Istinomer (https://www.istinomer.rs/) was established by the legally registered non-profit organization Center for Research, Transparency and Accountability - CRTA (https://crta.rs/). Istinomer is inscribed in the Media Register kept by the Serbian Business Register Agency (In Serbian: Agencija za privredne register), which is clearly stated in the "About" section on the Istinomer website:

https://www.istinomer.rs/o-istinomeru/

Besides on the Istinomer website, the registration document is also available on the publicly available link https://aplikacije3.apr.gov.rs/RemediaPublicWebSearch/MediaSearch/GetDetails/3715

This registry does not keep a record of the purpose of certain media, including Istinomer. However, Istinomer is officially and publicly defined as a fact-checking portal, dedicated to fact-checking and rating politicians' and public officials' claims, as well as debunking disinformation published on social media, which is Istinomer's core business. 

The applicant is legally registered in the Serbian media register. Details of this and who the applicant's founder and publisher is, are easily found on its website.

As the first fact-checking platform in the region of the Western Balkans, established in 2009 by its founding organization CRTA, Istinomer fact-checks and debunks information manipulation shared in public speech and digital space, by politicians and public officials, media outlets or users on social platforms. 

Istinomer was established to provide the audience with an effective fact-checking mechanism for assessing politicians’ and public officials’ accountability based on what they are saying and promising to their constituents and how they actually perform. Istinomer established a comprehensive, precise, and transparent methodology used to evaluate politicians’ and public officials’ claims in three categories: truthfulness, consistency, and fulfillment of promises. It uses uniform standards and methodology for each fact-check, relying on verifiable facts only to ensure the highest level of objectivity and fairness.

With the intensive spread of disinformation and conspiracy theories regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, the Istinomer team introduced fact-checking of disinformation shared in media as well as on social media platforms. Until October 2023, Istinomer debunked more than 500 disinformation messages shared in the Serbian digital space about COVID-19 and related vaccines, ecology, war in Ukraine...

For the last 14 years since Istinomer was established, it has applied the highest professional standards and strict methodology in fact-checking to ensure impartiality and objectivity and preserve credibility. Besides fact-checking, Istinomer became recognized for its in-depth analyses of the emerging developments and issues of public importance that were used for manipulation and misusing the facts in the public sphere, as well as for video fact-checks, interviews, podcasts and innovative visual presentations of its findings in the online and digital sphere. 

In addition to the ongoing publishing of the fact-checking and accountability journalism content at the Istinomer website, Istinomer content was regularly promoted on Istinomer’s Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram and TikTok platforms, which further increased the Istinomer outreach effect.

The Istinomer team includes an editor-in-chief, an executive editor, eight journalists and a project coordinator and their biographies are published on the "Impressum" page on the Istinomer website (see the link https://www.istinomer.rs/redakcija/)

Widespread news avoidance is a significant trend, with 65% of citizens in Serbia actively avoiding news, making it a leading country according to the global  2022 Digital News Report. To tackle this issue, Istinomer plans to expand native content production across various platforms, targeting social media users for wider reach. Additionally, there will be a focus on engaging young audiences effectively.

The media outlet is set up exclusively for the purpose of fact-checking.

With an aim to improve the quality and trustworthiness of the Serbian information space marked with numerous false information and facts manipulation, particularly in the period of the war in Ukraine, Istinomer invested its efforts in deploying fact-checking skills of its Istinomer team of journalists to counter disinformation shared in media and social media spheres. During the previous 6 months, Istinomer published 104 fact-checks of viral hoaxes published in media or shared across social media platforms, available at the following link - https://www.istinomer.rs/facebook-provere/.    

In the six-month period from May 1 to October 1, 2023, Istinomer published 6 fact-checks of politicians' and public officials’ claims. Istinomer has been focused on covering politicians' response to mass shootings, civic protests against violence, the economy etc. Fact-checks of the public officials’ and politicians’ claims in categories of truthfulness, consistency, and fulfilment of promises are available at this link - https://www.istinomer.rs/izjava/. At the same time, Istinomer was publishing in-depth fact-checking analyses about infrastructure promises, focusing on determining whether the pledged due dates for works were delayed as they were used for propaganda purposes by public officials  - https://www.istinomer.rs/author/sinisa-dedeic/. In order to deal with manipulative information in the mainstream media, Istonomer engaged in the production of articles tackling this issue - https://www.istinomer.rs/tag/mediji/.  

