Organization: Newtral
Applicant: Joaquín Ortega
Assessor: Ramón Salaverría
Background
Newtral is a Spanish private-owned media startup that, among other news services, has a well-endowed branch devoted to fact-checking, since 2017.
Assessment Conclusion
Newtral fully complies with all the requirements of the IFCN Code of Principles. Therefore, my overall recommendation to the IFCN Board is to validate the renewal of their accreditation.
Ramón Salaverría assesses application as Compliant
A short summary in native publishing language
Newtral cumple plenamente con todos los requisitos del Código de Principios de la IFCN. Por lo tanto, mi recomendación general a la Junta de IFCN es validar la renovación de su acreditación.
Section 1: Eligibility to be a signatory
To be eligible to be a signatory, applicants must meet these six criteria
- 1.1 The applicant is a legally registered organization, or a distinct team or unit within a legally registered organization, and details of this are easily found on its website.
- 1.2 The team, unit or organization is set up exclusively for the purpose of fact-checking.
- 1.3 The applicant has published an average of at least one fact check a week over the course of the six months prior to the date of application. For applicants from countries with at least 5 or more verified signatories need to have at least a fact check a week over the twelve months of publishing track. Consult to factchecknet@poynter.org for confirmation.
- 1.4 On average, at least 75% 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.
- 1.5 The applicant’s editorial output is not, in the view of the IFCN, controlled by the state, a political party or politician.
- 1.6 If the organization receives funding from local or foreign state or political sources, it provides a statement on its site setting out to the satisfaction of the IFCN, how it ensures its funders do not influence the findings of its reports.
Criteria 1.1
Proof you meet criteria
Please explain where on your website you set out information about your organization’s legal status and how this complies with criteria. Attach a link to the relevant page of your website.
Newtral
15-Sep-2020 (4 years ago) Updated: 4 years ago
Newtral Media Audiovisual SL was registered in October 2017 and has been operating since January 2018. Newtral.es is one of the journalistic projects of the company. The founder team of newtral.es was the same that created El Objetivo de Ana Pastor aired on LaSextaTV, first IFCN signatory in Spain.
Ramón Salaverría Assessor
04-Oct-2020 (4 years ago) Updated: 4 years ago
Newtral Media Audiovisual SLU, owner of Newtral, is a legally-registered organization in Spain since 2017. Newtral is a digital-native news organization, devoted to news publishinf, fact-checking, and news service providing to other media and internet companies.
done_all 1.1 marked as Compliant by Ramón Salaverría.
Criteria 1.2
Proof you meet criteria
Please answer the following questions – (see notes in Guidelines for Application on how to answer)
1. When and why was your fact-checking operation started?
2. How many people work or volunteer in the organization and what are their roles?
3. What different activities does your organization carry out?
4. What are the goals of your fact-checking operation over the coming year?
Newtral
15-Sep-2020 (4 years ago) Updated: 4 years ago
1. The origin of the Newtral.es verification team dates back to the TV program El Objeto de Ana Pastor, broadcast by La Sexta since 2013. The program had a permanent fact-checking segment. Later, a debunking one. Over the years, the same team of journalists founded Newtral.es using the same methodology.
2. Newtral is an audiovisual media start-up that covers different fields and employs around 80 people. Without a doubt the most important projects are the television programs. 11 journalists work in the Newtral.es verification team, divided into 3 areas: political fact-checking, debunking of hoaxes and the on-demand verification service.
https://www.newtral.es/equipo-de-verificacion/
3. In addition to the audiovisual production and the verification articles published on Newtral.es, we invests in research and development applied to fact-checking through artificial intelligence. Furthermore, we created the Newtral Education project to promote critical thinking and media literacy.
4. The main objective is to advance in our technological developments so that artificial intelligence and automated fact-checking could facilitate the work of journalists and expand their range of action.
Ramón Salaverría Assessor
04-Oct-2020 (4 years ago) Updated: 4 years ago
As requested, Newtral has presented detailed information about:
1. The year (2017) when this news organization was set up, as well as references about the initial steps of its team at fact-checking activities, which go back to 2013.
