Our about page (https://www.factual.ro/despre/) is populated with the most relevant information one would need in order to find out more about our fact-checking operation and the organization behind it, namely Funky Citizens (including a link to a dedicated page with proof that we are a legally registered entity as an association/ non-profit under Romanian legislation). This section also contains information on grants received, the team behind the project and Factual's affiliations. 

Factual.ro functions as a distinct team under a well known Romanian NGO called Funky Citizens, registered according to Romanian law. The link provided details how the project was started and how it evolved. A link to the main NGO page is provided, where registration data is presented.

1. Factual.ro was founded in May 2014 as a response to the changing political and civic landscape in Romania, especially in the way which these changes were perceived by young adults. It thus became the first political fact-checking operation in the country. Factual.ro was founded by a team of young professionals, but later on was taken under the formal umbrella of Funky Citizens, a non-profit founded in 2012. Two of the founders of Factual.ro are to this day members of Funky Citizens' board. 

2. Factual.ro functions as an independent unit inside Funky Citizens, with its own two editors-in-chief and editorial staff totalling 12 individuals, including a part-time role of monitoring the media for fact-checkable statements. and the contribution of Funky Citizens' communication team. Factual.ro would not be possible without the deluxe volunteers that make up our pool of experts, with whom we constantly run peer reviews for our articles or ask for guidance in researching and debunking claims (e.g.. in terms of reliable sources). The names of all he people involved, including the aforementioned experts, are available on the website, in the "about" section.

3. Factual's main focus was, for most of its existence, classic fact-checking work, namely contextualizing and verifying political claims. In the previous years, we have expanded upon blog posts (https://blog.factual.ro/), in which we tackle narratives that aren't linked to only one statement, but represent a trend or concern in the society and have also experimented with different formats and products that represent different iteration of Factual's mission, such as electoral programme verification (see our evaluation of electoral programmes during the last elections here: https://www.factual.ro/programe-electorale-locale-2020/, for previous European Parliament Elections here: https://www.factual.ro/europarlamentare/, an analysis on the Government's performance here: https://guvernometru.factual.ro/), all endeavours we wish to continue for the next cycle of elections to come. Factual has also experimented with video formats, such as the materials produced during the pandemic, as a weekly show (https://www.factual.ro/fake/) or  documentary-style materials (see our collaboration on combatting anti-Western propaganda with NATO, here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ua982KEcxf0). 

Factual has tackled a other topics of interest for the general public, such as climate change misinformation, thanks to a dedicated grant by Poynter Institute: https://www.factual.ro/proiecte-speciale/combatem-dezinformarea-din-jurul-tranzitiei-la-o-economie-verde/ 

Our ongoing project led by DPA includes visual formatting (visual posts, videos) of the fact-checks produced by Factual in such a manner that will be more accessible to the public; here, Factual joins fact-chekcing outlets from 8 other countries: https://www.dpa-shop.com/en/shop/product-category/dpa-fact-graphics/ 

Factual is also a part of different consortia, such as European Digital Media Observatory, where we contribute to monthly reports and newsletters (https://edmo.eu/2023/07/20/best-of-fact-checking-map-july-23/) and the Bulgarian-Romanian Observatory of Digital Media (https://brodhub.eu/ro/), where we publish content alongside our Romanian and Bulgarian partners. 

Since July 2022, Factual is a third-party fact-checker in the fact-checking program run by Meta and checks posts with potentially misleading content on Facebook and Instagram. The articles resulted from scrutinizing social media can be found here https://factual.ro/dezinformare/, whilst the announcement and the methodology were published here: https://blog.factual.ro/factual-se-alatura-programului-de-fact-checking-al-meta/ 

4. Since in 2024 Romania will experience all rounds of elections (EP, local, general, presidential) in the span of about 6 months, most of our efforts will be directed towards combating disinformation linked to electoral campaigns. Funky Citizens is part of a number of countering disinformation initiatives that cover Romania and some of its neighbours (Moldova, Bulgaria) and include trainings and mentorship, thus Factual's efforts are strengthen and amplified for the foreseeable future. 

The start of Factual (in 2014) and its subsequent evolution are presented in the response and on the official website. The "about" page of factual.ro lists the people working for the factchecking unit (part of the parent organization Funky Citizens, a civic NGO), mentioning their role in the team. 

