Taiwan FactCheck Center (TFC) was jointly established by Taiwan Media Watch and the Association for Quality Journalism in 2018. In December 2020, TFC was legally registered as an independent foundation, Taiwan FactCheck Foundation, for sustainability. Therefore, Taiwan FactCheck Center is supported by Taiwan FactCheck Foundation as its fact-checking program.

The legal status and the charter of TFC are published on TFC’s website.
In the attachment, you can find: 

1. Charter of the Taiwan FactCheck Education Foundation
2. Certificate of registration of exporters/ importers (For the official English name）

The applicant is legally registered as an independent foundation, and details of this are easily found on its website.

1. When and why was your fact-checking operation started?

In April 2018, with the endowment of NTD 500,000 ($17,000) from the Association for Quality Journalism and Taiwan Media Watch, respectively, TFC was jointly founded for non-profit purposes to improve the information ecology and news quality in Taiwan.

By the end of 2021, TFC had published 1416 fact-checks over the past 3.5 years.

2. How many people work or volunteer in the organization and what are their roles?

Taiwan FactCheck Center currently has 10 full-time staff, including one Chief Editor, one Deputy Chief Editor, seven fact-checkers, and one graphics designer. Besides, we have two interns supporting our work.

On top of that, Taiwan FactCheck Foundation has an education team of two people dedicated to media literacy programs. And two personnel work in administrative positions.

Overall, Taiwan FactCheck Foundation has 14 full-time personnel.

3. What different activities does your organization carry out?

Besides our main mission of debunking false information and publishing fact checks, TFC carries out different activities with the goal of promoting fact-checking and digital literacy:

• Fact-checking and verification workshops aimed at varied groups including journalists, teachers, university and high school students, and the general public.
• Speeches, lectures on TFC’s fact-checking methodology, and its work to promote fact-based information and media literacy.
• Film screening event of the Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Ressa’s document to bring awareness of disinformation and its consequences.
• Asian forum to share fact-checking knowledge and insights from other fact-checking organizations in Asia to Taiwanese audience

4. What are the goals of your fact-checking operation over the coming year?

It has been three and half years since TFC began the journey of fact-checking in 2018. With the team growing, the goals of TFC's operation will be:

• Increase fact-checking capacity and quality: following the expansion of the team, the number of fact-checks is expected to increase from 35-40/month to 50/month.
• Continue to host verification workshops including advanced training for journalists and introductory ones for the public.
• Host "Forum on Fact-Checking in Asia 2022"
• Organize webinars on case-study and best practices for journalists and fact-checkers in Asia, especially in the Chinese-speaking regions.
• Explore strategies to widen our audience reach.

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

From June 1, 2021, to December 31, 2021, TFC had published 633 fact-checks and 439 articles. Overall, TFC publishes 12-13 fact-checks a week. 

From June 1, 2021, to December 31, 2021, the applicant had published 633 fact-checks and 439 articles. Overall, the applicant publishes 12-13 fact-checks a week.

Most stories in the previous three months I've gone through tackle issues and claims that are significant and relevant to public interests.

TFC has no commercial, financial or institutional relationship to the state, politicians, or political parties in the countries TFC covers, nor receives funding from local or foreign state or political sources over the previous financial year.

In 2021, TFC received two grants from foreign organizations. One is from Meedan, a non-profit organization that supports global journalism and fact-checking organizations. Another is the Open Society Foundation Europe. These two grants are not related to politicians or political parties and TFC retains its independence of editorial work.

We clearly state in TFC's donations acceptance policy that “to maintain the independence of operations, Taiwan FactCheck Center does not accept donations from governments, political parties, and politicians." The policy can be found through the link: https://tfc-taiwan.org.tw/node/73

This applicant receives grants from non-profit organizations in 2021. The applicant has not had any commercial, financial, or institutional relationship to the state, politicians or political parties. It is also clearly stated in the applicant’s donations acceptance policy.

TFC doesn’t have funding from local or foreign state or political sources over the previous financial year.

The applicant declares that it has no funding from local or foreign state or political sources.

1. Claim: Taiwan’s representative to the US lied about being invited to US president Biden’s inauguration.
Rating: False

The claim was widely spread on social media and got amplified by mainstream media. To fact-check it, we not only verified the photo using digital tools but also interviewed Washington correspondents and officials. This report is considered not in favor of the pro-Beijing camp and the opposition party, KMT.

