Lupa is an independent fact-checking organization, registered with the Commercial Registry of the State of Rio de Janeiro as a private company, in the model of limited liability company (S.A in Portuguese, LLC in English). It is a company focused on tackling mis/disinformation by journalism and education, led by a CEO and leaders for each business area – Product, Journalism, Education, Marketing and Engagement, and Financial and Administrative. In addition, Lupa has an Executive Council, formed by two consultants (Business and People Management), an Editorial Council, formed by up four relevant journalists, and an Ethics Council, formed by three journalistic and research professionals. All of them are professionals of relevant performance in their areas and they assist strategically in the management of Lupa.

https://lupa.uol.com.br/institucional

https://lupa.uol.com.br/institucional/2015/10/15/como-selecionamos-as-frases-que-serao-checadas

The applicant is a legally registered company in Brazil. They also have an Institutional page where they describe the workings of the company and their overall status. All information is clear to readers.

1. Lupa published its first fact-check in November 2015. To fulfill the need of fact-checking initiatives in Brazil, at that time very incipient. Lupa is the first organization 100% focused on fighting mis/disinformation in Brazil.

2. 32 people work at Lupa. Access https://lupa.uol.com.br/institucional for detailed information. Also, almost 10 people work in specific projects runned by Lupa.

3. Mainly, Lupa is a company focused on tackling mis/disinformation by journalism and education. It has an editorial branch, responsible for producing fact-checking articles, analytical reports and stories about misinformation and its impacts on Brazilian society in different formats, such as text, videos, social media content, newsletters etc. In addition, Lupa has an educational branch that offers training, classes and workshops about fact-checking, media literacy, critical thinking and how to fight against mis/disinformation and works with public and private schools and other institutions to implement media literacy and media education in their curriculum. Lupa also offer consultancy and advice to private companies and entrepreneurs and NGOs in how to deal with mis/disinformation in their fields of experience.

4. a) Lupa is focused on offering the best coverage of local elections in October 2024: provide verification and fact-checking content to local media and community radio stations is one of the goals;

b) Lupa wants to enlarge its media literacy branch, by providing to teachers pedagogical material to work with the themes related to mis/disinformation in the classrooms;

c) Consolidate Lupa's work in the corporate sector, offering consultancy about mis/disinformation;

d) Work together with major platforms and messaging apps to fight mis/disinformation. This includes: Meta, Google, YouTube, TikTok, Kwai and Telegram;

e) Work to establish new revenue streams, based on products Lupa launched in 2023, such as LupaMundi and a monitor of mis/disinformation and hate speech on social media and message apps;

f) Consolidate Lupa's organizational culture and processes of people management.

The applicant has provided all the necessary details. The applicant is one of the main organizations dedicated to fact checking in Brazil, with a pioneer role. Currently, they have 32 people in a team divided mainly in two branches: editorial and education. Both were established with the goal of tackling misinformation. Their goals for the coming year are to improve their media literacy branch, work on the Brazilian local elections, work with major tech platforms and establish new revenue streams.

Lupa publishes an average of three contents related to mis/disinformation everyday. These contents could be fact-checking, verification, investigative articles, data journalism and in-depth investigations, among others. Access https://lupa.uol.com.br/jornalismo/categoria/todas to see these articles.

Lupa also publishes educational articles, at an average of three in a week. These contents could be "how to" articles, analysis about media education and media literacy, translations of content related to media literacy, interviews with researchers, among others. Access it on https://lupa.uol.com.br/educacao/categoria/todas to see it.

The applicant meets and surpasses the minimum required amount of fact checks. Overall, the applicant publishes an average of three journalistic pieces per day, in different formats: fact checking, verification or journalistic stories more broadly. Fact checking and verification are the bulk of those contents.

All of their checks and verifications are related to issues of social importance. The main topics explored are politics, economics, society and health.

