The IFCN welcomes new applications to its Code of Principles beginning Jan. 16, 2024. Our website is currently under renovation, so new signatories should begin the application process by emailing their interest to info@ifcn.org with "New Signatory" in the subject line.

Organization: Facta
Applicant: TFCF SRL (VAT 02595010352)
Assessor: Clara Attene

Background

Facta is a registered newspaper dedicated to fact-checking of non political news and claims.
It
 is one of the two fact- checking project run by The Fact-Checking Factory (TFCF) Srl together with Pagella Politica: both project were already IFCN signatories.

Facta was launched in March 2020.

Italy, where the applicant works, is a democratic country which allows Facta to work in a free and safe environment.

Assessment Conclusion

According to the overall review, Facta confirms to be a trustworthy partner of the IFCN as it is fully compliant to all the principles as stated in the Code.

on 14-Apr-2022 (1 year ago)

Clara Attene assesses application as Compliant

A short summary in native publishing language

Facta conferma di essere un partner affidabile dell'IFCN, rispettando e applicando nel suo lavoro quotidiano i principi previsti dal Codice dei Principi dell'IFCN.

All'interno del panorama dei media italiani, Facta è un importante e affidabile riferimento per i lettori interessati a sapere se una notizia sia vera o, al contrario, possa essere invece un falso o comunque un contenuto che in qualche modo veicola informazioni non affidabili o veritiere.

Section 1: Eligibility to be a signatory

To be eligible to be a signatory, applicants must meet these six criteria

  • 1.1 The applicant is a legally registered organization, or a distinct team or unit within a legally registered organization, and details of this are easily found on its website.
  • 1.2 The team, unit or organization is set up exclusively for the purpose of fact-checking.
  • 1.3 The applicant has published an average of at least one fact check a week over the course of the six months prior to the date of application. For applicants from countries with at least 5 or more verified signatories need to have at least a fact check a week over the twelve months of publishing track. Consult to factchecknet@poynter.org for confirmation.
  • 1.4 On average, at least 75% of the applicant’s fact checks focus on claims related to issues that, in the view of the IFCN, relate to or could have an impact on the welfare or well-being of individuals, the general public or society.
  • 1.5 The applicant’s editorial output is not, in the view of the IFCN, controlled by the state, a political party or politician.
  • 1.6 If the organization receives funding from local or foreign state or political sources, it provides a statement on its site setting out to the satisfaction of the IFCN, how it ensures its funders do not influence the findings of its reports.

Criteria 1.1
Proof you meet criteria
Please explain where on your website you set out information about your organization’s legal status and how this complies with criteria. Attach a link to the relevant page of your website.

Facta
09-Mar-2022 (2 years ago)

Facta is a registered newspaper at the court of Milan and one of the two projects of the parent company The Fact-Checking Factory Srl - TFCF Srl (previously Pagella Politica Srls), the other one being Pagella Politica: financial and administrative structure of the two fact-checking projects are the same. As an independent, for profit company, TFCF Srl has launched Facta in April 2020 as a project entirely devoted to debunking (non political fact-checking). Facta and Pagella Politica have separate websites and newsrooms, but share the same ownership and Director.

The above information about the legal status of Facta is clearly set out in the Who we are (“Chi siamo”) section of Facta’s website, here: https://facta.news/chi-siamo/

Clara Attene Assessor
05-Apr-2022 (1 year ago) Updated: 1 year ago

Facta is a registered newspaper at the court of Milan, from 8 March 2021, with number 56.
It
 is owned by The Fact-Checking Factory Srl - TFCF Srl, a limited company, that owns also Pagella Politica, which is another IFCN's signatory.

Information about the legal status of the organization are available at this link: https://facta.news/chi-siamo/ 


done_all 1.1 marked as Compliant by Clara Attene.

Criteria 1.2
Proof you meet criteria
Please answer the following questions – (see notes in Guidelines for Application on how to answer)

 1. When and why was your fact-checking operation started?
 2. How many people work or volunteer in the organization and what are their roles?
 3. What different activities does your organization carry out?
 4. What are the goals of your fact-checking operation over the coming year?

