The consolidation of Spanish fact-checking sites: internationalisation, quality indexes, accountability and constraints in daily work

Victoria Moreno-Gil; Francesc Salgado de Dios

doi:10.31921/doxacom.n42a2677

Authors

Victoria Moreno-Gil Carlos III University of Madrid https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7019-5884
Francesc Salgado de Dios Pompeu Fabra University https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3091-7587

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.31921/doxacom.n42a2677

Keywords:

Fact-checking, verification, disinformation, journalism, ethics, IFCN

Abstract

After their first years of public activity, four fact-checking sites have established themselves within the Spanish information ecosystem: Maldita.es, Newtral, Verificat, and EFE Verifica. Each with a distinct business model, their collaborative and complementary work represents the first concerted effort to combat the spread of disinformation in Spain. This research study assesses the internationalisation rates and quality of work of these sites based on the commitments outlined in the International Fact-checking Network Code of Principles. At the same time, in-depth interviews with representatives of these sites provide an overview of the efforts made to implement these standards, linked to various basic ethical aspects: transparency, accountability and public participation. The interviews were conducted after observing the declared methodology on the websites of the four outlets, as well as their daily fact-checking practice. This article represents an approach to the ethics of fact-checking in relation to the IFCN Code, which is the most widely implemented and globally recognised framework within the fact-checking movement. Despite some non-compliance with economic transparency and minor discrepancies in methodology among these Spanish outlets, the study concludes that they satisfactorily adhere to these ethical parameters, and thus their work can be considered of a high standard.

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Author Biographies

Victoria Moreno-Gil, Carlos III University of Madrid

Ph.D. in Journalism from Carlos III University of Madrid (2019) and a Master’s degree in Ethics and Law in Journalism from the UNED (2011). She is an associate professor at the Communication and Media Studies Department at Carlos III University, and at the School of Communication and Arts of Nebrija University (Madrid). She has been a Visiting Researcher at Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona. Her research focuses on journalism ethics, media accountability and media literacy. Recently, she is also doing research on journalism and artificial intelligence as well as journalism and gender equality. She participates in several national research projects funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation. She has published in indexed journals such as Media & Communication, El profesional de la información, Communication & Society, Revista de Comunicación and Anàlisi. She combines a research career with professional journalism working as a multimedia editor at the Spanish news agency EFE.
Francesc Salgado de Dios, Pompeu Fabra University

Ph.D. in Journalism from the Pompeu Fabra University of Barcelona (UPF, 2009). A member of POLCOM at the same university, he was also a professor at the Communication Department (2006-2021). He has been a predoctoral Visiting Researcher at the London School of Economics (LSE, 2007) and at the Carlos III University of Madrid (2008), as well as a postdoctoral Visiting Researcher at La Sapienza, of Rome, (2010) and at the University of Girona (2021-2023). His research focuses on the history of journalism –especially gender equality, transition and the Second Spanish Republic– and on misinformation and journalistic deontology. He has edited an anthology on Manuel Vázquez Montalbán (Mondadori, 2010) and is preparing another on the journalist Irene Polo (Renacimiento, 2025). He has participated in several research projects, the most recent being FACCTMEDIA, which has received public funding. He is part of the FEMMEM project (UAB, 2025-2027). He has published academic papers in indexed journals such as Communication & Society (2024), Estudios del Mensaje Periodístico (2024) or Historia y Comunicación Social (2023).

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