The applicant publishes more than one fact-check a week on average. This includes Facebook fact-checks published on the applicant’s website.

On average, over 85% of the applicant’s fact-checks focus on claims related to issues that, in the view of the IFCN, relate to or could have an impact on the welfare or well-being of individuals, the general public or society. This includes disinformation on COVID-19, war in Ukraine, conspiracy theories related to health issues etc.

Istinomer is an initiative of the nongovernmental organization Center for Research, Transparency and Accountability - CRTA which can be seen in the registration document attached below. Since it was established, Istinomer received funds from projects CRTA was awarded by international donors and non-profit organizations interested in strengthening democracy and accountability in Serbia. CRTA never apply for funds from the state or local government budgets in order to preserve credibility and neutrality and ensure impartial reporting.

In the "About" section (https://www.istinomer.rs/o-istinomeru), Istinomer disclosed the list of donors from the previous year along with the overall funding it received for its work.

Istinomer's budget in 2022 amounted to 176,000 euros. It comprised projects allocated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic under the Transition program, the Embassy of the US in Belgrade, as well as funds acquired by Istinomer through partnerships within the Meta Fact-Checking Program. Funds from all these projects were used for the operational costs of Istinomer, video production, organization of workshops, conferences, panel discussions and other events.

All financial data, including auditors’ annual reports, are available on the CRTA website. The latest CRTA financial report (covering 2022) is available on this link https://crta.rs/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/CRTA-izvestaj-revizora-2022.pdf.  

The applicant’s editorial output is not, in the view of the IFCN, controlled by the state, a political party or politician.

The applicant receives funding from foreign state sources, and it provides a statement on its site setting out to the satisfaction of the IFCN, that it ensures its funders do not influence the findings of its fact-checks.

Within fact-checking processes implemented since its establishment in 2009, Istinomer applies the highest professional standards and strict methodology in fact-checking in order to ensure impartiality and objectivity and to preserve credibility among readers.

Istinomer is making an effort to fact-check the claims that are referring to the facts in the public interest. Therefore, the focus is on the public officials, since they have the opportunity to exercise power and to use public funds and should be accountable to the public. Besides public officials, the Istinomer team also rates different opposition politicians’ statements and collects their promises, particularly during the election campaign. Political affiliations of the people Istinomer evaluates play no role in its fact checks, but verifiable facts only. When choosing social media and media claims for debunking, Istinomer relies on the criteria of public interest as well as the virality of the claims. 

Istinomer strives to rate as many different politicians and public officials, but in the previous period, it has evaluated only 6 different claims as a result of the propaganda and populistic speech that dominate public space compared to the verifiable facts. Istinomer addressed that kind of information manipulation through the formats of in-depth analysis and explainers.

The Istinomer team of fact-checkers tends to use video materials to have original citations whenever possible in order to avoid misquoting and misinterpretation. When this is not possible, verbatim quotations published in different media outlets are being used. Journalists of Istinomer always contact people they rate in order to request further information about the given statement, whether it be comments or data. This way they also have the opportunity to react in case their statement was misquoted or taken out of context.

Istinomer is open and honest about the sources in our articles - it names the source for every fact and every number.

Istinomer's journalists primarily use primary sources as evidence during the verification process. To reach a conclusion about the assessment, they rely on two or more sources. Apart from official data, acceptable sources include relevant experts, reports from international organizations, and investigations conducted by other fact-checking media. The Istinomer team analyzes reports of domestic and international institutions and think tanks, searches credible databases and consults experts in different fields, university professors, NGOs. No conclusion in the fact checks could be made based on unnamed sources, as Istinomer uses on-the-record sources and official documents.