Facta
09-Mar-2022 (2 years ago)

Facta is a project conceived, realized and owned by the Fact-Checking Factory Srl - TFCF Srl (previously Pagella Politica Srls), a registered limited liability company (società a responsabilità limitata) born at the end of 2013 with the aim of monitoring the declarations of the main Italian politicians, in order to assess their veracity through numbers and facts. However, disinformation is not only political, and in April 2020 TFCF launched Facta with the aim of broadening its field of investigation to all forms of disinformation, whatever their topic. Therefore, at present, TFCF is the parent company of two parallel projects: Pagella Politica (https://pagellapolitica.it/) which is mainly focused on political fact-checking and Facta (https://facta.news/) which is mainly focused on debunking. Facta’s website has been online since 25 March 2020. Its team is currently composed by 5 in-house staff, namely: Giovanni Zagni (Director), Camilla Vagnozzi (Editorial manager), Andrea Zitelli (Fact-checker), Simone Fontana (Fact-checker), Caterina Barbuscia (Social media manager). Since its start of activities, Facta has partnership agreements with the social network Facebook, the messaging app WhatsApp and TikTok. At present, Facta mainly focuses on producing short debunking articles based on suspicious news signaled by the audience, with a daily average of 6 published articles. While it is crucial to keep offering audiences concise pieces of verified information at such a fast pace, it would also be key to provide them with more in depth investigations on a number of selected disinformation stories. We collected those articles in a specific category of our website, called “Storie”.

Clara Attene Assessor
05-Apr-2022 (1 year ago) Updated: 1 year ago

Facta is a sister project of Pagella Politica, started in April 2020 with the aim to verify non political claims and news suspected of mis/disinformation. 

The staff, as showed on the website, includes seven people: 2 devoted to managing the newsroom, 3 fact-checkers, 1 podcast producer and 1 social media manager.

At
 present, Facta keeps on fact-checking news signaled by the audience and works also on more in depth investigations on selected stories.


done_all 1.2 marked as Compliant by Clara Attene.

Criteria 1.3
Proof you meet criteria
- The applicant has published an average of at least one fact check a week over the course of the six months prior to the date of application.
- For applicants from countries with at least 5 or more verified signatories need to have at least a fact check a week over the twelve months of publishing track.
- Consult to factchecknet@poynter.org for confirmation.

Facta
09-Mar-2022 (2 years ago)

Under this link all published debunking articles of FACTA can be seen: https://facta.news/antibufale/

Clara Attene Assessor
05-Apr-2022 (1 year ago) Updated: 1 year ago

As reviewed, the applicant is compliant to this criteria, with a publication of at least 3 fact-checks or more per day.


done_all 1.3 marked as Compliant by Clara Attene.

Criteria 1.4
Proof you meet criteria
The assessor will assess compliance through a review of the fact checks published over the previous three months. No additional information required.

Clara Attene Assessor
05-Apr-2022 (1 year ago) Updated: 1 year ago

As reviewed, more than the 75% of fact-checks pubblished by Facta are about contents and claims of public interest.


done_all 1.4 marked as Compliant by Clara Attene.

Criteria 1.5
Proof you meet criteria
Please explain any commercial, financial and/or institutional relationship your organization has to the state, politicians or political parties in the country or countries you cover. Also explain funding or support received from foreign as well as local state or political actors over the previous financial year.

Facta
09-Mar-2022 (2 years ago)

Facta is one of the two projects of the parent company The Fact-Checking Factory Srl - TFCF Srl (previously Pagella Politica Srls), the other one being Pagella Politica: financial and administrative structure of the two fact-checking projects are the same.

Our organization TFCF SRL is completely independent and has no relationship with the state, politicians or political parties in Italy as well as in any other country. Due to the participation of Pagella Politica in some of the main European projects in the field of disinformation, TFCF SRL (as parent company) receives respective funding from the European Commission, guarantees however that these fundings don’t affect its editorial independence. The projects of Pagella Politica are listed here: https://pagellapolitica.it/progetti . At the moment the FACTA team has no european project running but participated in 2021 in the following two initiatives funded by the european Commission (https://facta.news/progetti-e-finanziamenti/):

In 2021 Facta was one of the winners of the Stars 4 Media Call for Initiatives (II edition) and realized a project regarding online challenges raising awareness of that subject: https://mindthechallenge.com/en/about-us/

In collaboration with the museum of science in Trento FACTA investigated fake news regarding the life of wolves in the alps and created and published an e-book.

Facta’s involvement in these projects has no impact on its editorial independence.

Clara Attene Assessor
05-Apr-2022 (1 year ago) Updated: 1 year ago

As for its sister project Pagella Politica, Facta hasn't commercial, financial or institutional relationships with the state, politicians or political parties.
In
 those cases when Facta took part to projects funded by EU related organizations or other institutions, it doesn't seem to affect its editorial independence.


done_all 1.5 marked as Compliant by Clara Attene.

