Organization: FUMDAMEDIOS
Applicant: Verónica Manosalvas
Assessor: Ramón Salaverría
Edits made by the organization after this assessment
IFCN Staff wrote:
After the initial assessment of "Accept with edits", the applicant organization, Ecuador Chequea, submitted the edits below (in italics). According to the new evidences, the five pending criteria have been re-assessed:
Criterion 4A Funding Sources
- We give details of the organizations that have intervened and are currently involved in the financing of Ecuador Check. We present by percentage the way in which the initiative is financed. So we try to clarify this point, as our assessor suggested. That information is available at the section: 'Mecanismo de financiación': http://www.ecuadorchequea.com/el-equipo/
The disclosure of all funding sources has been correctly implemented. The assessment of criterion 4A upgrades to Full compliance.
Criterion 4C Contact
- We enable a contact tab, visible throughout the website. In the page, the ways in which readers can contact with the organization are described: e-mail, linked to our adress; WhatsApp; and online form, accepting the recommendation of our advisor. That information is available at the section: 'Contáctanos': http://www.ecuadorchequea.com/contactanos/
The applicant has substantially improved this criterion, which was assessed as the main weakness of the original application. The assessment of criterion 4C upgrades to Full compliance.
Criterion 5B Claim submissions
- Below the 'Contact' tab, we enable a tab for claims or rectifications request. On the page, we describe, accurately, how to process a claim. That information is available at the section: 'Solicitud de rectificaciones': http://www.ecuadorchequea.com/politica-de-rectificaciones/
The applicant now provides clear guidelines to users on how to proceed for correction claims. The assessment of criterion 5B upgrades to Full compliance.
Criterion 6A Corrections policy
- As our assessor suggested, we improve the details about our Corrections policy. Now, at our 'Solicitud de rectificaciones' tab, we provide specific time and procedures to manage a rectification. The time we specified it takes to manage a rectification is based on the time it can take us to develop a verification. That information is available at the section: 'Solicitud de rectificaciones': http://www.ecuadorchequea.com/politica-de-rectificaciones/
The applicant has implemented a strong corrections policy, that is clearly explained to users. The assessment of criterion 6A upgrades to Full compliance.
Criterion 6B Examples of corrections
- We maintain that, in honor of the truth, since ECUADOR CHEQUEA has been working, we have not received requests for rectifications. However, we have accepted the recommendations of our assesor and, as he requested, we have improved the aspects related to contact and rectification policy, so that our readers can participate more actively in this aspect.
Since both the corrections policy and the means of contact provided to users have been substantially improved, the assessment of criterion 6B upgrades to Full compliance.
RE-ASSESSMENT CONCLUSION
Based on the new evidences provided by the applicant, which prove that all requested improvements have been appropriately implemented, we recommend to upgrade the overall assessment to: ACCEPT.
Conclusion and recommendations
Ramón Salaverría wrote:
According to the evidences provided in the assessment, we suggest accepting the application with several edits. The main improvements requested to the applicant are aimed at fixing the current difficulty to contact the organization by the readers, in order to allow an easier submission of claims and corrections requests.
Ramón Salaverría recommended Accept with edits
Section 1: Organization
Criterion 1a
Proof of registration
Evidence required: Please provide evidence that the signatory is a legally-registered organization set up exclusively for the purpose of fact-checking or the distinct fact-checking project of a recognized media house or research institution.
FUMDAMEDIOS
07-Nov-2018 (5 years ago) Updated: 5 years ago
The mission of verifying public discourse is based on strengthening democracy, increasing accountability and encouraging more and better informed citizen participation. In addition, it is sustained in the opening and circulation of reliable data.
In this context, Ecuador demanded a serious verification project that works in an objective manner. This is how, in October 2016, the first portal dedicated to full-time data checking was born, as an initiative of Fundamedios.
