.news/fuori-contesto/2020/08/18/questa-grande-protesta-in-corea-del-sud-non-e-stata-organizzata-contro-le-restrizioni-e-contro-le-mascherine/ ; https://facta.news/fuori-contesto/2020/09/02/questo-video-non-mostra-la-protesta-di-berlino-contro-le-misure-anti-covid-e-stato-girato-a-seul-nel-2019/).
Clara Attene Assessor
04-Jan-2021 (3 years ago) Updated: 3 years ago
Facta provides an open and transparent correction when it needs.
The cases provided, where the same picture have been misused in different contexts, states a the beginning of the pieces when the updates were done and why in this way:
"This article was updated on September 3, 2020 at 10.30 am: in the previous version we had written that the protest demonstration in Seoul took place on October 9, 2019. It actually took place on October 3, 2019."
done_all 6.3 marked as Compliant by Clara Attene.
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.
Facta
23-Oct-2020 (4 years ago) Updated: 4 years ago
n/a
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.
Facta
23-Oct-2020 (4 years ago) Updated: 3 years ago
Facta is one of the two projects of the parent company The Fact-Checking Factory Srl - TFCF Srl (previously Pagella Politica Srls), the other one being Pagella Politica: financial and administrative structure of the two fact-checking projects are the same.
Clara Attene Assessor
04-Jan-2021 (3 years ago) Updated: 3 years ago
As Facta is not a current signatory, once it becomes a verified signatory they would be able to add the badge.