2. The total amount of people (80) who work in the organization, indicating that 11 of them work specifically at the verification team.
3. The typology of news activities carried out by Newtral, which among other, include fact-checking and hoax debunking.
4. What are the goals of Newtral over the coming year, which comprise the development of new technological tools, aimed at exploring automated fact-checking.
done_all 1.2 marked as Compliant by Ramón Salaverría.
Criteria 1.3
Proof you meet criteria
- The applicant has published an average of at least one fact check a week over the course of the six months prior to the date of application.
- For applicants from countries with at least 5 or more verified signatories need to have at least a fact check a week over the twelve months of publishing track.
- Consult to factchecknet@poynter.org for confirmation.
Newtral
15-Sep-2020 (4 years ago) Updated: 4 years ago
Newtral.es publishes new fact-checks daily.
The articles are showed in an original, clear an open "timelines" on its website. Here is the timeline for the verification of political discourse:
https://www.newtral.es/zona-verificacion/fact-check/
And here is the "timeline" for debunking disinformation:
https://www.newtral.es/zona-verificacion/fakes/
We have 451 claims fact-checked registered on our records, over the course of the six months prior to the date of application. 75 claims per month.
Ramón Salaverría Assessor
04-Oct-2020 (4 years ago) Updated: 4 years ago
As requested, Newtral has presented evidence of 451 fact-checks performed over the six months prior to the date of application (March - Septempber, 2020), totalling an average of 17 fact-checks per week. Within this six-month period, there were no weeks without at least one fact-check published; in fact, fact-checking articles are usually published on a daily basis.
done_all 1.3 marked as Compliant by Ramón Salaverría.
Criteria 1.4
Proof you meet criteria
The assessor will assess compliance through a review of the fact checks published over the previous three months. No additional information required.
Ramón Salaverría Assessor
04-Oct-2020 (4 years ago) Updated: 4 years ago
After a random review of fact-checks published since March to September 2020, it has been confirmed that, according to what is requested, more than 75% of Newtral’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 Spain. Many of the nearly 500 fact-checks published in this period relate to COVID-19 pandemic, but there are also a large amount of fact-checks on other political, economic and social issues, most of them focuses on Spain.
done_all 1.4 marked as Compliant by Ramón Salaverría.
Criteria 1.5
Proof you meet criteria
Please explain any commercial, financial and/or institutional relationship your organization has to the state, politicians or political parties in the country or countries you cover. Also explain funding or support received from foreign as well as local state or political actors over the previous financial year.
Newtral
15-Sep-2020 (4 years ago) Updated: 4 years ago
No relation to the state, politicians or political parties. No public funding at all from Spanish institutions. In 2019 we received support from the EU to study the feasibility of an artificial intelligence project applied to verification. Information on the application of the European Instrument called Horizon 2020 SME is here: https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/855556/es
Ramón Salaverría Assessor
04-Oct-2020 (4 years ago) Updated: 4 years ago
Newtral Media Audiovisual SLU, publishing company of Newtral, is a private-owned, for-profit organization. The activities of Newtral's verification team are mostly funded with the commercial operations of its publihing company. Besides, in 2019 it received from the EU some financial aid (71,429 EUR) for a R+D project.
done_all 1.5 marked as Compliant by Ramón Salaverría.
Criteria 1.6
Proof you meet criteria
If you confirmed the organization receives funding from local or foreign state or political sources, provide a link to where on your website you set out how you ensure the editorial independence of your work.
Newtral
15-Sep-2020 (4 years ago) Updated: 4 years ago
We provide this information of the editorial independence standards here https://www.newtral.es/metodologia-transparencia/
Ramón Salaverría Assessor
04-Oct-2020 (4 years ago) Updated: 4 years ago
Newtral provides full and transparent disclosure of all the relevant information about its ownership and funding scheme.
done_all 1.6 marked as Compliant by Ramón Salaverría.
Section 2: A commitment to Non-partisanship and Fairness
To be compliant on nonpartisanship and fairness, applicants must meet these five criteria
- 2.1 The applicant fact-checks using the same high standards of evidence and judgement for equivalent claims regardless of who made the claim.
