Raskrinkavanje is a fact-checking project developed by the Civic Association "Why not" (Udruženje građana “Zašto ne”), as specified in our “About” page - https://raskrinkavanje.ba/o-raskrinkavanju

CA “Why Not” is a legal entity registered in the register of civic associations within the Ministry of Justice of FBiH on January 9th 2001 under No. 56, Book 1 of the register, with registration number 03-054-992/97-2. Scanned copy of the Decision on the Registration, is in the attachment.

The applicant is a distinct unit within a legally registered organization, and details of this are easily found on its website.

1-Raskrinkavanje was launched in December 2017. by the citizen association “Zašto ne”. Since 2010, our organization has been running another fact-checking platform, Istinomjer, which checks accuracy and consistency of statements by public officials and monitors the fulfillment of their parties’ pre-election promises. In that work, we noticed a growing need for a similar approach in the sphere of media accountability. We have often faced problematic claims that were not coming from politicians, but rather from the media which reported on their statements. Since Istinomjer is committed to strengthening the political accountability of public officials and does not deal with the verification of media information, such claims were never rated on that platform. Starting a separate platform for fact checking the media was, therefore, the next logical step for us.

2- Raskrinkavanje has a team of 5 editors (Editor-in-chief, Editor, Executive editor, Communications editor and an advisory member of editorial board), 5 in-house journalists, 3 external journalists/researchers, one intern and a creative director. The platform shares the organization's resources for financial and project administration and coordination, proofreading, design, web development and other tasks as needed.

Information about Raskrinkavanje’s team can be found on our Impressum page.

3- CA Why not is an organization that works on the creation of a safe, secure, healthy, active, efficient and accountable society. We aim to achieve that through increasing civic participation, influencing government accountability, promoting the use of new technology tools in the whole of BiH, in partnership with other stakeholders including formal and informal groups, organizations, institutions and individuals.

The organization’s goals are grouped in 7 main program areas:

Fact-checking and promotion of accountability

Civic participation

Monitoring of the government and political processes

Research and advocacy

Promoting the use of technology

Civic education for elections

“Why Not” Knowledge Factory

More information about our individual projects within these program areas is available on our website.

In addition to our two fact-checking platforms, we carry out activities like trainings for journalists and students in the field of fact-checking and media literacy, as well as various media literacy educational material and interactive learning tools such as quizzes and games. We are one of the founding members of SeeCheck, a network of platforms engaged in fact-checking and fighting against disinformation in Southeast Europe.

4- In the next year we will continue to grow and develop our platform. We intend to continue our work on the different content production and growing our social media presence and continue to build on our pioneer research of disinformation in BiH and the region.

We will continue our efforts in building further and stronger communication with the fact-checking community in general, including strengthening our regional fact-checking network - SeeCheck and participating in initiatives to stop harassment against fact-checkers.

We will continue our partnership with Facebook through Facebook's Third Party Fact-Checker program.

Additionally, in the near future we plan to dedicate more time to further development of the English version of our website. Also, we plan to produce more content in English language which is to be published on the forthcoming See Check website - a regional project conceived exclusively in English.

We will also continue to work on the development of new technologies and functionalities on our existing platform, including the largest searchable database of media outlets in the region.

The unit is set up exclusively for fact-checking, and its team is dedicated to monitoring and fact-checking media coverage.

The team announces efforts to build stronger communication with the fact-checking community, which is commendable.

From January to September 2021, we published more than 440 fact-checking analyses, which is on average more than 12 fact-checks per week. All fact-checks published in the above mentioned period can be found here: https://raskrinkavanje.ba/analize

Over the course of the six months prior to the date of application (April – September), the applicant has published an average of 12 fact-checks a week.

Based on the review of the fact-checks published over three months (July – September), around 85% of the applicant’s fact-checks focus on claims related to issues that relate to the welfare or well-being of individuals, the general public or society.

Nearly half of all fact-checks during that time were about coronavirus.

Our organization has no commercial, financial and/or institutional relationship to the state, politicians or political parties in the country. Our work is funded through projects of donors like international organizations and embassies, as well as through Facebook's Third Party Fact-Checker program.

The only donor currently supporting the work of the platform that can be considered a foreign political actor is the Embassy of the USA in Bosnia & Herzegovina.

Donors have no influence on our work. The work we do is performed strictly in line with our methodology and non-partisanship policy, which ensures objectivity and impartial approach to topics, research and ratings, regardless of source of disinformation.

