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). It is a company focused on tackling mis/disinformation by journalism and education, led by a CEO and leaders for each business area, such as Product, Operations and Marketing and Business. In addition, Lupa has three councils - Editorial, Ethics and Business - each formed by up to four professionals of relevant performance in their areas, who assist strategically in the management of the company.

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

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

Operating since 2015 in Brazil, Lupa ('magnifying glass' in English) self-defines as a "news agency specialized in fact-checking", dedicated also to training media practitioners to tackle disinformation. As requested, the applicant has provided detailed information about its legal status and internal structure; the latter is also publicly disclosed on its website.

After six years being published by its own, since July 2022 Lupa is integrated in UOL (Universo Online), the largest internet portal of Brazil, bound to Grupo Folha, publishing company of Folha de São Paulo newspaper. Despite this integration, Lupa declares on its website that "there is no editorial relationship between the two. Lupa operates independently and its editorial command is exercised by its executive board, with the support of leaders and councils."

1. Lupa published its first fact-check on 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. 22 people work at Lupa. Access https://lupa.uol.com.br/institucional for detailed information.

3. 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.

4. 
a) Lupa is focused on offering the best coverage of the presidential and state elections in October 2022;

b) Lupa wants to enlarge its media literacy branch, by expanding its work to public schools in a few cities: a partnership with Rio de Janeiro has already been established;

c) Develop and maintain a network of community radio stations to disseminate verified content on the election, Covid-19 and other topics;

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

e) Consolidate Lupa's new website at UOL news portal and to adjust it to still be compliant with the The Trust Project;

f) Consolidate and grow its two newsletters: Lente (focused on fact-checking) and Intervalo (focused on media literacy)

As requested, Lupa has presented details about the features requested in this criterion:

1. The date (Nov. 2015) when the organization started its activities, thus becoming a pioneer in fact-checking in Brazil.

2. The amount of people (2) who work for the organization in 2022. Their respective roles and responsibilities are clearly disclosed at their website. 

3. The different activities that are being carried out by Lupa, which comprise 1) publishing fact-checks and explanatory articles and 2) providing counter-disinformation training for journalists and media literacy activities.

4. The goals that Lupa is pursuing in the season 2022-23, which comprise: 1) covering the presidential elections that will take place in October 2022, 2) expanding its media literacy activities, 3) disseminating verified content on the elections through a network of community radio stations, 4) offer fact-checking services to digital platforms, 5) consolidating its website at UOL news portal under the principles of The Trust Projec, and 6) expand its two newsletters.

Lupa publishes an average of two fact-checked articles a day (some with more than one analyzis/rating). Please visit the following links to review the daily update list of verifications and fact-checks.

https://lupa.uol.com.br/jornalismo/categoria/verifica%C3%A7%C3%A3o

https://lupa.uol.com.br/jornalismo/categoria/checagem

Over the period of six months considered for this assessment (Feb. 2022 - Aug. 2022), Lupa has published on average around ten fact-checks a week, as can be confirmed on its archive. As requested, no weeks have been found with less than one fact-check published. Details on these fact-checks have been provided by the applicant, with full clarity.

Upon a random review several dozens of fact-checks published by the applicant over the three months prior to the assessment, it has been confirmed that, as requested, more than three quarters of Lupa's fact-checks focus on claims related to issues that relate to or could have an impact on the welfare or well-being of individuals, the general public or society in Brazil. Lupa’s editorial output is not, in the view and knowledge of the assessor, controlled by the state, any political party or politician.

Lupa doesn't receive any funds from the state, politicians or political parties in Brazil. FactCheckLab, one of Lupa’s educational programs, however, was funded by the U.S Embassy in Brazil between 2019 and 2022; awarded with a federal grant to promote new initiatives to fight misinformation in Brazil. More about our funding and support here: https://lupa.uol.com.br/institucional/2015/10/15/como-funciona-nosso-modelo-de-negocios

Lupa publicly discloses its funding scheme in a dedicated page on its website. Its revenues, amounting 2,5 million Brazilian Real in 2021 (about half a million US dollars), come from several sources such as reporting and fact-checking services for international news agencies, training courses, fact-checking services for Meta under its Third-Party Fact-Checking Program as well as similar services and partnerships for other digital platforms. Since July 2022 Lupa is integrated in UOL portal, which implies additional financial relationship with this company.

