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Correctiv.org

Organization: CORRECTIV
Applicant: David Schraven
Assessor: Laurens Lauer
Conclusion and recommendations
on 17-Aug-2018 (5 years ago)

Laurens Lauer wrote:

CORRECT!V is a nonprofit investigative newsroom that shows an elaborated approach to carry out independent, high quality journalism. This includes comprehensive guidelines and rules concerning the ethical and practical approach, a financial model based solely on contributions by charitable endowments and reader’s contribution, as well as an organizational structure that intends for independent checks and balances. The relatively new fact-checking segment of the organization follows the same standards and meets essentially all requirements with a few, small possibilities for improvement (see presentation of methodology/method, list of authors, and reader`s submissions of claims). Accordingly, I recommend the admission of CORRECT!V.

on 17-Aug-2018 (5 years ago)

Laurens Lauer recommended Accept


Section 1: Organization

Criterion 1a
Proof of registration
Evidence required: Please provide evidence that the signatory is a legally-registered organization set up exclusively for the purpose of fact-checking or the distinct fact-checking project of a recognized media house or research institution.

CORRECTIV
15-Feb-2018 (6 years ago) Updated: 5 years ago
Laurens Lauer Assessor
15-Feb-2018 (6 years ago) Updated: 5 years ago

The organization is legally registered as non-profit organization under German taxing authorities.


done_all 1a marked as Fully compliant by Laurens Lauer.

Criterion 1b
Archive
Evidence required: Insert a link to the archive of fact checks published in the previous three months. If you do not collect all fact checks in one place, please explain how the fact-checking is conducted by your organization.

CORRECTIV
15-Feb-2018 (6 years ago) Updated: 5 years ago
Laurens Lauer Assessor
15-Feb-2018 (6 years ago) Updated: 5 years ago

The organization started fact-checking on the 11th of June 2015, yet very unregularly. The segment shows a significant higher activity since 11th of April with 23 fact-checks till now. This equates roughly 3 reports per week.


done_all 1b marked as Fully compliant by Laurens Lauer.

Section 2: Nonpartisanship and Fairness

Criterion 2a
Body of work sample
Evidence required: Please share links to ten fact checks that better represent the scope and consistency of your fact-checking. Provide a short explanation of how your organization strives to maintain coherent standards across fact checks.

CORRECTIV
15-Feb-2018 (6 years ago) Updated: 5 years ago

https://correctiv.org/echtjetzt/

We have a set of rules, quite similar to poynters set. Please have a look here:

https://correctiv.org/en/correctiv/editorial-charter/

For factchecking, we have more details rules. Please have a look here:

https://correctiv.org/echtjetzt/standards/ (in German only)

Laurens Lauer Assessor
15-Feb-2018 (6 years ago) Updated: 5 years ago

The fact-checks produced so far cover a wide variety of subjects brought up by politicians or, more often, in form of fake-news and do not seem to concentrate on one side of the topic or context. The articles and internal rules show a high obligation to journalistic diligence.


done_all 2a marked as Fully compliant by Laurens Lauer.

Criterion 2b
Nonpartisanship policy
Evidence required: Please share evidence of your policy preventing staff from direct involvement in political parties and advocacy organizations. Please also indicate the policy your organization has as a whole regarding advocacy and supporting political candidates.

CORRECTIV
15-Feb-2018 (6 years ago) Updated: 5 years ago

Please have a look on out set of rules.

https://correctiv.org/en/correctiv/editorial-charter/

For factchecking, we have more details rules. Please have a look here:

https://correctiv.org/echtjetzt/standards/ (in German only)

Laurens Lauer Assessor
15-Feb-2018 (6 years ago) Updated: 5 years ago

Nonpartisanship and fairness are key values of the organization and it takes great care to ensure these values by teamwork, disclosure of potential conflicts of interest, and a supplementary Ethics Board, which oversees the editorial department (see https://correctiv.org/en/correctiv/)


done_all 2b marked as Fully compliant by Laurens Lauer.

Section 3: Transparency of Sources

Criterion 3a
Sources Policy
Please share a brief and public explanation (500 words max) of how sources are provided in enough detail that readers could replicate the fact check. If you have a public policy on how you find and use sources for your fact-checking, it should be shared here.

CORRECTIV
15-Feb-2018 (6 years ago) Updated: 5 years ago

We provide usually every source that we have to our audience. We use for this tools like documentcloud or hypothes.is. We provide full names of people who give us information.

Please have look on our set of rules.

https://correctiv.org/en/correctiv/editorial-charter/

For factchecking, we have more details rules. Please have a look here:

https://correctiv.org/echtjetzt/standards/ (in German only)

Laurens Lauer Assessor
15-Feb-2018 (6 years ago) Updated: 5 years ago

The organization aims for high transparency standards and states to publish all sources used by providing the relevant documents online and naming the sources (except for special cases, which are clearly and reasonable defined). A review of the articles confirms this aspiration: used sources are available by hyperlinks and further materials are presented by screenshots.


done_all 3a marked as Fully compliant by Laurens Lauer.

Section 4: Transparency of Funding & Organization

Criterion 4a
Funding Sources
Evidence required: Please link to the section where you publicly list your sources of funding (including, if they exist, any rules around which types of funding you do or don't accept), or a statement on ownership if you are the branch of an established media organization or research institution.