2. Claim: South Korea had offloaded its supply of 400k doses AstraZeneca on Taiwan believing it to be inferior.
Rating: False

The claim had an impact on the public’s trust in vaccines as AstraZeneca was the only kind of vaccine available in the early stage of the Taiwan vaccine rollout. In this fact-check, we worked with the Korean fact-checker to look through news coverages in Korean. We also contacted the Korean CDC directly for the first-hand response.

3. Claim: The Taiwan-made vaccine, Medigen, is made from US ingredients and techniques and it was officially inspired by the US.
Rating: False

This claim aligned with the pro-government campaign to advertise the domestic vaccine. It exploited the fact that Medigen and Moderna use the same SARS-CoV-2 spike immunogen to imply that these two vaccines share similar efficacy. 

4. Claim: The government kills people by approving the administration of Medigen vaccine if though it hasn’t completed its phase two trial.
Rating: False

5. Claim: The AstraZeneca vaccine donated by Japan was originally produced by problematic American factory Emergent BioSolutions.
Rating: False

With the help of experts, academics, and after vigorous interviews and data collection, we managed to trace back the production chain of the AstraZeneca batch donated by Japan. It was confirmed that the vaccine batch Taiwan received was not from the US factory as claimed.

6. Claim: Chemical troops are sent to Taipei, New Taipei city to conduct thorough disinfection this Friday and Saturday
Rating: False

As capital cities entered level three epidemic alert, the panic among the masses had been growing, leading the claim to proliferate on a massive scale. TFC team quickly responded by interviewing officials and experts to provide reliable info about the sanitization operation and the effect of dilute bleach to soothe people's nerves.

7. Claim: Datan algal reef conservation is a barren environment.
Rating: False

This claim was widespread especially among pro-DPP social media groups since it “corroborates” DPP’s position to build a gas terminal regardless of some concerns for the algal reef ecosystem. We interviewed several experts including an experienced documentary maker in the field of the local algal reef.

8. Claim 1: Chinese CCTV program preaches “yes” vote in four Taiwanese referendums
Rating: False

Claim 2: The DPP government hosted a dinner party in an expensive hotel with taxpayers’ money to promote their referendum agenda.
Rating: False

Although two fact-checks both debunk referendum misinformation, the two falsehoods were spread by opposite groups. It shows that we tackle misinformation across the political spectrum.

9. Claim: The ballot boxes for this referendum were redesigned to opaque which indicates the potential election fraud.
Rating: False

This election disinformation had been circulating before the referendum, undermining the trust in a democratic society.

10. Claim: A video claimed to show the deadly moment of a water accident in Taiwan which caused at least 4 deaths.
Rating: False

By doing a reverse image search, TFC’s fact-checker found out the video was filmed in Sep. 2021 in the Philippines. However, to pursue the highest standard of evidence, we also contacted the local fire department in charge of the rescue operation to verify the video.

Summary:

In 2021, there were two significant events in Taiwan that sparked waves of misinformation: the first wave of COVID community transmission beginning May; and the referendum which happened at the end of 2021 but was accompanied by false misinformation throughout the year.

On the topics of COVID-19 and vaccine, TFC had tackled claims regarding Taiwan-made vaccine (Medigen) and controversies surrounding AstraZeneca. Although we have been constantly under fire as our work could be interpreted as in favor of either the DPP or the KMT party. What we are committed to is impartially fact-checking for our audiences and providing factual information.

It’s worthy of note, speaking of debunking vaccine misinformation, international collaborations are often involved to ensure the authenticity of the sources. In our multiple fact-checks concerning vaccines made or transported from overseas, we have worked with fact-checkers in Japan, Korea, and Europe; we also once reached out to Korean government officials to get more info regarding the vaccine reselling to Taiwan.

Another unique challenge we have been dealing with is the Taiwan-made vaccine. We have tackled misinformation across the political spectrum: we debunked the false post which aimed at advertising Medigen with a misleading claim; on the other hand, we also pointed out the falsehood purporting that Medigen didn’t complete the clinical trial.

As to fact-check regarding the December referendum, our work also speaks for itself. We have published reports to clarify that the Chinese state-owned CCTV did not call for “Yes” in the Taiwan referendum on that specific TV program (which is a smear to the opposition party); neither did the Taiwan government dine their supporters in a fancy hotel to promote their agenda (an attack on the party in power).

Besides, we debunked a series of disinformation purported to be election fraud before and during the referendum to protect the democracy from undermining. 

The stories the applicant chose clearly demonstrate its editorial stance of non-partisanship. They apply the same standards consistently.