Criteria 1.6
Proof you meet criteria
If you confirmed the organization receives funding from local or foreign state or political sources, provide a link to where on your website you set out how you ensure the editorial independence of your work.

Facta
09-Mar-2022 (2 years ago)

At the top of the webpage where we detail Pagella Politica’s participation in projects financed by the European Commission (https://pagellapolitica.it/progetti , we clearly state that such participation does not impact our editorial independence, which is valid for all activities (Pagella Politica & Facta) of the parent company. 

Clara Attene Assessor
05-Apr-2022 (1 year ago) Updated: 1 year ago

As stated at the mentioned link, Facta as well as its sister project Pagella Politica gets funds by EU projects, which don't affect the editorial independence of the newsroom.


done_all 1.6 marked as Compliant by Clara Attene.

Section 2: A commitment to Non-partisanship and Fairness

To be compliant on nonpartisanship and fairness, applicants must meet these five criteria

  • 2.1 The applicant fact-checks using the same high standards of evidence and judgement for equivalent claims regardless of who made the claim.
  • 2.2 The applicant does not unduly concentrate its fact-checking on any one side, considers the reach and importance of claims it selects to check and publishes a short statement on its website to set out how it selects claims to check.
  • 2.3 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. It also discloses in its fact checks any commercial or other such relationships it has that a member of the public might reasonably conclude could influence the findings of the fact check.
  • 2.4 The applicant is not as an organization affiliated with nor declares or shows support for any party, any politician or political candidate, nor does it advocate for or against any policy positions on any issues save for transparency and accuracy in public debate.
  • 2.5 The applicant sets out its policy on non-partisanship for staff on its site. Save for the issues of accuracy and transparency, the applicant’s staff do not get involved in advocacy or publicise their views on policy issues the organization might fact check in such a way as might lead a reasonable member of the public to see the organization’s work as biased.

Criteria 2.1
Proof you meet criteria
Please share links to 10 fact checks published over the past year that you believe demonstrate your non-partisanship.
Please briefly explain how the fact checks selected show that (I) you use the same high standards of evidence for equivalent claims, (II) follow the same essential process for every fact check and (III) let the evidence dictate your conclusions.

Facta
09-Mar-2022 (2 years ago)

The 10 debunking articles listed concern some of the topics that have been viral in Italy during the last year (March 2021-March 2022). Those topics are: Covid-19 pandemic, Covid-19 vaccination campaign, United States Presidential elections, the death of Prince Philiph, the European Championship, the Talibian return to power in Afghanistan and the Russian-Ukrainian war. Facta’s team selected debunking articles to which assigned different categories (such as false news, misleading news, real news, out of context) to highlight that the verdicts Facta assigned are based on facts. The listed Facta’s debunking articles focus on viral hoaxes and non-political disinformation. Facta’s team collects the contents that check mainly from users, following the same verification process for every information that needs to be checked. The procedure Facta’s team follows to perform the debunking articles starts from the analysis of the piece of content and its context (who published it and where); follows the verification of its veracity; and ends the drawing of conclusions. Each debunking article is associated with a category (or a verdict), based on Facta’s verification process and the data obtained. In each debunking article Facta’s team points out all the factual evidence found and demonstrates why a specific piece of content is a mis- or disinformation case. Each debunking articles has a specific structure (introduction, description of the piece of content, short sentence that summarizes Facta’s verdict, description of the debunking process) and lots of links, so that the evidence is provided to users and they can evaluate by themselves the soundness of Facta’s process. Whenever possible, Facta’s team used photos or graphics to better explain the verification process to its readers.

Debunking articles:

https://facta.news/fuori-contesto/2022/03/04/questo-video-non-mostra-delle-vittime-ucraine-e-una-protesta-contro-le-politiche-climatiche/

https://facta.news/notizia-vera/2021/07/22/ce-stato-un-focolaio-di-covid-su-una-nave-militare-inglese-ma-i-vaccini-non-fanno-acqua-da-tutte-le-parti/

https://facta.news/notizia-imprecisa/2021/03/24/non-si-conosce-ancora-lefficacia-del-farmaco-israeliano-exo-cd24-contro-la-covid-19/

https://facta.news/notizia-falsa/2021/10/21/no-i-dati-di-eudravigilance-non-riportano-che-in-europa-ci-sono-stati-27-mila-decessi-da-vaccino-anti-covid/

https://facta.news/notizia-falsa/2021/09/01/questo-video-non-ritrae-dei-talebani-su-un-elicottero-che-portano-in-giro-un-impiccato/