- 2.2 The applicant does not unduly concentrate its fact-checking on any one side, considers the reach and importance of claims it selects to check and publishes a short statement on its website to set out how it selects claims to check.
- 2.3 The applicant discloses in its fact checks relevant interests of the sources it quotes where the reader might reasonably conclude those interests could influence the accuracy of the evidence provided. It also discloses in its fact checks any commercial or other such relationships it has that a member of the public might reasonably conclude could influence the findings of the fact check.
- 2.4 The applicant is not as an organization 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.
- 2.5 The applicant sets out its policy on non-partisanship for staff on its site. Save for the issues of accuracy and transparency, the applicant’s staff do not get involved in advocacy or publicise 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 organization’s work as biased.
Criteria 2.1
Proof you meet criteria
Please share links to 10 fact checks published over the past year that you believe demonstrate your non-partisanship.
Please briefly explain how the fact checks selected show that (I) you use the same high standards of evidence for equivalent claims, (II) follow the same essential process for every fact check and (III) let the evidence dictate your conclusions.
Newtral
15-Sep-2020 (4 years ago) Updated: 4 years ago
As you can see in the links, we follow the same standards of evidence for every article. We first check the data, we send an inquiry to the politician to consult which is the source of information used for the claim, and we contrast it with the official information and related data from international and national organizations. Then, we analyze the fact with experts to contextualize it as it is. In every fact-check, we explain the verification path we follow to get the conclusions we share. Regarding all this, we decide on the rating. All ratings are explained on each article, with links to our methodology.
https://www.newtral.es/factcheck-arancha-gomez-laya-expulsiones-migrantes/20200916/
https://www.newtral.es/factcheck-pablo-casado-constitucion-alemania-comunismo/20200806/
https://www.newtral.es/factcheck-espana-mando-unico-estado-alarma/20200811/
https://www.newtral.es/fact-check-adriana-lastra-pobreza-severa/20200611/
https://www.newtral.es/factcheck-europa-delitos-contra-corona-asens/20200818/
https://www.newtral.es/factcheck-oskar-matute-banco-espana-salarios/20200603/
Ramón Salaverría Assessor
04-Oct-2020 (4 years ago) Updated: 4 years ago
Regardless the ideological alignment of the institution, political party or person, Newtral applies a sound and consistent fact-checking methodology. The non-partisanship has been properly demonstrated by this organization, by providing, as requested, ten examples of fact-checks to Spanish politicians of all the political spectrum.
done_all 2.1 marked as Compliant by Ramón Salaverría.
Criteria 2.2
Proof you meet criteria
Please share a link to a place on your website where you explain how you select claims to check, explaining how you ensure you do not unduly concentrate your fact-checking on any one side, and how you consider the reach and importance of the claims you select to check.
Newtral
15-Sep-2020 (4 years ago) Updated: 4 years ago
We explain this methodology here: https://www.newtral.es/metodologia-transparencia/
Ramón Salaverría Assessor
04-Oct-2020 (4 years ago) Updated: 4 years ago
Newtral publicly discloses information about its fact-checking methodology and principles of transparency to avoid any unduly concentration of fact-checking on any ideological side. This policy is deemed sound and reliable.
done_all 2.2 marked as Compliant by Ramón Salaverría.
Criteria 2.3
Proof you meet criteria
The assessor will assess compliance through a review of the fact checks published over the previous year. No additional information required.
Ramón Salaverría Assessor
04-Oct-2020 (4 years ago) Updated: 4 years ago
After a random review of a number of fact-checks published over the previous year (October 2019 - September 2020), the assessor has found no trace of any commercial interest that might influence the fact-checking activity of Newtral.
done_all 2.3 marked as Compliant by Ramón Salaverría.
Criteria 2.4
Proof you meet criteria
The assessor will assess compliance through a review of the fact checks published over the previous year. No additional information required.
Ramón Salaverría Assessor
04-Oct-2020 (4 years ago) Updated: 4 years ago
After a random review of a number of fact-checks published over the previous year (October 2019 - September 2020), the assessor has found no trace of any political or ideological interest that might influence the fact-checking activity of Newtral.
done_all 2.4 marked as Compliant by Ramón Salaverría.