We have TFC’s fact-checking guidelines on the website explaining how we select claims at the link: https://tfc-taiwan.org.tw/node/71

1. Is the claim related to the welfare or well-being of the general public? Does the claim sound misleading or wrong?
2. Is the claim checkable? TFC can not check opinions or predictions.
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3. Is the claim meaningful or significant to society?
4. Does this claim have a great impact on our society?
5. How viral does the claim spread?
6. Does TFC have the related ability to fact-check the claim?
7. Was the claim fact-checked by TFC before? If yes, TFC may relocate the resources to other new topics to ensure we cover a broader field.

TFC strives to give each party equal attention even though TFC does not attempt to set an absolute balance in terms of the number of claims among varied parties. However, to avoid a significant imbalance, TFC continuously monitors the statistics of the fact-checks concerning politics coming from various political positions.

The applicant publishes fact-checking guidelines on the website explaining how it selects claims at the link: https://tfc-taiwan.org.tw/node/71

In view of what I have observed, 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.

In view of what I have observed, the applicant doesn't show support for any party, any politician, or political candidate.

You can find the statement regarding the non-partisanship policy for TFC's staff through the link: https://tfc-taiwan.org.tw/about/purpose

On the page of the founding purpose, TFC clearly states that its founding belief is to follow the principles of professional journalism, transparency, and impartiality in fact-checking claims related to the public interest. Please refer to the link: https://tfc-taiwan.org.tw/about/purpose

The applicant explains its policies to preserve its non-partisan way of fact-checking.

In view of what I have observed, the applicant identifies the source of significant evidence used in its fact checks. 

In view of what I have observed, the applicant uses the best available primary sources of evidence in most stories.

In view of what I have observed, the applicant frequently applies multiple sources in their stories.

In view of what I have observed, 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.

TFC is an independent non-profit organization. TFC had been previously affiliated to one of the founding organizations, the Association for Quality Journalism, to receive resources and assistance in administrative matters. However, during that time, TFC functioned independently in terms of full editorial and financial independence.

In December 2020, TFC was officially registered as an independent foundation. The change of the legal status is also announced on the website at the link: https://tfc-taiwan.org.tw/about/oganization

You can find the registration document of Taiwan FactCheck Foundation in the attachment.

The applicant is an independent non-profit organization.

On the page "Donation Acceptance Policy", we state that TFC is a non-profit organization and provide the dedicated bank account numbers to receive donations.

The details of donations, as well as funding status, are listed in yearly donation reports which are published on the subpage.

The applicant reveals the details of donations, as well as funding status in yearly donation reports on its website.

TFC explains its organization structure on the page "Organizational Structure". Regarding how and by whom editorial control is exercised, we explain the process on the page “The principles of fact-checking".

The claims to fact-check are picked in the daily editorial meeting and then assigned to a fact-checker by the chief editor. After the first draft is submitted, it must be reviewed and proofread by at least two other fact-checkers, including the Chief Editor before publishing. If necessary, the chief editor can consult with the board of the Taiwan FactCheck Foundation.

The applicant has a page ("Organizational Structure") on its website that explains its organization structure. On the page “The principles of fact-checking", the applicant explains how and by whom editorial control is exercised.

We list all staff including the Chief Editor and all fact-checkers, and their professional biographies at the link: https://tfc-taiwan.org.tw/about/oganization.

We took the advice from the assessor in the last application, adding more info of each staff’s previous experiences. We hope these details help the audiences evaluate TFC staff’s commitment to fairness, non-partisanship, and transparency.

The applicant lists all staff including the Chief Editor and all fact-checkers, and their professional biographies on its website.

To encourage users to communicate with us, TFC provides multiple contact methods including phone calls, fax, e-mail, contact form, and social media. Audiences can reach out to TFC’s staff, send questions and comments by using one of the methods. All the info can be found on the contact page.

As we have a tipline on the most used messaging APP in Taiwan, LINE, the most popular way our audiences reach us is by sending their claims or questions on LINE.

Besides, each fact-check has a comment section at the bottom of the article where registered users are free to share their comments.

The applicant provides the contact page to the users including multiple ways of communication such as phone calls, fax, e-mail, contact form, and social media.