https://facta.news/notizia-falsa/2021/04/13/il-principe-filippo-non-e-mai-stato-iscritto-al-partito-nazista/

https://facta.news/fuori-contesto/2021/07/12/questo-video-non-mostra-dei-tifosi-italiani-aggrediti-da-tifosi-inglesi-dopo-la-finale/

https://facta.news/fuori-contesto/2021/04/21/questa-foto-non-mostra-joe-biden-scusarsi-con-la-figlia-di-george-floyd/

https://facta.news/notizia-falsa/2021/05/12/non-e-vero-che-in-un-riconteggio-dei-voti-in-arizona-sono-state-dichiarate-illegali-centinaia-di-migliaia-di-schede-per-biden/

https://facta.news/fuori-contesto/2022/02/25/rai-news-24-ha-trasmesso-unesplosione-avvenuta-a-tianjin-cina-per-illustrare-la-crisi-tra-russia-e-ucraina/

Clara Attene Assessor
05-Apr-2022 (1 year ago) Updated: 1 year ago

As reviewed, Facta demonstrates to apply the same high standard of evidence and judgement regardless of who made the claim. 


done_all 2.1 marked as Compliant by Clara Attene.

Criteria 2.2
Proof you meet criteria
Please share a link to a place on your website where you explain how you select claims to check, explaining how you ensure you do not unduly concentrate your fact-checking on any one side, and how you consider the reach and importance of the claims you select to check.

Facta
09-Mar-2022 (2 years ago)

The pieces of content that we check are mainly collected from our audience, through direct messages (social media accounts, email, WhatsApp API service) and a specific page on our website (https://facta.news/segnalazioni/). The WhatsApp number is published through our social media accounts and is easily accessible through a button on our website. Being a project focused on online disinformation, with no political focus, there is no danger of excessive coverage of any “side”. Reach and importance – interpreted as the diffusion of the material – is taken into account from the editorial managers when deciding which content is to be checked first. This procedure of how we choose the claims is also explained here under the paragraph “Come Lavoriamo”: https://facta.news/chi-siamo/

Clara Attene Assessor
05-Apr-2022 (1 year ago) Updated: 1 year ago

Facta states at this link, under the section "Come lavoriamo" the way claims and news are selected.
As
 it hasn't a focus on political topics, it is a littler risk of unduly concetrate on a specific side: anyway our review doesn't show any form of it and it seems to consider the reach and importance of selected claims. 


done_all 2.2 marked as Compliant by Clara Attene.

Criteria 2.3
Proof you meet criteria
The assessor will assess compliance through a review of the fact checks published over the previous year. No additional information required.

Clara Attene Assessor
05-Apr-2022 (1 year ago) Updated: 1 year ago

According to our review, Facta usually discloses if there are relevant interests of the quoted sources as well as any commercial or other such relationships that could influence the accuracy of the fact-check.


done_all 2.3 marked as Compliant by Clara Attene.

Criteria 2.4
Proof you meet criteria
The assessor will assess compliance through a review of the fact checks published over the previous year. No additional information required.

Clara Attene Assessor
05-Apr-2022 (1 year ago) Updated: 1 year ago

As observed, Facta doesn't show support for any party, politician, candidate or policy.


done_all 2.4 marked as Compliant by Clara Attene.

Criteria 2.5
Proof you meet criteria
Please share a link to a place on your website where you publish a statement setting out your policy on non-partisanship for staff and how it ensures the organization meets this criteria.

Facta
09-Mar-2022 (2 years ago)

A public non-partisanship statement of the editorial staff is provided here: https://facta.news/chi-siamo/. Our internal hiring policy foresees that only individuals with no affiliation to political parties or political activism can be hired, and candidates are explicitly asked about it during the job interview. 

Clara Attene Assessor
05-Apr-2022 (1 year ago) Updated: 1 year ago

The applicant provides its policy of non-partisanship for its staff at this link https://facta.news/chi-siamo/ and, as reviewed, none of the key staff shows political support for any party, politician or similar cause.


done_all 2.5 marked as Compliant by Clara Attene.

Section 3: A commitment to Standards and Transparency of Sources

To be compliant on sources, applicants must meet these four criteria

  • 3.1 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. In cases where identifying the source would compromise the source’s personal security, the applicant provides as much detail as compatible with the source’s safety.
  • 3.2 The applicant uses the best available primary, not secondary, sources of evidence wherever suitable primary sources are available. Where suitable primary sources are not available, the applicant explains the use of a secondary source.
  • 3.3 The applicant checks all key elements of claims against more than one named source of evidence save where the one source is the only source relevant on the topic.
  • 3.4 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.