Factual was set up to fact check statements from political leaders, but evolved to verify other claims, focusing on those that draw significant attention in the media (or social media). Factual has also ran projects that are not specifically focused on fact-checking such as evaluating electoral programs around the 2020 elections, but such projects are only a small part of the activity.

The plan for the next year is relevant, as Romania will face all types of elections in 2024 and mis- and disinformation will pose a significant threat to having free and fair elections where people can make informed choices.

Since the beginning of the year, Factual has published 232 fact checks. Please find attached a spreadsheet of all published articles from January 1, 2023 to July 31, 2023. 

Factual.ro is very active, especially in regard to social media mis- and disinformation, a category visible here: https://www.factual.ro/dezinformari-retele-sociale/

The document attached lists all the factchecks from 1 January 2023 to 31 July 2023, totaling 232 factchecks, spread relatively even across months/weeks.

Our mission is to verify impactful claims, keeping in mind the topics encountered by the general public. Thus, our agenda is set by what public discourse is trending - including narratives that spread via social media. Sometimes, there is a need to elaborate on certain topics that are of interest, such as the disinformation linked to climate change or overarching narratives that deserve a more detailed narrative, i.e. the 15-minute city. In such cases, we either highlight the topic or we create detailed analyses as blogposts. Please find attached a spreadsheet with all fact-checks published over the course of the last three months, which totals 119 texts. 

Factual addresses statements by political leaders, social media posts by influencers and special topics, such as climate change. All categories are relevant, either concerning information needed by Romanian citizens to inform their political decisions, or concerning understanding of world events in an attempt to curb the proliferation of conspiracy theories such as "chemtrails", COVID being spread from pest-control trucks etc. 

We are proudly independent, with no strings attached and no funds received from political actors, politicians or state actors for Factual.ro. The platform has a distinct team, formally placed under the organizational umbrella of Funky Citizens, a well-established non-profit active in the fields of good governance, transparency, civic education, with an excellent track record. Funky Citizens participates to call for proposals from institutions like the European Commission, but they are competitive ones.

We have outlined our policy when it comes to neutrality and non-partisanship: https://blog.factual.ro/politica-de-neutralitate/ 

Our core principles are as follows:

• We are not partisan. We are independent, equidistant and honest.
• We are transparent with our sources and have various standards regarding them.
• We are transparent about our funding and organizational affiliation.
• We have a transparent methodology that we follow.
• We have an honest and transparent corrections policy.

Because we advocate transparency as a principle, one of the pieces of information we share by default on our About page is the one pertaining to all funding sources we have received so far. There are two types of sources of funding: 

1) individual donations from citizens and 

2) specific grants.

As far as grants are concerned, please consult the list below for details on the previous fiscal year:

• In 2022, The Poynter Institute for Media funded the IFCN Climate Misinformation project with USD 47,465. 
• In 2023, the European Union via the Digital Europe Programme funded the Bulgarian-Romanian Observatory of Digital Media, a larger project which includes entities from Romania and Bulgaria - our share for the entire 30-month duration of the project is EUR 120,054 EU funding and EUR 120,054 self-funding.
• In 2023, the European Media and Information Fund financed the project "Boosting Fact-Checking Activities in Europe" carried out by the Deutsche Press Agentur (DPA) in the amount of EUR 69,986. The 10-month project allows Factual and other partners to create checks in a novel visual format called Fact Graphics.
  

As of now, Factual receives individual donations via Pateron from 23 subscribers each month, totalling USD 124. Via its economic contract with Meta, Factual has received USD 51,200 since the summer of 2022.

Both the fact-checking unit (Factual) and the parent organization (Funky Citizens) have no relationship to local or foreign state or political actors. 

Funding comes mostly from various grant programs but also from individual donations (Patreon). Some of the grants are funded by foreign embassies (US embassy, Dutch embassy), but they are competitive grants that ensure editorial independence.

Factual's policy does not allow for any political funding; all funds received are listed on our About page, here: https://www.factual.ro/despre/

As for funding received from foreign states, which are listed on the About page as well, they are as follows:

• The Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands from a specific project - the Fake News Bulletin  
• The US Embassy, for a project on involving young people in fact-checking.
• The Swiss Government, through the Civic Innovation Fund 

Some of the grants that the parent organization of Factual has applied for are provided by foreign embassies (US embassy, Dutch embassy), but they are competitive grants that ensure editorial independence.

