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. Please find attached as part of the application the document showing the original composition of our board members, as well as a document reflecting the changes in our board membership.

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

The website is self-explanatory when it comes to the legal identity and to the mission of the organization. The reader can find detailed information about the work of the organization. Moreover, the organization has attached a legal document confirming their status as a legally registered organization in Albania. 

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

Faktoje is the first and only fact-checking organization in Albania, established in May of 2018 with the purpose to promote the accountability of high public officials or every subject which benefits 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?

Faktoje has a staff of 9 employees (8 full time and 1 part time) and 5 interns. Faktoje’s staff consists of: an Executive Director, a Finance Officer, an Editor in Chief, an Editorial Manager, 4 journalists, 5 intern journalists, 1 driver, and 1 custodian. Faktoje is also collaborating with 4 experts.

Faktoje has a network of 15 local journalists, created as a result of our workshops and projects that aim to raise the accountability of local governments. They collaborate with Faktoje on different stories, with the focus on fact checking reports, 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're completing for the third year the project on strengthening the accountability and transparency of 10 municipalities, including those who were hit by the earthquake on November 2019. 

Faktoje is completing a project in the Strengthening of the factchecking journalism, dedicated to the verification of statements and promises of public officials, promoting the prebunking videos and fact checking tools.

During 2022 we've expanded our activities on fact checking regarding disinformation related to the war in Ukraine. False reports were increasingly circulating in the social media and  the traditional media outlets in Albania. Due to this new campaign of disinformation and Russian propaganda, Faktoje opened a new category in it's website called "Disinformation in times of crisis" (https://faktoje.al/category/si-te-dallojme-fake-news/dizinformimi-ne-kohe-krizash/) where we put all the factchecking and investigative reports on this global critical issue. 

On this note we're having a well coordinated regional project with partners from North Macedonia, Serbia, BiH, Kosovo, etc, in the framework of the Anti Disinformation regional Hub.

Besides we're engaged in Meta's Third-Party Fact-Checking Program, which turned to be challenging and an added value and contribution in the fight against the fake news and disinformation, in Albania. 

We continued reporting and publishing fact checking stories on major issues such as the reconstruction process after the 26 November 2019 earthquake in Albania, the pandemic covid 19, and the accountability of high public officials, which is the core mission of our fact checking organization. Another activity of Faktojje relates to the media literacy. We've organized and  carried out workshops for students, local journalists and public 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 those about fact-checking and media literacy with students, local journalists, and regional journalists. Faktoje developed fact-checking modules for several target groups begging from high schools, universities, young and experienced journalists.  During 2022 Faktoje, in cooperation with the Commissioner for the Right to Information, has completed at least 15 trainings on the law on right to information. These trainings brought together for the first time young journalists, students of journalism and professionals, with representatives (coordinators) of public institutions and those of the Commissioner for the right to information. The implementation of the law, as well as its understanding by all parties, is of particular importance, both for coordinators and journalists, whose main goal is to increase transparency and promote accountability.

Faktoje promoted a wide anti-disinformation campaign, including a conference with the presence of the main stakeholders, donors, media representatives, MP's, local and foreign experts of communication etc.   

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

For the upcoming year, Faktoje aims to continue fulfilling it's core mission of factchecking the public officials and institutions, especially during the upcoming local elections in May 14th 2023. 

We're pursuing for the third year the course of Fact checking workshops and training sessions in the Department of Journalism at the University of Tirana, young journalists and local journalists. Our aim is to raise capacities of this community on fact checking journalism, and raise awareness of the public about fake news and disinformation. 

Also, through the application of the Law on the Right to Information we will insist promoting accountability and transparency in public institutions. Faktoje will continue being involved closely in campaigns to raise the awareness of public officials in local governments, regarding the fulfillment of electoral promises and transparency of municipal councils. We'll be focused on the verification of statements and promises related to the cyber security, as Albania had a critical issue after several attacks on the state online data system, by a hacker group connected to the Iran government. 

We are planning to continue the wok on the prebunking (production of videos how to, quizzes and infographics  to raise awareness), as an effective tool in tackling the critical thinking and the fight against disinformation. 

The information provided by the applicant as well as the content published in their website, shows enough evidence that this organization is set up exclusively for the purpose of fact-checking. This organization has an entire team of full time and interns working on fact-checking. Their website shows that they are active in other activities as well such as media literacy, trainings and advocacy. 

