Faktoje is registered with the court authorities as of July of 2019 and operates as an independent, non-governmental media organization. This information is published on the website of Faktoje, under the “About us” category, in the sections “Who we are” and “How we work”, and is accessible by everyone. It fully complies with Criteria 1.1 because it demonstrates that we are a legally registered organization and these details are found very easily on our website, in the links below. 


https://faktoje.al/si-punojme-ne/

The applicant has provided a link to their website where they show that Faktoje has been registered as a non-profit organization within the competent authorities and its main activity is verification of public statements at national and local level. 

1. When and why was your fact-checking operation started? 

Faktoje is the first fact-checking organization in Albania and was established in May of 2018 with the purpose to promote the accountability of high public officials and subject the benefit from public funds, through the right to information and transparency. Faktoje aims to improve the public standards of performance in Albania, set an example of responsible and ethical journalism, and stand at the forefront of the fight against fake news and disinformation in Albania.

2. How many people work or volunteer in the organization and what are their roles?

Currently, Faktoje has a staff of 9 employees and 2 interns. Faktoje’s staff consists of: an Executive Director, a Finance Officer, an Editor in Chief, 4 journalists, 3 external experts, 3 intern journalists, 1 driver, and 1 cleaning maid.

Faktoje also has a network of 10 local journalists which was created as a result of our workshops and projects to raise the accountability of local governments, who collaborate with Faktoje on different stories, topics, or projects.

3. What different activities does your organization carry out?

Faktoje is engaged in different activities which present and increase the visibility of our work, but also solidify Faktoje's position as a promotor of the fight against disinformation. We organize conferences with stakeholders for major issues like the reconstruction process after the 26 November 2019 earthquake in Albania, the pandemic, and the accountability of high public officials. Faktoje has also organized carried out workshops for students and local journalists regarding our methodology and its possible application in the cities where these journalists work. An important part of Faktoje's work as a promotor in the fight against disinformation are the workshops on this topic, and also workshops about fact-checking and media literacy with students, local journalists, and regional journalists.

4. What are the goals of your fact-checking operation over the coming year?

For the upcoming year, Faktoje aims to develop fact-checking and data journalism modules for the Department of Journalism at the University of Tirana. Also, it is our goal to build a database with electoral promises for the coming general elections and also a database about the reconstruction process. Faktoje will continue to be involved closely in campaigns to raise the awareness of public officials in local governments, more specifically in 15 municipalities regarding the fulfillment of electoral promises and transparency of municipal councils.

It is clear from the website information and its content that faktoje.al is established as a fact-checking organization that has produced fact-checks since 2018. The editorial transparency is evident, as information about the staff and their editorial positions are clearly shown. In addition to fact-checking, there is evidence that the organization engages in other activities such as tracking the fulfillment of promises by elected officials, organizing training and workshops on media literacy as well as publishing information about COVID-19 pandemic. It appears that the applicant has ambitious plans for the upcoming year, including the development of data journalism modules for public universities. 

Faktoje is the only known fact-checking organization in Albania, and also the only organization which is a signatory member of IFCN. During the last 6 and a half months we have published at least 156 fact-checks, with an average of more than 5 fact-checks per week. All our fact-checking stories are public and accessible through our webpage www.faktoje.al.

There is evidence that the applicant has exceeded the minimum requirement of having published at least one fact check a week over the course of six month. Faktoje.al remains the only organization from the country that is a signatory member of IFCN.

A variety of topics appears to be included in the list of fact-check claims. They are all relevant subjects that have an impact on the welfare of individuals or the society. Some fact checks target central government decisions/statements and some are about local government decisions. The source of information exists in all cases, and it is either in the form of a website link, screenshot or in a video format.  

Faktoje does not have any kind of commercial, financial, and/or institutional relationship with the state, politicians, political parties in our country or region, which are the areas our fact-checking stories cover.

During the previous financial year, Faktoje has been funded by different foreign institutions or organizations, specifically the U.S. Embassy in Tirana through the USAID project “Justice for All”, the British Embassy in Tirana, the American organization National Endowment for Democracy (NED), and Faktoje was also coparticipant in a project funded by the European Union. We don’t cover in our fact checks any of the countries that the mentioned institutions represent, or in which the organization (NED) is based.

The editorial output, in the view of the assessor, is not controlled by the state or a political party. The applicant has listed a number of  international institutions or organizations that fund it and claims to receive no financial aid from any state institution. An audit report is also available in their website that shows all sources of funding. 

In the section “How we are funded” which is listed under “How we work”, we specify that Faktoje is transparent with the financial resources and we state that if we accept funds from other institutions, we make sure that the donors don’t have influence in the conclusions of our reports or fact-checking stories. In this section, we have also listed the main donors from which we are financed.

https://faktoje.al/si-punojme-ne/#Si%20financohemi 

The applicant has provided a link to the website that contains information about its funding. The names of foreign donors are listed there. There is no evidence that donors have any influence over the editorial independence. 