Similar criteria are applied when fact-checking statements published in the media and on social networks. Key considerations include the virality of a particular claim and the potential impact misinformation can have on citizens' decision-making or influencing their opinions. Selection of the clams for the fact checks is made at the editorial meetings. The Istinomer team usually chooses recent claims, and important statements where there is a strong public interest and never fact-checks claims only to prove someone was wrong. Istinomer evaluates something if journalists believe there is a demand for verified facts on a certain topic.

Examples of fact-checks and debunks published in the previous six months:

- https://www.istinomer.rs/izjava/ovo-su-jedini-protesti-u-istoriji-koji-se-vode-protiv-izbora/

- https://www.istinomer.rs/izjava/seselj-nije-osudjen-za-ratni-zlocin/

- https://www.istinomer.rs/izjava/nisam-rekao-da-ce-zadruga-biti-ukinuta-nego-prekinuta/

- https://www.istinomer.rs/izjava/niko-nije-optuzio-nemacku/

- https://www.istinomer.rs/izjava/mi-smo-do-pre-deset-godina-u-srbiji-imali-oko-1-860-000-zaposlenih-ljudi/ 

- https://www.istinomer.rs/facebook-provere/informer-objavio-scene-iz-igrice-kao-dokaz-rusenja-izraelskih-helikoptera/ 

- https://www.istinomer.rs/facebook-provere/video-snimak-ne-prikazuje-jucerasnji-tornado-u-ripnju/

- https://www.istinomer.rs/facebook-provere/niska-klinika-na-meti-teoreticara-zavere/ 

- https://www.istinomer.rs/facebook-provere/proizvodi-iz-lidla-sa-simbolom-zabe-ne-znace-da-su-oni-otrovni/ 

- https://www.istinomer.rs/facebook-provere/prigozinov-pilot-i-kovid-19-kljucne-reci-u-digitalno-izmenjenom-skrinsotu-clanka-rt/

The applicant fact-checks using the same high standards of evidence and judgment for equivalent claims regardless of who made the claim.

https://www.istinomer.rs/o-istinomeru/

The applicant does not concentrate its fact-checking on any one side, considers the reach and importance of claims it selects to check and publishes a clear statement on its website about how it selects claims to check (when it fact-checks media coverage and social media Facebook).

In the analyzed sample of the applicant’s work, there is no evidence of the applicant disclosing relevant interests of the sources it quotes, nor any commercial or other similar relationships, so the reader might reasonably conclude those interests could influence the accuracy of the evidence provided. However, based on the analyzed sample, there was no need to do so.

The applicant is not affiliated with nor declares or shows support for any party, any politician or political candidate, nor does it advocate for or against any policy positions on any issues save for transparency and accuracy in public debate.

https://www.istinomer.rs/o-istinomeru/

The applicant sets out its policy on non-partisanship for staff on its site. The applicant has also published the Rule On Preventing Conflicts Of Interest. Based on the sample of work analyzed and other published information, the applicant’s staff do not seem to get involved in advocacy or publicize their views on policy issues the organization might fact-check in such a way as might lead a reasonable member of the public to see the applicant’s work as biased.

The applicant identifies the source of all significant evidence used in their fact-checks, providing relevant links where the source is available online, in such a way that users can replicate their work if they wish.

The applicant uses the best available primary, not secondary, sources of evidence wherever suitable primary sources are available and needed.

The applicant checks all key elements of claims against more than one named source of evidence save where the one source is the only source relevant on the topic.

In the analyzed sample of the applicant’s work, there is no evidence that the applicant identifies in its fact-checks relevant interests of the sources it uses, so the reader might reasonably conclude those interests could influence the accuracy of the evidence provided. Based on the sample, there was also no need to do so.

Istinomer is a fact-checking initiative of the non-governmental organization Center for Research, Transparency and Accountability, CRTA, which can be seen in the registration document attached below.