The applicant’s editorial output does not seem to be controlled by the state or any political party, nor politicians.

All information about our non-partisanship policy can be found at this link - https://raskrinkavanje.ba/o-raskrinkavanju

The applicant receives funding from foreign state sources, and it provides a statement on the site that its activities are independent of any political influence, including financial.

Raskrinkavanje fact-checks and debunks disinformation and media manipulations from a wide source of media, from public broadcasters and commercial media outlets to anonymous "click-farm" outlets and social media pages. In accordance with our methodology, we use a dozen different ratings, so it would be hard to provide examples of consistency and coherent approach for each separate rating.

When it comes to political discourse in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the region, the disinformation that we debunk targets members of different political parties and ethnic groups in BiH. This includes representatives of both parties in power and opposition parties in various levels of government.

Although our work in the last year was mostly focused on debunking various disinformation related to pandemic, we also published a number of fact-checks related to political processes and politicians. The following examples demonstrate that we follow our methodology consistently, irregardless of which political actors or which parts of the political spectrum are targeted by disinformation or manipulation:

https://raskrinkavanje.ba/analiza/zeljko-komsic-nije-podrzao-kandidata-sda-za-gradonacelnika-srebrenika (targets Željko Komšić, the Croat member of presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina)

https://raskrinkavanje.ba/analiza/farma-portala-sahranila-dodika (targets Milorad Dodik, the Serb member of the presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina)

https://raskrinkavanje.ba/analiza/lapsusi-predraga-kojovica-i-njihove-medijske-obrade (targets Predrag Kojović, the former leader of political party Naša stranka)

https://raskrinkavanje.ba/analiza/od-anonimnog-izvora-do-lazne-vijesti-haris-silajdzic-ne-osniva-novu-stranku (targets Haris Silajdžić, a Bosnian politician and former member of presidency)

https://raskrinkavanje.ba/analiza/becirovic-u-parlamentu-nije-ponovo-govorio-o-dodiku (targets Denis Bećirović, the member of the House of Peoples and vice-president of the Social Democratic Party)

https://raskrinkavanje.ba/analiza/ne-vrh-republike-srpske-ne-tvrdi-da-je-situacija-u-bosni-i-hercegovini-nepodnosljiva (targets government of Republika Srpska entity in BiH)

https://raskrinkavanje.ba/analiza/na-fotografiji-draska-stanivukovica-s-banjaluckog-crvenog-tepiha-nije-ivana-maslaric (targets Draško Stanivuković, the mayor of city of Banjaluka)

https://raskrinkavanje.ba/analiza/lazni-tweet-emira-suljagica-o-jasenovcu-ponovo-se-dijeli-na-twitteru (targets Emir Suljagić, the director of the Srebrenica-Potočari Memorial Center)

https://raskrinkavanje.ba/analiza/online-peticija-za-hapsenje-dodika-predstavljena-kao-udar-na-republiku-srpsku (targets Milorad Dodik and entity of Republika Srpska)

https://raskrinkavanje.ba/analiza/satira-shvacena-ozbiljno-epizoda-novalic-i-brza-cesta-izmedu-sarajeva-i-gorazda (targets Fadil Novalić, the current Prime Minister of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.)

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

Raskrinkavanje bases its work on an impartial, independent and thorough verification of media information.

Our methodology outlines the basic principles of how the platform operates, including:

The principles of selection of the content and media outlets which are monitored and rated on the platform;

Rating of specific items of media content and media themselves;

Use of sources for research, structure of fact-checking analyses, and methodology for creating lists of media with questionable credibility.

The “ Selection of media” and “Selection of Claims and articles” parts of the methodology describe how our approach guarantees objectivity and impartiality in the selection of claims that are rated on Raskrinkavanje. 

The applicant published a thorough and respectable statement on its website on how it selects claims to check. The applicant does not unduly concentrate its fact-checking on any one side, and seems to consider the reach and importance of claims it selects to check.

The applicant, as it states on its website, does not fund through commercial sponsorships, nor any form of advertising.

It also states independent editorial policy, that is none of the funders influence their work.

The evidence the applicant provides in its fact-checks is reliable and trustworthy.

The applicant is not an organization affiliated with nor declares or shows support for any party or politician, nor does it advocate for or against any policy positions on any issues except transparency, political accountability, and media literacy.

