Factchequeado is an initiative created to counter mis and disinformation within the Hispanic and Latino communities in the United States. An innovative project led by Maldita.es, the first Spanish non-profit fact-checking media created to combat disinformation in Spanish language, and Chequeado, the first fact-checking media organization in Argentina and the Global South.

Factchequeado is a pilot project currently hosted by Fundación La Voz Pública para la Verificación del Discurso Público, Chequeado’s legal entity. 

Factchequeado discloses its legal status as a project hosted by Fundación La Voz Pública para la Verificación del Discurso Público, an NGO incorporated in Argentina in 2015.

1. Factchequeado is an initiative created to counter mis and disinformation within the Hispanic and Latino communities in the United States. With a US based team and brand, Factchequeado is an innovative project led by Maldita.es, the first Spanish non-profit fact-checking media created to combat disinformation in the Spanish language, and Chequeado, the first fact-checking media organization in Argentina and the Global South.
   

They united forces in 2021 to draw on their proven experience to fill a gap and find a solution for Spanish-speaking communities especially vulnerable to mis-disinformation. This community of 60 million Hispanics and Latinos living in the U.S. by 2030 will represent more than 20% of the country's population.

Currently, Factchequeado is a pilot project led by the two organizations mentioned above and hosted for accounting matters in Chequeado, legally registered as Fundación La Voz Pública para la Verificación del Discurso Público since 2011 by Nº 1392 Resolution from Inspección General de Justicia from Argentina.

All this information is explained on their website: https://factchequeado.com/una-iniciativa-de-malditaes-chequeado/ 

2. Our co founders Laura Zommer and Clara Jiménez Cruz dedicate 50% and 30% of their working time to Factchequeado. They are in charge of supervising the running of the project both editorially and financially. Furthermore, they guarantee funding and resources for the project and establish alliances to foster the project’s implementation and impact.

Tamoa Calzadilla, based in the US, is our full time Managing Editor. She leads the editorial team, defining what to fact-check on a daily basis together with our co founders; supervising and coordinating the team’s work and contributing to the implementation and impact of the project.

Natalie Van Hoozer, based in the US, is our Community Engagement and Partnerships Strategist

Rafael Olavarría, Felipe Garrán and Isabel Rubio are our fact-checkers.

Paula Martinetti is our newsroom assistant.

Olivia Rivarola, Community manager consultant.

José Carlos Zamora, Communication advisor.

Each term, the Factchequeado team receives between 1 to 3 interns from CUNY’s Bilingual Journalism Program.

Furthermore, the project receives support from the project coordinators, administrative, and engineering teams of both Maldita.es and Chequeado to develop its activities. 

3. Factchequeado is:

A digital medium of mis-disinformation verification that creates open-source original Spanish content, available on various platforms and social networks.

A collaborative alliance with large and small Latino media and fact-checking organizations aimed at increasing the focus on these underserved communities.

A One-on-One community, providing crowdsourcing tools to educate and learn about the informational needs of the different Hispanic and Latino communities in the US, while respecting their language and culture.

A space for training on fact-checking tools and fighting disinformation for U.S. journalists, with a clear focus on Hispanic journalists.

An innovation lab to fight disinformation that will develop new formats through experimentation and exploration of new technologies.

Factchequeado fact-checks the mis and disinformation circulating on social networks and mass media through quality journalism.

We listen to our audience's needs and focus on platforms such as Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, Twitter, WhatsApp, Telegram, and other news outlets, to help citizens know whether the content they receive is accurate, false, based on little or no evidence, or lacks context.

We use investigative and data journalism tools, images, and video verification techniques, which any citizen can learn, to help our community make decisions based on facts, not gossip, rumors, prejudice, or speculation.

4. We’re currently evaluating and assessing the impact of the pilot project. For 2023 we aim to find allies in all the states of the country to prepare for the 2024 presidential election, as well as to continue doing trainings in Spanish for bilingual journalists and citizens. 

The organization has a dedicated team whose roles and involvement are explained on its website.

Factchequedo counter disinformation in Spanish for Latino audiences in the USA. It explains clearly the organization's goals for 2023 and 2024 to combat disinformation in an election year.

