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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Newtral

Website

https://www.newtral.es/

Date

27/07/2023

Please, answer the following questions:

Applicant

Date: 16/01/2023

How Newtral started: Background

On June 2, 2013, the broadcasts of El Objetivo de Ana Pastor began on the national channel LaSexta. One of the most significant elements of the program was the incorporation, for the first time in Spain, of a fact-checking journalism section on TV.

The motivation that prompted us to use formats that we had seen on Danish television or on CNN was to try to add a different approach to all the good information that exists on the Spanish scene, focused on clarifying public discourse and explaining issues that many times they are taken for granted or that they are complex, with the help of data visualization. And do it on a Sunday, in prime-time.

In El Objetivo, the first sections focused on the field of fact-checking, transparency in public money, or accountability aimed at politicians were launched. Segments such as the Maldita Hemeroteca, Verification Tests, Maldito Bulo, Citizen Power (related to Transparency) or “I know what you did with the Last Contract”, (related to the use of public money).

The fact-checking team of the show was the first signatory in Spain, in june of 2017, of the International Fact-checking Network (IFCN).

One of the fundamental pillars of the IFCN is the code of principles common to all members of the organization. El Objetivo was in that first group of promoters and signatories of this code. We also collaborated in the organization, in 2017, of Global Fact 4, the world fact-checking summit in Madrid.

Newtral.es starts operating

The team of journalists that formed El Objetivo decided to create Newtral. Launched in 2018, and the website, Newtral.es, in October. The television format allows extraordinary narrative possibilities but also entails some important limitations: basically, time in minutes is finite.

Thanks to Newtral's digital format, the work of the fact-checkers was able to expand the limited "margins" of the TV show and foster this fact-checking mission with new narratives on the Internet and innovate in parallel to the possibilities offered by the large platforms and social networks.

Assessor

Compliant

Date: 14/03/2023

The organization clearly states the origin of its operations and this is corroborated by the information available in its website.

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: 16/01/2023

https://www.newtral.es/metodologia-transparencia/

Assessor

Needs more info

Date: 14/03/2023

The organization has a clear, complete, and easily accessible description of its fact-checking methodology on its webpage.
The applicant could provide the date when the service for users to send their own claims for verification via WhatsApp was launched.

Assessor

Compliant

Date: 17/03/2023

In the section "How we work" of the Methodology, the Newtral webpage states:
We choose all those statements that are of interest or relevance to society from a purely journalistic criterion. We assess the significance of the statement and the author if it is repeated as an argument created intentionally to confuse and if it has verifiable content with data. We discard opinions that are part of political rhetorical logic.
An analysis of the political fact-checks published over the last 3 months (from 14 December 2022 to 13th March 2023) gives the following breakdown of political parties:
Popular Party: 29

PSOE: 13

VOX: 7

Unidas Podemos: 3

Junts per Catalunya: 3

Ciudadanos: 2

Other: 3
It seems there is an unbalance between fact-checks from right-wing parties (29+7) over left-wing parties (13+3). Please, provide the reasons for this lack of balance in the examples selected for fact-checking.

Assessor

Compliant

Date: 17/03/2023

Also, the analysis of the political fact-checks published over the last 3 months (from 14 December 2022 to 13th March 2023), only 6 fact-checks are from government ministers and another 3 from the president of the government. Therefore, less than 9% of total fact-checks are related to statements from members of the government. Please, explain the reasons for such a low percentage of fact-checks related to the government.

Applicant

Needs more info

Date: 12/06/2023

We understand that this field is correctly fulfilled, although more information is requested.

Miguel Crespo (assessor)

Compliant

Date: 20/05/2023

Even if it is compliant, the "Acuerdo con FaceBook y Tiktok" should be more detailed on Newtral webpage. Especially regarding TikTok, only general action guidelines are listed, and the weblink to TikTok's "Integridad Electoral" page does not seem to be enough. Since the relationship with the social media platforms, and other It or media companies is of a difficult and questionable balance and transparency, Newtral should be clear to the maximum detail on those contracts.

