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 the latter's fact-checking program.

The legal status of TFC are stated on TFC’s website ( https://tfc-taiwan.org.tw/about/oganization ).

In the attachment, you will find the Certificate of corporate Registration of the Taiwan FactCheck Foundation and its English version.

The applicant is legally registered as an independent foundation, and details of this are easily found on its website ( https://tfc-taiwan.org.tw/about/oganization ).

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

In April 2018, with an 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. TFC’s mission is to fact-check claims related to public interest issues to promote reliable information and digital literacy.

By the end of 2022, TFC has published 2119 fact-checks since it started fact-checking.

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

Taiwan FactCheck Foundation has 15 full-time personnel. The fact-checking team, namely, the Taiwan FactCheck Center, has ten full-time employees, including one Chief Editor, one Deputy Chief Editor, one head of international projects/reporter, six fact-checkers, and one graphics designer. 

Besides, Taiwan FactCheck Foundation has an education team of two people dedicated to media literacy programs. And three personnel work in administrative positions, including events and workshops organizing. 

3. What different activities does your organization carry out?

Besides our main mission of debunking falsehood 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 and lectures on TFC’s fact-checking methodology and its work to promote fact-based information and media literacy.

- International collaborative projects to empower Filipino and Indonesian immigrants and migrant workers in Taiwan to fight against misinformation

- Yearly Asian forum to introduce fact-checking knowledge and insights from international experts to the Taiwanese audience. In 2022, the theme of the Asian forum was lessons from Russian aggression, touching areas such as war disinformation narratives, digital investigative journalism, and international collaborative project.

- Events such as the Google-powered Youth Verification Challenge to promote fact-checking and raise youth's awareness of misinformation.

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 team's expansion, 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 August 1, 2022, to January 31, 2023, TFC published 342 fact-checks and 297 articles. On average, TFC publishes 12-13 fact-checks a week. 

From August 1, 2022, to January 31, 2023, TFC published 342 fact-checks. On average, the applicant publishes 12-13 fact-checks a week. 

Through a review over the previous three months, most of the fact checks published 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 a local or foreign state or political sources over the previous financial year.

In 2022, TFC received a USD$5000 grant from Meedan, a non-profit organization that supports global journalism and fact-checking organizations, to fund TFC's project to introduce fact-checking tipline to Filipino migrant workers in Taiwan. In November 2021, Google.org donated USD$1 million to support a three-year Taiwan Media Literacy Education program which the donation would spread out over 2021-2023. These two grants are unrelated 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

The applicant receives grants from non-profit organizations and digital platform corporations in 2022. The applicant has not had any financial or institutional relationship with the state, politicians or political parties. 

TFC did not 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. https://tfc-taiwan.org.tw/articles/8006

In response to the former US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, China launched live-fire military drills and a series of drills images. One of the images of a Chinese PLA member watching Taiwan through binoculars, however, is altered, according to specialists in different fields. In the fact-check, TFC made sure that the photo was debunked based on evidence from a wide array of perspectives. The doctored, intimidating photo was unfortunately widespread across the globe via the Chinese Xinhua news agency’s supply to the Associated Press (AP).

2. https://tfc-taiwan.org.tw/articles/7990

An image purporting to show Taiwan paid >$3M to hire a public relations firm to lobby US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was posted on the Taiwanese bulletin board system, PTT. However, the document is doctored. TFC’s fact-check found out the signature & stains around were identical to another file on the US DOJ site.

3. https://tfc-taiwan.org.tw/articles/8502

A video of poll station staff tallying votes in Taoyuan after the local election in November 2022 falsely claimed to show vote tallying in Pingtung. TFC quickly debunked the falsehood to prevent disinformation from hurting the democratic process in Taiwan.

4. https://tfc-taiwan.org.tw/articles/6951

A message spread on LINE in April 2022, warning against buying Mango in March as it contains heavy pesticide residue. TFC published a fact-check after talking to Mango experts and farmers to debunk the fear-mongering hoax.

5. https://tfc-taiwan.org.tw/articles/8389

A graphic card was circulated online before the presidential election claiming that the former president had put the country in debt for eight years, in contrast to the current administration. TFC published an explainer fact-check to clarify questions about the complex financial issue to help the audience make informed decisions.

6. https://tfc-taiwan.org.tw/articles/8558

An old rumor claimed that Taiwan received six new HIV/AIDS cases per day after the legalization of same-sex marriage. The fabricated rumor, which first appeared online during the 2020 presidential election, was reshared ahead of the 2022 local elections. TFC presented the actual data along with facts from experts in the fact-check.

7. https://tfc-taiwan.org.tw/articles/7088

A graphic card has reappeared repeatedly, claiming to show the radioactively contaminated food items imported from Japan. However, the information actually dates back to 2015. TFC verified the claim by interviewing the Taiwanese FDA and traced the official documents.

8. https://tfc-taiwan.org.tw/articles/8243

A viral social media post spread with a news clip claimed to show a certain brand of soy sauce was found to cause cancer and was widely used in Taiwan. The news clip was in fact outdated. The product mentioned in the news was not available anymore.