First publication:

11/10/2021

As of 10/11/2022, we have an average of 5 original articles published a week. We currently republish one article a week from some of our American fact-checking allies such as elDetector, PolitiFact, and FactCheck.org, which bumps the number to an average of 6 articles a week together with adaptations of fact-checks and overall explanatory articles published by our funding organizations Chequeado and Maldita.es.

The application was sent in October 2022. The USA has more than 5 signatories, so Factchequeado should prove at least one fact-checked a week over the twelve previous months; this would be since October 2022. This assessor could not find facts checked older than March 2022 on the website, which would be non-compliant. However, as this review takes place in June 2023, there is evidence of the last 15 months of weekly publications. 

Factchequeado establishes its goals on the wensite.

Factchequeado describes its funding sources. Among them, there are no political parties or sate funding.

1. No, el precio promedio de la gasolina en Estados Unidos no estaba por encima de los $5 dólares por galón cuando Joe Biden inició su período presidencial, como él afirmó
2. No, Biden no ha propuesto que hombres utilicen el baño de niñas en escuelas primariasNecesita contexto la frase de Trump que asegura que el expresidente
3. No, Donald Trump no felicitó en un comunicado a Elon Musk por la compra de Twitter ni ha anunciado que vuelve a esa red social el 31 de octubre
4. Jimmy Carter dijo “no se puede confiar en el voto por correo”: Trump usa un informe de 2005 en el que Carter había hecho recomendaciones para mejorar el sistema electoral
5. Necesita contexto la frase de la candidata demócrata, Annette Taddeo, “estas elecciones determinarán si nos convertimos en una dictadura socialista”
6. No, Colorado no ha enviado 30,000 boletas electorales a inmigrantes indocumentados
7. Sí, es verdad que hay campamentos de personas sin hogar en una ciudad de California, como se muestra en un video viral
8. No, California no permitirá cirugías de transición de género a niños sin consentimiento de sus padres
9. Cuidado con esta cadena de WhatsApp sobre la variante “XBB Singapur” de COVID-19: hasta la fecha la OMS no la considera más grave que ómicron
10. No, no hay evidencias de que “en diciembre o enero” vaya a surgir un “virus X mortal” que sea como “5 virus juntos”, como dice un audio viral

In all fact-checks selected the assessor can see that we go to the primary sources when available to check data or to the best expert sources available when not, that we evaluate equally the same evidence coming from any political spectrum and that we show the path of fact to the audience when signaling a conclusion. 

The organization has fact-checked claims from Republicans and Democrats with the same standards and extension and is looking for primary courses. The examples shared demonstrate an interest in vast issues without political biases.

Methodology: https://factchequeado.com/que-hacemos/

The methodology clearly explains how the organization selects claims, considering how often it was shared and the possible impact of the checked claims. The described methodology is consistent with the organization's work examined by the assessor. 

Factchequeado could improve its disclosure when reporting on commercial matters. For example, when writing reports about Google or Facebook, it should disclose that the organization gets or got donations from those sources. However, the findings in the information reviewed by this assessor seemed not to be influenced by this donor.  The same could be applied to reports such as drugs, where the journalists could include a sentence saying that Factchequeado gets no funding from the pharmaceutical industry. 

The applicant does not show any bias for any political party nor political affiliation. 

https://factchequeado.com/politica-de-apartidismo/

The organization clearly states its non-partisan policies.

Factchequeado has a rigorous method of citing its sources in all the examples reviewed.

The organization has prioritized primary sources in all cases reviewed.

The media regularly cites various sources in its researches.

Yes, it identifies the sources' interests.

Factchequeado is a pilot project led by Maldita.es and Chequeado. The project is currently hosted for accounting matters in Chequeado, legally registered as FUNDACIÓN LA VOZ PÚBLICA PARA LA VERIFICACIÓN DEL DISCURSO PÚBLICO.

All this information is explained on their website: https://factchequeado.com/una-iniciativa-de-malditaes-chequeado/ 

Factchequeado depends legally form the Argentinan founder, Fundación la Voz Pública para la Verificación de Discurso Público. The legal information was provided and is accessible for the public. 