CORRECTIV
15-Feb-2018 (6 years ago) Updated: 5 years ago
Laurens Lauer Assessor
15-Feb-2018 (6 years ago) Updated: 5 years ago

CORRECT!V states both, its organization type and its financial resources. While the organization is mainly funded by one philanthropic foundation (Brost Stiftung), all additional incomes over 1000€ and their origin get listed in the financial reports. Moreover, the organization publishes an overview of its spending and assets as well. By doing so, the organization provides an extensive insight in its budget, yet some information seem to need to be updated for 2016. 


done_all 4a marked as Fully compliant by Laurens Lauer.

Criterion 4b
Staff
Evidence required: Please link to the section detailing all authors and key actors behind your fact-checking project with their biographies. You can also list the name and bios of the members of the editorial board, pool of experts, advisory board, etc. if your organization has those.

CORRECTIV
15-Feb-2018 (6 years ago) Updated: 5 years ago
Laurens Lauer Assessor
15-Feb-2018 (6 years ago) Updated: 5 years ago

The organization provides a list of its members, which includes in most cases short biographies. However, the members of the fact/fake-check segment ("EchtJetzt") are separately listed from those of the main organization, which might be better done in one list or by linking each sites (https://correctiv.org/correctiv/redaktion/ & https://correctiv.org/echtjetzt/team/) since the fact-check articles are not exclusively written by members of the fact-checking group. Moreover, although the authors of articles and their emails are always disclosed, not all authors of fact-checks appear in one of the two lists.


done 4b marked as Partially compliant by Laurens Lauer.

Criterion 4c
Contact
Evidence required: Please link to the section where readers can get in touch with the organization.

CORRECTIV
15-Feb-2018 (6 years ago) Updated: 5 years ago
Laurens Lauer Assessor
15-Feb-2018 (6 years ago) Updated: 5 years ago

There are various ways to contact the organization: by e-mailing the author of an article, by leaving a message at the end of the article, and by various general "contact us" forms on the website.


done_all 4c marked as Fully compliant by Laurens Lauer.

Section 5: Transparency of Methodology

Criterion 5a
Detailed Methodology
Evidence required: Please link to a section or article detailing the steps you follow for your fact-checking work.

CORRECTIV
15-Feb-2018 (6 years ago) Updated: 5 years ago

https://correctiv.org/en/correctiv/editorial-charter/

For factchecking, we explain our methods more in detail:

https://correctiv.org/echtjetzt/methode/ (in German only)

Laurens Lauer Assessor
15-Feb-2018 (6 years ago) Updated: 5 years ago

CORRECT!V provides all necessary information about its method and rating system in the fact/fake-checking segment of its website (see about us /Echtjetzt:Über uns on https://correctiv.org/echtjetzt/). However, many important information and issues concerning the method are covered in the FAQ segment and should be transferred in the method segment, which offers mostly additional illustrative questions asked in the process


done_all 5a marked as Fully compliant by Laurens Lauer.

Criterion 5b
Claim submissions
Evidence required: Please link to the page or process through which readers can submit claims to fact-check. If you do not allow this, please briefly explain why.

CORRECTIV
15-Feb-2018 (6 years ago) Updated: 5 years ago

We will work together with facebook on the fact-checking tool facebook is providing us with. Also people can send us via Email/Facebook/etc.. Material concerning fact checks. We will establish another toll in the upcoming weeks through our crowdnewsroom tool. Also we have our own website

https://correctiv.org/echtjetzt/ (in German only)

Laurens Lauer Assessor
15-Feb-2018 (6 years ago) Updated: 5 years ago

The organization provides an easy way to submit claims to check by an URL entry mask. It asks the readers for posts that appears unreliable and promise to have a look. However, no further criteria are given and it is not clear what readers can expect to be checked and what is not checkable.


done 5b marked as Partially compliant by Laurens Lauer.

Section 6: Open & Honest Corrections Policy

Criterion 6a
Corrections policy
Evidence required: Please link to the page with your policy to address corrections. If it is not public, please share your organization's handbook.

CORRECTIV
15-Feb-2018 (6 years ago) Updated: 5 years ago

https://correctiv.org/en/correctiv/editorial-charter/ And please have a look here, how we do it in praxis.

The examples are in German, the corrections are on the bottom of the page.

Laurens Lauer Assessor
15-Feb-2018 (6 years ago) Updated: 5 years ago

CORRECT!V follows a clear policy of publicly disclosure of errors and invites readers to submit corresponding indications.


done_all 6a marked as Fully compliant by Laurens Lauer.

Criterion 6b
Examples of corrections
Evidence required: Please provide two examples of a correction made, or correction requests handled, in the past year.

CORRECTIV
15-Feb-2018 (6 years ago) Updated: 5 years ago

Please have a look on our set of rules, how we handle corrections in theorie.

https://correctiv.org/en/correctiv/editorial-charter/

And please check our more detailed set of rules for factchecking.

https://correctiv.org/echtjetzt/standards/

And please also have a look here, how we do it in praxis.

The examples are in German, the corrections are on the bottom of the page.

Maybe you would like to search for "KORREKTUR"

https://correctiv.org/recherchen/keime/artikel/2017/01/11/schlampige-hygiene-im-krankenhaus-fuehrt-zu-mehr-toten-als-im-strassenverkehr/

https://correctiv.org/recherchen/neue-rechte/artikel/2016/12/27/medien-junge-freiheit/

Laurens Lauer Assessor
15-Feb-2018 (6 years ago) Updated: 5 years ago

 The initiative can provide examples where it did correct articles and added a clarification at the end of the article.


done_all 6b marked as Fully compliant by Laurens Lauer.