As a preliminary note, Verificat is a bilingual website, operating in Catalan and Spanish. This is true for almost 100% of our contents. Furthermore, we have also started publishing covid-related contents in English and French.

Our website’s about section: https://www.verificat.cat/es/quienes-somos includes information about our legal status as a non-profit association (on top, on the link ‘sin ánimo de lucro’ and in the last section, Financiación), and links to our official record.

The applicant is a legally registered organization. They demonstrate this in their About page, where the reader can find their credentials and financial info.

Verificat started its operations in April 2019, when the Open Society Foundations awarded us a pilot grant to fact-check the local elections in Barcelona. Catalonia was living - and still is - through a period of heated political debate and many high profiles candidates were running for office as Mayor of Barcelona, a position which held great symbolic and polittical meaning.

Our second big challenge has been covering the aftermath of the facts of the 1st of October of 2019, when Catalonia lived through another period of great political tension following the sentence of the Catalan independentist political leaders. After that, we collaborated with TV3 programme Planta Baixa until December, and then entered a hiatus for the first months of 2020, in order to regroup and restart with a more solid project. Thanks to another grant by OSF, we have now restarted our operations with a new team. During 2021 we diversified our income (through grants, crowdfunding and commercial activity) and our activities.

At the end of February 2022, our team is formed by:

2 codirectors (and cofounders)

1 fundraiser

1 media literacy director (and cofounder)

4 fact-checkers

2 social media managers

1 investigative reporter

1 sales manager

Our main activities are:

Fact-checking the political discourse of Catalan leaders and of Spanish political figures when talking about Catalonia.

Fact-checking disinformation about covid-19 and vaccines.

Carrying out investigative journalism based on transparency.

Imparting media literacy programes at high school level and develop a train-the-trainers strategy.

Imparting fact-checking theory and practice classes at different universities (last year we did this at UIC, Blanquerna, UB, UAB, UCM, UCLM, ecc)

Starting media literacy programmes in public centres for adults, focusing on retired citizens.

We are interested in developing technological tools for fact-checking. For this reason we are part of alliances looking for grants for technological development.

Of course, the Covid-19 pandemic is going to dominate the informational agenda. We foresee an increase of information based on false science on social media and alternative outlets, especially on issues related to vaccination.

Other then these two big issues, Catalan politics follow a global pattern and a lot of misinformation is generated around themes like security, immigration and climate change among others.

The applicant is set up exclusively for providing fact-checking and related activities. They were formed in 2019 with the goal of fact-checking the election in Barcelona. After that, they received grants and expanded their work, but still focused on fact-checking, media literacy and original journalism. They have since expanded the team and the programs they are involved with.

Find a sample of one fact-check a week during last year: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1q2avQOOfCzfKWQecsqUbxVyzMU9Rc4k4VoCSOSfc78I/edit#gid=0

Find all our 480+ claims reviewed in the last two years: https://www.verificat.cat/api/

The applicant meets and surpasses the minimum required amount of fact-checks per week, usually publishing around 5 per week during the year of 2021.

After a review of random fact-checks, it was identified that the applicant focuses on issues of social and political impact. They commonly cover issues of health and elections, always from the point of view of social impact. Thus, the applicant meets and surpasses the minimum required amount of 75%.

Commercial relationships:

- Partnership with media: Newtral, IFCN signatory (we publish 10 fact-checkes a month about Catalan politics); El Periódico de Catalunya, newspaper (we publish 4 data-based expaliners a month); Europa Press (we publish 2/3 fact-checks a week about science and health); Time Out Barcelona (we verify one urban legend a month about the town)

- Commercial media literacy activity. We sell educational programs for schools, universities, public administrations, ecc

- Consultancy. Fact-checking and disinformation consultancy for private companies and public administrations (Generalitat de Catalunya)

Funding by public administrations:

- We receive funding for our media literacy programs by: Barcelona City Hall, Generalitat de Catalunya, European Commission

Funding by private institutions:

- We received funding by Google GNI, Open Society Foundations

We do not receive funding by political parties or institutions that conform a conflict of interest whatsoever

The applicant does have some ties to state actors in Europe, but that is connected to consultancy of fact-checking courses to public administrators in their subsection Verificat Escola, including the government of Catalunya. Also, public administrations such as Barcelona City Hall and the European have funded their media literacy programs. All those relationships are relevant and connected to their fact checking work.

Other than that, the applicant has several institutional/financial relationships to other media outlets, NGOs and private funds, inside the scope of working media literacy and fact-checking.

All our funding is public here: https://www.verificat.cat/quienes-somos

We have created a new Funding page: https://www.verificat.cat/es/financiacion, which is linked from the About section (and soon will be from the top enu, which is being redesigned). Missing fundings, which were all from 2021, have been added as part of the update, as well as the provisional balances. Statements have been added

The provided link couldn't be found, the correct one is the following: https://www.verificat.cat/es/quienes-somos.