Applicant

Date: 16/01/2023

As we explain in our methodology, the “fact-checking” journalism is based on the serious and rigorous work of independent and neutral professionals, who pursue honesty and objectivity in public discourse.

The methodology we apply is precise and exhaustive and also seeks to present all the information in a clear and simple way, so that it reaches citizens in the best possible way. We choose the statements that are of interest or relevance from a purely journalistic criterion. We value the significance of the statement and the author, if it is repeated as an argument intentionally created to confuse and if it has verifiable content with data. We discard the opinions that are part of the political rhetorical logic.

Assessor

Needs more info

Date: 17/03/2023

More information is needed about the criteria used by Newtral's journalists to choose the topics for verification and to ensure they comply with the public interest.
It is not clear sometimes the public interest of some debunking. i.e.:
A phishing scam posing as Mahou (commercial beer) for Father's Day to obtain personal and bank details, as well as a video claiming to be a woman who is not allowed to leave a 15-minute city in Canada (off-topic for most Spaniards).
https://www.newtral.es/bulos-mahou-ciudad-minutos-what-the-fake/20230317/

Applicant

Needs more info

Date: 16/06/2023

As we explained on the web, in the methodology and transparency section, "fact-checking" journalism is based on the serious and rigorous work of independent and neutral professionals, who pursue honesty and objectivity in public discourse. The methodology we apply is precise and exhaustive and also seeks to present all the information in a clear and simple way, so that it reaches citizens in the best possible way.

Additionally, in our Newtral Education section https://www.newtral.es/newtral-educacion/, we explain that at Newtral we believe that journalism can and should fight against misinformation. But we also know that this fight cannot be won without citizens trained in a critical spirit, who can distinguish suspicious information on networks and do not contribute to distributing hoaxes. Technology has accelerated the distribution times of fake news, and we want to put the tools to detect them at the service of anyone.

In relation to the examples provided, the fight against phishing is a priority, since it prevents citizens from falling for scams or fraud. According to the criminality balance from the Ministerio del Interior, digital scams have grown a 75,1% in the last three years, the biggest increase in criminal offenses. And last year, the National Cybersecurity Institute (INCIBE) detected 16,902 phishing incidents, which constitutes one of the main concerns and sources of consultation by the public, according to this source.

The example of the Mahou beer brand is pointed out. This is because the more well-known the brand, the more likely the phishing case has to succeed. Even the INCIBE published an alert on its website.

We received 11 queries about this particular scam related to Mahou on our Whatsapp tipline.

We add other examples here, related to Cocacola, Mercadona or the Spanish Tax Agency.

https://www.newtral.es/mercadona-phishing-ano-nuevo/20221229/

https://www.newtral.es/coca-cola-bolsas-navidad/20221124/

https://www.newtral.es/phishing-agencia-tributaria/20220610/

About the city of 15 minutes, it was an element of disinformation at the national and international evel and dealt with by othermedia and fact-checkers. It is a narrative, in fact, that also circulates in other countries. We also detected that the disinformation surrounding this narrative was snowballing over several Telegram groups. That is why it is considered in the public interest.

https://elpais.com/clima-y-medio-ambiente/2023-03-04/15-mitos-sobre-la-ciudad-de-los-15-minutos-la-ultima-paranoia-de-los- conspiracists.html

https://www.20minutos.es/noticia/5104924/0/que-son-ciudades-15-minutos-aplicarse-espana/

https://factual.afp.com/doc.afp.com.33AR96P

https://verifica.efe.com/las-ciudades-de-15-minutos-no-imponen-cuarentenas-climaticas/

https://www.euronews.com/green/2023/02/21/what-is-a-15-minute-city-the-eco-concept-that-has-been-jumped-on-by-conspiracy- theorists

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3nIXMA1j3E

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/28/technology/carlos-moreno-15-minute-cities-conspiracy-theories.html

Assessor

Needs more info

Date: 22/06/2023

Newtral clarifies the requested information.

Miguel Crespo (assessor)

Compliant

Date: 20/05/2023

Even with compliant, please refer to the comment on 2.B as a way to keep the focus, fact-checking quality and fail-proof.