Lupa doesn't receive any funds from the state, politicians or political parties in Brazil. More about our funding and support:

https://lupa.uol.com.br/institucional/2015/10/15/como-funciona-nosso-modelo-de-negocios

https://lupa.uol.com.br/institucional/2015/10/15/como-fazemos-nossas-checagens

The applicant's funding is not connected to any state party. The applicant has a section on their Institutional page where they explain their revenue structure, and no source is connected to state activity.

Not applicable: the applicant does not receive funding from state actors or organizations.

In the last year, Lupa has published fact-checks regarding all the main politicians and political parties in Brazil, in the national and in the state level. Also fact-checked state's ministers and secretaries related to Lula's government.

Lupa's team has been trained and uses the same methodology over and over (detailed here: https://lupa.uol.com.br/institucional/2015/10/15/como-fazemos-nossas-checagens).

It's important to highlight that Lupa keeps the same edition process, enrolling at least 2 people to review each fact-check before it is published. This means Lupa uses the same standard for all its fact-checks and has a process line that is capable of catching and stopping any conclusion that isn't dictated by the facts and evidence.

Fact-checking in general: https://lupa.uol.com.br/jornalismo/categoria/checagem

Fact-checks about Lula: https://lupa.uol.com.br/busca/lula

Fact-checks about Bolsonaro: https://lupa.uol.com.br/busca/bolsonaro

Fact-checking about conservative congressmen: https://lupa.uol.com.br/jornalismo/2023/09/14/deputados-desinformam-sobre-vacina-em-reuniao-com-a-ministra-da-saude

Fact-checking about State's ministers: https://lupa.uol.com.br/jornalismo/2023/06/01/responsavel-pelo-bolsa-familia-wellington-dias-erra-dados-sobre-a-pobreza-no-brasil and https://lupa.uol.com.br/jornalismo/2023/08/22/no-roda-viva-ministro-renan-filho-erra-sobre-ma-qualidade-das-estradas

Fact-checking about Bolsonaro's supporters: https://lupa.uol.com.br/jornalismo/2023/06/20/ao-vivo-ex-diretor-geral-da-prf-depoe-na-cpmi-do-8-de-janeiro and https://lupa.uol.com.br/jornalismo/2023/08/08/cpmi-torres-erra-dados-sobre-violencia-no-df-e-se-contradiz-sobre-urnas

Fact-checking about the president of the Chamber of Deputys: https://lupa.uol.com.br/jornalismo/2023/08/01/lira-erra-dado-sobre-indigenas-ao-defender-marco-temporal-no-roda-viva

Last presidential debate - elections 2022: https://lupa.uol.com.br/jornalismo/2022/10/28/debate-globo-lula-bolsonaro-segundo-turno

The applicant has produced links with fact checks regarding actors from different political sides. They are balanced and use high standards of evidence for all of the claims. One example of that is the fact checking of presidential debates in the 2022 Brazilian election, when the applicant checked claims from both sides. The applicant also has a link where they describe their general process of selecting claims to check. That is based on the three-legged stool of "who is saying", "what they're saying", and "what is the buzz around it". The examples provided demonstrate how they follow this process transparently.

Lupa has a strong and detailed methodology and has been applying this for several years. In 2023,Lupa started a review on its methodology -- this process is under internal approval and it is not public yet. Lupa's methodology was created using Chequeado's and PolitiFact's methodology as benchmarks. 

Visit the following links to get more details: https://lupa.uol.com.br/institucional/2015/10/15/como-fazemos-nossas-checagens

The applicant has a clear methodology in place when selecting and reporting on claims. This allows them to be balanced and responsible, not concentrating their fact-checking on any political side. This is easy to assess by searching for different political actors on their website, thereby seeing their checks related to different political factions. Their selection is based on the reach and importance of claims. The fact-checking process is based on high journalistic standards.

The applicant describes the nature of the sources used, thereby being transparent about any interest the sources may have that may influence a check. However, it is not common for a source thus used to unduly influence the check, since the applicant employs responsible sources.

Lupa has been a verified signatory of IFCN's Code of Principle since 2016 -- when the code was created.