Their About page features a session on finance, where the reader can check the balances from 2019 and 2020. However, the funding from state actors, such as Barcelona City Hall and the government of Catalunya are not stated in the section. Also, the applicant should add a statement on how it ensures the editorial independence of their work even receiving funds from state actors.

During the electoral campaign in Catalonia last February we insistently fact-checked the politica debates. The resulting pieces demonstrate we fact-checked all candidates with the same criteria:

https://www.verificat.cat/fact-check/el-debat-electoral-de-la-vanguardia-verificat

https://www.verificat.cat/fact-check/el-debat-electoral-de-la-cadena-ser-verificat

https://www.verificat.cat/fact-check/el-debat-electoral-de-tv3-verificat

Vox is the politica party that we fact-check more often because we have a special project focused on hate speecha and they frequently state against foreign population with false or misleading information: https://www.verificat.cat/es/fact-check/el-discurso-de-ignacio-garriga-en-la-mocion-de-censura-verificado

However, we also fact-check other political leaders when they are wrong about Vox: https://www.verificat.cat/fact-check/abascal-no-va-votar-en-contra-del-permis-de-paternitat-com-va-dir-rufian-vox-encara-no-era-al-congres

Our fact-checkers focusing on political issues follow all relevant public appearences from members of Parliament and members of the Government ass well as other relevant public figures to guarantee all of them are treated and analized alike.

A selection of our fact-checks show we verify all political parties (see last column): https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1q2avQOOfCzfKWQecsqUbxVyzMU9Rc4k4VoCSOSfc78I/edit#gid=0

The applicant has provided a list of several fact-checks around political actors from all factions. After a review of this set, the assessor has identified that the applicant is balanced and responsible in their checks across the political spectrum. They cover politicians from all ideologies, and report responsibly on all of them. This can be seen clearly when analyzing the spreadhseet produced by the applicant with fact-checks and the referred party.

https://www.verificat.cat/es/metodologia

In their About page, a section under the banner Credentials defends their neutrality in political issues. Besides that, their Methodology page explains clearly how issues are selected and investigated, what is not covered and how they require neutrality from the staff.

The applicant applies responsible sources in their checks, which usually don't involve interests that could undermine the result of the check. Still, the applicant has a habit of identifying and characterizing the nature of the sources used, so the reader can judge its impact.

The applicant is neutral and balanced in their fact-checks. After a thorough review of a random set of checks, the assessor has identified that the applicant does not lean towards any political orientation or party, and it doesn't advocate for policy positions other than transparency. Checks are balanced and the selection of actors and topics to be checked is wide.

https://www.verificat.cat/es/metodologia

The applicant has a statement on their Methods page describing that the staff is not allowed to be affiliated to any political party. The policy is clear and defends the neutral positioning of members of the team.

The applicant is fully transparent in terms of the sources used. Documental sources are identified and linked to, and experts heard by checkers are also identified. Sources are put in context as well, and readers are able to replicate the checks if they so wish.

The applicant consistently employes primary sources when checking claims. They link to original documents or open data records, as well as local, national or international reports, when checking claims of politicians. When expert information is necessary, they talk directly with those sources.

When checking a claim, the applicant does not use a single source as evidence, instead usually employing a set of sources that enables them to check every key part of the claim. This is common in more complex claims, which can be separated in several parts.

One example of this posture can be found on the following link: https://www.verificat.cat/es/fact-check/nos-preguntais-por-los-datos-de-la-caida-del-paro-en-barcelona-que-cita-la-alcaldesa-ada-colau

As stated earlier, the applicant identifies clearly the nature of every source used, so the reader can judge its impact on the check. However, the sources used commonly do not involve hidden interests, not affecting the accuracy of the check.

We are an independent organisation. We are an association registered in the Catalan register of entities, and our statute declares that we are a non-profit organisation dedicated to fact-checking. More info: http://justicia.gencat.cat/ca/serveis/guia_d_entitats/?idEntitat=105415#

The applicant is an independent, legally registered organization under Spanish law. The legal format of the company is also disclosed. The applicant provides a link to their annual balance sheets in their About page.

https://www.verificat.cat/es/quienes-somos#financiacion

The applicant has produced a link that indicates the legal status of the organization as non-profit. Their about page also describes their funding and provides details on their sources of revenue.

https://www.verificat.cat/es/quienes-somos#equipo - here we inform about the team structure, and mention Alba Tobella's role as head of the editorial section.

https://www.verificat.cat/es/metodologia - here we inform about the methodology for selection and publication

The applicant describes their organizational structure in two parts of their website. One is the Methods section, where the whole functioning of the company is detailed. The other is the Who we are section, which has names and roles for the whole staff, incluing the mention of those with editorial control.

https://www.verificat.cat/es/quienes-somos#equipo

The Team section in the About page has names, roles and pictures of every member of the staff. Each member has a dedicated page with their professional bio availalable.

https://www.verificat.cat/es/contacto

Means of contact with the editorial team are available in two different places. One is the main Contact page, which is linked to in the homepage and has general email addresses, a phone number and social media handles.