Criteria 2.5
Proof you meet criteria
Please share a link to a place on your website where you publish a statement setting out your policy on non-partisanship for staff and how it ensures the organization meets this criteria.
Newtral
15-Sep-2020 (4 years ago) Updated: 4 years ago
We explain our non-partisanship and neutrality policy in our methodology here: https://www.newtral.es/metodologia-transparencia/
Ramón Salaverría Assessor
04-Oct-2020 (4 years ago) Updated: 4 years ago
Newtral self-defines as a news organization that "do not support any political movement, we do not share or retweet organized or partisan campaigns. We do not do activism. We do not defend ideologies. We are journalists" (asssesor's translation). This statement is deemed as acceptable and compliant.
done_all 2.5 marked as Compliant by Ramón Salaverría.
Section 3: A commitment to Standards and Transparency of Sources
To be compliant on sources, applicants must meet these four criteria
- 3.1 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. In cases where identifying the source would compromise the source’s personal security, the applicant provides as much detail as compatible with the source’s safety.
- 3.2 The applicant uses the best available primary, not secondary, sources of evidence wherever suitable primary sources are available. Where suitable primary sources are not available, the applicant explains the use of a secondary source.
- 3.3 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.
- 3.4 The applicant identifies in its fact checks the relevant interests of the sources it uses where the reader might reasonably conclude those interests could influence the accuracy of the evidence provided.
Criteria 3.1
Proof you meet criteria
The assessor will review the applicant’s use of sources in a randomised sample of its fact checks to assess compliance. No additional evidence is required.
Ramón Salaverría Assessor
04-Oct-2020 (4 years ago) Updated: 4 years ago
After a random review of a number of fact-checks published over the previous year (October 2019 - September 2020), the use of links to back fact-checks has been deemed as very consistent and widespread. Users can easily check the relevant information by themselves.
done_all 3.1 marked as Compliant by Ramón Salaverría.
Criteria 3.2
Proof you meet criteria
The assessor will review the applicant’s use of sources in a randomised sample of its fact checks to assess compliance. No additional evidence is required.
Ramón Salaverría Assessor
04-Oct-2020 (4 years ago) Updated: 4 years ago
According to the assessor's knowledge, the sources used by Newtral to back fact-checks are well diversified, relevant and sound. They give priority to open and reliable sources, and there is not trace of any unduly concentration in any specific sources.
done_all 3.2 marked as Compliant by Ramón Salaverría.
Criteria 3.3
Proof you meet criteria
The assessor will review the applicant’s use of sources in a randomised sample of its fact checks to assess compliance. No additional evidence is required.
Ramón Salaverría Assessor
04-Oct-2020 (4 years ago) Updated: 4 years ago
After a random review of a number of fact-checks published over the previous year (October 2019 - September 2020), the overall assessment for this criterion is positive: Newtral provides consistently details about the sources used to back its statements.
done_all 3.3 marked as Compliant by Ramón Salaverría.
Criteria 3.4
Proof you meet criteria
The assessor will review the applicant’s use of sources in a randomised sample of its fact checks to assess compliance. No additional evidence is required.
Ramón Salaverría Assessor
04-Oct-2020 (4 years ago) Updated: 4 years ago
When needed, Newtral contextualizes sufficiently the information about the sources used to back the fact-checks. Thanks to this, readers can easily detect any interests that could influence the accuracy of the evidence provided.
done_all 3.4 marked as Compliant by Ramón Salaverría.
Section 4: A commitment to Transparency of Funding & Organization
To be compliant on funding and organization, applicants must meet these five criteria
- 4.1 Applicants that are independent organizations have a page on their website detailing each source of funding accounting for 5% or more of total revenue for its previous financial year. This page also sets out the legal form in which the organization is registered (e.g. as a non-profit, as a company etc).
- 4.2 Applicants that are the fact-checking section or unit of a media house or other parent organization make a statement on ownership.
- 4.3 A statement on the applicant’s website sets out the applicant’s organizational structure and makes clear how and by whom editorial control is exercised.
- 4.4 A page on the applicant’s website details the professional biography of all those who, according to the organizational structure and play a significant part in its editorial output.
