European Fact-Checking Standards Network (EFCSN)

VERIFIED MEMBERS

Membership in the EFCSN signifies an organisation’s rigorous commitment to provide accurate information ethically and transparently, without bias or prejudice and focus on matters in the public interest as well as a proven track record of excellence, integrity and accountability as definied in the European Code of Standards for Independent Fact-Checking Organisations.

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Istinomer

Website

https://www.istinomer.rs/

Date

27/07/2023

Please, answer the following questions:

Article 2.2: Methodology

In order to be recognised as a verified member of the European Fact-Checking Standards Network (EFCSN), operations must:

Applicant

Date: 24/02/2023

Within fact-checking processes implemented since its establishment in 2009, Istinomer applies the highest professional standards and strict methodology in fact-checking in order to ensure impartiality and objectivity and to preserve credibility among readers. Istinomer methodology including the explanation of ratings is available on the About Istinomer page - https://www.istinomer.rs/o-istinomeru/.

The Istinomer team of fact-checkers tends to use video materials to have original citations whenever possible in order to avoid misquoting and misinterpretation. When this is not possible, verbatim quotations published in different media outlets are being used. They always contact people they rate in order to request further information about the given statement, whether it be comments or data. This way they also have the opportunity to react in case their statement was misquoted or taken out of context.

Journalists also contact responsible institutions in a search for data and use publicly available information and databases (both local and international), as well as FOI requests to obtain certain documents, contracts, etc.

Istinomer is open and honest about the sources in our articles - it names the source for every fact and every number.

The Istinomer team analyzes reports of domestic and international institutions and think tanks, searches credible databases, findings of other relevant fact-checking media outlets, and consults experts in different fields, university professors, NGOs, No conclusion in the fact checks could be made based on unnamed sources, as Istinomer uses on-the-record sources and official documents.

Selection of the clams for the fact checks is made at the editorial meetings. The Istinomer team usually chooses recent claims, and important statements where there is a strong public interest and never fact-checks claim only to prove someone was wrong. Istinomer evaluates something if journalists believe there is a demand for verified facts on a certain topic.

Istinomer also has internal procedures regarding the methodology that explain steps in the creation of Istinomer's fact checks. Istinomer journalists are obligated to the following internal procedures:

- to contact the actor for comment and/or data, to always refer to official information/research/statistical data (when possible),

- to contact the expert (individual or organization) for more information about the researched topic,

- to follow the copyright rules (especially for photos) etc.

Zarka Radoja (assessor)

Compliant

Date: 16/04/2023

Everything is on site, but I would suggest to separate the page "O istinomeru". Maybe Faktograf from Croatia can be an example how to do this.

Radomir Kračković (assessor)

Compliant

Date: 27/04/2023

The applicant complies with this standard. They provided a link to where their methodology is explained on their website. This is an explanation of the process used to select, research and complete investigations, including a definition of rating systems used and it is easily accessible on Istinomer's website. Review of the methodology and random sample of fact-checks shows that applicant covers the three main stages of the fact-checking process. All in all, the methodology is clear, complete and accessible to an average reader.

Applicant

Date: 24/02/2023

Istinomer is making an effort to fact-check the claims that are referring to the facts in the public interest. Therefore, the focus is on public officials, since they have the opportunity to exercise power and to use public funds and should be accountable to the public. Besides public officials, the Istinomer team also rates different opposition politicians’ statements and collects their promises, particularly during the election campaign. Political affiliations of the people Istinomer evaluates play no role in its fact checks, but verifiable facts only.

When it comes to the debunking of viral social media content, Istinomer's editorial policy is to verify harmful content which could mislead citizens from critically evaluating information and making informed decisions about their health, crisis situations such as the war in the Ukraine, the elections, ecology, lifestyle habits etc. Manipulative disinformation campaigns are also in the Istinomer focus and narratives shared in public space (regardless they were shared in the media, social media or by public officials) used to manipulate citizens are often analysed.

Zarka Radoja (assessor)

Compliant

Date: 12/04/2023

I reviewed some of the fact-check stories ( this, this, this, this and this) and they compliant with 2.C / public interest

Radomir Kračković (assessor)

Compliant

Date: 17/05/2023

The applicant meets this standard becaues it focuses on wide range of issues of public interest. Although the main focus is on the fact-check of the statements of public officials and other politicians, Istinomer also concentrates on other relevant topics such as safety, public health, ecology and other issues.