The applicant has stated the amount of its 2022 budget clearly on a page on their website, naming each source of funding for its previous financial year. This page also sets out the legal form in which it is registered (a media outlet) and who the founder is.

https://www.istinomer.rs/o-istinomeru/

The applicant is the fact-checking unit (a media outlet) founded and funded by the non-governmental organization, and such statement on ownership is clearly stated on the applicant’s website.

On the “About Istinomer” page (https://www.istinomer.rs/o-istinomeru/) readers are informed that Istinomer is edited by a team of journalists who gather and build a database of public officials’ and politicians’ statements, analyze and compare those statements, evaluate them according to the criteria of truthfulness, consistency and fulfillment of promises. Each rating given by a journalist is additionally checked by another journalist, a journalist-editor and Istinomer’s editor-in-chief.

The editor-in-chief is appointed by the CRTA organization, which is the Istinomer founder.

The editor-in-chief is completely free and independent in conducting editorial policy and creating content on Istinomer. 

A page on the applicant’s website sets out the applicant’s organizational structure and makes clear by whom editorial control is exercised.

https://www.istinomer.rs/redakcija/

A page on the applicant’s website details the professional biography of all those who, according to the organizational structure, play a significant part in its editorial output.

https://www.istinomer.rs/o-istinomeru/

The applicant provides easy means on its website for users to communicate with the editorial team through email and telephone, as well as through DM and comments on several major social media channels.

https://www.istinomer.rs/o-istinomeru/

The applicant publishes on its website a statement about the methodology it uses to select, research, and publish its fact-checks.

The applicant selects claims to check based primarily on the reach and importance of the claims, and it is easily evident to readers the reasons for choosing claims to check.

N/A 

The applicant sets out in its fact-checks relevant evidence that supports the claim as well as relevant evidence that appears to undermine it, when needed.

The applicant in its fact-checks assesses the merits of the evidence found using the same high standards applied to evidence on equivalent claims, regardless of who made the claim.

The applicant seems to seek to contact those who made the claim to check for different arguments or supporting evidence or comments, if needed and possible.

On the "About Istinomer" page, it was explicitly mentioned that readers are encouraged to engage and propose new topics by directly contacting the editorial team through email or social media channels. It was highlighted that the choice of statements for assessment is made by the editorial team.

The applicant encourages users to send in claims to check, while making it clear what readers can legitimately expect will be fact-checked.

In its correction policy published at https://www.istinomer.rs/o-istinomeru/, Istinomer states that it would never miss the opportunity to correct inaccurate or imprecise articles after the mistake was done. Istinomer also states that politicians or political parties called out in the Istinomer fact-checks are welcome to provide additional explanations, challenge the given assessments or additionally shed light on the problems from their point of view. Istinomer admits and corrects every mistake it makes, in accordance with the Code of Journalists of Serbia and the Law on Public Information and Media, which defines in detail the journalists’ obligations on the manner and deadlines of publishing of different types of corrections.

Although texts on the Internet can be “easily” edited and corrected, as a rule, Istinomer marks every update of the text, either with new information or by rectifying incorrect information.

If they notice a mistake in the ratings or articles published on the Istinomer website, readers are invited to report it to Istinomer journalists at office@istinomer.rs.

The applicant has a corrections policy that is easily visible and accessible on its website.

The corrections policy sets out clear definitions of what it covers, how every mistake is handled. This policy seems to be adhered to scrupulously.

During the previous period, Istinomer received a demanti which was published according to the law - https://www.istinomer.rs/arhiva/saopstenja/odgovor-adria-media-grupe-na-tekst-foto-forenzika-fotografija-vucica-u-skoli-sadrzi-tragove-digitalne-manipulacije/

In the example provided, some allegations were provided that the applicant had made a mistake worthy of correction. In this case, the applicant included such allegations in the original fact-check openly and transparently. This shows the applicant’s readiness to listen to the arguments from the other side, no matter if they introduced enough evidence to correct the entire fact-check.

https://www.istinomer.rs/o-istinomeru/

On its corrections page, where it also declares itself an IFCN signatory, the applicant informs users that if they believe the signatory is violating the IFCN Code, they may inform the IFCN, with the appropriate link to the IFCN site.

N/A