Criteria 3.1
Proof you meet criteria
The assessor will review the applicant’s use of sources in a randomised sample of its fact checks to assess compliance. No additional evidence is required.

Clara Attene Assessor
05-Apr-2022 (1 year ago) Updated: 1 year ago

As reviewed, Facta is compliant to this criteria and usually identifies all sources of significant evidence mentioned in its fact-checks.


done_all 3.1 marked as Compliant by Clara Attene.

Criteria 3.2
Proof you meet criteria
The assessor will review the applicant’s use of sources in a randomised sample of its fact checks to assess compliance. No additional evidence is required.

Clara Attene Assessor
05-Apr-2022 (1 year ago) Updated: 1 year ago

According to our observation, Facta fundamentally uses primary sources, chossing the best available, and it gives explanation when it has to use secondary sources. 


done_all 3.2 marked as Compliant by Clara Attene.

Criteria 3.3
Proof you meet criteria
The assessor will review the applicant’s use of sources in a randomised sample of its fact checks to assess compliance. No additional evidence is required.

Clara Attene Assessor
05-Apr-2022 (1 year ago) Updated: 1 year ago

Facta usually checks all key elements of claims and news using more than one source. 


done_all 3.3 marked as Compliant by Clara Attene.

Criteria 3.4
Proof you meet criteria
The assessor will review the applicant’s use of sources in a randomised sample of its fact checks to assess compliance. No additional evidence is required.

Clara Attene Assessor
05-Apr-2022 (1 year ago) Updated: 1 year ago

As reviewed, fact-checks published by Facta contains information about the relevant interest of mentioned sources, allowing readers to understand the bakground and if there could be influence on evidences provided. 


done_all 3.4 marked as Compliant by Clara Attene.

Section 4: A commitment to Transparency of Funding & Organization

To be compliant on funding and organization, applicants must meet these five criteria

  • 4.1 Applicants that are independent organizations have a page on their website detailing each source of funding accounting for 5% or more of total revenue for its previous financial year. This page also sets out the legal form in which the organization is registered (e.g. as a non-profit, as a company etc).
  • 4.2 Applicants that are the fact-checking section or unit of a media house or other parent organization make a statement on ownership.
  • 4.3 A statement on the applicant’s website sets out the applicant’s organizational structure and makes clear how and by whom editorial control is exercised.
  • 4.4 A page on the applicant’s website details the professional biography of all those who, according to the organizational structure and play a significant part in its editorial output.
  • 4.5 The applicant provides easy means on its website and/or via social media for users to communicate with the editorial team.

Criteria 4.1
Proof you meet criteria
Please confirm whether you are an ‘independent organization’
or ‘the fact-checking section or unit of a media house or other parent organization’ and share proof of this organizational status.

Facta
09-Mar-2022 (2 years ago)

Facta is a project conceived, realized and owned by The Fact-Checking Factory Srl - TFCF Srl (previously Pagella Politica Srls), which is an independent, for profit organization as explained here: https://facta.news/chi-siamo/ 

Clara Attene Assessor
05-Apr-2022 (1 year ago) Updated: 1 year ago

The sources of funding for Facta can be checked at this link https://pagellapolitica.it/progetto, where are detailed those which accounted for 5% or more of total revenue for the previous financial year.

The legal form is stated here: https://facta.news/chi-siamo/


done_all 4.1 marked as Compliant by Clara Attene.

Criteria 4.2
Proof you meet criteria
If your organization is an “independent organization”, please share a link to the page on your website where you detail your funding and indicate the legal form in which the organization is registered (e.g. as a non-profit, as a company etc).
If your organization is “the fact-checking section or unit of a media house or other parent organization”, please share a link to the statement on your website about your ownership.

Facta
09-Mar-2022 (2 years ago)

Facta is one of the two projects of the parent company The Fact-Checking Factory Srl - TFCF Srl (previously Pagella Politica Srls), the other one being Pagella Politica: financial and administrative structure of the two fact-checking projects are the same. In its Who we are (“Chi siamo”) webpage, Facta’s relationship to its parent company TFCF and to its sister project Pagella Politica is clearly stated: https://facta.news/chi-siamo/. At the same page, we also share the link to Pagella Politica’s webpage for details about the legal status and funding of TFCF SRL (https://pagellapolitica.it/progetto - “Come ci finanziamo?”)  

Clara Attene Assessor
05-Apr-2022 (1 year ago) Updated: 1 year ago

As reviewed, Facta states at the links provided within the application its legal status and funding sources.


done_all 4.2 marked as Compliant by Clara Attene.