Fundamedios lead processes that guarantee freedom of expression and association. Fundamedios is the only Ecuadorian organization that works in defense of freedom of expression, press and association, as well as to achieve independent and quality journalism.
About Ecuador Chequea: http://www.ecuadorchequea.com/el-equipo/
Ramón Salaverría Assessor
20-Nov-2018 (5 years ago)
After two years of activity, Ecuador Chequea is currently a well established journalistic organization devoted to fact-checking in Ecuador. Backed by Fundamedios, a recognized foundation devoted to promote press freedom in Ecuador, the applicant provides detailed information about the team of journalists who are collaborating in the project.
done_all 1a marked as Fully compliant by Ramón Salaverría.
Criterion 1b
Archive
Evidence required: Insert a link to the archive of fact checks published in the previous three months. If you do not collect all fact checks in one place, please explain how the fact-checking is conducted by your organization.
FUMDAMEDIOS
07-Nov-2018 (5 years ago) Updated: 5 years ago
Ramón Salaverría Assessor
20-Nov-2018 (5 years ago) Updated: 5 years ago
According to the assessment made of the last three months (Sept.-Nov. 2018), Ecuador Chequea publishes on average 2-3 fact-checks per week. There has been no week with at least one fact check published.
done_all 1b marked as Fully compliant by Ramón Salaverría.
Section 2: Nonpartisanship and Fairness
Criterion 2a
Body of work sample
Evidence required: Please share links to ten fact checks that better represent the scope and consistency of your fact-checking. Provide a short explanation of how your organization strives to maintain coherent standards across fact checks.
FUMDAMEDIOS
07-Nov-2018 (5 years ago) Updated: 5 years ago
Since October 2016, ECUADOR CHEQUEA keeps the fact checking work through daily monitoring of news, social networks, press releases... In order to determine if the statements are true, deserve contextualization, are unsustainable or false, ECUADOR CHEQUEA has focused on verifying the declarations of the main authorities: President and Vice President of the Republic, ministers, legislative and local authorities (mayors), as well as other protagonists of the political conjuncture. In addition, we work on the verification of 'fake news' disseminated through social networks.
The methodology that ECUADOR CHEQUEA hosts includes four categories of assessment of the statements of the political actors: True; Yes, but; Unsustainable; False.
1) http://www.ecuadorchequea.com/2018/10/23/mariapaularomo-grillete-fernandoalvarado-seguridad-ecuador/
2) http://www.ecuadorchequea.com/2018/10/01/leninmoreno-ecuador-migrantes-venezolanos-cifra/
4) http://www.ecuadorchequea.com/2018/08/15/israelcruz-salarios-funcionarios-ecuador-cifras/
7) http://www.ecuadorchequea.com/2018/07/04/rafaelcorrea-accidente-hija-annedominiquecorrea-belgica/
8) http://www.ecuadorchequea.com/2018/10/30/falseta-fernando-alvarado-fue-recibido-por-evo-morales/
9) http://www.ecuadorchequea.com/2018/04/17/asesinato-mujer-tumaco-video-falso/
10) http://www.ecuadorchequea.com/2018/03/21/patriciozambrano-coca-ecuador-ataques-mataje/
Ramón Salaverría Assessor
20-Nov-2018 (5 years ago) Updated: 5 years ago
The fact checks published by the Ecuador Chequea cover an adequate diversity of topics, public officials and institutions. Most of the fact checks deal with national politics, but they do it in a fairly balanced way, without favoring any particular option. As requested, the applicant has provided and explanation of its policy in this aspect.
done_all 2a marked as Fully compliant by Ramón Salaverría.
Criterion 2b
Nonpartisanship policy
Evidence required: Please share evidence of your policy preventing staff from direct involvement in political parties and advocacy organizations. Please also indicate the policy your organization has as a whole regarding advocacy and supporting political candidates.