Employees are required to sign a compliance agreement, stating that they are committed to IFCN' standards and Lupa's compliance guide. This term is always attached to their work agreement. Also, for the specific purpose of this renewal, annually, Lupa asks its team to sign a single document that states the same commitment (see attached file). 

An example of the individual agreement: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Glwpg7skVCr4pvcrclBK2oQm-Dj9ZFcF/view?usp=sharing

Lupa's compliance guide: https://drive.google.com/file/d/14V7QbPpk1XiEydGik3tJfrbX58TWFmHs/view?usp=sharing

Visit this link for more information: https://lupa.uol.com.br/institucional

The applicant has a thorough policy of non-partisanship for staff. It carries it in different ways. First, its neutrality is enshrined in their institutional page; second, all employees must sign an individual agreement of non-partisanship when they are hired; third, all employees must sign a similar term specifically for the purposes of this assessment, stating that they abide by the IFCN principles; finally, the applicant has an internal Compliance Guide that instructs staff on several items, among them avoiding political manifestions both online and off. This set of strategies from the applicant is a model for other applicants on how to set non-partisanship for staff.

The applicant is transparent in how they employ sources. All sources used are named and linked to. Readers may replicate the checking process if they wish. In some cases, when the analyzed data is too difficult to find or to clean for the regular user, they create public files and link to them in the checks.

All sources used by the applicant are primary. This usually means public official data or other types of public records. One example can be found in the following check: https://lupa.uol.com.br/jornalismo/2023/06/13/em-estreia-de-live-lula-erra-numeros-de-obras-paradas-e-de-inscritos-no-enem. In some verification cases, they may use additional journalistic sources as sources, but those are always justified by journalistic principles. One such example can be found here: https://lupa.uol.com.br/jornalismo/2023/12/01/video-mistura-gravacoes-antigas-e-cenas-de-chuva-nao-registradas-em-dubai

After a review of random checks, it was identified that the applicant usually employs more than one source when checking a claim. This posture can be noted in the following check: https://lupa.uol.com.br/jornalismo/2023/05/24/ministro-da-agricultura-exagera-dados-sobre-pastagens-degradadas-e-cadastro-ambiental-rural-no-mato-grosso

However, some checks, especially those related to specific public records, do not require an additional source. Still, in those cases the used source is named and responsible, as can be seen in the following check: https://lupa.uol.com.br/jornalismo/2023/05/17/bndes-mercadante-erra-sobre-matriz-energetica-e-exagera-exportacoes

All sources used by the applicant are named and described, thus allowing the reader to comprehend any relevant interests of the sources that could harm the check. However, this is not common, since the sources used are responsible.

Lupa is an independent organization. It is not a unit of a media house nor has a parent organization. 

Please visit the following link: https://lupa.uol.com.br/institucional/2015/10/15/como-funciona-nosso-modelo-de-negocios

The applicant is an independent organization. They are regularly registered as the equivalent of an LLC in Brazilian Law. The applicant keeps a page in their Institutional section where they detail all their sources of funding.

Here is the official link to Lupa's registration as a S.A: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-0vJ6bErXXNhMhNKcxg4hCEZUcPIgIA8/view?usp=sharing

Lupa used to be just a newswire service focused on fact-checking content, but, since 2018, the company is enlarging and diversifying its revenue streams. The main source of finance nowadays is related to funds and grants, projects in the field of media literacy and education, and special projects of content production. Also, Lupa provides consultancy services to private companies and maintains an agreement with Meta in the terms of 3PFC.

Please visit the following website for detailed information: https://lupa.uol.com.br/institucional/2015/10/15/como-funciona-nosso-modelo-de-negocios

The applicant is an independent organization and is regularly registered as such. The applicant has produced the page with their national registration as company along the Brazilian Government. The applicant also mantains a page where they detail their funding sources.

In the institutional area of Lupa's website, it presents all the information about the organizational structure and how to contact each one of the leaders (https://lupa.uol.com.br/institucional). Also, there is a FAQ where the main questions about Lupa's work are answered, such as how Lupa does the fact-checking process and who is responsible for choosing the claims that will be fact-checked.