Criteria 4.3
Proof you meet criteria
Please share a link to where on your website you set out your organizational structure, making clear how and by whom editorial control is exercised.

Facta
09-Mar-2022 (2 years ago)

Information about our organizational and editorial structure can be found here https://facta.news/chi-siamo/

Clara Attene Assessor
05-Apr-2022 (1 year ago) Updated: 1 year ago

Facta explains here, under the section "La redazione", its organizational structure and who exercise the editorial control: https://facta.news/chi-siamo/


done_all 4.3 marked as Compliant by Clara Attene.

Criteria 4.4
Proof you meet criteria
Please share a link to where on your website you set out the professional biographies of those who play a significant part in your organization’s editorial output.

Facta
09-Mar-2022 (2 years ago)

The professional bios of the staff are available in our “who we are” section, here: https://facta.news/chi-siamo/ 

Clara Attene Assessor
05-Apr-2022 (1 year ago) Updated: 1 year ago

Under the section "La redazione" it's possible to read the professional biographies of those who are stable members of Facta's staff.


done_all 4.4 marked as Compliant by Clara Attene.

Criteria 4.5
Proof you meet criteria
Please share a link to where on your website you encourage users to communicate with your editorial team.

Facta
09-Mar-2022 (2 years ago)

This link https://facta.news/segnalazioni/ provides users the possibility to contact our editorial team by email. The link is easily accessible, as it is displayed on the homepage as one of the buttons of the main menu. Users can also reach out to Facta’s editorial team through our WhatsApp API service, whose number is displayed on the homepage https://facta.news/ and on the https://facta.news/segnalazioni/ page. 

Clara Attene Assessor
05-Apr-2022 (1 year ago) Updated: 1 year ago

It's possible to contact Facta's staff using the instructions provided on the page "Segnalazioni" (https://facta.news/segnalazioni/), using Whatsapp and email.
The Whatsapp number is also displayed on the top right area of the home page. 


done_all 4.5 marked as Compliant by Clara Attene.

Section 5: A commitment to Standards and Transparency of Methodology

To be compliant on methodology, applicants must meet these six criteria

  • 5.1 The applicant publishes on its website a statement about the methodology it uses to select, research, write and publish its fact checks.
  • 5.2 The applicant selects claims to check based primarily on the reach and importance of the claims, and where possible explains the reason for choosing the claim to check.
  • 5.3 The applicant sets out in its fact checks relevant evidence that appears to support the claim as well as relevant evidence that appears to undermine it.
  • 5.4 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.
  • 5.5 The applicant seeks where possible to contact those who made the claim to seek supporting evidence, noting that (I) this is often not possible with online claims, (II) if the person who makes the claim fails to reply in a timely way this should not impede the fact check, (III) if a speaker adds caveats to the claim, the fact-checker should be free to continue with checking the original claim, (IV) fact-checkers may not wish to contact the person who made the claim for safety or other legitimate reasons.
  • 5.6 The applicant encourages users to send in claims to check, while making it clear what readers can legitimately expect will be fact-checked and what isn’t fact-checkable.

Criteria 5.1
Proof you meet criteria
Please provide a link to the statement on your website that explains the methodology you use to select, research, write and publish your fact checks.

Facta
09-Mar-2022 (2 years ago)

At the “Who we are” webpage on our website (https://facta.news/chi-siamo/), we have a paragraph titled “How do we work” (“Come lavoriamo”, in Italian), where our methodology is illustrated. This is what we write there: 1. We monitor news and social media viral contents by constantly reviewing the main Italian newspapers, both print and online, at a national and local level; we also monitor the leading press agencies; a blacklist of websites, Facebook pages and groups and Twitter profiles; 2. Through a WhatsApp API service, a dedicated email (segnalazioni@facta.news), Facta’s social media platforms and a specific page on Facta’s website (https://facta.news/segnalazioni/), we daily receive from our readers news, images, videos, voice messages, social media content that could potentially be false; 3. We then choose the content that contains facts or data that we can fact-check; 4. We fact-check the data and facts of the content, accurately quoting all the sources which we base our fact-checks on. Each article is checked by at least two people; 5. Finally, we give the article a grade based on a spectrum that goes from “Fake news” to “Real News”, passing through “Old News”, “Inaccurate News”, “Out of contest”, “Modified Image”, “Satirical News”. 

