WE ARE PROUD to announce that TheJournal.ie‘s FactCheck has signed up to the International Fact-Checking Network’s Code of Principles.

FactCheck joins 36 other organisations from 26 other countries throughout the world, in signing up to the first ever international code of fact-checking principles, curated by the IFCN at the Poynter Institute for Media Studies in the US.

You can read the full list of signatories, and the original announcement, here.

By signing up, FactCheck agrees to publish a report, within a year of 15 September 2016, and every year after that, showing how we have lived up to the principles in the code.

The code is as follows:

1. A COMMITMENT TO NONPARTISANSHIP AND FAIRNESS

We fact-check claims using the same standard for every fact check. We do not concentrate our fact-checking on any one side. We follow the same process for every fact check and let the evidence dictate our conclusions. We do not advocate or take policy positions on the issues we fact-check.

2. A COMMITMENT TO TRANSPARENCY OF SOURCES

We want our readers to be able to verify our findings themselves. We provide all sources in enough detail that readers can replicate our work, except in cases where a source’s personal security could be compromised. In such cases, we provide as much detail as possible.

3. A COMMITMENT TO TRANSPARENCY OF FUNDING & ORGANISATION

We are transparent about our funding sources. If we accept funding from other organisations, we ensure that funders have no influence over the conclusions we reach in our reports. We detail the professional background of all key figures in our organisation and explain our organisational structure and legal status. We clearly indicate a way for readers to communicate with us.

4. A COMMITMENT TO TRANSPARENCY OF METHODOLOGY

We explain the methodology we use to select, research, write, edit, publish and correct our fact checks. We encourage readers to send us claims to fact-check and are transparent on why and how we fact-check.

5. A COMMITMENT TO OPEN AND HONEST CORRECTIONS

We publish our corrections policy and follow it scrupulously. We correct clearly and transparently in line with our corrections policy, seeking so far as possible to ensure that readers see the corrected version.

Our Reader’s Guide to FactCheck, including information on verdicts, how we fact-check claims, and how to suggest fact checks, is available here. 

Our policy on Updates and Corrections is available here.

Send your FactCheck requests to factcheck@thejournal.ie