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 months we have published at least 142 fact-checking articles, with an average of at least 4 fact-checks per week. All our fact-checking stories are public and accessible through our webpage www.faktoje.al. in the 2 specified categories, Faktometer (https://faktoje.al/category/faktometer/) and Promises (https://faktoje.al/category/premtime/). Faktoje fact checked and debunked fake news related to the war in Ukraine with maligned intention which are listed within the category Disinformation in times of crises.  

Below you can find attached the links of 30 fact checking stories as a proof for this criteria, while in the web there are more reports than required.

List of 24 fact-checking articles:

1. Kurbin, shkelet premtimi për përfundimin e rindërtimit të të gjitha banesave individuale

2. https://faktoje.al/shkelqimi-dhe-renia-e-blegtorise-ku-iken-lopet/

This organization has published more than the required minimum over the past six months. They publish two to four fact checks per week. There is a diversity of fact checks in terms of content too which are categorized under different sections in the website such as misinformation (fact-o-meter), promises of public officials and debunking fake news. 

Judging from the content of fact checks that were published in the past three months, it is safe to concluded that over 75% of fact checks focus on claims that have an impact on the welfare of citizens. Some of the topics deal with the security issues and the war in Ukraine. Other claims are related to education, security (earthquakes), inflation, trade, energy, infrastructure and so on.  

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, the British Embassy in Tirana, the American organization National Endowment for Democracy (NED), Embassy of Netherlands, Irex, OSCE, Embassy of Sweden, European Union in Albania. We are also founded by Eu in a regional project, part of ADNB .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.

In the our website you can find our commitment on depoliticization, impartiality and honesty:https://faktoje.al/si-punojme-ne/

Below you can find the financial and audit statements of the previous year.

The applicant has shared financial information which do not show any commercial or financial relationship between the organization and the state or a political party in particular. They have also mentioned in their website their policies with regard to impartiality and depoliticization. Moreover, the applicant has listed all the income sources and the names of the donors that support the organization. 

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 a section in their website which explains the methodology used in terms of selecting the claims for fact checks and ensuring editorial independence. The section "about us" also contains information about the sources of funding and the names of the donors. There is no indication that the applicant is financed by the state or political parties. 

List of 10 fact checks:

1. Kriza energjetike, më në fund qeveria i hap rrugë bilancit vjetor për fotovoltaikët

2. Balluku ‘shet’ grantin për kredi. E vërteta e anulimit të grantit të BE-së për Portin e Durrësit

3. E pavërtetë deklarata e Berishës për shitjen e energjisë 4 herë më lirë se bursa HUPX

4. Duma: 800 kwh në muaj i korrespondojnë një fature prej 7600 lekësh

5. Veliaj: Ne kemi hapur në 6 vite 8 biblioteka

6. “Tirana, më shumë turistë sesa banorë”

7. Dosja e lobimit rus, dy vjet sorollatje e kacafytje në sistemin e drejtësisë dhe në fund Basha u harrua

8. Shpenzimet për fushatat elektorale – “VRIMAT E ZEZA” ME FONDE TË DYSHIMTA

9. Kurbin, shkelet premtimi për përfundimin e rindërtimit të të gjitha banesave individuale

10. Bashkia Lushnje ndërtoi pritën lumore në Thanasaj, por “harroi” rrugën

Faktoje makes mission-based selections of claims to debunk and fact-check, mostly focused in public officials’ declarations or actions on how the taxpayer’s money is being spent, as well as verifying whether public and electoral promises were kept or not. These links correspond to 10 different claims made by central and local governments, selected because of the public impact they have. The listing includes true and false claims made by the same official or level of government, as a proof that the selection or categorization of articles is purely based on applying the same methodology each time. This testifies on Faktoje’s impartiality and focus on public interest.

During these six months we fact-checked electoral promises from local governments, claims from ministries, the prime minister, head of opposition and the mayor of Albania’s capital, on issues of high priority for citizens such as the reconstruction process after the 2019 earthquake, electricity bill prices, not transparent funding of political parties and elections as well as big infrastructure projects.