Clara Attene Assessor
05-Apr-2022 (1 year ago) Updated: 1 year ago

At the provided link, under the section "Come lavoriamo", the applicant explains to readers its methodology for fact-checking. 


done_all 5.1 marked as Compliant by Clara Attene.

Criteria 5.2
Proof you meet criteria
The assessor will review the methodology used in a randomised sample of your fact checks to assess compliance with these criteria. No additional evidence is required.

Clara Attene Assessor
05-Apr-2022 (1 year ago) Updated: 1 year ago

According to our verification, the applicant usually chooses claims to check because of their reach and importance. 


done_all 5.2 marked as Compliant by Clara Attene.

Criteria 5.3
Proof you meet criteria
The assessor will review the methodology used in a randomised sample of your fact checks to assess compliance with these criteria. No additional evidence is required.

Clara Attene Assessor
05-Apr-2022 (1 year ago) Updated: 1 year ago

As reviewed, Facta shows in its fact-checks both evidences that support and that undermine a claim.


done_all 5.3 marked as Compliant by Clara Attene.

Criteria 5.4
Proof you meet criteria
The assessor will review the methodology used in a randomised sample of your fact checks to assess compliance with these criteria. No additional evidence is required.

Clara Attene Assessor
05-Apr-2022 (1 year ago) Updated: 1 year ago

The applicant is compliant to this criteria as, according to our verification, it usually assesses the merits of evidence used with the same standards, no matter who made the claim.


done_all 5.4 marked as Compliant by Clara Attene.

Criteria 5.5
Proof you meet criteria
The assessor will review the methodology used in a randomised sample of your fact checks to assess compliance with these criteria. No additional evidence is required.

Clara Attene Assessor
05-Apr-2022 (1 year ago) Updated: 1 year ago

Facta is compliant to this criteria, using to explain in details the way the staff contacted the sources, if and when they were answered and if there were any limit or reason to avoid contacting them.


done_all 5.5 marked as Compliant by Clara Attene.

Criteria 5.6
Proof you meet criteria
Please describe how you encourage users to send in claims to check, while making it clear what readers can legitimately expect will be fact-checked and what isn’t fact-checkable. Include links where appropriate. If you do not allow this, explain why.

Facta
09-Mar-2022 (2 years ago)

To encourage users to send in claims to check we:

- give them the possibility to do so via social media, WhatsApp and email;

- have included on our home page a WhatsApp button and relative dedicated banner which allows users to directly access the WhatsApp service from there;

- placed on our main home page a banner inviting users to submit claims to be checked.

One page of the website is entirely dedicated to the possibility of sending in claims. We only verify claims which can be verified through official information and data, or accredited reports, studies and experts’ opinion (https://facta.news/segnalazioni/). 

Clara Attene Assessor
05-Apr-2022 (1 year ago) Updated: 1 year ago

Facta invites readers to report suspected news in a dedicated section named "Segnalazioni" (https://facta.news/segnalazioni/) and with a banner on the top right area of its homepage. 
Under the section "Come lavoriamo" (https://facta.news/chi-siamo/) it explains which contents can be fact-checked.


done_all 5.6 marked as Compliant by Clara Attene.

Section 6: A commitment to an Open & Honest Corrections Policy

To be compliant on corrections policy, applicants must meet these five criteria

  • 6.1 The applicant has a corrections or complaints policy that is easily visible and accessible on the organization’s website or frequently referenced in broadcasts.
  • 6.2 The policy sets out clear definitions of what it does and does not cover, how major mistakes, especially those requiring revised conclusions of a fact check, are handled, and the fact that some complaints may justify no response. This policy is adhered to scrupulously.
  • 6.3 Where credible evidence is provided that the applicant has made a mistake worthy of correction, the applicant makes a correction openly and transparently, seeking as far as possible to ensure that users of the original see the correction and the corrected version.
  • 6.4 The applicant, if an existing signatory, should either on its corrections/complaints page or on the page where it declares itself an IFCN signatory inform users that if they believe the signatory is violating the IFCN Code, they may inform the IFCN, with a link to the IFCN site.
  • 6.5 If the applicant is the fact-checking unit of a media company, it is a requirement of signatory status that the parent media company has and adheres to an open and honest corrections policy.

Criteria 6.1
Proof you meet criteria
Please provide a link to where you publish on your website your corrections or complaints policy. If you are primarily a broadcaster, please provide evidence you frequently reference your corrections policy in broadcasts.

Facta
09-Mar-2022 (2 years ago)

Link to Facta’s correction policy: https://facta.news/correzioni-rettifiche-aggiornamenti-quando-i-fact-checker-sbagliano/ . The link is well visible and accessible from the homepage.

