This is the editorial section of the EDMO repository of European fact-checking initiatives. Scroll down to read the portraits and learn more about individual operations across Europe.
To go back to the EDMO map and table overview page, click here.
ARD-faktenfinder
(public, non-profit news)
Based in: Hamburg, Germany
Launched in: 2017
Initiator: Patrick Gensing (journalist and editor)
Main source of income: Fees
Other sources of income: –
Annual expenditure: –
Number of fact checkers: 4
Hours spent on fact checking per week: 40
Pieces of fact checking/verification content published annually: 150
Focus topics: Political issues, disinformation campaigns
Formats: Online articles/blog posts
Partnerships / associated organisations
Mission statement / Objectives
- Investigate rumours
- Correct false reports
- Provide background information on current topics
Last update: 12/21
Debunk.eu
(private, non-profit)
Based in: Vilnius, Lithuania
Launched in: 2017
Initiator: Viktoras Dauksas
Main source of income: Grants
Other sources of income: –
Annual expenditure: 300.000 Euros (2020)
Number of fact checkers: 15
Hours spent on fact checking per week: ca. 600
Pieces of fact checking/verification content published annually: 100
Focus topics: Misinformation/disinformation in the Baltics, AI-driven verfication, collaborative verification (newsrooms + civil society)
Formats: Reports/white papers
Partnerships / associated organisations
Mission statement / Objectives
- research disinformation in the public space
- run media literacy campaigns
- strive for a better-informed, more resilient society
Last update: 01/22
Ellinika Hoaxes
(private, non-profit)
Based in: Thessaloniki, Greece
Launched in: 2012
Initiator: Theodoros Daniilidis (fact checker)
Main source of income: Facebook grants
Other sources of income: –
Annual expenditure: –
Number of fact checkers: 9
Hours spent on fact checking per week: –
Pieces of fact checking/verification content published annually: 450
Focus topics: conspiracy theories, pseudoscience, political agitation, viral hoaxes
Formats: Online articles/blog posts
Partnerships / associated organisations
Mission statement / Objectives
- bring down false information on the (Greek) internet and protect it as a valuable source of information
- investigate and “demolish”
- be open for good arguments and credible sources
- stay transparent and politically independent
Last update: 04/22
EU DisinfoLab
(private, non-profit)
Based in: Brussels, Belgium
Launched in: 2017
Initiator: Alexandre Alaphillipe, Gary Machado (as citizens)
Main source of income: Grants, subsidies
Other sources of income: –
Annual expenditure: –
Number of fact checkers: –
Hours spent on fact checking per week: –
Pieces of fact checking/verification content published annually: –
Focus topics: exposing disinfo networks and strategies, digital forensics
Formats: Online articles/blog posts
Partnerships / associated organisations
Mission statement / Objectives
- create a society in which all citizens understand the informational context they live in and are less susceptible to attempts of manipulation (especially on social media)
- promote education, quality information, integrity, democracy / rule of law, and collective action
Last update: 12/21
Factual.ro
(private, non-profit)
Based in: Bucharest, Romania
Launched in: 2014
Initiator: A group of volunteers (young professionals)
Main source of income: Donations (crowdfunding)
Other sources of income: One grant (2016)
Annual expenditure: 2000 Euros (2020)
Number of fact checkers: 5
Hours spent on fact checking per week: 20
Pieces of fact checking/verification content published annually: 150
Focus topics: Verification of political statements in Romania
Formats: Online articles/blog posts
Partnerships / associated organisations
Mission statement / Objectives
- foster fact-based public debates
- fight populism
Last update: 01/22
FHJ Factory
(public, non-profit)
Based in: Tilburg, Netherlands
Launched in: 2008
Initiator: Monique Hamers (teacher)
Main source of income: Educational funding
Other sources of income: –
Annual expenditure: –
Number of fact checkers: 2
Hours spent on fact checking per week: 3
Pieces of fact checking/verification content published annually: 35
Focus topics: Viral claims
Formats: Online articles/blog posts
Partnerships / associated organisations
Mission statement / Objectives
- fact-checking – “perhaps the most important principle in journalism”
- check statements by politicians, companies, NGOs, and journalists
- verify photos and videos
- blog about latest developments in both the fact checking and the disinfo scene
Last update: 04/22
NELEŽ
(private, non-profit)
Based in: Prague, Czech Republic
Launched in: 2020
Initiator: a group of media professionals
Main source of income: none
Other sources of income: none
Annual expenditure: none
Number of fact checkers: –
Hours spent on fact checking per week: 5-10
Pieces of fact checking/verification content published annually: –
Focus topics: disinfo monetization
Formats: Online articles/blog posts
Partnerships / associated organisations
Mission statement / Objectives
- stand for the truth and against disinformation
- fight the monetization of disinformation, alert unwitting brands about ads appearing in a shady context
Last update: 04/22
Maldita
(private, non-profit news)
Based in: Madrid, Spain
Launched in: 2017
Initiator: Julio Montes Moreno, Clara Jiménez Cruz
Main source of income: Crowd funding
Other sources of income: media collaborations, grants, projects, services
Annual expenditure: 700.000 Euros (2020)
Number of fact checkers: 15
Hours spent on fact checking per week: 700
Pieces of fact checking/verification content published annually: 1700
Focus topics: Fact-checking and debunking with regard to politics and social issues (migration, gender), science, technology and everything else that’s relevant.