In their institutional page, the applicant has a section where all the staff members are listed. All departments and functions are named, making it clear to the reader who exercises editorial control.

Lupa is the very first fact-checking initiative to be approved by The Trust Project in the world and is very clear about its team. In the following link you will find the name of the employee/contractor + its position in the company + a link to a personal website where you can see content he/she published + ways to contact him/her: https://lupa.uol.com.br/institucional (see the attached file). In some cases, Lupa avoids sharing complete information about its collaborators to guarantee their security.

The applicant lists names and occupations of all their team in their institutional page. Each employee with editorial output has a page gathering all their published links. Readers may get in touch via team email or the professional email of some members of the team. Due to security concerns, some members of the editorial team do not have their professional bios available.

For email contact, every article and content published has the following information on the foot page: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1YgfipKUTY69LIhg_Q9OkZdx_sY9DfIOe/view?usp=sharing

Lupa offers different ways to its audience to contact the team and let them know about a mistake. Lupa keeps a "Erramos" link on its home page (under "Fale com a gente" section) and on every footer of every article it publishes. The URL takes the audience to a very detailed page. Please visit it: https://lupa.uol.com.br/institucional/2015/10/15/na-lupa-ha-espaco-para-contestacoes-e-correcoes

As you've seen, Lupa uses lupa@lupa.news to receive emails with any doubt/misunderstanding/mistake (this inbox is daily reviewed) and is clear about the path to use the appeal process at the Third Party Fact-checking project (with Meta)

Nevertheless, it is possible to contact Lupa through its WhatsApp channel https://api.whatsapp.com/send/?phone=5521991933751&text&app_absent=0

Note: Lupa used to inform its newsroom address on the website so the audience could send the team traditional letters. For security reasons, however, and with IFCN’s previous consent, this information has been taken down.

There are different ways the reader can contact the editorial team. First, the professional email of the company masthead is available on their institutional page, as well as email addresses for different teams. Besides that, there is a link on their main page where users can send a WhatsApp message suggesting claims to be checked. Finally, they also have a contact form available from the main menu. The newsroom address is no longer available on their website, due to security concerns.

https://lupa.uol.com.br/institucional/2015/10/15/como-fazemos-nossas-checagens

The applicant has a link in their Institutional page where they detail their methodology. It is easibily accessible from the main menu.

The applicant selects claims based on three main factors: who said it (if it was an important person); what was said; and the buzz it has generated. Hence, the applicant selects claims based on social importance and reach. This is well explained in their methdology and is reflected in their published checks.

When checking a claim, the applicant analyses information both to undermine and to support the claim. This happens based on good journalistic standards, and can be seen in the following round of checks: https://lupa.uol.com.br/jornalismo/2023/02/17/lula-usa-dados-falsos-e-exagerados-sobre-economia-em-entrevista-a-cnn

The applicant assesses the merits of similar claims with the same objectivity and responsibility, regardless of who made the claim. Although exactly similar claims are not always easy to find, one can see how the applicant analyzes claims in the same field from politicians in opposite sides of the spectrum using the same high standards. This is especially common in elections coverages.

When the applicant checks claims from public figures such as politicians, those are contacted to seek further context about the claim. It's a common practice to update stories with additional details from the person who made the claim. This can be seen in the following check: https://lupa.uol.com.br/jornalismo/2023/09/14/deputados-desinformam-sobre-vacina-em-reuniao-com-a-ministra-da-saude. When doing verification work, however, this posture is not so common, since they investigate mainly material that surfaces in social networks.