Applicant

Date: 16/01/2023

We explain the methodology of the VOD (Verification On Demand) service here:

https://www.newtral.es/metodologia-transparencia/

Assessor

Needs more info

Date: 17/03/2023

The organization provides a WhatsApp channel, but it is not clearly highlighted on its webpage. For example, when accessing the "fact-checking section" it is not displayed there: https://www.newtral.es/zona-verificacion/fact-check/

Users can find the WhatsApp channel only in the contact section at the bottom page
https://www.newtral.es/contacto/

It is mentioned -although not much highlighted-, in the section about methodology and transparency:
https://www.newtral.es/metodologia-transparencia/

In our review process, we found that not many claims are identified as sent by readers or citizens.

Therefore, we would encourage the applicant to provide more information about this process and to make it more clearly accessible the WhatsApp channel to actively encourage that citizens could send more claims to check.

Applicant

Needs more info

Date: 16/06/2023

The mobile version, which receives aprox. more than 70% of our visits daily, have three large buttons in the bottom menu of the screen. Among the three actions under verification, consulting the WhatsApp service is one of them and links to: https://www.newtral.es/whatsapp-servicio-verificacion-bulos/

Additionally, in social networks, our activity promoting the service has been constant since we started it, in 2018. This VOD (verification on demand) as we call it, is a pioneer service in Spain.

Example 1: https://www.facebook.com/NewtralMedia/videos/324975374922494

Example 2: https://www.facebook.com/NewtralMedia/photos/a.910448835821176/1058515184347873/

Example 3: https://twitter.com/Newtral/status/1068073873135058944?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Example 4: https://twitter.com/Newtral/status/1532119804126998528

Furthermore, in all the posts of “illustrated hoaxes” on Instagram, the WhatsApp service is mentioned in the copy of the post: https://www.instagram.com/p/CtW7b1ZqLLn/

A promotional clip is the pinned tweet. https://twitter.com/Newtral/status/1603056448011132928

Two years ago, To such an extent that it was the protagonist of a viral hoax (examples below) that the company Meta itself had to publish a statement to deny the misinformation about it.

https://www.lavanguardia.com/tecnologia/20200413/48466544957/el-bulo-sobre-la-censura-en-whatsapp.html

https://www.20minutos.es/noticia/4225748/0/whatsapp-se-defiende-su-limite-de-reenvios-ni-es-una-medida-impulsada-por-el-gobierno-ni-tiene-control-del-contenido/

Meta Statement: https://about.fb.com/es/news/2020/04/comunicado-de-whatsapp/

Assessor

Needs more info

Date: 22/06/2023

Newtral provides further information needed on this subject.

Miguel Crespo (assessor)

Compliant

Date: 20/05/2023

The existing communication channels which allow the public to contact Newtral directly and, if needed, anonymously, seem appropriate, but we need to point out two possible improvements:
1 - some people can be not so sure about the anonymity guarantees using WhatsApp or an online form. Maybe you should propose Telegram or other more encrypted messaging systems as the primordial way of contact.
2 - It is clear that people can contact you using any other social media platform, but on https://www.newtral.es/contacto/ page it should be explicit before the form.

Assessor

Compliant

Date: 20/03/2023

In the sample of randomly selected fact-checks, all sources are named or at least their origin is specified:

https://www.newtral.es/salario-minimo-interprofesional-congreso-pedro-sanchez-factcheck/20230223/

https://www.newtral.es/pablo-fernandez-podemos-cantar-mio-cid/20230213/

https://www.newtral.es/botin-de-los-kirchner-cadena-falsa/20230307/

https://www.newtral.es/foro-economico-mundial-silicon-valley-bank-gran-estafa/20230317/

https://www.newtral.es/ranking-democracia-espana-pedro-sanchez-factcheck/20230327/

Miguel Crespo (assessor)

Needs more info

Date: 20/05/2023

The Metodologia webpage does not refer to any use of anonymous sources, so it is not clear:
1 - if they can be used in exceptional cases?
2 - if so, in what cases are anonymous sources accepted, how they will be quoted, and what kind of additional methodologies or sources will be needed?

