In the age of digital revolution and information society, we find false information to be particularly harmful. Fake news serves only the people who create it. Regardless of whether they are generated out of the desire for profit, political or ideological purposes, usually they are simply a means to achieve a certain outcome. We believe it is impossible to conduct a substantive discussion or introduce wise changes based on falsehood. Society has the right to objective and reliable information, on the basis of which everyone should be able to make well-informed decisions on their own.

What We Investigate and How We Select the Topics

The topics that we can analyse must meet the following conditions:

• The theses we verify must be falsifiable. We cannot confirm or debunk assumptions, rumours, or completely invented stories. If a topic comes down only to the issue of accepting it on faith – we are not able to evaluate it substantively. Sometimes we do not have access to sources required to verify the thesis at a given moment. In such cases we clearly inform about it, and we present the entire context of the issue and all the information we have managed to collect in our article.
• They must be popular or have the potential to gain significant popularity on the Internet. Countless false information appears on the web every day – due to limited capabilities, we only verify those that can reach a large group of recipients.
• They must be related to Poland, influence Polish citizens or be replicated in the Polish information space and be as up-to-date as possible. Nevertheless, some topics are so significant that we consider their verification important, even if they have been circulating for many months or years. We search for topics on our own or act upon reports sent by our readers.
• They must be socially harmful or mislead many people.
• We do not deliberately or systemically focus our investigations on one particular political party or side of the political scene.
• We fight disinformation, which is why we mainly publish articles on false or partially false information. Sometimes we confirm news about which there were a lot of doubts on the Internet.

How We Verify Information

Regardless of the source, we investigate each material according to the same principles. We check the information in a few steps:

1. We identify the source, and we try to reach people or institutions directly affected by disinformation in order to obtain an explanation or correction.
2. We use reliable primary sources, positively evaluated scientific works and research, as well as expert opinions. We rely only on the opinions of dependable experts, and in our articles, we explain what makes them trustworthy. We clearly disclose any conflicts of interest or political dependencies, including those concerning experts or organizations we refer to. All our sources are publicly available and clearly marked in each article, so that everyone can refer to them on their own. In addition, every piece of fact-based information in our articles has a reference to the appropriate source.
3. If feasible, we try to verify the main thesis of the article in at least two independent sources.
4. We follow the practice of citing all sources except where their safety could be compromised. In such cases, anonymous sources are only considered if the information they provide is confirmed by name-based sources or by reliable material evidence.
5. In cases requiring identification of places, people and time, we also rely on our own open-source intelligence (OSINT), we use video materials, and we handle geo- and chronolocation. We always explain the full procedure to obtain information with a detailed description of the techniques used and the methodology adopted.
6. We always offer the right to respond, where appropriate and possible, to any named person or organization that is the source of the false claim and/or the subject of material criticism or allegation.
7. We present our findings in precise, factual and emotionless language, while being careful not to draw too far-reaching conclusions.
8. Each analysis or article is double-checked by a second fact-checker and the editor-in-chief to avoid mistakes. They also undergo proofreading to ensure full clarity of the text.
9. We do not present private opinions.
10. We update articles and listen to the opinions of our readers. If proven wrong, we make corrections or change the verdict on the information in a visible way, marking where the mistake occurred. The articles in which the corrections have been made can be found here. Each correction is placed below the thesis and verdict in a red, conspicuous rectangle. You can read more about our correction policy here.

Rating System

Below we describe our scale of ratings. We always strive to be precise, accurate and honest. We welcome all comments and suggestions.

Example of a thesis and rating

The Thesis section, located above the Rating, is a summary of the narrative being investigated, and this is what the rating is about. For instance:

Our rating:

Truth

This is the evaluation of the above claim. The claim is a summary of the information being verified.

Full list of assessments used and their definitions:

Our rating:

False

Information inconsistent with the current knowledge.

Our rating:

Scam / Deception

Misleading information aiming at provoking the recipient to an unfavorable disposition of his own or somebody else's property, or entrustment of personal data.

Our rating:

Manipulation

A message often using real information, which has been bent or distorted in order to prove one's opinion or influence someone else's views and behaviors.

Our rating:

Satire / Joke

Information is shown in an abstract, humorous way, aiming at amusing the recipients or criticizing or ridiculing a phenomenon, an event or a person.

Our rating:

Mostly false

The main elements of the claim are inconsistent with the current knowledge, but some additional details concerning particular information may be true.

What is false?

Developing the assessment and explaining which elements of the claim are false.

Our rating:

Truth

Information consistent with the current knowledge

Our rating:

Mostly true

The main elements of the claim are consistent with the current knowledge, but some additional details concerning particular information may be false.

What is truth?

Rozwinięcie oceny i wyjaśnienie które elementy tezy są prawdą.

What is false?

Developing the assessment and explaining which elements of the claim are false.

Our rating:

Unverifiable

Information, whose reliability or falsehood cannot be proven

Our rating:

Lack of evidence

There is not enough evidence to assess a claim as true or false.

Our rating:

Report

Collecting and presenting raw data/information in a clear and easily accessible way. Report presents the situation, provokes questions.

Our rating:

Analysis

Exploration and interpretation of data in a particular context - provides insights.