- 4.5 The applicant provides easy means on its website and/or via social media for users to communicate with the editorial team.
Criteria 4.1
Proof you meet criteria
Please confirm whether you are an ‘independent organization’
or ‘the fact-checking section or unit of a media house or other parent organization’ and share proof of this organizational status.
Newtral
15-Sep-2020 (4 years ago) Updated: 4 years ago
The verification unit of Newtral.es is a journalistic project of Newtral Media Audiovisual SL.
We explain this here: https://www.newtral.es/metodologia-transparencia/
Ramón Salaverría Assessor
04-Oct-2020 (4 years ago) Updated: 4 years ago
Newtral belongs to the private, for-profit company Newtral Media Audiovisual SLU, individually owned by the journalist Ana Pastor. Information about the company's ownership and financing scheme is publicly disclosed on the Newtral website.
done_all 4.1 marked as Compliant by Ramón Salaverría.
Criteria 4.2
Proof you meet criteria
If your organization is an “independent organization”, please share a link to the page on your website where you detail your funding and indicate the legal form in which the organization is registered (e.g. as a non-profit, as a company etc).
If your organization is “the fact-checking section or unit of a media house or other parent organization”, please share a link to the statement on your website about your ownership.
Newtral
15-Sep-2020 (4 years ago) Updated: 4 years ago
Newtral Media Audiovisual SLU is an independent organization 100% owned by the Spanish journalist Ana Pastor.
https://www.newtral.es/quienes-somos/
More details about finances related to Newtral.es are explained here:
Ramón Salaverría Assessor
04-Oct-2020 (4 years ago) Updated: 4 years ago
Newtral has indicated a page on its website where it indicates the funding scheme and legal form in which the organization is registered, making a clear statement on ownership.
done_all 4.2 marked as Compliant by Ramón Salaverría.
Criteria 4.3
Proof you meet criteria
Please share a link to where on your website you set out your organizational structure, making clear how and by whom editorial control is exercised.
Newtral
15-Sep-2020 (4 years ago) Updated: 4 years ago
Ramón Salaverría Assessor
04-Oct-2020 (4 years ago) Updated: 4 years ago
Newtral provides detailed information about its organizational structure and staff members, indicating their respective role.
done_all 4.3 marked as Compliant by Ramón Salaverría.
Criteria 4.4
Proof you meet criteria
Please share a link to where on your website you set out the professional biographies of those who play a significant part in your organization’s editorial output.
Newtral
15-Sep-2020 (4 years ago) Updated: 4 years ago
This is the team in charge of the articles related to fact-checking and debunking
https://www.newtral.es/equipo-de-verificacion/
This is the page with all the members of the company, including ownership and corporate.
Ramón Salaverría Assessor
04-Oct-2020 (4 years ago) Updated: 4 years ago
done_all 4.4 marked as Compliant by Ramón Salaverría.
Criteria 4.5
Proof you meet criteria
Please share a link to where on your website you encourage users to communicate with your editorial team.
Newtral
15-Sep-2020 (4 years ago) Updated: 4 years ago
Ramón Salaverría Assessor
04-Oct-2020 (4 years ago) Updated: 4 years ago
Newtral provides several means of contact on its website, including email, as well as social media profiles and a dedicated WhatsApp number.
done_all 4.5 marked as Compliant by Ramón Salaverría.
Section 5: A commitment to Standards and Transparency of Methodology
To be compliant on methodology, applicants must meet these six criteria
- 5.1 The applicant publishes on its website a statement about the methodology it uses to select, research, write and publish its fact checks.
- 5.2 The applicant selects claims to check based primarily on the reach and importance of the claims, and where possible explains the reason for choosing the claim to check.
- 5.3 The applicant sets out in its fact checks relevant evidence that appears to support the claim as well as relevant evidence that appears to undermine it.
- 5.4 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.
- 5.5 The applicant seeks where possible to contact those who made the claim to seek supporting evidence, noting that (I) this is often not possible with online claims, (II) if the person who makes the claim fails to reply in a timely way this should not impede the fact check, (III) if a speaker adds caveats to the claim, the fact-checker should be free to continue with checking the original claim, (IV) fact-checkers may not wish to contact the person who made the claim for safety or other legitimate reasons.