Our policy, which will be detailed below, provides that Factual remains above any claim of partisanship. Partisanship is defined in our methodology as taking the side of one entity to the detriment of another and can be reflected by the selection of topics and statements to be checked, how the argument from the verification of a statement is handled or the way the fact-check is promoted. We strive to maintain a high standard and to serve the interest of the public above all else. In doing so, we do not set the agenda and we do not focus on one topic or one party alone. Please see the selection below highlighting the variety of topics and claims by people:

1. https://www.factual.ro/declaratii/catalin-drula-despre-procentul-din-pib-reprezentat-de-pensiile-speciale/
2. https://www.factual.ro/declaratii/trunchiat-ciprian-ciucu-se-lauda-cu-bugetul-alocat-educatiei/
3. https://www.factual.ro/declaratii/cristian-terhes-despre-tratamentul-pentru-schimbare-de-sex/
4. https://www.factual.ro/declaratii/george-simion-despre-proiectul-de-lege-pentru-prevenirea-riscului-de-abandon/
5. https://www.factual.ro/declaratii/trunchiat-marcel-ciolacu-despre-portul-constanta/
6. https://www.factual.ro/declaratii/nicusor-dan-despre-datoriile-curente-ale-primariei-generale/
7. https://www.factual.ro/declaratii/oana-toiu-despre-inchiderea-centrelor-pentru-dizabili/
8. https://www.factual.ro/declaratii/sebastian-burduja-despre-cresterea-bugetului-pentru-cercetare/
9. https://www.factual.ro/declaratii/partial-adevarat-tanczos-barna-despre-numarul-de-ursi-in-continua-crestere/ 
10. https://www.factual.ro/declaratii/raluca-turcan-despre-cresterea-varstei-de-pensionare/
    

Factual verifies constantly declarations from leader of all major political parties in Romania and has issued all types of "verdicts", i.e., false, misleading, partly true, true, and impossible to verify. 
Examples given prove all claims are analyzed using the same process and follow existing evidence, no matter what the source is.

Please consider our methodology policy publically available on our website. Below we highlight a few ideas:

• Factual verifies the facts using the same standards, based on evidence and accurate data, objectively evaluating the statements, regardless of their issuer. Contributors use the same verification process for each article, in accordance with the Factual methodology, and base their conclusions solely on evidence.
• Factual does not show ideological partisanship or preferences in verifying the statements and considers the importance and relevance of the statements it selects, in accordance with the public work methodology and the policy of neutrality.

Factual is focused on claims made by leading politicians in Romania, and social media posts made by various influencers. In the first case, Factual does not discriminate based on party affiliation, but verifies claims both from politicians from government parties and opposition parties. They even include declarations from parties that do not have groups in Parliament, as there are some new parties in Romania that are very vocal (e.g., SOS founded by Diana Sosoacă) and influence the public discourse.
Regarding social media, Factual targets claims that touch upon important conversations in the public sphere, such as COVID and vaccines, the war in Ukraine, or popular conspiracy theories such as "chemtrails".

Another special line of factcheck has been set up to verify climate change narratives, since the topic is extremely important and prompts significant mis- and disinformation.

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Factual uses mostly official sources in their factchecks. Such sources range from existing laws to reports published by established institutions such as the World Bank. In some cases, Factual uses official statements (eg., from NATO, EU Commission etc), articles published in high-quality media outlets or technical information sheets of products. 

There are no instances where any relationships that might influence the findings could be found.

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Factchecks are neutral and verify claims from different sources, including politicians from all parties. There is no ideological bias and articles do not support any politician, party or policy.

