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AFP will work with Correctiv (Germany), Demagog (Poland), Pagella Politica (Italy) and EU DisinfoLab (Belgium) and Fundación Maldita.es (Spain) in the European Fact-checking Standards Project.

They will use their experience and contacts within the fact-checking and OSINT communities to define the standards of independence, transparency, methodology and journalistic quality needed to be recognized as an independent fact-checking organization in Europe. 

The aim is to have independent European fact-checkers set those standards, as well as mechanisms to evaluate their compliance or to help organizations reach them, through discussion and agreement.

The consortium will bring together European fact-checking and OSINT organizations to discuss and agree on that set of standards. This consensus will be translated into a Code of Professional Integrity for independent European fact-checkers, together with a mechanism to implement it and help organisations fulfill its requirements.

As part of the Call of Integrity of Social Media, this pilot project will complement EDMO’s efforts in providing targeted support to the European strategy to tackle disinformation and to the development of a European ecosystem of independent fact-checking organisations that monitor, identify, study and counter disinformation campaigns. This project will pull together fact-checking organisations from across Europe and draw up a Code of Professional Integrity for European fact-checking organisations, pilot its implementation and help relevant organisations adhere to it .

Throughout 2022 and 2023, and with the support of the European Commission, these six organizations ensure that the requirements and standards set by the Code are the result of an in-depth conversation and wide consensus among European fact-checking organisations, enriched with the advice of academics and other experts in the field.

By being representative of both the independent European fact-checkers and Open Source Investigation organizations working on disinformation campaigns, the Code will have the full legitimacy that it needs to be recognized and implemented. A legitimacy that will lend to its Governance Body, appointed by the community, that will evaluate organizations’ compliance with the Code after examining independent reviews. 

The members of this European Fact-checking Standards Project (EFCSP) have extensive experience in the activities that will ensure wide dissemination for the Code and the training and educational opportunities that will help organisations fulfill its requirements. 

EFCSN is supported by the European Union under the 2020 work programme on the financing of Pilot Projects and Preparatory Actions in the field of “Communications Networks, Content and Technology”.