The random sample of articles analyzed did not quoted any anonymous source.

Applicant

Needs more info

Date: 16/06/2023

We always publicly refer to the sources we utilize, as explicitly explained in the 'Metodología' section of our website: https://www.newtral.es/metodologia-transparencia/

Use of sources

The Newtral.es team publicly cites the sources of information it uses to prepare its verifications. Except for duly justified exceptions, we also cite the name and academic references -or position- of those experts who help us in the process, who will be independent and unrelated to the content being investigated (it will not affect them personally or professionally).

In any case, we have added this sentence in case there was any doubt:

En ningún caso se emplearán fuentes anónimas para sustentar una verificación.

Miguel Crespo (assessor)

Compliant

Date: 18/06/2023

Updated to "compliant", but suggest Newtral add to "Metodologia" section the information you just gave: "En ningún caso se emplearán fuentes anónimas para sustentar una verificación".

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.

Assessor

Needs more info

Date: 20/03/2023

Newtral did not submit a report summarising its fact-checking operation’s goals and evaluating the impact that its work – including fact-checking as well as all other activities – has had over the past year.

Assessor

Compliant

Date: 28/06/2023

As it is recommended best practice, I marked it as compliant.

Miguel Crespo (assessor)

Needs more info

Date: 20/05/2023

Report not available

Miguel Crespo (assessor)

Needs more info

Date: 18/06/2023

Report still not available

Miguel Crespo (assessor)

Compliant

Date: 27/06/2023

Due to the short existence of the project, it is acceptable not to provide a report which evaluates the impact over the past year, but this should be presented in a posterior evaluation.

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: 16/01/2023

https://www.newtral.es/metodologia-transparencia/

Assessor

Needs more info

Date: 21/03/2023

The organization's guidelines state:
Our team is made up of independent journalists with no relationship (either activist or work-related) with any political party, private lobby or similar organisation, nor does it accept gifts, services or favours that could undermine this independence. Newtral is independent and editorial control is exercised by the journalists of the team, and is not dependent on any state, political party, or similar.

We are extremely careful about the content we share through Newtral's official social media channels. We do not support any political movement, we do not share or retweet organised or partisan campaigns. We do not engage in activism. We do not advocate ideologies. We are journalists.

This is a basic requirement to be part of the fact-checking team, which, as you can see in our database, investigates and publishes fact-checks of claims made by members of all political parties across the board, regardless of ideology. Newtral does not focus its research on any one party or one side of the ideological spectrum. In addition, no member of the verification team is part of any formation, government or public company that is indirectly or directly under political or governmental control.
You can check the full organisation of Newtral here and the journalists who are part of the Newtral.es verification team here.

As we mentioned earlier, our analysis of the political fact-checks published over 3 months (from 14 December 2022 to 13th March 2023) gives the following breakdown of political parties:
Popular Party: 29

PSOE: 13

VOX: 7

Unidas Podemos: 3

Junts per Catalunya: 3

Ciudadanos: 2

Other: 3
It seems there is a lack of balance between fact-checks from Spanish right-wing parties (29+7) over left-wing parties (13+3), so we would need more information about how the decision on choosing specific fact-checking topics and issues is made to ensure editorial independence.

There is evidence that Joaquín Ortega Casariego, Newtral's head of content, was an advisor to the Cabinet of Miguel Sebastián Gascón, Minister of Industry and Trade in the PSOE government between 2010 and 2012: https://www.boe.es/diario_boe/txt.php?id=BOE-A-2011-11968

Applicant

Needs more info

Date: 16/06/2023

1- The variation in the number of fact-checks assigned to each political party depends on several factors. These factors include the level of exposure of individual politicians, the frequency of their prepared and unprepared statements, their status as opposition members, and the personal capabilities of the politicians themselves. However, regardless of these factors, we maintain our independence by strictly adhering to our methodology, which involves thoroughly examining all statements made by politicians at the highest level and analyzing the data associated with these claims.

It's worth noting that the presence of an imbalance is a common factor among political fact-checkers.