This is an excerpt from our neutrality policy focusing on non-partisanship; please find the entire methodology on the dedicated page:

To ensure that Factual is a non-partisan and apolitical project, the editorial staff will follow these rules:

• will verify the facts using the same high standards of evidence and judgment for equivalent claims, regardless of the claimant and his or her political affiliation.
• will pay attention to the selection of statements to be verified and their issuers, to avoid unjustified concentration of fact-checks on one side or another of the political spectrum
• concretely, the selection will be made taking into account the public interest behind the respective statement and the potential magnitude that the consequences of an erroneous statement may have in that case
• the sources used in the checks will be of the highest quality, as neutral as possible. Where a source has the potential to be biased towards one of the actors in verification, the editor has an obligation to flag this as such (eg disclose any commercial or other relationships the source may have with the broadcaster of the verified statement or other entities close to it) could influence the conclusions of the fact check.

Factual has a statement of non-partisanship published on their website that clearly defines what partisanship is and what steps are taken to ensure neutrality. 

Factual operates under the following criteria regarding the use of evidence and sources, as highlighted in our dedicated methodology:

• Factual calls on primary data sources and compares the information used in the checks with multiple sources. The texts include clarifications about the possible interests of the persons or data cited, if considered contextually relevant to the position adopted.
• Factual includes in the published checks the relevant sources used, to allow the reader to prove the accuracy of the data invoked and the verdict given. By corroborating the sources cited with the Factual methodology, members of the public are given the opportunity to recreate the verification on their own.

Analyzing several factchecks (see below), we can conclude that sources are clearly identified. Links to sources are provided where available (media articles, laws, social media posts). Some people who made statements that are relevant are also linked to their profiles (eg. university personal page for academics).  

In some cases, sources are presented as images/scans of official documents - for example, in some instances, the team asked for an official position from relevant authorities and uploaded a scanned copy of the response (while redacting only the personal information of the person signing the response). Even in this cases, anyone can replicate the process, since asking for information from authorities is a process available to citizens, according to Romanian law.

Selected factchecks (ranging from 2021 to 2023):

https://www.factual.ro/declaratii/alin-colesa-despre-emisiile-de-carbon-care-nu-ar-fi-poluante/

https://www.factual.ro/declaratii/florin-citu-despre-spectacolele-pilot-cu-public/

https://www.factual.ro/declaratii/laura-iuliana-scantei-despre-romania-primul-loc-in-europa-la-traficul-de-persoane/

https://blog.factual.ro/serghei-lavrov-noi-nu-am-atacat-ucraina/

https://blog.factual.ro/analiza-cum-influenteaza-schimbarile-climatice-inflatia/

https://www.factual.ro/declaratii/marcel-ciolacu-despre-scoaterea-pacanelelor-din-localitati/

https://www.factual.ro/dezinformari-retele-sociale/fals-masina-care-imprastie-boli/

https://www.factual.ro/dezinformari-retele-sociale/partial-fals-timisoara-nu-a-ramas-fara-turisti/

https://www.factual.ro/dezinformari-retele-sociale/fals-comisia-europeana-nu-pregateste-o-noua-pandemie/

https://www.factual.ro/dezinformari-retele-sociale/context-lipsa-nato-nu-a-transmis-in-mod-oficial-ca-ucraina-trebuie-sa-cedeze-teritorii/

See our aforementioned mention on methodology and flow of work.

Factual uses primary sources whenever available, and sometimes completes the factcheck with secondary sources. 

Primary sources include official reports and statistics, laws, statements from various officials, and answers to petitions addressed to relevant authorities.

(Selected factchecks are the same as 3.1.)

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Factual uses multiple sources for each of the claims verified. Each factcheck clearly stated what is being verified, and several sources of different types are always mentioned.

(Selected factchecks are the same as 3.1.)

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Factual clearly identifies the sources used in verifications, mostly official bodies or institutions, researchers or media outlets. There are no instances where any kind of conflict of interest might be assumed. 

(Selected factchecks are the same as 3.1.)

As stated in its Constitution, Factual.ro is a distinct, autonomous and independent team formally functioning inside Funky Citizens, a legally registered non-profit in Romania.

Funky Citizens is a Romanian NGO that builds research-based, data-driven online advocacy tools that aim to be educational and actionable, encouraging citizens to engage in good governance initiatives in which they can see an impact. Our activities are mostly focused on the area of good governance and civic engagement. 

The registration number for our organization and the fiscal identification number are available on our website. The registration of our organization can also be seen on the portal for associations on the website of the Ministry of Justice. Please see the attached registration form and our fiscal registration form.