List of 10 fact checks:

1. https://faktoje.al/basha-ne-7-vite-nuk-u-rriten-pagat-e-arsimtareve/

2. https://faktoje.al/veliaj-teatrin-kombetar-do-ta-bejme-me-kredi-jo-nga-buxheti-i-shtetit/

3. https://faktoje.al/manastirliu-kemi-ende-kapacitete-te-lira/

4. https://faktoje.al/tritan-shehu-shqiperia-i-vetmi-vend-ne-europe-ku-kane-ndodhur-vetevrasje-ne-spital-te-pacienteve-me-koronavirus/

5. https://faktoje.al/kryemadhi-urdheri-i-infermierit-nuk-funksionon-prej-dy-vitesh/

6. https://faktoje.al/rama-premtoi-permiresimin-e-klimes-se-biznesit-por-raportet-vijojne-te-tregojne-te-kunderten/

7. https://faktoje.al/manastirliu-kater-qendra-shendetesore-ne-tirane-do-ofrojne-sherbim-dite-nate/

8. https://faktoje.al/erisa-xhixho-grate-me-te-prekura-nga-kriza-ekonomike/

9. https://faktoje.al/nis-rijetesimi-i-piramides-pas-5-premtimeve-te-shkelura-prej-vitit-2016/

10. https://faktoje.al/basha-rritja-e-pages-200-per-qind-gjate-qeverisjes-se-pd/

Faktoje selects, based on its mission, claims of public officials about how the money of taxpayers is being spent. These 10 claims that we listed, were selected based no on the political affiliation of the person that made the claim but based on the impact these claims have in the public. In the 10 fact-checking articles, we have included for the same official or political party, a claim that was categorized as True, when the fact-checking process has concluded that they indeed told the truth, or False or Half True when we arrived at the respective conclusion after the fact-checking process. This testifies the impartiality of Faktoje in selecting claims and also shows that Faktoje is in line with the criteria that focus on the direct interest of the public. We have fact-checked claims from: the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition, the Democratic Party, the leader of the opposition party SMI, and other representants of the opposition, the Mayor of Tirana, the ministers of the current government about issues of the highest priorities such as the pandemic or the reconstruction process after the 26 November 2019 earthquake in Albania. This shows the inclusion of all political actors, parties, and political wings in our fact-checking stories, without favoring or excluding anyone from our mission as a fact-checking service.

On the other hand, the application of the methodology led us to refer to different sources to arrive at our conclusions, especially consulting with independent experts of a high level, in order to arrive at an accurate categorization of claims. Below we have listed three briefly explained examples:

1. https://faktoje.al/basha-ne-7-vite-nuk-u-rriten-pagat-e-arsimtareve/

The selected statement was made by the leader of the opposition, who claims that during the period when the opposite party has governed, the salaries of teachers haven’t been raised. This statement was selected based on the impact that a community of thousands of teachers in Albania and not on the political affiliation of the person that made the statement. Verifying the veracity of this statement is of great importance for the broader public also. To fact-check it, we referred to these sources:
Ministry of Education, Ministry of Finance and Economy, the Decisions of the Government during the period 2013-2020, the Union of Teachers that show the opposite of the statement. Faktoje consulted this fact-checking story prior to the publication with a high-quality and independent expert of finance.

2. https://faktoje.al/veliaj-teatrin-kombetar-do-ta-bejme-me-kredi-jo-nga-buxheti-i-shtetit/

The statement was made by the Mayor of Tirana, which is related to a sensitive issue for all the public, the building of the National Theatre, demolished last year although was severely contested by the community of artists. The statement was selected because the public was interested in when and how the new National Theatre would be built, and especially with what money, in a time when the financial situation of the country was aggravated because of the pandemic. To fact check this claim we referred to the information from the Municipality itself, the Ministry of Finance and Economy, and the plan of the Budget which concludes the accuracy of Faktoje’s fact-checking story.

3. https://faktoje.al/manastirliu-kemi-ende-kapacitete-te-lira/

The selected statement was made by the Minister of Health regarding the hospital capacities for the patients infected with COVID-19. We selected this claim for fact-checking after observations of Faktoje in-field that showed that the beds in Covid dedicated hospitals were used up and the interest of the public was very high to understand if there were any more free beds in the hospitals for upcoming patients.

The sample of article presented by the applicant show that the same standards of fact-checking have been applied in all ten stories, although the target of fact-checking were public claims made by different political leaders, both from the government and from the opposition. Evidence is present across all stories and the audience can access the original claim in order to reach to a conclusion for itself. Overall, a good level of non-partisanship is shown in all ten fact-checks.  