For example, Politifact, Putlizer Prize, records:

A sum of 971 fact-checks to Donald Trump:

https://www.politifact.com/personalities/donald-trump/

A sum total of 263 fact-checks to Joe Biden:

https://www.politifact.com/personalities/joe-biden/

73% more fact-cheks on Donald Trump.

This fact-checker, Politifact, is one of the pioneers in this type of journalism and has been the inspiration for our methodology since we started doing fact-checking 10 years ago at El Objetivo and later at Newtral.

https://www.politifact.com/article/2018/feb/12/principles-truth-o-meter-politifacts-methodology-i/

Politifact won the Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting for the coverage of the 2008 election. https://www.politifact.com/article/2009/apr/20/politifact-wins-pulitzer/

As we mentioned, the factors that explain this type of lack of balance can be multiple. In our case, we do not look at which party the person making the claim belongs to, but rather its transcendence or relevance. It is the citizens who must draw their conclusions regarding these numbers.

Not all fact-checkers always display this type of study transparently on their website.

In Newtral we do. In this link at the main menu, you can select fact-checks by parties and by political leaders to see, according to a certain period of time, how many articles are published by each of them. We also appeal to this scoreboard at our methodology page.

This exercise in transparency is essential to minimize possible suspicions of bias.

The journalistic and public interest criteria for choosing the verifications are explained in the ‘Metodología’ section of the website.

Forcing fact-checks on one or the other party to artificially balance these records does not respond to the ethics and code of principles defended in our methodology.

In relation to Joaquín Ortega Casariego, head of contents of the company, he is not a fact-checker. He has never been part of any political party or of any candidacy or electoral list. His professional career is public on social networks and openly accessible here. Indeed, he has gone through various media projects and positions in the institutional sphere, such as the one mentioned by the assessor. There is no incompatibility in this regard, since there is no type of personal political link. In fact, when he worked in the offices of the European Commission (2013), the president of the Commission, Durao Barroso, was a member of Portugal's centre-right party PSD.

Assessor

Needs more info

Date: 22/06/2023

The information provided by Newtral answers the queries.

Applicant

Date: 16/01/2023

https://www.newtral.es/metodologia-transparencia/

Here is an example of how in a fact check, by directly affecting Facebook, we decided to remember that we are part of Meta third-party fact-checking program:

https://www.newtral.es/ver-perfiles-facebook-bulo/20230201/

Assessor

Compliant

Date: 21/03/2023

We found other examples when Newtral makes reference to agreements with organizations related to their fact-checking processes:

In this piece about TikTok:
https://www.newtral.es/gobiernos-limitan-tiktok/20230302/

"Newtral.es has been collaborating with TikTok since 2020 in its verification programme, with the aim of reducing the spread of fake content. You can read more about this partnership here.".

Newtral is also involved with some non-profit organizations to debunk hoaxes:

https://www.cibervoluntarios.org/es/news/post/lanzamiento-verifica2-2021

However, the founder of Newtral, Ana Pastor, has been working for years for the television channel La Sexta, presenting and directing the programmes "El Objetivo" and "¿Dónde estabas entonces? It should be pointed out whether this raises a conflict of interest when submitting La Sexta's programmes and news content for verification by Newtral.

Assessor

Needs more info

Date: 18/04/2023

Also, Newtral's business model is based on television production, advertising and agreements with some companies. To what extent could there be a conflict of interest in fact-checks dealing with specific companies that are financing Newtral?

NOTE: We selected "Need more information". However, the previous comment appears marked in GREEN.

Applicant

Needs more info

Date: 16/06/2023

Our work at El Objetivo and the other TV series is available on our website. In the 'Who are we' section, you will find a comprehensive overview of our work, which can be accessed at: https://www.newtral.es/quienes-somos/.

The origins of Newtral can be traced back to El Objetivo itself, and this fact is emphasized in all of our presentations. Even in our IFCN application, you can see that our initial request was for 'El Objetivo': https://ifcncodeofprinciples.poynter.org/profile/newtral/applications.

This continuity between El Objetivo and Newtral demonstrates our commitment to transparency rather than a conflict of interest.