Quality journalism, like the one we do at Factchequeado, is expensive. We need funds to produce information based on the best available evidence and to present it in a timely manner and in attractive formats.

Creating journalistic networks, training journalists and empowering citizens, and creating a community of Hispanics and Latinos to counter mis and disinformation in the US requires a budget that donors together with Chequeado and Maldita.es own funding cover.

We are committed to a diversified financing model, which guarantees our sustainability and autonomy, and we are committed to being transparent about who finances and supports us.

We want to thank the support of the Google News Initiative, which has given us our first grant to start the project and the ABIM Foundation, which awarded our project with an 80,000$ prize to combat medical and health misinformation claims, with a focus on those that are trending on WhatsApp. Also, we are working on the project ‘Spanish-Language WhatsApp Misinfo Intervention - Staffing: Support fact-checker staffing at Factchequeado to combat Spanish-language misinformation on WhatsApp around the 2022 U.S. midterm elections’, with the support of Knight Foundation ($150,000).

In collaboration with Mediawise and The Poynter Institute we have trained Hispanic journalists in the fight against disinformation in Spanish. Such trainings have been economically compensated.

Lastly, Laura Zommer, cofounder of Factchequeado is, since April 2022, Knight International Center for Journalism Fellow and receives economic support for her dedication to this initiative and, since September 2022, also to Disarming Disinformation from the ICFJ.

This information can be found on our website:

In Spanish: https://factchequeado.com/una-iniciativa-de-malditaes-chequeado/

In English: https://factchequeado.com/english/ 

The funding is detailed, and the link to the Argentinian founder, from which the U.S. organization depends are provided.  

Our team is committed to making the U.S. Hispanic and Latino community stronger, more critical and more articulate in countering the misinformation it receives. We work to provide citizens with quality journalism and educational tools that allow them to base their decisions on data and evidence rather than rumor and bias. On our website, at “Equipo” (Team), we are transparent on who works with us, their roles and responsibilities, as well as a biography of themselves.

Equipo · Factchequeado.com

The required information is detailed and complete. 

Equipo · Factchequeado.com

The bios of the leading staff members are published. 

In our front page and in all our articles you will find a link to our WhatsApp chatbot which is our main means of communication with our audience. Furthermore, that WhatsApp number is also shared in every article republished by our allies, which are as of December 2022 over 30 media organizations across 15 states plus Puerto Rico.

Factchequeado.com

WhatsApp chatbot 

Users can easily communicate with Factchequeado

Metodología · Factchequeado.com

The methodology is accessible on the webpage and easy to understand. 

The selected claims follow the methodology and are relevant to the community. 

Factchequeado performs the methodology systematically in all the claims reviewed by the assessor, presenting in all cases important evidence to support the verifications made.

The organization is balanced in its claim's verifications despite the checked originator, using multiple sources of evidence in all examined cases. 

The assessor asked for additional information as in the reviewed fact-checks,  was not able to see the practice of contacting those who maid the claims. Factchequedo sent following answer, which is sufficient.  

At Factchequeado, we adhere to the practice of reaching out to the individual who published the misleading claim. This gives them the opportunity, as the sharer of that misleading information, to explain details that we might not have been aware of previously. We believe this approach provides both greater transparency in our articles and affords us additional opportunities to present the audience with context that helps them better understand the origins of the mis- and disinformation.

Occasionally, when dealing with an entity or account which we have previously identified as one to disseminate mis or disinformation, when that account or person has already made a public statement explaining their position, we prefer to provide a link to that statement instead of contacting them directly. This generally helps us avoid exposing our reporters or our fact-checking organization to harassment. Receiving intense attacks from serial disinformers would put us in a vulnerable position as a new, small initiative, working to grow our connections and presence in the United States, and would divert focus from the investigation.

We also reach out to public figures or relevant individuals. However, when a misinforming narrative is spread by multiple accounts, including anonymous citizens who might be sharing it due to lack of understanding, we may not necessarily contact them because we have determined that it is a far-reaching narrative affecting a large segment of our audience.