Faktoje explains clearly the standardized methodology of work that it applies, where the process of claims selection is at the very top of this methodology, which can be found by our audience under the “About us” category, in the “Methodology” section within “How we work”. We select claims of all the actors of the political scene and interest groups, based on the importance of the issue and the interest of the public.

https://faktoje.al/si-punojme-ne/#Metodologjia 

The applicant has provided a link that shows where in their website they explain the methodology for selecting public statements for verification and the methods used for fact-checking.  

Faktoje has categorized its 'fact-o-meter' into four categories: true statement, semi-true statement, untrue statement and without a category statement. Furthermore, Faktoje has a separate section for fulfilled promises and unfulfilled promises. Overall the stories published during the previous year are evidence based and in line with the principles required by the IFCN.                                                                                                            

The sample of fact-checks used for this assessment, show that the applicant uses the best available primary sources as well as secondary sources in most of the cases. The applicant shows evidence to the claims in every fact check report. In some cases they come as website links to the source and in some cases they come as video recording to the claim. In the latter cases the date of that claim/statement is provided. The audience can easily replicate the fact checks.

Faktoje is an organization that does not engage in political activities and the selection of claims to fact check is done based on the influence these promises of politicians, public officials, or subjects that benefit from public funds, have in the life of the citizens. None of our team members are affiliated with any political party or organization. From its foundation onwards, current and future staffers of “Faktoje” are required not to engage with political activities.

https://faktoje.al/si-punojme-ne/#Depolitizimi,%20angazhimi%20p%C3%ABr%20paan%C3%ABsi%20dhe%20ndershm%C3%ABri

The applicant has shared a link to their website that explains the organization's policy of non-partisanship staff. There is no evidence to suggest that Faktoje has endorsed a political party. Moreover, the applicant has a clear rule preventing its staff from supporting a political party or becoming a member in a political organization. 

The best available primary sources are used as evidence in a sample of fact checks analyzed for the purpose of this assessment. In cases when the source is available online, the link is provided. In other cases photos, documents, or videos are used as sources. This helps readers to check for themselves the authenticity of the evidence used for fact checking purposes. 

The applicant uses sources in all of its fact-checks. In addition to online links, in some cases, faktoje provides evidence from the field, by taking photos of places or people under scrutiny. In many cases a context of the situation is also provided. This helps readers to better understand the background and the chronology of events. 

The sample of stories published by faktoje.al  that were used for this assessment, shows that the applicant uses all key elements of claims against more than one named source of evidence. Typically that seems to be the norm for every fact-check. 

The sample used for this assessment shows that 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.

Faktoje is an independent non-profit organization. Please find attached the decision of the Court of Tirana, which confirms that Faktoje is established as a non-profit organization.

The applicant has provided a legal document that explains the legal form in which the organization is registered. The documents shows that faktoje.al is registered as a non-profit organization. Moreover, a financial audit report is available in their website, which shows each source of funding for the previous year.   

In the website of Faktoje, under the “About us” category, in the page "How we work", in the section "A brief bio of Faktoje" we explain that Faktoje is registered with the court authorities as of July of 2019, and operates as an independent, non-governmental media organization. On the same page, "How we work", in the section "How we are funded" we detail that we are transparent with our funding, we ensure that the donors don't influence our conclusions and fact-checking stories and we also list the organizations or entities that are currently funding us.

https://faktoje.al/si-punojme-ne/#Historik%20i%20shkurt%C3%ABr%20i%20%E2%80%9CFaktoje-s%E2%80%9D

https://faktoje.al/si-punojme-ne/#Si%20financohemi

The link shared by the organization shows that information about donors, funding and expenses are available to the public. Furthermore, the applicant shows the legal status of the organization (non-profit) and its mission as a fact-checker. 

Faktoje is composed of the Board of Faktoje and the Editorial Team of Faktoje. The Board of Faktoje is composed of 6 members with different backgrounds from different fields. They are not affiliated with any political party. One of the main responsibilities of the board is to preserve the independence of Faktoje from external interventions and guarantee its transparency. The Editorial Team of Faktoje is composed by :

-The Executive Director, who is responsible for the editorial direction of Faktoje,

-The Editor in Chief who, by working closely with the journalists, ensures the claims selected are in line with the principles of Faktoje and the methodology is being applied correctly

-The journalists, who apply the methodology of Faktoje scrupulously in the process of fact-checking

https://faktoje.al/bordi/

https://faktoje.al/stafi/

The names, positions and editorial responsibilities of the staff are clearly indicated in the web section "about us". The responsibilities of the board and management are also explained in that section. 

In the links shared for Criteria 4.3, the professional biographies of all those who play a significant part in Faktoje's editorial output are also included. Mainly on the page dedicated to the Editorial Team of Faktoje, which you can find in the link below.

https://faktoje.al/stafi/

The biographies of the staff are available and provide a lot of details about one's educational background and work experience. 