Formats: Online articles/blog posts
Partnerships / associated organisations
- IFCN
Mission statement / Objectives
- monitor and supervise political discourse
- promote transparency
- verify and fight against misinformation
- promote media and information literacy (MIL) as well as MIL tools
- help people “not to be fooled”; establish an informed community able to fight back against all kinds of lies and propaganda
Last update: 10/21
Pagella Politica
(private, for profit)
Based in: Milan, Italy
Launched in: 2012
Initiator: Pietro Curatolo, Daniele De Bernardin, Federica Fusi, Giorgio Gagnor, Amerigo Lombardi, Alexios Mantzarlis, Flavia Mi, Andrea Saviolo, Silvia Sommariva e Carlo Starace (all students at the time)
Main source of income: Media partnerships, European projects
Other sources of income: –
Annual expenditure: –
Number of fact checkers: 4
Hours spent on fact checking per week: 160
Pieces of fact checking/verification content published annually: 600
Focus topics: political statements
Formats: Online articles/blog posts
Partnerships / associated organisations
Mission statement / Objectives
- foster political debates based on hard facts and reliable data
- hold politicians to account
- verify and analyze
- enable dialogue and build trust
- be transparent
- remain independent
Last update: 04/22
Poligrafo
(private, for-profit news)
Based in: Lisbon, Portugal
Launched in: 2018
Initiator: Fernando Esteves
Main source of income: Facebook Third Party Program
Other sources of income: –
Annual expenditure: 350.000 Euros (2020)
Number of fact checkers: 8
Hours spent on fact checking per week: 400
Pieces of fact checking/verification content published annually: 1300
Focus topics: Viral hoaxes, political statements
Formats: Online articles/blog posts
Partnerships / associated organisations
Mission statement / Objectives
- establish truth in the public sphere
- serve audiences
- advocate liberal democracy
- be politically independent
- be transparent
- use new technologies in journalism
- stick to journalism ethics and standards
Last update: 10/21
RFI Les Dessous de L'Infox
(public, non-profit news)
Based in: Issy-les-Moulineaux / Paris, France
Launched in: 2017
Initiator: RFI Newsdesks
Main source of income: Public funds (French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs)
Other sources of income: –
Annual expenditure: –
Number of fact checkers: 1
Hours spent on fact checking per week: 1.5
Pieces of fact checking/verification content published annually: 50
Focus topics: Disinformation in international news
Formats: (Online) Radio show
Partnerships / associated organisations
Mission statement / Objectives
- Spot the fake in the news, help people see more clearly.
Last update: 11/21
Tjekdet
(private, non-profit news)
Based in: Denmark, Copenhagen
Launched in: 2016
Initiator: Lisbeth Knudsen
Main source of income: Public funds
Other sources of income: –
Annual expenditure: 670.000 Euros (2020)
Number of fact checkers: 5
Hours spent on fact checking per week: 180
Pieces of fact checking/verification content published annually: 200
Focus topics: Political statements, digital forensics, heath issues, viral hoaxes
Formats: Online articles/blog posts
Partnerships / associated organisations
Mission statement / Objectives
- foster an informed, qualified public debate; strengthen democratic dialogue
- fight mis- and disinformation
- offer nuanced fact-checking
Last update: 10/21