As explained on the web, the Newtral Media Audiovisual company is 100% owned by Ana Pastor, and the income it receives is from multiple clients. There are no editorial dependencies of any kind between the other LaSexta programs and the reporters from the fact-checking team who work on the editorial decision of fakes and debunking. As we explain in our methodology, the disinformation that we select is mainly due to "listening" to political parties, from queries through the WhatsApp service, to our partnerships with social media platforms that have trusted us to reduce misinformation in their ecosystems, etc.

Participating in other media, either by intervening in programs or even with commercial agreements, is a constant in all fact-checking teams, because it helps to broaden the scope of the work against disinformation. An example is the “CrossCheck” projects in which fact-checking media create alliances with other media, on a punctual basis, perhaps because general or important elections are approaching, to fight united against disinformation.

Here are some examples: https://firstdraftnews.org/about/crosscheck-newsroom/

In the case of Newtral, the production of audiovisual programs for clients or platforms is carried out by a team completely different from the fact-checking team. The Newtral verification team is solely dedicated to that tasks, and it is a duty that it performs independently of the activities of the audiovisual team. For this reason it is specified in a different section of the TEAM page.

We do not believe that these collaborations between teams imply any loss of independence in the fact-checking selection of contents.

Assessor

Needs more info

Date: 22/06/2023

The aditional information provided by Newtral clarifies this point.

Miguel Crespo (assessor)

Compliant

Date: 20/05/2023

Even if compliant, namely in the example provided, the way any reasonable conflict of interest is shown is very discreet.
We suggest this should be placed on the webpage in a way readers can be aware of it without having to scroll down.

Applicant

Compliant

Date: 16/06/2023

In the previous section we have addressed this issue about posible conflicts.

Miguel Crespo (assessor)

Compliant

Date: 18/06/2023

It is compliant, but the suggestion remains relevant.

Applicant

Date: 16/01/2023

We explain this policies publicly here:

https://www.newtral.es/metodologia-transparencia/

Assessor

Non Compliant

Date: 21/03/2023

In the information supplied by the organization, we found no specific policy about forbidding employees from accepting any gifts, favours, or services with advantageous conditions that go beyond common social and courtesy items, and there are no procedures outlined to take action if they do.

Applicant

Non Compliant

Date: 16/06/2023

We explain this in our methodology page: “Our team is made up of independent journalists with no relationship (neither activist nor labor) with any political party, private lobby or similar organization, nor does it accept gifts, services or favorable treatment that could undermine that independence. Newtral is independent and editorial control is exercised by the team's journalists, and does not depend on any state, political party or the like.” You can check it here: https://www.newtral.es/metodologia-transparencia/

Assessor

Compliant

Date: 28/06/2023

Following Newtral's answer, now I think they are compliant.

Miguel Crespo (assessor)

Needs more info

Date: 20/05/2023

No information is publicly available to clarify the existence (or not) of "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."

Applicant

Needs more info

Date: 16/06/2023

Responded in the previous chapter.

Miguel Crespo (assessor)

Needs more info

Date: 18/06/2023

The specific question stays unanswered

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:

Applicant

Date: 16/01/2023

In our political fact checking process, we always, as a rule, ask the politician about the claim we are investigating before publishing the article.

The debunking fact-checking process, as explained above, is focused on the content and the author is not made explicit or publicized. We carry out this process when it is mandatory to obtain relevant data for the article.

In any case, our goal is to get the data right. So we have different mechanisms open to the public or those affected by an article that may have errors to contact us.
We explain this policies here: https://www.newtral.es/metodologia-transparencia/

Assessor

Needs more info

Date: 21/03/2023

Newtral's policy clearly mentions the way to rectify errors:

If you see any errors in our items, please contact us as soon as possible. We have multiple ways to do this. Via the networks or team mails available on the website, WhatsApp number or via social media (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram). We will check the data as many times as necessary and rectify if necessary. The time we take will depend on the degree of checking, analysis and consultation with the sources involved in the complaint.

However, we found no specific evidence of statements about a right-of-reply offered to any named person or organisation that is the source of the inaccurate claim and/or is the subject of significant criticism or allegations. Please, provide more information about this.