Our non-partisanship policy, including its application on staffing, can be found on this link - https://raskrinkavanje.ba/o-raskrinkavanju

The applicant sets out its policy on non-partisanship for staff on its site: people who work there are not and cannot be active members of any political party, nor actively participate in the election campaigns of political entities.

Based on the sample of the applicant's work, its staff does not get involved in advocacy nor publicize their views on policy issues.

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.

Based on the sample of the applicant's work, it seems the applicant uses the best available primary, not secondary, sources of evidence wherever suitable primary sources are available.

The applicant checks all key elements of claims against as many sources of evidence as possible except where the one source is the only source relevant on the topic.

During a review of the applicant’s use of sources (in a sample of work), there was no obvious need to identify interests of the sources it uses so the reader might reasonably conclude those interests could influence the accuracy of the evidence provided.

Raskrinkavanje is one of two fact-checking sections of parent organization CA ”Why not”, as noted in our “About” page (https://raskrinkavanje.ba/o-raskrinkavanju) and our Impressum (https://raskrinkavanje.ba/impressum). Information about legal status and scope of work of CA “Zasto ne” as the parent organization can be found on this link - https://zastone.ba/organizacija  

The applicant on its site explains the expenses and names all the funders in the last 4 years.

This page also states the applicant is a distinct unit within the organization “Zašto ne”.

Raskrinkavanje is one of two fact-checking sections of parent organization CA ”Why not”, as noted in our “About” page (https://raskrinkavanje.ba/o-raskrinkavanju) and our Impressum (https://raskrinkavanje.ba/impressum). Information about legal status and scope of work of CA “Zasto ne” as the parent organization can be found on this link - https://zastone.ba/organizacija

The applicant makes a clear statement on ownership on its website.

Information about Raskrinkavanje’s team is published in our Impressum - https://raskrinkavanje.ba/impressum

On the applicant’s website, the organizational structure is set out which makes it clear by whom editorial control is exercised.

Names and biographies of all members of the Raskrinkavanje team are published in our Impressum - https://raskrinkavanje.ba/impressum

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.

Contact information (mail and telephone) that are indicated as one of the possibilities of contacting the team is published in our Impressum (https://raskrinkavanje.ba/impressum), while links to our social media pages are listed in our About section (https://raskrinkavanje.ba/o-raskrinkavanju), with a note that they can also be used to contact us. We regularly communicate with our readers via Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

The applicant provides information in a solid manner on its website for users to communicate with the team via telephone, mail, email, and social media.

Our methodology can be found at this link - https://raskrinkavanje.ba/metodologija

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

The applicant mostly selects claims to check based primarily on the reach and importance of the claims.

The applicant sets out in its fact-checks relevant evidence that supports the claim (where possible) as well as relevant evidence that undermines it.

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 maintained the practice of contacting the media in two cases (in which it considers such step is meaningful): if there is a question about the origin or context of the content being evaluated, and if it is an analysis that does not involve an assessment of accuracy on Facebook.

For practical reasons only, the applicant no longer informs the media about the publication of every analysis. In addition, every media whose content is rated on Facebook is informed about it by this platform.

A section titled “Report an article” is clearly visible in the main menu of our website. It leads to a form that our readers can use to send any questionable information to our team for a review. The form contains instructions on how to file a “report” and explanations to the readers on what they can and can’t expect to be fact-checked. It communicates that if the reported article contains some form of manipulation as defined by our methodology, the article will be fact-checked and the reader’s report will be linked to the published debunk. We also explain that they can expect to see a debunk of the reported claim (if published) on this link - https://raskrinkavanje.ba/sugestije

In addition to this form on the page, we encourage our readers to contact us and report news pieces via social networks Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, via messages and tags.

A section titled “Report an article” is clearly visible in the main menu of our website. It leads to a form that our readers can use to send any questionable information to our team for a review. The form contains instructions on how to file a “report” and explanations to the readers on what they can and can’t expect to be fact-checked. It communicates that if the reported article contains some form of manipulation as defined by our methodology, the article will be fact-checked and the reader’s report will be linked to the published debunk. We also explain that they can expect to see a debunk of the reported claim (if published) on this link - https://raskrinkavanje.ba/sugestije

In addition to this form on the page, we encourage our readers to contact us and report news pieces via social networks Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, via messages and tags.