9. https://tfc-taiwan.org.tw/articles/7565

A video of a gathering of fish claims to be the signal of an imminent earthquake. After the image reverse search, we found the original clip was shared by an amateur fisherman. We also interviewed a fish specialist to explain the phenomenon.

10. https://tfc-taiwan.org.tw/articles/7018

A video appeared on Chinese social media Weibo, purported to show a phone call recording of Ukrainian president Zelensky arranging for his family to flee the country. TFC was able to debunk the fake audio recording with the support of the Ukrainian fact-checker organization and Ukrainian students in Taiwan.

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

We have the fact-checking guidelines on the website as follows, 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.
3. Is the claim meaningful or significant enough 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 from various political positions.

TFC uses a fact-checking chatbot to collect claims and cross-check and monitor the reach of claims using various social research tools such as Meta's CrowdTangle to determine the priority to check.

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

Based on what I have reviewed, 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.

Based on what I have reviewed, 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.

Based on what I have reviewed, the applicant identifies the source of significant evidence used in its fact checks. 

Based on what I have reviewed, the applicant uses the best available primary sources of evidence in most stories.

Based on what I have reviewed, the applicant frequently applies multiple sources in their stories.

Based on what I have reviewed, 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.

Taiwan FactCheck Center/ Taiwan FsctCheck Foundation is an independent organization. TFC had been previously affiliated with 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 regarding 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 the Taiwan FactCheck Foundation in the attachment.

The applicant is an independent non-profit organization.

On the page "Donation Acceptance Policy" (https://tfc-taiwan.org.tw/about/donation), we state that TFC is a non-profit organization and provide 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 (https://tfc-taiwan.org.tw/about/donation-report).

The legal status of the organization is stated on the page "Organization Structure" (https://tfc-taiwan.org.tw/about/oganization).

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 "Organization Structure." (https://tfc-taiwan.org.tw/about/oganization) Regarding how and by whom editorial control is exercised, we explain the process on the page “The principles of fact-checking." (https://tfc-taiwan.org.tw/about/principle)

The claims to fact-check are picked in the daily editorial meeting based on TFC's fact-checking principles and then assigned to a fact-checker by the Editor-in-Chief. After the first draft is submitted, it must be reviewed and proofread by at least two other fact-checkers, including the Editor-in-Chief, before publishing. If necessary, the Editor-in-Chief 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 Editor-in-Chief and all fact-checkers, and their professional biographies at the link: https://tfc-taiwan.org.tw/about/oganization.

In the bio, we provide detailed information on each staff’s previous experiences. We hope this information helps 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 numbers, e-mail, addresses, a contact form, and various social media accounts. Audiences can reach out to TFC’s staff, sending questions and comments by using one of the methods. All the info can be found on the contact page. ( https://tfc-taiwan.org.tw/contact)

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

The applicant provides the contact page to encourage users to communicate with its organization. 

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 and original documentation and 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 and 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 that the assigning reporter suggests. Then the rated report is brought to the Editor-in-Chief to final check the wording accuracy, structure integrity, and 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. 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. It would help us to detect viral claims too. We provide multiple user-friendly methods for our audience to send in claims:

When spotting a suspicious claim, or doubtful news, users can submit the claim on TFC’s appeal page ( https://tfc-taiwan.org.tw/appeal ). On the appeal page, we have a FAQ section ( https://tfc-taiwan.org.tw/appeal/faq ) 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.

Furthermore, we have a fact-checking tipline on LINE, the most used messaging APP in Taiwan. We encourage audiences to add TFC’s account on LINE ( https://line.me/R/ti/p/@tfctaiwan?from=page&openQrModal=true&searchId=tfctaiwan ) , and send questionable content they receive with us. The links to TFC’s LINE Chatbot are presented on the top-right of the main page ( https://tfc-taiwan.org.tw/ ).

The applicant encourages users to send in claims to check.

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

The policy states and explains how a number of the public can submit questions or complaints on TFC's 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 on the page ”Corrections Policy”

The corrections policy sets out the procedure and outcomes of corrections.  

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 ( https://tfc-taiwan.org.tw/node/129 ).

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 below:

1. On December 9, 2022, we published a fact-check about the bird species (Syrmaticus Mikado, Mikado Pheasant) in Taiwan. ( https://tfc-taiwan.org.tw/articles/8536). We later received a reader’s request telling us that Syrmaticus mikado was listed as ”Near Threatened“ by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species in 2016- not “vulnerable” as stated in the article. We added a correction note in the preface of the fact-check on December 14, 2022, to remind our audiences of the change and also show our appreciation to the reader who reported the error to us.
2. On June 24, 2022, we published a fact-check on a message which claimed that Taiwanese groupers are administered antibiotics, and antibiotic residues will accumulate in fish. ( https://tfc-taiwan.org.tw/articles/7737) After interviewing specialists, we first rated the claim false. However, after receiving the audience’s request, we determine that the claim is a personal opinion. So we issued a correction note and explained how TFC decided to turn the fact-check into an explanatory article to explain the antibiotics usage practices in Taiwan’s grouper industry.

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.

On this page “IFCN signatory and complaints”, the applicant provides 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.