It is very important for Faktoje to be easily accessible by the audience and to have an open bridge of communication with them. For this reason, in the bottom right corner of our website, we have a section entitled "Contact Us", where we display our e-mail address, our mobile phone, and our physical address and we respond to phone calls, e-mails, or messages on our social media at all times.

https://faktoje.al/

The website contains a section that allows the audience to get in touch with the organization. The applicant has provided all contact information such as e-mail address, telephone number and the physical address. Furthermore, the applicant is available in social media, which provides another quick way for communicating with the audience.  

Faktoje is completely transparent with the audience, detailing the entire process of fact-checking, starting with how we select the claims to fact check and continuing with the methodology we apply. We directly contact the politician who made a specific claim or promise, we address public institutions, research what other media found, use google search techniques, do in-field verification, contact experts of the respective fields, and then we research again. Every step we follow is described in detail in the "Methodology" section of "How we work", which you can find in the link below.

https://faktoje.al/si-punojme-ne/#Metodologjia

The methodology section in the website provides enough details about the whole process of selection of claims, research and publication. The categorization of claims into four main categories such as 'true', 'semi true', 'false' and 'unspecified' are further explained.  

A randomized sample of fact checks shows that the applicant selects claims to check based primarily on the importance of the claims. In addition to evidence provided, the applicant uses further research, and in some case field-research to justify its conclusion. 

Overall, the evidence used is relevant and there is justification to support the claim or to refute the claim. 

The randomized sample shows that faktoje used the same standards of providing evidence across all claims, regardless of who made the claim. Stories about the government officials, opposition and other parries are present in their fact checks. 

It most cases, the applicant uses published materials as evidence of those who made the claim. As these are usually done through online media, it is easy to provide a link that leads to the original story. It appears like the fact checker is free to continue with checking the original claim and in some cases to provide additional materials such as photo or video to justify the conclusion.  

Faktoje values of great importance the input and engagement of our audience. We have created a dedicated space in our website for this purpose, with significant visibility on the top right corner of our website, entitled "Fact-check Too". There the audience can directly contact us and share with us claims or promises they find suspicious, untrue, or unkept, which we ensure to follow and fact-check. They can also their denouncements for violations, messages, or suggestions as we explain in the second link below.

https://faktoje.al/

https://faktoje.al/si-punojme-ne/#Fakto%20edhe%20ti!

We explain how we select claims which can be fact-checked in "The Selection Process" which can be found on top of our "Methodology" section in the "How we work" page, under the "About us" category. Please visit the link below.

https://faktoje.al/si-punojme-ne/#Metodologjia

There is a section in their website for this purpose. Users are encouraged to send in claims to check, as well as send other materials as evidence. 

On the "How we work" page, we have a section entitled "How we correct mistakes". Here we list different kinds of corrections and briefly explain how we make these corrections. Corrections may include changing the rating of a claim, based on our rating system, correcting grammatical errors, and also updates, which are not errors but remain a change in the original article for which we notify our audience. More details are provided in the link below.

https://faktoje.al/si-punojme-ne/#Si%20i%20korrigjojm%C3%AB%20gabimet%20tona

The correction and complaints policy is explained in their website. It provides details on the nature of corrections used typically by the applicant and how users can send complains about specific fact checks. 

The correction and complain policy appears to be fully implemented by the applicant, as there is evidence of corrections made in their previous publications. In such cases, it is easy to understand what is changed from the original publication. 

Faktoje did not receive a single complaint or correction request, not only over the past year but since the day we first established our fact-checking organization. Over the previous year, we made only one correction about a mistake that we noticed ourselves, and we listed in the category "Complaints and Corrections" with the necessary note at the end of the article to be fully transparent with our audience. In the first link, you can find the article with the correction, listed in the category "Complaints and Corrections", while in the second link you can find the aforementioned category.

https://faktoje.al/braktisja-e-shkolles-problemi-me-efekt-te-ngadalte-por-me-pasoja-te-renda-per-vendin/

https://faktoje.al/category/ankesa-korrigjime/

There are two examples published by the applicant where corrections are made, one dating back in 2018 and another one in 2020. These examples show clearly where the corrections were made. 

Faktoje is a signatory member of IFCN since January the 20th of 2020. As such, we have created a dedicated space in our website where not only we inform that we adhere to the IFCN code of principles, but also we have placed a link connecting to the IFCN complaints policy where our audience can inform IFCN about a potential violation on our part.

https://faktoje.al/njihuni-me-ne/ifcn/ 

This information exists. A link provided by the applicant shows where the information about IFCN is available in their website and how the audience can connect with the complains page of the IFCN website. 

We are not the fact-checking unit of a media company, but an independent fact-checking organization.

The applicant is not a fact-checking unit of a media company, rather it is an independent fact checking organization.