- 5.6 The applicant encourages users to send in claims to check, while making it clear what readers can legitimately expect will be fact-checked and what isn’t fact-checkable.
Criteria 5.1
Proof you meet criteria
Please provide a link to the statement on your website that explains the methodology you use to select, research, write and publish your fact checks.
Newtral
15-Sep-2020 (4 years ago) Updated: 4 years ago
Ramón Salaverría Assessor
04-Oct-2020 (4 years ago) Updated: 4 years ago
Newtral's counts on a sound and reliable fact-checking methodology, which is homogeneously applied and publicly disclosed on its website. The large team of fact-checkers, composed of 11 journalists, ensures a consistent performance of this methodology.
done_all 5.1 marked as Compliant by Ramón Salaverría.
Criteria 5.2
Proof you meet criteria
The assessor will review the methodology used in a randomised sample of your fact checks to assess compliance with these criteria. No additional evidence is required.
Ramón Salaverría Assessor
04-Oct-2020 (4 years ago) Updated: 4 years ago
After a random review of a number of fact-checks published over the previous year (October 2019 - September 2020), this assessor concludes that Newtral selects claims to check based primarily on their public reach and news importance.
done_all 5.2 marked as Compliant by Ramón Salaverría.
Criteria 5.3
Proof you meet criteria
The assessor will review the methodology used in a randomised sample of your fact checks to assess compliance with these criteria. No additional evidence is required.
Ramón Salaverría Assessor
04-Oct-2020 (4 years ago) Updated: 4 years ago
Drawing upon a number of randomly selected fact-checks, the assessor has come to the conclusion that Netwal commits to transparency and fairness when processing claims.
done_all 5.3 marked as Compliant by Ramón Salaverría.
Criteria 5.4
Proof you meet criteria
The assessor will review the methodology used in a randomised sample of your fact checks to assess compliance with these criteria. No additional evidence is required.
Ramón Salaverría Assessor
04-Oct-2020 (4 years ago) Updated: 4 years ago
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.
done_all 5.4 marked as Compliant by Ramón Salaverría.
Criteria 5.5
Proof you meet criteria
The assessor will review the methodology used in a randomised sample of your fact checks to assess compliance with these criteria. No additional evidence is required.
Ramón Salaverría Assessor
04-Oct-2020 (4 years ago) Updated: 4 years ago
The assessor has not found any evidence of the situations indicated in this criterion. In absence of any apparent misbehaviour or infringement, the assessment is deemed as compliant.
done_all 5.5 marked as Compliant by Ramón Salaverría.
Criteria 5.6
Proof you meet criteria
Please describe how you encourage users to send in claims to check, while making it clear what readers can legitimately expect will be fact-checked and what isn’t fact-checkable. Include links where appropriate. If you do not allow this, explain why.
Newtral
15-Sep-2020 (4 years ago) Updated: 4 years ago
We explain the methodology of the on demand verification service here:
https://www.newtral.es/metodologia-transparencia/
Also, we encourage users in our social networks. Here some examples:
https://twitter.com/Newtral/status/1292594901843095552?s=20
https://twitter.com/Newtral/status/1286165654060638208?s=20
Ramón Salaverría Assessor
04-Oct-2020 (4 years ago) Updated: 4 years ago
Newtral has provided evidence (1, 2) about how, according to what is claimed in its transparency policy, it encourages users to propose claims to check, provide data and knowledge, as well as warn about possible errors.
done_all 5.6 marked as Compliant by Ramón Salaverría.
Section 6: A commitment to an Open & Honest Corrections Policy
To be compliant on corrections policy, applicants must meet these five criteria
- 6.1 The applicant has a corrections or complaints policy that is easily visible and accessible on the organization’s website or frequently referenced in broadcasts.
- 6.2 The policy sets out clear definitions of what it does and does not cover, how major mistakes, especially those requiring revised conclusions of a fact check, are handled, and the fact that some complaints may justify no response. This policy is adhered to scrupulously.