FUMDAMEDIOS
07-Nov-2018 (5 years ago) Updated: 5 years ago
The transparency policy is published on ECUADOR CHEQUEA's website. The section 'El equipo' states that:
ECUADOR CHEQUEA is defined as a non-partisan site whose objective is to determine the veracity of statements made by politicians, civil society leaders, public figures, the media or other opinion-forming institutions. In this context, those who make up their team remain distant from political and / or economic interests.
The verifications published on this portal reach people and institutions with relevance in the public space, regardless of their political identification.
In addition, the names and the curriculum of those who do the data verification work are public. Making it clear that the staff does not participate or belong to any political partie or advocacy organizations: http://www.ecuadorchequea.com/el-equipo/
Ramón Salaverría Assessor
20-Nov-2018 (5 years ago) Updated: 5 years ago
In the application, Ecuador Chequea has provided explanations on its policy to avoid any kind of advocacy by their staff members. That information is also available for all visitors of their website.
done_all 2b marked as Fully compliant by Ramón Salaverría.
Section 3: Transparency of Sources
Criterion 3a
Sources Policy
Please share a brief and public explanation (500 words max) of how sources are provided in enough detail that readers could replicate the fact check. If you have a public policy on how you find and use sources for your fact-checking, it should be shared here.
FUMDAMEDIOS
07-Nov-2018 (5 years ago) Updated: 5 years ago
ECUADOR CHEQUEA is assumed as a collaborative experience between civil society, academia and journalism, since its report is nourished by the work of teachers and analysts of different organizations, among universities, public policy observatories and other thinking tanks.
In all of our publications we quote the source from which the data is obtained, with the objective that the reader follow the steps that the journalist went through to reach the conclusion: this implies hyperlinks, open and shared documents. The names and logos of our main sources of information are available at the bottom of the website.
Ramón Salaverría Assessor
20-Nov-2018 (5 years ago) Updated: 5 years ago
After analyzing dozens of fact checks published by Ecuador Chequea, we confirm that they systematically back their fact checks with reliable sources and links.
done_all 3a marked as Fully compliant by Ramón Salaverría.
Section 4: Transparency of Funding & Organization
Criterion 4a
Funding Sources
Evidence required: Please link to the section where you publicly list your sources of funding (including, if they exist, any rules around which types of funding you do or don't accept), or a statement on ownership if you are the branch of an established media organization or research institution.
FUMDAMEDIOS
07-Nov-2018 (5 years ago) Updated: 5 years ago
That information is available at the section: 'Mecanismo de financiación' http://www.ecuadorchequea.com/el-equipo/
Ramón Salaverría Assessor
20-Nov-2018 (5 years ago) Updated: 5 years ago
Ecuador Chequea discloses the names of three institutions that give their financial support to the applicant. Ecuador Chequea presents them as their "main donors" ('principales donantes'), which suggests that, besides these three, there are other donors that are not disclosed. In addition, Ecuador Chequea does not provide details on the share and/or amount of financing that it gets from those donors. All in all, more clarification would be advisable in this section.
done 4a marked as Partially compliant by Ramón Salaverría.
Criterion 4b
Staff
Evidence required: Please link to the section detailing all authors and key actors behind your fact-checking project with their biographies. You can also list the name and bios of the members of the editorial board, pool of experts, advisory board, etc. if your organization has those.
FUMDAMEDIOS
07-Nov-2018 (5 years ago) Updated: 5 years ago
That information is available at the section: 'El Equipo' http://www.ecuadorchequea.com/el-equipo/
Ramón Salaverría Assessor
20-Nov-2018 (5 years ago) Updated: 5 years ago
The names of Ecuador Chequea's team members are fully disclosed, providing a shor bio of each of them.
done_all 4b marked as Fully compliant by Ramón Salaverría.
Criterion 4c
Contact
Evidence required: Please link to the section where readers can get in touch with the organization.