We explain the methodology of how TFC selects, researches, writes and publishes fact-checks at the link: https://tfc-taiwan.org.tw/node/71 (For detailed standards on how we decide what to check, please refer to the statement for criteria 2.2 in this application file)

TFC’s fact-checking operation is based on the principles of openness, transparency, rigor, and accountability. We adhere to the methodology below:

1. In every fact-check, we trace primary sources, original documentation, look for the best evidence.
2. We interview at least two sources, including but not limited to experts, academics, government officers, or persons involved.
3. We don't rely on government data. We check it independently, verify the data with a non-partisan third party. If any, we clearly present all sources so potential influences of the interests of the sources can be surmised by the audiences
4. A fact-check must be reviewed by at least three fact-checking personnel before its publication. After the assigning reporter turns in the draft, at least two fact-checkers review and proofread the draft carefully to ensure accuracy and reach the agreement of the rating which the assigning reporter suggests. Then the rated report is brought to the chief editor to final check the wording accuracy, structure integrity, rationality of the fact-check, and finalize the report.
5. Once the fact-check is published on TFC's website, the work will be disseminated through TFC's social channels including Facebook, LINE, Twitter, and Instagram pages. In order to reach as many audiences as possible, we also permit the publication request from mainstream news outlets.

On this page "Fact-checking Principle", the applicant publishes the methodology it uses to select, research, write and publish its fact checks.

In view of what I have observed, the applicant selects claims to check based primarily on the reach and importance of the claims.

In view of what I have observed, the applicant sets out in their fact checks relevant evidence that appears to support the claim as well as relevant evidence that appears to undermine it. 

In view of what I have observed, the applicant assesses the merits of the evidence found using the same high standards applied to evidence on equivalent claims, regardless of who made the claim.

In view of what I have observed, the applicant regularly relies on primary and secondary sources of information and does not make unfair conclusions or inaccurate deductions from evidence. The organization also identifies the interests of sources if they would be required to understand the source’s credibility.

We constantly remind users to send in claims to check. We also provide multiple user-friendly methods:

1. When spotting a suspicious claim, doubtful news, users can submit the claim on TFC’s appeal page. On the appeal page, we have a FAQ section for common questions to guide users through the submission process, as well as to reiterate what a checkable claim is and to manage their expectations.
2. Furthermore, we encourage audiences to add TFC’s account, an auto-reply chatbot on LINE, to share questionable content they receive or spot on LINE with us. The links to TFC’s LINE Chatbot are presented on the top-right of the main page.

The applicant encourages users to send in claims to check.

TFC clearly lays out its correction and complaint policy at the link: https://tfc-taiwan.org.tw/node/129. 

The policy states and explains how numbers of the public can comment on fact-checks, how TFC handles the feedback from audiences, and how TFC publishes its corrections.

The applicant clearly lays out its correction and complaint policy at the link: https://tfc-taiwan.org.tw/node/129. 

The policy sets out the procedure and outcomes of correction.  

TFC's fact-checks are open to external requests for corrections or complaints. As mentioned, the correction and complaints policy is easily accessible on TFC’s website.

Once we receive a request, TFC's fact-checkers must process it with a rigorous review. If the original report is found to contain errors, TFC should immediately publish a correction and issue it openly and transparently in bold font.

Two examples are provided as below:

1. After we published the fact-check regarding liabilities in car accidents link to the article: https://tfc-taiwan.org.tw/articles/4849 on December 22, 2020, we received an Email from a reader with car insurance expertise who provided a different angle. After reviewing the fact-check and further interviews, we published a correction on the next day, December 23, 2020, and changed the rating from False to Partly False.
2. On May 5, 2021, we published a fact-check regarding a video in which a Chinese medical physician demonstrated how to increase blood oxygen by tapping certain acupoints along with breathing exercises. Link to the article: https://tfc-taiwan.org.tw/articles/5386 As experts and physicians we interviewed told us tapping the chest can’t increase blood oxygen, we originally rated the claim False. However, we received a call from the Chinese medical physician involved in the video. He explained to us that this method has helped many in-home COVID-19 patients who suffered from hospital overload in the US. Considering the covid situation differs in different countries and patients may need different support, we re-rated the claim from False to Explanatory.

The applicant gives 2 examples from 2 different articles. It demonstrates that they have handled corrections adequately and professionally after receiving requests from the audience. 

At the link: https://tfc-taiwan.org.tw/node/4474, we have an introduction to IFCN, the Code of Principles, and IFCN's complaints policy in detail. We state clearly that all users can reach out to IFCN when they find that TFC is violating the IFCN Code of Principles. The link to the IFCN complaints page is provided on the same page, too.

At the link: https://tfc-taiwan.org.tw/node/4474, we have an introduction to IFCN, the Code of Principles, and IFCN's complaints policy in detail.

TFC is not the fact-checking unit of a media company.

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