In each case we apply the same methodology of gathering information from various sources, consulting independent experts on the matter in order to achieve an accurate categorization of claims. Below we briefly explain three examples:

1. Balluku ‘shet’ grantin për kredi. E vërteta e anulimit të grantit të BE-së për Portin e Durrësit

The following fact-checking article is focusing on a claim made by the vice prime minister of Albania, simultaneously the minister of infrastructure, Belinda Balluku. She claimed that she requested the annulment of a 27 million euros loan from the EU for the project of the Durrës port. Actually, as thoroughly explained in the article, through researching public documents and by using the right of requesting official information, Faktoje verified that those 27 million euros were coming as a grant from the EU, not a loan. Also, the reason the grant was suspended was not because of a request made by the Albanian government, but because the project of the reconstruction of the Durres port changed since then, so EU retracted the offer.

Kriza energjetike, më në fund qeveria i hap rrugë bilancit vjetor për fotovoltaikët

For the same ministry, Faktoje chose a promise made to businesses which use photovoltaic plants for electricity consumption, in order for them to use in the summer the excess energy that they produce during winter. The ministry for infrastructure and energy accepted the request to change the scheme who would allow them to do that. Starting from 2023 the Ministry will apply the new scheme which addresses the problem risen by businesses who use green energy.

2. E pavërtetë deklarata e Berishës për shitjen e energjisë 4 herë më lirë se bursa HUPX

The selected claim was by the head of the opposition, Sali Berisha, claiming that Albanian authorities sold electric energy with a price four times lower than the one in the HUPX stock market. Faktoje verified the price with which KESH sold energy and compared it to the Hungarian stock market price, HUPX which is used as reference by Albania and found out that the price was three time slower, not four. Hence the claim was categorized as false.

Duma: 800 kwh në muaj i korrespondojnë një fature prej 7600 lekësh

This claim was made by a member of the opposition party, regarding the government’s proposal of rising the price of energy consumed above an 800-kilowat threshold. She claimed that 800kw of energy per month correspond to a value of 7600 lekë. Faktoje decided to verify the claim which attracted a lot of attention from citizens who were concerned of how much more expensive their electric bill would be. Calculating the price of 800 kw and adding the Value Added Tax, the final price of the bill would be 9200 lekë, making the claim made by the opposition member false.

3. Shpenzimet për fushatat elektorale – “VRIMAT E ZEZA” ME FONDE TË DYSHIMTA

This article is an in-depth analysis verifying the accurate implementation of the law on political parties financing as well as electoral funding. Based on the report of the Central Electoral Committee, Faktoje found that the biggest political parties, especially the ones who profit public funding for electoral campaigns, didn’t do transparency on their funding, even though they amended the law a bit before the general parliamentary elections of 2021, in order to provide more transparent information on the matter. Even though most infringements were made by the party on power, the verification included all parties from all sides.

Dosja e lobimit rus, dy vjet sorollatje e kacafytje në sistemin e drejtësisë dhe në fund Basha u harrua

Another in-depth analysis of a sensitive case regarding electoral campaign fundings, is the one regarding the investigation of possible Russian funding of the opposition party during the 2017 parliamentary elections. Faktoje analysis how the collected evidence on the matter, which took two years, were not enough to shed light on the case, which ended up being “forgotten”.

All the above examples show that the promises and statements selected for fact checking were made on the basis of public interest and uninfluenced by political affiliation.

The sample of ten fact checks shows non-partisanship in terms of objectivity and transparency of sources. The diversity of topics shows that the target of fact checks have been claims made by different state actors, representing both the central and local government. Furthermore, the sample shows that the same high standards of evidence have been used and that each fact checks has gone through the same process. Evidence is present in the form of video, photo or direct links, which helps the reader to reach his own conclusion. 

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 work methodology is well explained in the website. It is easy to find under the 'about us ' category. The methodology section provides enough information on how the claim is selected for fact check, how the research is done, how the evidence is used, how the conclusion is drawn, how the falsehood categories are used and how corrections are made.  

A random selection of fact checks over the last year shows that the applicant discloses relevant interest of the sources used. This was the reader can have a better understanding of the sources used. 

Transparency and accuracy appear to be the main focus of fact checks produced by the applicant. There is no evidence that the applicant shows support towards a particular political party or is affiliated with any commercial interest of a private company.   

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. Please find below the documents which consist of the rules and criteria the members of our team must fulfill to be compliant with the highest standards of ethics and impartiality, besides the professionality.