Applicant

Needs more info

Date: 16/06/2023

When conducting political fact-checks, we consistently reach out to the respective political press offices regarding the claims under investigation. However, it's important to note that we may not always receive a response. In the event that they do choose to reply, we carefully consider the information provided, and if it proves to be valuable, we may make substantive changes to the article. Regardless, we always ensure that the outcome of this inquiry is accurately reflected in our reporting.. We explain this at the Metodología section: “We also get in touch with the communication offices of political leaders to request clarifications or additional information that helps clarify the origin of data that may be doubtful or confusing.”

Any randomly selected fact.check will reflect this.

Example of no answer:

https://www.newtral.es/presion-fiscal-sanchez-espana-factcheck/20230421/

https://www.newtral.es/numero-empleados-publicos-asturias-factcheck/20230418/

Example with feedback from the politician office:

https://www.newtral.es/montero-andalucia-pib-capita-factcheck/20230612/

https://www.newtral.es/despoblacion-castilla-la-mancha-garcia-page-factcheck/20230524/

For debunking articles:

Following the EFCSN code. 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: B. “Take measures to avoid exposing the source or identity of user-generated disinformation content to undue public scrutiny.”

We apply this principle to our articles, unless they come from institutions or public representatives (see previous policy). In our debunking, we avoid pointing out who spreads viral misinformation to focus on the misinforming message that is shared and the platforms where the content is detected. For this reason, it does not apply in these cases to ask a user or a subject who shares a hoax for this right to reply, since he is not identified as such.

Assessor

Needs more info

Date: 22/06/2023

This information clarifies the aspects mentioned in the previous comment.

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 3.3: Honest corrections

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

Applicant

Date: 16/01/2023

We explain our corrections policy here. https://www.newtral.es/metodologia-transparencia/
And from that section, we expand the information to this other page: https://www.newtral.es/politica-rectificacion/

Assessor

Compliant

Date: 21/03/2023

Newtral's policy is very specific on the rectification of errors:

If you see any errors in our items, please contact us as soon as possible. We have multiple ways to do this. Via the networks or team mails available on the website, WhatsApp number or via social media (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram). We will check the data as many times as necessary and rectify if necessary. The time we take will depend on the degree of checking, analysis and consultation with the sources involved in the complaint.
The aim of our articles is to clarify the public discourse with the greatest depth provided by data and verifiable facts. For this reason, when we make a mistake with some figure or when we ignore important elements or information in some of our verifications or texts, we make the corresponding correction, modification or update in them.

What happens when we modify an article?
Without exception, all articles to which a modification is applied with respect to the original published article will contain a visible, prominent and detailed warning in time, so that the reader knows when it has been carried out. This warning will be published in the subtitle of the article.

In addition, an asterisk will indicate to the reader where in the text a change has been made. And finally, before displaying the list of sources used in the text, we explain what the changes are and why they have been made. Here you can see an example in a verification or in an explanatory article.

Responses and warnings
We try to respond to everyone who alerts us or warns us of an error, although this is not always possible, especially in the case of a minor typo or spelling mistake. However, as far as possible, we communicate when this has happened. Here is an example and here is another example, on social networks.

If necessary, we even make a specific article explaining what has happened and clarifying the rectification, as we can see here.

Miguel Crespo (assessor)

Compliant

Date: 20/05/2023

on the page https://www.newtral.es/metodologia-transparencia/, when "errors" are referred, should have a direct weblink to https://www.newtral.es/politica-rectificacion/

Applicant

Date: 16/01/2023

We updated a fact-check to the Madrid regional president three days after its publication to add the response from the press office of the President of the Community of Madrid:

https://www.newtral.es/espana-vacaciones-ocde-ayuso-factcheck/20221216/

Also, this article fact-checking a claim from the political party PP was updated to include the answer of the communication team of the Presidency of the Andalusian regional government:

https://www.newtral.es/presion-fiscal-pp-sanchez-antonio-sanz-factcheck/20220928/

