Verdict criteria

Each fact-check research of BezBrekhni Project is finalised with giving a verdict  which determines the level of reliability or falsity of the object under investigation.

The following criteria for determining the verdicts were elaborated by BezBrekhni Project: truth, factual mistake, manipulation, lie, fake.

Each of the verdicts has strict criteria. Namely:

1. TRUTH

• facts and documentary data, causation, dynamics and course of events / phenomena presented in publications, posts or announced by the speaker correspond to reality;
• there is a clear logic in the use of arguments;
• a high level of awareness is demonstrated in the topic of statements, publications, posts;
• there are links to real sources of information with an accurate statement of their official names.

2. FACTUAL MISTAKE

• the facts and documentary data presented in the publication, post or announced by the speaker, causation, dynamics and course of events / phenomena in general are true, but contain minor deviations / errors / inaccuracies that do not distort the overall picture;
• or: the logic of the presentation is satisfactory though there is inconsistency in the use of arguments, which does not distort the overall picture however;
• or: there are links to real sources of information, but in the exact transmission of their names there are minor inaccuracies that do not distort the overall picture;
• or: there is insignificant rounding of figures, which does not distort the data (for example, almost 70 million, with the real figure – 69).

3. MANIPULATION

• the facts and documentary data stated in the publication, post or announced by the speaker are true, but the causal relationships between them are distorted / distorted / far-fetched / contrived;
• or: facts and documentary data presented in publications, posts or announced by the speaker that are true are interspersed with distorted / false / contrived / untrue;
• or: the argumentation of the information is distorted – there is a deliberate emphasis on insignificant, secondary facts / documentary data to the detriment of the main, key;
• or: the facts and documentary data presented in publications, posts or announced by the speaker are incomplete, taken out of context, in such a way that they cover the phenomenon or event only one-sidedly.

4. LIE

• the facts and documentary data presented in the publication, post or announced by the speaker, causal relations, dynamics and course of events / phenomena do NOT correspond to reality – they contain misrepresentations, distortions, falsifications;
• or: the logic of argumentation is distorted, artificial – it distorts the meaning of each argument and the overall picture as a whole;
• or: there are references to sources that are not relevant to the subject of the message or cannot be invented at all in order to to give weight to the arguments statements, publications, posts.

5. FAKE

• facts and documentary data presented in publications, posts or announced by the speaker, causal relations do not correspond to reality, they are fictional and do not exist;
• or: message, statement, publication is full of emotions, contains calls to action; the title does not correspond to the essence of the information; there are errors or signs of artificial translation; there is no mentioning or reference to sources; there are irrefutable and non-alternative statements;
• or: the names of sources and documentary data contain simplifications, approximate names, which facilitates their perception and dissemination to a large audience.