Applicant

Date: 24/02/2023

Readers are invited (https://www.istinomer.rs/o-istinomeru/) to suggest new topics through the comments on the Istinomer social media profiles and via e-mail. In this way, statements for fact-checking are easily sent to the Istinomer team.

Zarka Radoja (assessor)

Compliant

Date: 12/04/2023

There is a call in the linked section. Also, everything is on site, but I would suggest to separate the parts of the page "O istinomeru". It is not so easy to find some informations. To repeat - maybe Faktograf from Croatia can be an example how to do this.

I would also suggest to put in the same place e-mail and links to Istinomer social networks. With it it will be easier for readers to submit possible claims.
In the way as it is, public needs to search additionaly for contacts.

Radomir Kračković (assessor)

Compliant

Date: 17/05/2023

The applicant complies with this standard because it has an easily-accessible channel for the public to submit claims. Additionally, in the operation's methodology there is a description that helps the audience understand what can be fact-checked and what are the main selection criteria for topics which are the subject of fact-checking.

Best Practices:

In addition to the required standards listed above, the Code identifies the following as a best practice that is encouraged but not required to join the EFCSN.

Article 3.1: Non-Partisanship and Impartiality

In order to be recognised as a verified member of the European Fact-checking Standards Network (EFCSN), operations must:

Applicant

Date: 24/02/2023

Information about Istinomer’s editorial independence is available at this link - https://www.istinomer.rs/o-istinomeru/

Since it was established, Istinomer received funds from projects CRTA and Istinomer were awarded by international donors and non-profit organizations interested in strengthening democracy and accountability in Serbia. CRTA and Istinomer never apply for funds from the state or local government budgets in order to preserve credibility and neutrality and ensure impartial reporting. Donors and partners do not have any influence on the editorial policy of Istinomer, as it was stated on the website.

The editor-in-chief is appointed by the CRTA organization, which is the Istinomer founder.

The editor-in-chief is completely free and independent in conducting editorial policy and creating content on Istinomer.

Zarka Radoja (assessor)

Compliant

Date: 14/04/2023

Applicant meets the standards aquired by the EFCS in this section.
Based on their work, it is obvious that donors don't have influence on their editorial policy.
As stated in the application, Serbia has a specific political landscape, most of the decissions are in the hands of one person and his party. So, the work of Istinomer is also in the line with political reality of Serbia regarding how to choose a right theme or fact to check.
Based on their rules and random checks of their work, Istinomer is following strict journalistic Code of Ethics and standards.

Radomir Kračković (assessor)

Compliant

Date: 18/05/2023

The applicant complies with this standard. Its internal documents but also the holistic overview of Istinomer's work confirms that they are editorially free and political independent. Additionally, donors and partners do not have any influence on the editorial policy of Istinomer.

Applicant

Date: 24/02/2023

According to Istinomer’s own Rules of Procedure which is published within the “About Istinomer” page (https://www.istinomer.rs/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Pravilnik-o-sprec%CC%8Cavanju-sukoba-interesa-Istinomer.pdf) journalists and employees of the Istinomer may not be members and/or activists of political parties, nor hired by public opinion research agencies or other marketing agencies engaged in market research or public opinion polls.

Also, Istinomer is a member of the Press Council, an independent, self-regulatory body that brings together publishers, owners of print and online media, news agencies and media professionals. As a member organization, Istinomer is obliged to respect and actively promote the Serbian Journalists' Code of Ethics. This code sets high standards for professional reporting, giving concrete guidelines necessary to ensure objectivity and fairness. One of the most important sections of the Code, section III, refers to the prevention of corruption and conflict of interest, including the prevention from the direct involvement of journalists in political parties and advocacy organizations:

“Work in PR and marketing agencies, lobbying agencies, public bodies and institutions, and political parties are incompatible with the profession.

Guidelines:

• Participation in a political, electoral or media campaign (political parties/companies, and others) cannot be performed simultaneously with journalistic/editorial work. The political activity of the family members of journalists/editors could also cause a real or apparent conflict of interest.”

Zarka Radoja (assessor)

Compliant

Date: 14/04/2023

The policies of applicant are sufficiant to ensure comliance with the standards of EFCSN.
Based on the check of their work and work of the publisher CRTA, there are no evidence that they support any political party or candidate.