The last reported claims were fact-checked, however, the fact-checks were not linked to these suggestions in the “Reports” section on our website due to a technical problem we’re experiencing. We have been working on fixing the issue and as soon as it’s resolved, these fact-checks will be linked to reported claims in the same way as before.

The fact checks in question can be seen on these links:

Suggestion:https://raskrinkavanje.ba/sugestija/1079

Fact-check:https://raskrinkavanje.ba/analiza/senad-pecanin-nije-rekao-da-su-specijalci-mup-a-rs-bili-u-manastiru-na-cetinju

Suggestion:https://raskrinkavanje.ba/sugestija/1061

Fact-check:https://raskrinkavanje.ba/analiza/nije-tacno-da-se-u-bih-olimpijska-medalja-nagraduje-sa-2-300-eura

Suggestion:https://raskrinkavanje.ba/sugestija/1021

Fact-check:https://raskrinkavanje.ba/analiza/becirovic-u-parlamentu-nije-ponovo-govorio-o-dodiku

Suggestion:https://raskrinkavanje.ba/sugestija/1007

Fact-check:https://raskrinkavanje.ba/analiza/masovna-grobnica-u-mrkonjic-gradu-nije-najveca-otkrivena-u-republici-srpskoj

The applicant encourages users to send in claims to check, while making it clear what readers can expect will be fact-checked. In addition, the applicant promises to provide an explanation for every claim which will not be checked.

However, the last reported claims were not fact-checked with no explanation (for months now). In order to reassure readers they should send in claims, the applicant should add explanations to as many reported claims as possible or at least for 6 unanswered claims sent by the readers in the last 12 months.

The applicant encourages users to send in claims to check, while making it clear what readers can expect will be fact-checked. In addition, the applicant promises to provide an explanation for every claim which will not be checked.

As the applicant stated, there is a technical problem with the last reported claims (many were fact-checked but not associated with the claims users sent). The applicant promised to link the fact-checks to claims, as soon as they resolve the technical problem.

Our corrections policy is published in our “About” section - https://raskrinkavanje.ba/o-raskrinkavanju

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

We have added a note explaining what happens with the complaints when no correction is warranted to our corrections policy. 

The policy sets out a clear definition of how mistakes are handled.

The applicant does not state some complaints may justify no response. The applicant should explain if all complaints will be answered, and - if not - what is the reason for that and what will happen instead.

The policy sets out a clear definition of how mistakes are handled.

We continue to adhere to our policy in the same way as we used to from the beginning.

We provide a clear note of any additional changes made in published fact-checks (other than corrections of typos, formatting and similar) where new, or information different from what’s published, is obtained.

Examples

1. We incorrectly attributed several false claims to a portal called “Srbijadanas.com”, which were in fact published by a portal “Srbijadanas.net”. These were technical errors in our content management system which happened because both outlets have the same name, but different domains. Portal Srbijadanas.com contacted us and pointed out the errors, which we corrected immediately.

https://raskrinkavanje.ba/analiza/satira-kao-lazna-vijest-toma-nikolic-ne-osniva-stranku

https://raskrinkavanje.ba/analiza/ne-nato-nije-usmrtio-vise-civila-nego-talibani

https://raskrinkavanje.ba/analiza/ne-eu-nije-zabranila-izvoz-medicinske-opreme

https://raskrinkavanje.ba/analiza/ne-eu-nije-trazila-od-srbije-da-prihvati-da-je-tesla-hrvat

2. We initially erroneously attributed a piece of false information to a web portal Ekskluziva, when in fact the source of the false claim was a website under the name Republika. As soon as we were informed about the initial error, we corrected the ratings and added the correction note to our fact-check.

https://raskrinkavanje.ba/analiza/klikovi-na-racun-porodicne-tragedije-jasar-ahmedovski-u-sredistu-degutantnog-viralnog-sadrzaja

Where credible evidence is provided that the applicant has made a mistake worthy of correction, the applicant makes a correction openly and transparently.

Information about complaints regarding the IFCN Code can be found in the section "Correction of incorrect statements" on our About page - https://raskrinkavanje.ba/o-raskrinkavanju 

As part of its corrections policy and on the page where it declares itself an IFCN signatory, the applicant informs users that if they believe the applicant is violating the IFCN Code, they may inform the IFCN, with a link to the IFCN site.

Not applicable (we are a project of a CSO, not a media company).

The applicant is not a fact-checking unit of a media company.