The European Fact-Checking Standards Network (EFCSN) presented its Governance Body and newly-written Code of professional standards at a public event in Brussels on November 16 attended by representatives of EU institutions, digital media platforms, and civil society.
Over the past year, the EFCSN project has brought together nearly 50 fact-checking organizations from across Europe to write a Code of professional standards that organizations will need to meet in order to join the network. Membership in the network will signify to the public that European fact-checking organizations are operating independently, ethically, and committed to serving the public interest.
The Chair of the EFCSN’s Governance Body, co-founder and CEO of
Maldita.es (Spain) Clara Jiménez Cruz, opened the event by outlining the EFCSN’s aims to serve as a representative voice for fact-checkers who meet its standards, which range from matters like non-partisanship to quality sourcing and financial transparency.
Governance Body member Ana Brakus, CEO of Faktograf (Croatia) – a member of the SEE CHeck network, called on platforms to be more transparent about their efforts and put more resources into countering disinformation. She emphasized that “platforms can improve the infosphere, but they need to decide to really do so” and urged them to “use your resources to create something good”.
More about the presentation report can be found on the EFCSN website.