This fact-check was updated with new details provided by the National Police and the Local Police:

https://www.newtral.es/menores-extranjeros-procesion-granada-hermandad-de-la-estrella/20220418/

And this other was updated to add the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's response to Newtral.es:

https://www.newtral.es/bill-gates-alimentos-vacunas-bulo/20230125/

Assessor

Compliant

Date: 21/03/2023

We found examples that rectify the mistakes and acknowledge the addition of any new information to a publication in an update note in the same publication.
For example:
It is false that the video of 'Ama tu chocho' by Mónica Naranjo is related to the 20,000 million of the Plan de Igualdad (Equality Plan)
https://www.newtral.es/ama-tu-chocho-igualdad-monica-naranjo/20220902/

And acknowledging the addition of new information on serious issues, such as violence against women:
https://www.newtral.es/rectificacion-sobre-el-tuit-en-el-que-aludiamos-a-la-muerte-de-una-mujer-en-valladolid-atribuyendola-a-la-violencia-de-genero/20200415/

The explanation: "Last Monday at 19:50 we launched a tweet (which was deleted minutes later) containing erroneous information about the death of a woman in Valladolid, following a statement by the Minister of the Interior. Subsequent information allows us to rule out that the cause under investigation is gender violence."

Also on their Twitter account: https://twitter.com/newtral/status/1250475847397658624

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:

Proof of registration/legal status:

Assessor

Compliant

Date: 28/03/2023

The requested information is provided in the legal document:
439705 - NEWTRAL MEDIA AUDIOVISUAL SL.
Constitución. Comienzo de operaciones: 19.10.17. Objeto social: La producción de videos, televisión, imágenes, sonidos einformación en la red y social media. CNAE 59.15 Actividades de producción cinematográfica y de video 59.16 Actividades deproducción de programas de televisión... Domicilio: AVDA SANTUARIO DE VALVERDE 98 - PORTAL C, 4º A (MADRID). Capital:5.000,00 Euros.

Proof of ownership:

Assessor

Compliant

Date: 28/03/2023

The requested information is provided in the legal document:
439705 - NEWTRAL MEDIA AUDIOVISUAL SL.
Declaración de unipersonalidad. Socio único: PASTOR GARCIA ANA ROSA. Nombramientos. Adm. Unico:PASTOR GARCIA ANA ROSA. Datos registrales. T 36538 , F 1, S 8, H M 656277, I/A 1 (30.10.17).

Proof of governance structure:

Assessor

Compliant

Date: 05/04/2023

The governance structure is clearly defined.

Applicant

Date: 16/01/2023

During 2021, as in the previous year, we have not received any public subsidy or funds. We do not receive funds or income from any Spanish administration, body or public company. We consider this policy an extra reinforcement and protection of our independence which helps to rule out any possible suspicion of bias. This is important since we do fact-checking of Spanish political figures. We explain this here.

https://www.newtral.es/metodologia-transparencia/

Assessor

Needs more info

Date: 28/03/2023

The organization makes available a short statement about its mission at the beginning of the methodology section:

"Newtral.es is a journalism project focused on data, fact-checking, and public transparency. To tell stories that matter, we prioritize the use of new narratives and technology".

Is there more information about its specific values anywhere else?

Assessor

Needs more info

Date: 05/04/2023

The organization also includes some values (such as independence, objectivity, and neutrality) of its fact-checking process on its webpage. However, we found no section with specific guidelines that Newtral's professionals must follow in their fact-checking operation.

Applicant

Needs more info

Date: 16/06/2023

Related values comment:

We also have information about this in our Deck, in the section Newtral Education, and anytime we participate in any presentation in which we explain what is Newtral. https://www.newtral.es/newtral-educacion/

All journalists who work in the fact-checking team are instructed in our methodology and in the IFCN code of principles, which summarizes all the ethical and professional procedures that must be applied in investigations and in articles.

https://ifcncodeofprinciples.poynter.org/

Assessor

Needs more info

Date: 22/06/2023

This addional information clarifies the points raised earlier.

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.

Both activities of production of non-fiction shows and media literacy are compatible with the fact-checking operation of Newtral.

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.