Clara Attene Assessor
05-Apr-2022 (1 year ago) Updated: 1 year ago

At the link provided, Facta explains in details its corrections policy. The page is pretty easily reachable by a banner on the top right area of the home page. 


done_all 6.1 marked as Compliant by Clara Attene.

Criteria 6.2
Proof you meet criteria
The assessor will review the corrections policy to verify it meets critera. No additional information needed.

Clara Attene Assessor
05-Apr-2022 (1 year ago) Updated: 1 year ago

Facta explains in details in which cases corrections would be admissible, how the staff will handle the requests and which cases are excluded. 
The applicant adheres scrupulously to the policy as set.


done_all 6.2 marked as Compliant by Clara Attene.

Criteria 6.3
Proof you meet criteria
Please provide a short statement about how the policy was adhered to over the previous year (or six months if this is the first application) including evidence of two examples of the responses provided by the applicant to a correction request over the previous year. Where no correction request has been made in the previous year, you must state this in your application, which will be publicly available in the assessment if your application is successful.

Facta
09-Mar-2022 (2 years ago)

Since April 2020 Facta received 4 correction requests and modified 6 debunking articles (https://facta.news/correzioni-rettifiche-aggiornamenti-quando-i-fact-checker-sbagliano/). The first correction request was about a date: Facta’s team wrote that a protest in Seoul (South Korea) took place on the 8th of October 2019 instead of the 3rd of October 2019. In March 2021 Facta’s team wrote a wrong translation from Latin to Italian. In January 2022 Facta’s team wrote that the vaccination campaign in Portugal started during December 2020, instead of December 2021. In February 2022 Facta’s team wrote that Italy is the only European country with active volcanoes: this information was misleading, Italy is the only State with active volcanoes inside the European continent.

In each case Facta’s team added the correction at the top of the debunking articles.

Clara Attene Assessor
05-Apr-2022 (1 year ago) Updated: 1 year ago

The applicant provides evidence of the way it makes corrections openly and in a clear way.

It's possible to find all corrections in a dedicated list inside the webpage where the correction policy is stated. On the top of each corrected article readers can find an explation about the mistakes and the following correction. 


done_all 6.3 marked as Compliant by Clara Attene.

Criteria 6.4
Proof you meet criteria
If you are an existing signatory, please provide a link to show where on your site you inform users that if they believe you are violating the IFCN Code, they may inform the IFCN of this, with a link to the complaints page on the IFCN site.

Facta
09-Mar-2022 (2 years ago)

This information can be found here: https://facta.news/correzioni-rettifiche-aggiornamenti-quando-i-fact-checker-sbagliano/

"Dal 2021 siamo membri attivi dell’International Fact-Checking Network (Ifcn), la principale rete internazionale dei progetti di fact-checking, e firmatari del suo Codice dei Princìpi, una serie di impegni che riassumono le buone pratiche nella verifica delle informazioni. Il loro rispetto, condizione necessaria per diventare firmatari, è verificato periodicamente da esperti indipendenti. Gli utenti possono riportare una presunta violazione di Facta.news del Codice direttamente all’Ifcn attraverso questo formulario."

Clara Attene Assessor
05-Apr-2022 (1 year ago) Updated: 1 year ago

The applicant informs its readers that they can alert the IFCN in case they think that Facta is breaking any of the IFCN's principles.

The principles are linked in this statement as well as the form for complaints.


done_all 6.4 marked as Compliant by Clara Attene.

Criteria 6.5
Proof you meet criteria
If you are the fact-checking unit of a media company, please provide a link to the parent media company’s honest and open corrections policy and provide evidence that it adheres to this.

Facta
09-Mar-2022 (2 years ago)

Facta is one of the two projects of the parent company The Fact-Checking Factory Srl - TFCF Srl (previously Pagella Politica Srls), the other one being Pagella Politica: financial and administrative structure of the two fact-checking projects are the same. The respective corrections policies can be find here:

Facta: Correzioni, rettifiche, aggiornamenti. Quando i fact-checker sbagliano - Facta

Pagella Politica: https://pagellapolitica.it/progetto (paragraph “Come operiamo?”)

Clara Attene Assessor
05-Apr-2022 (1 year ago) Updated: 1 year ago

Facta shares the financial and administrative structure with its sister project Pagella Politica as both project are run by the same parent company The Fact-Checking Factory Srl - TFCF Srl.
Both projects have a correction policy and they adhere to it as evidences provided by both project show.


done_all 6.5 marked as Compliant by Clara Attene.