Factual's independence is stated in our policy and all sources of funding are disclosed on the website. The same claims are valid for Funky Citizens - see yearly reports by Funky Citizens for more details on funding. 

Factual is a distinct unit of Funky Citizens, a well known Romanian NGO (non-profit, non-governmental organization), active in promoting civic education and civic engagement.

Organization funding is detailed in reports and complete income/expense sheets, while specific funding for the factual unit is detailed on the factual webpage (https://www.factual.ro/despre/#cinenefinanteaza). Funding comes from grants and crowdfunding.

Factual is an independent fact-checking operation legally operating under Funky Citizens and this fact is openly mentioned on the About page.

Factual is a distinct unit of Funky Citizens (Romanian NGO). This information is clearly stated on the official web page (about section):https://www.factual.ro/despre/#:~:text=Facebook%20%C8%99i%20Instagram.-,Cine%20suntem%3F,-Proiectul%20a%20fost

On Factual's About page, names and roles of all those involved are disclosed, including those of our network of experts who are regularly consulted for fact-checking. 

Factual has a specialized team of people doing reporting and verifications, with special editor roles considered. The Factual webpage provides the names and roles of every team member. Expert consultants are also mentioned, as they are sometimes asked to give insights into specific topics. 

Editorial control is fully exercised by the editors, especially Ana Poenariu, known Romanian journalist and coordinator of Factual.

The About page has a list of names and roles, as stated above, but it also features a link to a more detailed outlook of the people involved, editors and writers and auxiliary personnel, with a short biography for every person listed. 

Biographies of reporters and editors involved in Factual are presented on the Factual website here https://blog.factual.ro/echipa/

External experts that sometimes provide insights into specific topics (economy, justice, statistics etc) are also listed, even though they don't have any control on the editorial process (they are just consulted when needed). For each expert, a link to their social media profile (LinkedIn) is presented.

On Factual's Contact page, this encouragement and the methods of contact are highlighted:

For additional information about Factual.ro, we invite you to contact us by any of the following methods: you can find us on Facebook or at the e-mail address facts [at] factual. ro.

If you have suggestions for fact-checking or statements of potential public interest, feel free to send us your suggestions. The Factual editorial office chooses the subjects that are the subject of checks according to a methodology.

If you are of the opinion that you are entitled to invoke the right of reply as a result of the publication of an article on our website that starts from a statement made by you, we invite you to use the contact address mentioned above.

The contact page of the Factual website starts with suggesting visitors to contact them for any inquiries, by sending a message to the Factual Facebook page or by email.

Our website features a detailed account of the methodology used. It includes the following steps:

1. Finding topics

2. Drafting the fact-check, with the following 

• I. Context
• II. What we check
• III. Verification
• IV. Conclusion

The barometer of truth is also explained on the website, since we strive to make members of the public aware of the intricacies of our work and encourage them to do their own fact-checking. 

A clear methodology is provided on the Factual website (https://blog.factual.ro/metodologie/) . The methodology presents detailed information, starting from defining what "facts" mean, how claims are being chosen, how they are being verified and what the verdicts mean. 

Some writing style norms are also presenting, to ensure a neutral language as well as a clear way of mentioning relevant actors (either those making the initial claim, or those that are used as sources for the verification). 

All factchecks selected for analysis have been on relevant, significant claims. Some of them verify viral social media posts, others verify declarations from relevant political figures, declarations that touch upon subjects that are present in the public sphere (these obviously change according to politicians trying to influence the agenda of public discourse, but Factual has proven to follow topics of interest).

Factcheck published by Factual present the claim being verified in original with its corresponding source, while also providing context information when needed. When analyzing social media posts, Factual provides detailed information on what is being claimed, but there is seldom any evidence to support those claims (in my opinion, Factual selects mostly posts that suggest some conspiracy theories, and not very complex, subtle statements that may have some evidentiary support).

When it comes to political statements, Factual publishes verifications that sometimes are concluded to be "true" or "partly true", if the evidence points to this "verdict".

All factchecks selected for analysis present the same verification process, no matter if the original claim is taken from a social media post, or from a statement of some political leader. Statements are being chosen from all sides of the political spectrum, and the verifications use the same standards. Statements from all political parties have been given all types of verdicts, from "false" to "true".

