Rappler now a member of the International Fact-Checking Network

MANILA, Philippines – Rappler officially became a signatory member of the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN) of Poynter on Wednesday, October 26.

The IFCN at Poynter is a forum for fact checkers worldwide to “support fact-checking initiatives by promoting best practices and exchanges” in the industry. Being a global leader in journalism, Poynter aims to promote excellence in fact-checking through the IFCN.

To be qualified for the network, an organization must have a commitment to nonpartisanship and fairness, transparency of sources, transparency of funding and organization, transparency of methodology, and open and honest corrections. 

Rappler has satisfactorily complied with all these criteria and is now one of the 37 other organizations that are part of the network. (READ: The Rappler Story: Independent Journalism with Impact ) 

Rappler was ahead in adopting external fact-checking as a newsroom practice in the Philippines. It has been verifying information, doing background checks of public officials, and has been praised for pointing out inconsistencies in politician’s statements. (READ: How we do our fact-check ) 

These can be seen in the site’s three fact-checking categories: Fact Check, Fast Facts, and Rappler IQ.

Fact Check pulls together information from various sources not only to verify a claim but also to provide resources for a deeper understanding of the issue being fact-checked. It also provides substantial information by supplying context, links to previous stories published by Rappler, and embedding infographics and copies of documents, laws and related studies.

Fast Facts is used to clear up historical fact, while Rappler IQ, a stand-alone section, is used to make sense of facts, figures, and information that are “interesting, incredible, intelligent and inane”. It also produces explainers on topics dealing with generally current information.

These 3 categories are under Rappler’s investigative arm called Newsbreak. – Rappler.com