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

The applicant has shared three key documents that show the ethical guidelines of the organization of non-partisanship. The code of ethics, the declaration of principles and the confidentiality declaration, show the non-partisanship criteria used by the applicant. Moreover, the website contains a clear statement about the non-partisanship policy. A review of a sample of fact checks shows that the organizations adheres to such ethical standards. 

The applicant uses a variety of sources in its fact checks, including links, photos, videos and other documents. In such cases when the source is available online, the link is provided. This enables the user to see the original source and replicate their work if hey wish. Many fact checks published by the applicant debunk the fake news from the war in Ukraine. In that case sources are open and clear so that readers can get more into the background of the matter. Videos from Tiktok are also used more frequently as the source of the news. 

This organization typically uses primary sources in its fact checks. Almost in every published articles, there are more than two sources that provide evidence of the claims made. Secondary sources are rarely used in the random sample that was selected for this assessment. 

The random sample shows that usually more than one named source of evidence is provided. Fact checks contain a number of sources, some giving evidence to the background of the claim, some leading to the new information refuting the public claim. Videos from Tiktok are more and more used as evidence in fact checks.   

In the random sample used for this assessment, the organization seems to identify only the most relevant sources in its articles and videos. 

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 shared evidence about its legal identity as a non-profit organization registered in Albania. The independent organizational status is also clearly stated in its website too. 

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 applicant has shared with IFCN their detailed financial income for the previous year. The same are published in the website. Moreover, the applicant has published in its website the audit reports from previous years. In addition, the website contains information about the donors and the sources of funding, listing all active donors.                                                                                                             

Faktoje is composed of the Board of Faktoje and the Editorial Team of Faktoje. The Board of Faktoje is composed of 5 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

-Editorial Manager is working closely with the editor in chief and the director to manage the project and the tasks required for each of them in line with our code of conduct, methodology and our internal policy.

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

https://faktoje.al/bordi/

https://faktoje.al/stafi/

The organizational structure is very clear in their website. In addition to the names and resumes of each staff member, the organization provides detailed information on how and by whom the editorial control is exercised .  

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/

There is a separate section in their website that contains the biographies of all staff members and their responsibilities within the organizations. 

*Per t'u rregulluar 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 "you fact check!", 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 information is available on how to contact the organization through email, social media and telephone. The office address is also available in their website. 

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 is the website contain sufficient information on how the work is done. It explains how claims are selected, how evidence is used, the categories used for assessing the "truthfulness" of claims, and how the correction policies are implemented.

Overall, the claims selected by the applicant appear to be relevant and important for the society. These topics include public debates around specific issues such as security issues, citizens' welfare, elections, war in Ukraine and others. The organization provides detailed elaboration on each topic, which is another way of emphasizing the significance of selecting such topics in the first place. 

There is a balance of evidence that supports the claims and evidence that seems to undermine it. In some cases there are over five sources used as evidence in fact checks. If the articles is a continuation of a previously made fact check, this is indicated so that the reader can go back to the origin of the story. Overall, evidence is fairly balanced. 

There are no indications that different standards are used in selecting evidence. The same high standards appear to be applied to evidence the claims regardless who made them. The target of such claims include different political parties and different levels of power. Both central and local governments as well as different public officials are targeted for fact checks. 

In many cases, the applicant has contacted directly the source of the claim. In other situations, evidence from online claim is used, which is either in the video or social media format. A random sample shows that the applicant uses different approaches to gathering evidence and connecting claims with the sources.  

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/fakto-dhe-ti/

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

Users are encouraged to cooperate with the organization in terms of sending in claims to check. There is a visible section in the website for interaction with the audience. It is called "You can fact check too" and is simple to use, as it also allows that user to be antonymous. 

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 complains policy is visible in the website. Users are informed about the steps taken in cases when corrections are made. The audience is also notified when articles have been updated with new information. 

There is only one case from last year where the correction and updates have been done in this organization. The applicant seem to adhere to the correction policies scrupulously. 

Faktoje received only one claim from the author of a fact checked article (part of Meta's Third Party Fact Checking Programme) which turned out to be correct even after further verification. Faktoje provided new evidence to the author. Find the details in the link below.

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

Judging from the only correction published in the previous year, the applicant has made it clear which is the original part and which is the corrected part of the article. 

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/ 

The website contain a section where the reader can be informed about the IFCN code. A link is provided that send the user directly to the IFCN complains page. 

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

The applicant is an independent media company with no links to any parent media company.