- 6.3 Where credible evidence is provided that the applicant has made a mistake worthy of correction, the applicant makes a correction openly and transparently, seeking as far as possible to ensure that users of the original see the correction and the corrected version.
- 6.4 The applicant, if an existing signatory, should either on its corrections/complaints page or on the page where it declares itself an IFCN signatory inform users that if they believe the signatory is violating the IFCN Code, they may inform the IFCN, with a link to the IFCN site.
- 6.5 If the applicant is the fact-checking unit of a media company, it is a requirement of signatory status that the parent media company has and adheres to an open and honest corrections policy.
Criteria 6.1
Proof you meet criteria
Please provide a link to where you publish on your website your corrections or complaints policy. If you are primarily a broadcaster, please provide evidence you frequently reference your corrections policy in broadcasts.
Newtral
15-Sep-2020 (4 years ago) Updated: 4 years ago
We will review an article as many times as necessary and rectify it or make the corrections or updates if it´s required. The time it takes will depend on the degree of verification, analysis and consultation with the sources involved in the article. We explain this here:
Ramón Salaverría Assessor
04-Oct-2020 (4 years ago) Updated: 4 years ago
As detailed in their methodology and transparency page, Newtral has a sound corrections policy. It commits itself to check the information "as many times it takes" and, if needed, to publish a correction in a timely manner.
done_all 6.1 marked as Compliant by Ramón Salaverría.
Criteria 6.2
Proof you meet criteria
The assessor will review the corrections policy to verify it meets critera. No additional information needed.
Ramón Salaverría Assessor
04-Oct-2020 (4 years ago) Updated: 4 years ago
The corrections policy is explained in reasonable detail, so that readers can know in advance the how their corrections claims will be handled.
done_all 6.2 marked as Compliant by Ramón Salaverría.
Criteria 6.3
Proof you meet criteria
Please provide a short statement about how the policy was adhered to over the previous year (or six months if this is the first application) including evidence of two examples of the responses provided by the applicant to a correction request over the previous year. Where no correction request has been made in the previous year, you must state this in your application, which will be publicly available in the assessment if your application is successful.
Newtral
15-Sep-2020 (4 years ago) Updated: 4 years ago
Even though it was not an article related to the verification unit (fact-check or debunking), we published a tuit with information provided by the minister of Interior that, at the end, was finally a mistake. We deleted the tuit and published an article explaining the mistake:
When we correct or modify an article, it is reflected in the text when it was made and the reason. Here some examples:
Due to an error in the transcription, we committed an error with the local police quoted where the events referred happened. We rectified it here:
https://www.newtral.es/eurovillas-incendio-nuevo-baztan-villar-del-olmo-okupas/20200904/
In this article, we updated the information provided by the authorities (Guardia Civil) in the first place:
https://www.newtral.es/estafa-seguridad-social-facebook-bizum/20200917/
In a tweet from 2018 we mislead the content of an infographic. This year a user noticed this and we published a new tweet with the corrections and apologies:
Ramón Salaverría Assessor
04-Oct-2020 (4 years ago) Updated: 4 years ago
Criteria 6.4
Proof you meet criteria
If you are an existing signatory, please provide a link to show where on your site you inform users that if they believe you are violating the IFCN Code, they may inform the IFCN of this, with a link to the complaints page on the IFCN site.
Newtral
15-Sep-2020 (4 years ago) Updated: 4 years ago
Ramón Salaverría Assessor
04-Oct-2020 (4 years ago) Updated: 4 years ago
As requested, Newtral informs their users about how they should proceed in case they want to complain or inform the IFCN of any violation of the Code of Principles.
done_all 6.4 marked as Compliant by Ramón Salaverría.
Criteria 6.5
Proof you meet criteria
If you are the fact-checking unit of a media company, please provide a link to the parent media company’s honest and open corrections policy and provide evidence that it adheres to this.
Newtral
15-Sep-2020 (4 years ago) Updated: 4 years ago
Ramón Salaverría Assessor
04-Oct-2020 (4 years ago) Updated: 4 years ago
Newtral is a stand-alone media startup that, among other news services, includes a fact-checking branch. Information about the owning company is fully disclosed.