A significant number of factchecks correspond to social media posts that, as mentioned in the criteria, make it difficult to contact the person making the claim.

Regarding political statement, while analyzed verifications did not include contacting the source, it is my consideration that these are not needed, since only statements that are clear and present facts that can be verified are chosen, according to the methodology.

Our contact page features an explicit mention to members of the public being encouraged to send us examples for claims:

If you have suggestions for fact-checking or statements of potential public interest, feel free to send us your suggestions. The Factual editorial office chooses the subjects that are the subject of checks according to a methodology.

The contact page from the Factual website specifically asks the public to submit claims for verification but states the claims are chosen according to the published methodology.                                                                                                 

The verification methodology explicitly mentions that claims that are chosen to be verified need to be relevant for the public discourse and need to have some verifiable statements (for example they cannot verify opinions).  

We have a dedicated methodological section on correction policy, available on our website, which includes details such as how the corrected information will be highlighted and disseminated to make it clear it is in fact a correction and to reach a similar level of our audience, for both the website and the social media platforms used. 

Factual also provides a list of corrections to its audience: https://blog.factual.ro/rectificari/ 

On our contact page, we detail how one can contact us if they feel like they should exercise their right to reply:

If you are of the opinion that you are entitled to invoke the right of reply as a result of the publication of an article on our website that starts from a statement made by you, we invite you to use the contact address mentioned above.

The correction policy is detailed on the official website (https://blog.factual.ro/politica-de-erata/), mentioning relevant aspects, such as clarifying that a specific factcheck has been updated to include corrections, as well as the fact that the old version is not completely deleted, only marked accordingly, and the corrected information is presented next to the errors.

The right to reply is also mentioned on the contact page, easy to find by whomever would be interested.

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The correction policy posted on the website highlights there are two types of corrections - major ones (erroneous information) that may or may not change the verdict (true/false) and minor errors (spellcheck, missing or erroneous links etc). Major errors ale always highlighted in the factchecks (without removing the erroneous information, but marking it as such), while minor errors are only corrected in place.

I have identified some published factchecks that do have corrections integrated (e.g. https://www.factual.ro/declaratii/trunchiat-catalin-drula-despre-iohannis-care-a-numit-mai-multi-premieri-psd-decat-iliescu/) which show this policy is actually being implemented.

Significant attention is given to social media posts that promoted factchecks. In case of errors, social media posts are either edited to clarify the update, or deleted, if editing would not be sufficient, and replaced with a new post. Before deletion, a comment is added below the erroneous post to inform of its subsequent deletion. New social media posts mention the actualization.

According to our correction policy, we will list all such cases on a dedicated page. 

For the previous 12 months, these are the examples at hand:

• June 29, 2023 – correction regarding a check on the number of prime ministers from the PSD

Here, the correction reads: *** CORRECTION: The originally published text contained documentation errors. We rechecked everything and modified the text. All changes made to the article are observable. Thanks to our readers for bringing it to our attention. The verdict remained the same. ***

The reader can notice different paragraphs and lines are strikedthrough, which makes it easy to both read the original article, but to notice the changes made. The changes are also colour-coded, where an edit was done.

• March 13, 2023 – correction on a check on spike protein produced by vaccines

Here, the correction reads: *In the original version of the text it was written "infection with Covid19". According to the terminology agreed by the WHO, Covid19 is the name given to the disease caused by infection with the Sars-Cov2 virus. (Update 13.03.2023)

The corrected factchecks provided are following the correction policy - they mention there has been an update, and the erroneous information is clearly marked as such (not removed), while the updated information is presented next to it. 

Factual also provides a separate page that lists all corrections made, which includes factchecks published on the platform as well as social media posts promoting factchecks. This shows commitment to ensure the public gets information about corrections.

This information can be found on Factual's About page:

Factual adheres to the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN) code of principles. If you suspect that our activity violates these principles, you can report it directly to IFCN here.

The Factual official webpage states on the "about" section (https://www.factual.ro/despre) that it adheres to IFCN code of principles and mentions anyone can address a complaint to IFCN, also providing a link to the IFCN Complaints Policy.

Non-applicable to Factual.

Factual is not a unit of a media company, but a unit of a non-profit, non-governmental organization, active in civic education and civic engagement.