Lupa accepts funding from international organizations, namely the U.S. Embassy in Brazil. Between 2019 and 2022 this institution awarded the applicant a federal grant to promote initiatives to tackle misinformation in Brazil, as declared by the applicant in the information provided for this assessment. This information is also publicly available at the page indicated above. 

All the information indicated above is provided with detail and transparency, so this criterion is deemed as compliant.

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-selecionamos-as-frases-que-serao-checadas

As indicated in the previous criterion, Lupa publishes on its website detailed and transparent information about its funding scheme. It discloses the sources of income, as well as the overall annual budget and all the relevant facts.

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. The team has been trained and uses the same methodology over and over (methodology 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-checks about Lula: https://lupa.uol.com.br/busca/lula

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

Fact-checks about Sergio Moro: https://lupa.uol.com.br/busca/sergio%20moro

Fact-checks about Ciro Gomes: https://lupa.uol.com.br/busca/ciro%20gomes

Fact-checks about João Doria: https://lupa.uol.com.br/busca/doria

Fact-checks about Eduardo Paes: https://lupa.uol.com.br/busca/eduardo%20paes

Since the pandemic isn't over, Lupa is still very aware of covid-19 and keeps assessing claims/states made by authorities. Lupa is part of the CoronaVirusFact Alliance and keeps relying on its content to catch false and misleading information. Please visit this link: https://lupa.uol.com.br/busca/coronavirus

And Lupa is also part of the UkraineFacts coallition: https://lupa.uol.com.br/jornalismo/2022/02/24/veja-o-que-ja-checamos-sobre-a-guerra-entre-russia-e-ucrania 

Lupa has proved its non-partisanship by providing, as requested, examples of fact-checks to Brazilian political leaders covering all the ideological spectrum, from left-wing to right-wing parties. Thanks to its consolidated experience, which has allowed this organization to develop a sound fact-checking methodology, the applicant consistently backs information with authoritative sources and reliable links. No evidence has been found of any selection of issues guided by the ideological alignment of the institution, political party or person concerned. 

Lupa has a strong and detailed methodology and has been applying this for several years. Lupa's methodology was created using Chequeado's and PolitiFact's methodology as benchmarks. Please visit the following links to ge more details about it: https://lupa.uol.com.br/institucional/2015/10/15/como-fazemos-nossas-checagens

As requested, Lupa discloses its policy of non-partisanship, in a page titled Como fazemos nossas checagens (How we perform our fact-checks). This policy sets out to avoiding unduly concentrations of fact-checking on any ideological side.

After a random review of a number of fact-checks published over the previous year (Sep. 2021 - Aug. 2022), no evidences have been found of any commercial interest that might influence the fact-checking activity of Lupa.

After a random review of a number of fact-checks published over the previous year (Sep. 2021 - Aug. 2022), no evidences have been found of any political or ideological interest that might influence the fact-checking activity of Lupa.

Lupa has been a verified signatory of IFCN's Code of Principle since 2016 - when the code was created. Besides that, Lupa asks its employees and contractors to read/review a document that states each one of them will comply with IFCN's standards. This documents is updated every year as you can see in the attached document. Also visit this link for more information: https://lupa.uol.com.br/institucional

Agreement signed by staff and contractors for 2022/2023 (also attached): https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Q416iAJYI5kxOYr13fe-ba0OVaWGurq2/view?usp=sharing

Lupa commits itself to non-partisanship, as one of the core values of the signatories of IFCN Code of Principles. All employees are required to sign a document in which they bind themselves to follow this principle.

Lupa's use of links to back fact-checks is very consistent and widespread . Users can easily check the relevant information by themselves.

According to the assessor's knowledge, the sources used by Lupa to back fact-checks are well diversified, relevant and sound. 

Lupa takes advantage of a wide array of sources to back its fact-checks, giving priority for public, open-access content. After a random review of a number of fact-checks published over the six months prior to this assessment (Feb. 2022 - Aug. 2022), no unduly concentration in any specific sources has been detected.

Lupa sufficiently identifies the sources used to back its fact-checks. When some contextualization of the information sources is needed, it is reasonably provided. All in all, this criterion is assessed as compliant.