Our efforts are dedicated to providing data, statistics, and context that clearly support the label we determine appropriate for the information (true, false, needs context, etc.) and leave no doubts about the verification, using primary and alternative sources, depending on the subject.

However, we commit to maintaining the practice of reaching out whenever possible, as outlined in Principle 5.5 of the IFCN Code of Principles.

Thank you again for your comments and taking the time to address this, which helps us to continue improving.

At Factchequeado we believe that journalism is a service of public interest and, as such, it must be transparent, innovative, collaborative and of great quality. We have a permanent call to action on our website to users so they can report possible disinformation content they receive on their WhatsApp to ours. Likewise, each article has a call to action to become an "ally", along with a call in each article published by our current allies.

Factchequeado selects articles, audios, images and videos from the social networks it monitors, such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Tik Tok; and from private messaging through the queries sent to Factchequeado by the community.

Factual contents that can be verified are subject to verification; they are not statements of promises, comments and/or opinions or ideas; nor are they statements made in a private environment. The selection of the material to be checked is made without discriminating on the basis of partisan, ideological, sexual or ethnic orientation.

The selection of the material to be checked is made according to the criteria of virality and dangerousness. A member of the team investigates the possible disinformation to be disproved and produces a first version. In this process, he/she will contact the primary sources, verify the origin of the information, check with databases of official sources and/or carry out technological processes of image, video or audio identification, if necessary.

Subsequently, an editor of Factchequeado, an editor of Chequeado.com and an editor of Maldita.es check that the verification is correct.

In the event that a media outlet has published false information and then rectifies or removes it, it will be explained in the verification of the disinformation. If this occurs after the publication of the verification, it will be stated in the note with an update.

All these is clarified on our website at: Metodología · Factchequeado.com 

Each publication has at the bottom an invitation to readers to send claims. The website also provides information on how to ask for rectification and what to expect regarding these requesters. 

At Factchequeado we believe that the magnifying glass has to be on everyone, including us and our work. Therefore, we are committed to being transparent when it comes to correcting our own mistakes, making it public in Factchequeado.com and in our social networks. Our correction policy is published in: Política de corrección · Factchequeado.com.

The rectifications of our articles may be due to an update of the content to make some part of the information clearer, to a change in circumstances, or to mistakes detected either by the Factchequeado team itself, the community or any of the protagonists of the published text.

In the case that a mistake affects the sense of the verification, the word CORRECTION will appear in the headline at the time of rectification. The modified information will appear in the same post where the erroneous piece was published and the change will be noted. If this article was published on social networks, each post will be rectified on all platforms, with the word CORRECTION and deleting the erroneous post, but leaving a record of its previous existence so that the change can be verified.

Sometimes we add information to an article, change something, or clarify a sentence that we think is not being understood correctly. We may also update information from an official source if it does so, or qualify the words of an expert who believes that we have not correctly reflected his or her comment. Whenever we make any such alteration, we mark it with an asterisk* and explain at the end of the article what has changed, why, and on what date the change occurred. If the change is made in the headline, the asterisk will be added to the headline itself.

It is also possible that we have left something out of our information and, therefore, the omission of facts that may be important for the news or verification, will also be taken into account and added as an update.

Typographical changes, spelling corrections, grammatical or punctuation errors may eventually be modified without making a record of this change, as long as they do not affect the correct understanding of the information.

Factchequeado has its crorrection policy visible and published on its website. 

Factchequeado's Corrections Policy is specific about the cases in which it will correct published information and states clearly that, as an independent media organization, requests for rectification cannot be an attempt to guide or censor the published information.

Up to now, Factchequeado hasn’t received any request for corrections. Nevertheless, when our team has spotted a mistake once published, we’ve promptly corrected it as you can see here: https://factchequeado.com/midterms22/20221028/voto-latino-importa-elecciones/

The same applies to updates on specific articles:

https://factchequeado.com/teexplicamos/20221121/runoff-georgia-voto-anticipado/

The organization made two corrections since it started fact-checking. Those corrections originated by themselves and not as a result of an external claim. They apply to the policy and clarify information that could be misinterpreted. In the assessment and review of the published information, there were no additional corrections visible for this organization.