FactCheck (www.factcheck.ge) is an innovative media project in Georgia, piloted and currently actively implemented by Georgia’s Reforms Associates and modelled on popular and successful international analogues (www.politfact.com, www.factcheck.org). FactCheck works toward measuring the factual accuracy of the public statements of politicians and other public figures. In addition, FactCheck aims to verify fake news being disseminated in social networks/media outlets and provide the public with true and correct information.
Our portal, www.factcheck.ge, is an independent and non-partisan website which offers readers researched, verified and evidence-based information in both the Georgian and English languages.
Among the supporters of the project are the Embassy of the Kingdom of Netherlands in Georgia, National Endowment for Democracy (NED), German Marshall Fund, European Endowment for Democracy and the Embassy of the United States of America to Georgia.
FactCheck is a team of motivated and like-minded individuals and brings together young professionals in the fields of journalism, economics, law, international relations, public policy and other realms.
FactCheck’s team monitors MPs, the President, government officials and other public figures and highlights the factual accuracies and inaccuracies in their statements. As part of the project, only the factual accuracy of statements made in regard to issues of high public interest is verified. Of importance is that the ideas/assumptions and personal opinions of the politicians/public figures are not verified.
Therefore, FactCheck’s main objectives are as follows:
• Providing precise, accurate and evidence-based information to readers
• Increasing the accountability and responsibility of politicians to their constituencies
• Promoting the development of fact-based political rhetoric
• Fighting against fake news and Russian propaganda by providing verified facts to our readers
Fact-checking the veracity of information spread on the Internet
In addition to the statements made by the politicians and public figures, FactCheck Georgia also reviews claims spread on social networks and the Internet. Since September 2020, FactCheck Georgia is a partner to Meta’s (Facebook) third-party fact-checking program. Within the program, FactCheck Georgia reviews the veracity of the content spread on Meta’s platforms. FactCheck Georgia’s work within the program is guided by the principles of the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN) and Meta's Fact-Checking Program policy.
Meta demotes the spread of content rated as False, Altered or Partly False by FactCheck Georgia and makes it appear lower in the News Feed. This significantly reduces the spread of false information and the number of people who see it.
Pages, groups, accounts and websites that repeatedly share misinformation automatically lose the ability to monetize and advertise. Meta also clearly labels rated false content, giving the people ability to see whether the information is true before try to share such content.
FactCheck’s work style and detailed working methodology can be found here.
