Disinformation is deliberately used to divide society, spread resentment and hate. CORRECTIV has been working against this for a long time with an independent fact-checking editorial team - and is now building Germany's first fact-checking community with the fact forum. It is open to anyone who wants to take a stand against false claims.
For ten years, the non-profit media company CORRECTIV has been dedicated to investigative journalism, fact-based discourse and thus strengthening our democracy. CORRECTIV supports the general public in dealing with disinformation with its own fact-checking editorial team and a wide range of learning opportunities via the Reporterfabrik citizens' academy for journalism.
CORRECTIV.Faktencheck: Own editorial team checks online claims on a daily basis
The CORRECTIV.factcheck team plays a central role in this. Every day, it checks statements that are circulating online. Users encounter a flood of questionable content, especially on social media platforms. When selecting content for a fact check, the editorial team is guided by the extent to which the misinformation is being spread and its relevance to the social debate.
“If there is a suspicion that the claim is misleading or false, we start looking for evidence and primary sources. These can be documents, statements from those affected or authorities as well as classifications from scientists,” says Editorial Director Alice Echtermann, describing the process and emphasizing: 'The unique thing about our fact checks is the transparency: we document the research process in our articles, every sentence must be verifiable with a source, and we disclose all sources.
CORRECTIV shares the findings from its research in the articles on the Correctiv.org/faktencheck website and in various social networks. For example, in a public WhatsApp channel or on Instagram, where selected investigations can also be found as videos.
WhatsApp chatbot: quick help against false claims
False claims don't just spread via public channels. They are passed on in private messages, retold at the regulars' table or reproduced in closed messenger groups. Anyone who is skeptical about a claim can submit it to the fact check editorial team - simply by WhatsApp via the number +49151 17535184.
“Our chatbot is a tool to address uncertainties,” says Alice Echtermann. The direct line to CORRECTIV's fact checkers is intended to help identify and correct false claims and disinformation even more quickly. The information is sent from the chatbot to the editorial team, which checks it for relevance and can then create a fact check. If there is reason to doubt the claim, the whistleblowers receive this back via WhatsApp.
CORRECTIV.Faktenforum: As a community against disinformation
Journalists work in CORRECTIV's fact-checking team. However, CORRECTIV has launched the Faktenforum project so that everyone can do something about the spread of misinformation online.
“Many people take part in the educational programs at the Reporterfabrik or submit suspicious claims to the fact-check editorial team. We asked ourselves how we can give this knowledge and commitment even more space in order to reduce disinformation,” says project manager Caroline Lindekamp. “We want to improve media and information literacy and specifically promote fact-based discourse in society - both online and locally in cities and communities.”
CORRECTIV is therefore setting up the first fact-checking community in the German-speaking region with the Faktenforum. Members can learn more about the topic, but above all put their knowledge into practice.
The project was launched at the beginning of the year - with regular events, a Discord server and a newsletter. With its own platform, the community will have a new home from December 5, 2024 and even more interested parties will be able to register. In the closed user area, the platform replicates the fact-checking process of a professional editorial team, but is designed for collaboration and exchange. Community members do not work alone, but collaboratively with others and with the support of CORRECTIV employees on fact checks or exchange ideas in the open discussion forums. Each member can decide for themselves how and where they want to contribute: from selecting topics and checking sources to verifying images or categorizing facts. “The platform gives us the flexibility to integrate people with different interests, knowledge and capacities,” says Caroline Lindekamp.
The platform solution has another advantage: it creates a structured database that reveals trends in disinformation. The data can be used to identify patterns that enable new countermeasures. These also include AI-based assistance tools based on the CORRECTIV.Checkbot and Wolf-Schneider AI, which are designed to make fact-checking easier for the community.
Want to take part? You can find more information about the CORRECTIV.fact forum and the community here: www.faktenforum.org
These questions help to identify disinformation
In order to assess the credibility of a claim, the experts from CORRECTIV's fact check team have defined the following questions:
- Who is the publisher? Checking the imprint or account of the sender gives a first impression.
- Is the information or message up to date?
- Does the headline match the content? Is it exaggerated so that it no longer matches the facts?
- What sources are used? Is the information verifiable?
- Are there other reports on the topic?
- For photos/videos: What do they show? Are they really up to date? A reverse image search using a search engine helps.
- Further tips for getting started with fact-checking: correctiv.org/faktencheck/faktencheck-tipps/
“The more people are not only made aware of the problem of disinformation, but also know how to check and assess sources, the better,” says Caroline Lindekamp. “We are therefore delighted to be part of the “Let's Question What We Share” campaign of the Telekom initiative #NoHateSpeech with CORRECTIV.”
