Mission, rules and principles of BezBrekhni project

BezBrekhni Team  

The team of BezBrekhni project founders is a close-knit team of experts in their field. It includes experienced and professional journalists, editors, researchers, SMM-communications experts with significant experience.

The professional topics of the project’s fact-checking journalists lie in the field of social, political, cultural, economic, health and safety issues.

The leading specialization of the BezBrekhni project which makes it different from other similar projects is the emphasis on promoting the fact-checking trend in the regions of Ukraine, involvement in fact-checking and cooperation of independent regional publications and journalists in fact-checking and cooperation. In our opinion, which is confirmed with the experience gained over the years in a specific national information environment, it is at the regional level that fact-checking is the most effective tool for monitoring the public rhetoric of top speakers (from statesmen to opinion leaders), publications in local media, and regional groups in social networks.

Independence and impartiality of the project

BezBrekhni project cooperates only with independent media or public organizations.

Political advertising, propaganda articles, and advertisements of goods and services are prohibited on the project’s website.

BezBrekhni project is politically neutral, not bound by any agreements or contractual obligations with political parties, government agencies, religious organizations, public sector companies, commercial organizations, organizations promoting extremism, chauvinism and other forms of humiliation on the basis of religion, nationality, gender, etc.

Financial support

BezBrekhni project is NOT supported by state, commercial, political organizations or other biased or partisan organizations, as well as structures with non-transparent funding.

BezBrekhni project is supported exclusively by international independent donor organizations through their assistance in the implementation of projects and activities that meet the goal and objectives of BezBrekhni.

In addition, BezBrekhni project can receive support through charitable contributions from organizations and individuals without any obligation to provide certain services in return or to promote the interests of these charitable organizations and individuals.

Participation in the fact-checking process

BezBrekhni project is open for cooperation. Any reader, journalist, blogger, expert can send us their suggestions to check the message, statement, publication, as well as remarks and comments by clicking the button. This can be done through the “Feedback” function or through a message on the project’s Facebook page.

BezBrekhni project concept

Mission

• counteracting the spread of fakes, lies, manipulation, propaganda, information myths in the public rhetoric of top persons, media publications, social networks;
• production of high-quality tested content, raising the level of critical thinking of ordinary citizens, instilling a culture of critical perception of information;
• improving the methodology of fact-checking and available forms of its dissemination to a larger readership;
• promotion and dissemination of the fact-checking trend, involvement in the systematic verification of facts in independent regional media, creation of regional fact-checking projects as a center of verified and reliable information in the local information space;
• development of methodological materials on fact-checking: manuals, dictionaries, instructions, training courses and dissemination of new knowledge and skills through educational activities: trainings, workshops, seminars, lectures, webinars, etc.

Goal:

Fight against unreliable information, manipulation, fakes, propaganda, information myths.

Tasks:

– systematic monitoring and verification of the authenticity of socially significant and resonant topics raised in the statements of public figures, publications in the media, posts on social networks;

– regular publication of fact-checking investigations with a description of the inspection, verdicts (true, factual error, manipulation, untruth, fake) and conclusions that attract the reader’s attention to the exactplace where the information was distorted and in what way.

Basic rules for the work of BezBrekhni project

BezBrekhni project is a fundamentally independent fact-checking project. Maintaining objectivity and impartiality has always been our priority.

The objects of fact-checking may be any person (statesmen, politicians, public opinion leaders), the media or media organizations, their statements, publications, posts on social networks.

Project experts do not check judgments, assumptions, forecasts.

All materials of BezBrekhni project are published in the state national language — Ukrainian, with some or them in English. As an exception, they may be published in Russian.

The verification methodology used by BezBrekhni project is based on international standards, fact-checking tools, and the experience of world fact-checking organizations.

BezBrekhni project uses only open sources and information obtained from official inquiries to state and international institutions to conduct the inspection. In accordance with the collected evidence base and on the basis of criteria, a verdict is established in the fact-checking investigation. The results are published on the project website in the form of an article.

BezBrekhni project  has the right to choose the verification methodology and sources of evidence, but only those that do not contradict international standards and fact-checking tools.

In case of disputes, BezBrekhni project is ready to consider counterarguments, as well as the possibility of creating an expert working group to review the verdict.

BezBrekhni project may also create a working expert group in some cases when it is difficult to make an unambiguous verdict. The BezBrekhni project is fundamentally focused on the legislation of Ukraine, international legislation, as well as globally recognized values and ethical norms.

The authors of BezBrekhni project cannot be members of political parties and work in the staff of state organizations at the same time. This way the principle of neutrality is observed. To avoid conflicts of interest, authors cannot write about the organizations in which they work.

Principles of BezBrekhni project work

In our work, we focus on the principles of the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN), which we seek to join or to contribute to the promotion of the trend important for the society:

A COMMITMENT TO NONPARTISANSHIP AND FAIRNESS

We fact-check claims using the same standard for every fact check. We do not concentrate our fact-checking on any one side. We follow the same process for every fact check and let the evidence dictate our conclusions. We do not advocate or take policy positions on the issues we fact-check.

A COMMITMENT TO TRANSPARENCY OF SOURCES

We want readers to be able to test our results by themselves. We list all the sources in detail that readers can follow our work.

A COMMITMENT TO TRANSPARENCY OF FUNDING & ORGANIZATION

We are transparent about our funding sources. If we accept funding from other organizations, we ensure that funders have no influence over the conclusions we reach in our reports. We detail the professional background of all key figures in our organization and explain our organizational structure and legal status. We clearly indicate a way for readers to communicate with us.

A COMMITMENT TO TRANSPARENCY OF METHODOLOGY

We explain the methodology we use to select, research, write, edit, publish and correct our fact checks. We encourage readers to send us claims to fact-check and are transparent on why and how we fact-check.

A COMMITMENT TO OPEN AND HONEST CORRECTIONS

We publish our corrections policy and follow it scrupulously. We correct clearly and transparently in line with our corrections policy, seeking so far as possible to ensure that readers see the corrected version.