Second, the Team page has email addresses for all and social media profiles for some of the staff members.

https://www.verificat.cat/es/metodologia

The applicant has an extense Methods page, where they explain what is expected to be checked, how claims are checked and investigated and what are the possible labels.

The claims checked by the applicant present reach and social importance. When the claims come from social networks, they are checked only after becoming viral. Other claims are checked when coming from politicians/agents of power in positions of prominence. This posture is visible when assessing the published fact checks.

When checking a claim, the applicant consistently looks for evidence both to support and to undermine the claim. One example of this posture can be found in the following link, where the applicant does so in a balanced way: https://www.verificat.cat/es/fact-check/que-se-sabe-de-los-videos-de-gente-que-parece-sufrir-espasmos-tras-haber-sido-vacunada

Although it's not common for claims to be exactly equivalent, the applicant demonstrates balance when dealing with claims of similar nature but from different politicians. This can be seen in their handling of politicians from different sides of the political spectrum in Spain and Catalunya.

When possible, the applicant contacts those who have made the claim in order to clarify what was said. However, this is not done in the case of checks regarding onliner rumours, only those pertaining to politicians and public actors. Two examples of this posture can be found in the following links: https://www.verificat.cat/es/fact-check/cataluna-no-es-la-comunidad-que-esta-peor-en-numero-de-contagios-como-afirma-santi-rodriguez and https://www.verificat.cat/es/fact-check/el-sector-tic-no-ha-creado-15.000-nuevos-puestos-de-trabajo-en-cataluna-en-2021-es-un-dato-desactualizado

Every article on our website has a disclaimer asking our readers to get in touch if they have received information that they consider suspicious (please see image attached). Moreover, we encourage this on our contact page, on our home page, and every few weeks we tweet a reminder. For reason of space and efficiency, we don't actively try to explain in these short communications what is fact-checkeable and what not, but we try to answer to our readers when they send material that isn'tt fact-checkeable. We also have a statement on our methodology page to explain what we fact-check and what not.

The applicant encourages users to send claims to be checked in several different parts of their website. One is the aforementioned Contact page, available from the homepage. Other is the homepage itself, where a box displaying a WhatsApp numbers has a call to action for users to send claims. A version of this same box is available in every check. Finally, in their methods page, the applicant explains clearly what readers can expect to be checked.

https://www.verificat.cat/es/rectificaciones - we also mention this in our methodology page

The applicant has a specific page for Corrections. It is linked to in the homepage and in their methods page. The policy is clear and complete.

The corrections policy is clear and complete. It details how readers can get in touch to demonstrate an error (and what is the due process afterwards), what is the action of the staff when a correction is requested, and how checks are modified after a correction has been issued. What is and is not covered is also explained.

Thanks for your feedback. We have added exaplanatory text describing the process and detailing our correction policy. Please find it at http://www.verificat.cat/es/rectificaciones

The texts reads:

Esperemos que no pase nunca, pero si detectamos cualquier error en nuestras verificaciones, rectificaremos lo más rápido posible. Nuestro compromiso es ser transparentes en todas las rectificaciones.

Y si vosotros detectáis errores, podéis poneros en contacto con nosotros a través del mail hola@verificat.cat, o a través de nuestras redes Facebook, Twitter, Instagram.

Nos comprometemos a alertar y rectificar cuando sea necesario. Si publicamos cifras erróneas o citas incorrectas de personas u organizaciones publicaremos una corrección que aparecerá al fondo del artículo y en una lista disponible en esta página.

En el caso de que sea uno de nuestros lectores quien nos avise del error, os responderemos por el mismo canal. Si nos equivocamos en un titular o en el veredicto de alguna de nuestras verificaciones, haremos difusión de la corrección en nuestras redes sociales, igual que hacemos cuando publicamos contenido nuevo.

Si creéis que tenemos que modificar alguna verificación, tendréis que aportar información relevante, datos oficiales o de fuentes de autoridad y demostrar que nuestro equipo no los tuvo en consideración antes de publicar la pieza. Antes de realizar cualquier cambio, dos miembros de nuestro equipo tienen que estar de acuerdo sobre la consistencia del material aportado y la necesidad de rectificar.

Nos reservamos el derecho a modificar errores tipográficos, ortográficos y gramaticales que no cambien el sentido general de un artículo sin avisar a la audiencia.

On the image attached you will find an example of what we do when we are asked to provide further information about a piece we have published. We anonimize the comment and then reply publicly.

As of the assessing, the corrections page features 3 links (one is displayed in two links) that were corrected recently. Each one has a clear explanation on what was corrected. This explanation is also featured at the bottom of each respective check.

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The link to the complaints page has been added to the about section

The applicant does publish (in their About page) an IFCN badge stating their signatory status. However, there is not a link to the IFCN complaints page. This should be added.

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Not applicable, the applicant is an independent organization.