Radomir Kračković (assessor)

Compliant

Date: 18/05/2023

The applicant complies with this standard. The set of documents and mechanisms that they provided ensures the non-partisanship commitment and they are available to the public on their website. This policies are sufficient to ensure compliance with the standard. There are no evidence that either the fact-checking operation or Istinomer's parent organisation, has openly supported any political party or candidate.

Article 3.2: Privacy and Safety

In order to be recognised as a verified member of the European Fact-Checking Standards Network (EFCSN), operations must:

Best Practices

In addition to the required standards listed above, the Code identifies the following as a best practice that is encouraged but not required to join the EFCSN.

Applicant

Date: 24/02/2023

Istinomer published an article with guidelines for journalists/fact-checkers covering crisis situations.

https://www.istinomer.rs/analize/sve-sto-vidis-ostaje-u-tebi-kolumna/

Also, guidelines established by the DART centre were shared with all staff members.

https://dartcenter.org/resources/dart-center-style-guide

https://dartcenter.org/resources/handling-traumatic-imagery-developing-standard-operating-procedure

Applicant

Date: 24/02/2023

Download File

Zarka Radoja (assessor)

Compliant

Date: 14/04/2023

The Dart Center is the best trauma in journalism place for assessing issues caused by the daily job in newsrooms. Providing their guidlines to the people in the newsroom is a good choice.

Radomir Kračković (assessor)

Non Compliant

Date: 23/05/2023

The applicant made some effort to address the risk of trauma and harassment experienced by staff. On the other hand, they don't have clear protocols in place to handle such situations nor specific trainings for staff to prevent and identify symptoms of trauma and harassment.

Article 3.3: Honest corrections

In order to be recognised as a verified member of the European Fact-Checking Standards Network (EFCSN), operations must:

Best Practices:

In addition to the required standards listed above, the Code identifies the following as best practices that are encouraged but not required to join the EFCSN.

Article 4.1: Organisational transparency

In order to be recognised as a verified member of the European Fact-Checking Standards Network (EFCSN), operations must:

Article 4.2: Financial transparency and conflicts of interest

In order to be recognised as a verified member of the European Fact-Checking Standards Network (EFCSN), organisations or parent organisations must:

Best Practices

In addition to the required standards listed above, the Code identifies the following as a best practice that is encouraged but not required to join the EFCSN.

I. ELIGIBILITY TO APPLY In order to apply to the EFCSN, your fact-checking operation must first meet the criteria outlined in Chapter 5.2 of the Code.

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

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

3. Please list any activities besides fact-checking that your operation engages in.

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

5. Please explain the geographical scope of your fact-checking operation and how you fit the Code’s requirement to “have a substantial and demonstrable focus on one or more of the countries of the Council of Europe, Kosovo or Belarus”.

6. Please attach a list of an average of four original fact-checks per month from the past year if this is your first time applying to the EFCSN or from the past two years if you are renewing your application.

7. Please note which policies you have had to change, if any, over the past 6 months in order to comply with the Code.

2.A. Make available and easily accessible on their website an explanation of the process used to select, research and complete investigations, including a definition of any rating systems used.

2.B. Assess the merits of the evidence found using the same standards applied to evidence on equivalent claims, regardless of who made the claim.

2.C. Primarily focus on topics that are in the public interest, defined here as issues that concern the welfare of society or individuals, and be willing to explain, if requested by an assessor, how various investigations fit this definition.

2.D. Make available and easily accessible on their website a channel through which the public can submit possible claims for verification and encourage users to send claims to check, while making it clear what readers can legitimately expect will be fact-checked and what isn’t fact-checkable.

2.E. Identify and include in publications, when possible, access to all evidence or other required information for a reader to replicate the verification process.

2.F. Provide evidence for every pertinent factual statement made in an investigation, relying on primary sources where possible. Set out in its fact checks relevant evidence that appears to support the claim as well as relevant evidence that appears to undermine it.

2.H. Name all sources except when their safety is at risk. In such exceptions, anonymous sources may only be included if the information they provide is corroborated by named sources or material evidence.

2.I. When quoting experts, establish their credibility in the relevant topic.

2.J. Ensure each investigation undergoes at least one round of editing by someone other than the author before publication.

2.K. Present findings in precise, factual and non-emotive language, while taking care not to overstate conclusions.

2.K. Present findings in precise, factual and non-emotive language, while taking care not to overstate conclusions.

3.1.A. Be editorially free and politically independent.

3.1.B. Not endorse or advise the public to vote for any political parties or candidates for public office.