Lupa has different ways of encouraging its audience to send in claims to be fact-checked but clearly states on its website

https://lupa.uol.com.br/institucional/2015/10/15/como-fazemos-nossas-checagens

https://lupa.uol.com.br/institucional/2015/10/15/na-lupa-ha-espaco-para-contestacoes-e-correcoes

https://api.whatsapp.com/send/?phone=5521991933751&text&app_absent=0

Readers are encouraged by the applicant to send claims to be checked. On their footer and main menu, there is a link for readers to send in claims via WhatsApp. The same link can be found under other checks that were based on WhatsApp messages.

https://lupa.uol.com.br/institucional/2015/10/15/na-lupa-ha-espaco-para-contestacoes-e-correcoes

The applicant has a clear corrections policy in place. It is easily accessible via a link in their Institutional section.

The corrections policy is clear. It has been updated several times since it's inception and covers all important topics: what it covers and what it does not cover, how mistakes are handled, what readers should expect. There is also guidance on how to warn the team about mistakes. There is also a call to action under every article encouraging readers to let the applicant know that it has made a mistake.

Lupa has a very clear correction policy, carefully detailed in the following link: https://lupa.uol.com.br/institucional/2015/10/15/na-lupa-ha-espaco-para-contestacoes-e-correcoes. To launch it, audience can take one of the following steps:

1. Use the button found at every article's footer to report a mistake. All correction requests are answered by our editorial staff either with a thank you note or an explanation why the team will note correct the article.

2. The email lupa@lupa.news is available for the same purpose and is reviewed on a daily basis.

3. Corrections can also be requested through Lupa's social media channels

And here is what Lupa does if a mistake is found:

1. Lupa's team is committed to correct itself as many times as needed and as fast as possible.

2. The corrected article will bring a note about the correction at the top, and a short message will explain to the audience where the mistake has taken place

3. If the error is substantial, Lupa might publish a second link, with detailed information, or an OpEd. This second article can be linked to the original piece

4. If the correction leads to a change in the rating, this will also take place as soon as possible and be clearly explained to the audience.

5. All the updates will be registered with the date and the time they took place for the sake of full transparency

6. The original information will be kept, in light gray or crossed out, after the correction has been published for the sake of full transparency.

7. If the error takes place on social media, Lupa will first post a correction or a clear note stating that it’s reviewing a piece of content recently published. Right after, it will delete the wrong content. This action was put in place in 2022 to prevent the misuse of Lupa's social media graphics or videos by mis/disinformers.

8. If the error is published by Lupa's clients*, the correction clause clearly stated in every contract will be put into effect, and Lupa will request the news media outlet to publish the correction as soon as possible.

9. Lupa clearly instructs its audience to use Meta's appeal system as a way to dispute fact-checks sent to the Third Party Fact-Checking program (#verificamos). Once an error has been identified, Lupa adjusts the article and changes/removes the rating from Meta's dashboard.

10. Grammatical errors and typos will be corrected as found but will not lead to any note or correction sign.

Visit the following links with recent examples of corrections:

On Lupa's website:

https://lupa.uol.com.br/jornalismo/2022/10/19/flow-lula-exagera-economia

https://lupa.uol.com.br/jornalismo/2022/09/12/lula-sabatina-cnn

https://lupa.uol.com.br/jornalismo/2023/02/16/comunidades-podem-aumentar-desinformacao-no-whatsapp-dizem-especialistas

On social media: 

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cwiy_fvPxdw/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA%3D%3D

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cq3yTGmPcxS/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA%3D%3D

* There was no needing of correction in content published by clients in the last year.

The applicant has a clear procedure on how to deal with mistakes. Corrected articles display a note about the correction at the top, with a short message in the text stating the nature of the correction. Articles are also marked when a given information is added. The applicant has produced recent examples where articles have been corrected, and the actions taken reflect the corrections policy.

Every article published by Lupa has a statement about IFCN and a link for users to send a message regarding any potential violation of the Code of Principles,.

Please see this link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1XAhu69ncyWKOIIGwJo6HN2rwIGe4tdsj/view?usp=sharing

The applicant displays a message on the footer of every check stating that they are a part of IFCN, with a link to the Network's page. This link is also available on their corrections policy. In their Institutional page, they also link to the most recent IFCN evaluations.

Lupa is an independent fact-checking organization.

Not applicable: the applicant is an independent organization.