FUMDAMEDIOS
07-Nov-2018 (5 years ago) Updated: 5 years ago
Ramón Salaverría Assessor
20-Nov-2018 (5 years ago) Updated: 5 years ago
In the "Team" section (El Equipo) of the website, there is an email for contacting them: "Contacto: ecuadorchequea@gmail.com". However, the website does not actively invite its users to participate. Although Ecuador Chequea can also be reached through social media (Facebook and Twitter), it is worth mentioning, for instance, that the email address indicated above it's not even linked; it is written just as normal text.
In order to be fully compliant in this aspect, the applicant should provide a clearer, more functional and more accessible means of contact (for instance, a form or button in the homepage), allowing readers to get in touch easier with Ecuador Chequea.
done 4c marked as Partially compliant by Ramón Salaverría.
Section 5: Transparency of Methodology
Criterion 5a
Detailed Methodology
Evidence required: Please link to a section or article detailing the steps you follow for your fact-checking work.
FUMDAMEDIOS
07-Nov-2018 (5 years ago) Updated: 5 years ago
Methodology: (Metodología) http://www.ecuadorchequea.com/metodologia/
Ramón Salaverría Assessor
20-Nov-2018 (5 years ago) Updated: 5 years ago
The applicant's website has a clear, easy-to-reach section devoted to explain their fact checking methodology.
done_all 5a marked as Fully compliant by Ramón Salaverría.
Criterion 5b
Claim submissions
Evidence required: Please link to the page or process through which readers can submit claims to fact-check. If you do not allow this, please briefly explain why.
FUMDAMEDIOS
07-Nov-2018 (5 years ago) Updated: 5 years ago
This experience of fact checking recognizes that the declarations of political actors can involve a diversity of meanings and nuances. To submit claims to fact-check requests, is available the email address: ecuadorchequea@gmail.com. The process is define at: POLÍTICA DE RECTIFICACIONES http://www.ecuadorchequea.com/metodologia/
Ramón Salaverría Assessor
20-Nov-2018 (5 years ago) Updated: 5 years ago
As indicated in the assessment of the criterion 4c, the openness of Ecuador Chequea to readers' claims should be improved. The applicant is kindly invited to follow the recommendations suggested there.
done 5b marked as Partially compliant by Ramón Salaverría.
Section 6: Open & Honest Corrections Policy
Criterion 6a
Corrections policy
Evidence required: Please link to the page with your policy to address corrections. If it is not public, please share your organization's handbook.
FUMDAMEDIOS
07-Nov-2018 (5 years ago) Updated: 5 years ago
That policy is define at: POLÍTICA DE RECTIFICACIONES http://www.ecuadorchequea.com/metodologia/
Ramón Salaverría Assessor
20-Nov-2018 (5 years ago) Updated: 5 years ago
Ecuador Chequea informs readers about their correction policy. However, it does not fully comply with the requirements of this criterion, as it lacks detail as regards the timeframe for the handling of the corrections requests. This aspect should be fixed in the information provided to website users.
done 6a marked as Partially compliant by Ramón Salaverría.
Criterion 6b
Examples of corrections
Evidence required: Please provide two examples of a correction made, or correction requests handled, in the past year.
FUMDAMEDIOS
07-Nov-2018 (5 years ago) Updated: 5 years ago
In honor of the truth, since ECUADOR CHEQUEA has been working, we have not received requests for rectifications. If that happens in the next few days or weeks, we commit to offer that information to Poynter staff.
Ramón Salaverría Assessor
20-Nov-2018 (5 years ago) Updated: 5 years ago
This aspect is assessed as partially compliant because this assessor has concerns about the reasons why Ecuador Chequea has not received any corrections requests so far. Of course, this well may be related to the accuracy of the organization in their fact checking methodology. However, according to what it has been pointed out in criteria 4c and 5b, this assessor fears that it may also be related to the difficulty to submit corrections by the readers. This is an additional reason to kindly request a significant improvement of this aspect to Ecuador Chequea. Once the weaknesses indicated in 4c and 5b are properly fixed, this criterion will be also validated as fully compliant.