3.1.C. Not conclude any agreement or partnership with a political party or any other public relations and similar activities that could compromise the operation’s reputation for independence and impartiality

3.1.D. Not focus investigations unduly on one particular political party or side of the political spectrum.

3.1.E. Not employ anyone who holds a salaried and/or prominent position in a political party, government, state or public company under the direct control of a political party or government.

3.1.F. Explicitly address in publications any reasonable conflict of interest or political bias, including from experts or organisations cited.

3.1.H. Have internal policies that bar employees from accepting in a professional context any gifts, favours, or services with advantageous conditions that go beyond common social and courtesy items, and have procedures in place to take action if they do.

3.1.I. Make available and easily accessible on their website these and any other non-partisanship policies (See template in Annex 3)

3.1.J. Only advocate for issues that are relevant to the mission of fact-checking and are compatible with a reputation for independence and impartiality. Organisations that engage in advocacy must set out public guidelines on how they adhere to these standards.

3.2.A. Obscure the image and/or identity of subjects of an investigation when there is a reasonable concern for their safety.

3.2.B. Take measures to avoid exposing the source or identity of user-generated disinformation content to undue public scrutiny.

3.2.C. Be restrictive, respectful and considerate when mentioning or identifying minors and make efforts to protect their privacy.

3.2.D. Anonymise any personal information that could allow the harassment of people (i.e. at least partially concealing telephone numbers, IDs or passports, bank account numbers, email addresses…).

3.2.E. When appropriate and possible, a right-of-reply should be offered to any named person or organisation who is the source of the inaccurate claim and/or is the subject of significant criticism or allegations.

3.2.F. Put in place measures that aim to address the risk of trauma or harassment experienced by staff as a result of the operation’s activities, including but not limited to providing training to prevent and identify symptoms.

3.3.A. Correct every known mistake promptly with a correction note in the same publication in which the error was made; if the error is only typographical, grammatical or stylistic, a correction note is not needed.

3.3.B. When the original publication in which the mistake was made is not editable, disseminate the correction in the same format and channel as the original so that as far as possible users of the original see the correction and the corrected version.

3.3.E. Make available and easily accessible on their websites a corrections policy and a record of the corrections published over the previous year in the first application for EFCSN membership and of the previous two years upon renewal.

3.3.F. Include in their corrections policy, available and easily accessible on their websites, a detailed account of how they assess requests for corrections.

3.3.G. Offer audiences direct channels to request a correction, within the corrections policy on their website.

3.3.I. Undergo an internal and documented annual review of published corrections to determine whether methodological and procedural changes should be made to avoid repeating the same mistakes in the future.

3.3.H. Inform audiences of the possibility of submitting a complaint to the EFCSN under the terms of article 6 with a link to the complaint form.

4.1.A. Make available and easily accessible on their website a statement that sets out the applicant’s organisational structure and makes clear how and by whom editorial control is exercised.

4.1.B. Make available and easily accessible on their website regularly updated information related to the ownership and legal status of the operation and/or parent organisation. People or entities holding over 5% of the shares must be disclosed (see template in Annex 4).

4.1.C. Make available and easily accessible on their website regularly updated information related to the governance of the operation and/or the parent organisation (see template in Annex 5).

4.1.D. Provide proof of the ownership, legal status and governance of the organisation to the external assessors

4.1.E. Make available and easily accessible on their website regularly updated information about the identity of the editors or decision makers behind the operation, including any relevant previous roles.

4.1.F. Make available and easily accessible on their website regularly updated information about the positions held by all staff involved in the fact-checking operation’s editorial output, including any relevant previous roles.

4.1.G. Make available and easily accessible on their website a statement setting out the operation’s mission, values and internal guidelines in place to protect its independence.

4.1.H. Make available and easily accessible on their website the organisation’s bylaws, understood as the rules or statutes that govern the members of an organisation.

4.2.A. Disclose all income sources contributing 1% or 5.000 euros (whichever the higher), from the most recent annual accounts when joining and the last two annual accounts when renewing membership, to external assessors and the Governance Body

4.2.D. Make available and easily accessible on their website an updated declaration of all unpaid significant commitments made to other organisations (see Annex 9).

4.2.F. Make available and easily accessible on their website goods and services they receive from external sources, including paid subscriptions or free access to tools, software and/or advertising, that make a material difference to their finances (5% of net income).

4.2.H. Make available and easily accessible on or from their website the full annual accounts of their organisation for each year since joining the EFCSN.