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

According to the information provided, Lupa is a independent digital-native news organization. Since July 2022, the service is integrated in the UOL portal, but this does not imply that it belongs to that portal-

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

Lupa divides its revenue stream in three major categories: its newswire service, its educational products, and special projects. Please visit the following website for detailed information: https://lupa.uol.com.br/institucional/2015/10/15/como-funciona-nosso-modelo-de-negocios

Under the legal name of Agência de Jornalismo e Checagem Lupa S/A, the applicant is an independent fact-checking media organization. As requested, it has presented proof of its legal status.

Lupa has been approved by The Trust Project and is very clear about its team. In the institutional area of its website, Lupa 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. 

Detailed information about Lupa's staff and employees is available in the website, including details about its decision-making structure, indicating the respective level of responsibility the staff members.

Lupa has been approved by The Trust Project 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

From up to down, each staff member and employee has its own bio page (here two examples corresponding to the CEO and a reporter, respectively). This profiles include a short biography, photographs for staff-members, and a means of contact.

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.

Users can communicate with Lupa easily through different means of contact, such as email (lupa@lupa.news), a dedicated WhatsApp profile, as well as several social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, TikTok, LinkedIn, YouTube and Instagram. Staff members' emails are also openly disclosed.

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

Lupa openly discloses its fact-checking methodology, which is deemed sound and reliable. After six years of activity, the methodology is very tested and consistent.

Drawing upon a number fact-checks published over the previous year (Sep. 2022 - Aug. 2022), the assessor has come to the conclusion that Lupa shows a strong commitment to transparency and fairness when processing claims. 

Drawing upon a number of randomly selected fact-checks, the assessor has come to the conclusion that Lupa commits to transparency and fairness when processing claims. 

No evidence has been found of the eventual usage of different standards for fact-checking, depending on who made the claim, or the subject checked.

In the random sample of Lupa's fact-checks examined, no examples were found of the objectionable situations indicated for this criterion. In absence of any evidence of misbehaviour or infringement of this part of the code of principles, the assessment is positive.

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

Lupa has submitted detailed information about how it allows users to send claims and corrections through different means of contact, which include the web contacts and WhatsApp.

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

The corrections policy is deemed sound and professional. As requested, it is clearly explained in the website.

The corrections policy is very sound and it is explained with reasonable detail, so that readers can know in advance how their claims will be handled.

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:

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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

Note: In November 2021, Lupa recognized a relevant series of mistakes regarding racism and published an OpEd to not only highlight the correction but also to defend the need for more corrections in the media industry. Please read the following two links to fully understand the case:

Original/corrected article: https://lupa.uol.com.br/jornalismo/2021/11/23/origem-historica-expressoes/

OpEd: https://lupa.uol.com.br/jornalismo/2021/11/26/editorial-lupa-erro

Besides that, please visit the following links with recent examples of corrections:

CORRECTION ON LUPA'S WEBSITE:

https://lupa.uol.com.br/jornalismo/2022/05/10/video-verdades-brasil-meio-ambiente

https://lupa.uol.com.br/jornalismo/2022/02/25/verificamos-blindado-carro

CORRECTION ON LUPA'S SOCIAL MEDIA:

https://twitter.com/agencialupa/status/1463234749502218252?s=20&t=Alz01N1xw5ueBufV8ZR8Fg

CORRECTION PUBLISHED BY LUPA'S CLIENTS:

https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/poder/2022/07/lupa-lula-acerta-sobre-universitarios-mas-erra-sobre-mais-medicos.shtml

CORRECTION ON THE THIRD PARTY FACT-CHECKING PROGRAM (3PFC):

https://lupa.uol.com.br/jornalismo/2022/01/18/verificamos-atletas-desmaio-vacina 

Lupa has presented evidence of a up to five corrections of fact-checks over the period of time assessed, upon reception of claims from the users. Examples of corrections, always clearly labeled as such, can be seen not only in the fact-check articles, but also on social media.  In absence of any additional evidence of misbehavior in this respect, the assessment for this criterion is deemed as compliant.

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

Lupa makes a perfect interpretation and performance of this criterion by offering in every fact-check published a link through which users can send a claim to IFCN, in case a potential violation of the Code of Principles has been detected.

Lupa is an independent fact-checking organization.

Although since July 2022 is published in UOL portal, Lupa is a stand-alone fact-checking organization, not bound to any parent organization.