NewsMeter fact checkers have a primary responsibility to factcheck claims with fair and objective methodology without bias. These stories are reviewed by one or more factcheck editors and only then posted on the website.
We monitor different social media platforms and verify the authenticity of the viral news. The tweets, statements and posts of politicians and influencers from various walks of life are monitored. Several users message us directly or tag us on tweets with some claims which need verification. We ensure that there is no political bias in selecting the claims to be fact-checked.
We maintain clear standards across our fact checks by selecting trending topics that are aimed at misleading the public in favor of a political party or an individual or those aimed at creating unnecessary panic among all.
NewsMeter keeps an eye on regular editorial news and messages in the mainstream media and also social media platforms. We do not make any judgment of our own, whether they merit coverage based on their perceived importance, degree of controversy or superficiality.
We take up a claim for fact-checking without any bias or political affinity. Process is strictly followed for every fact check and all the claims, whether offensive or elusive, are taken up for study. We thoroughly examine a claim and try to explain it with layman words so that a reader can understand the fact without much difficulty.
2. Verification of the claim:
Thorough analysis of the origin and context of the claim are done. Date of origin of the claim is crucial, the source of the claim needs to be a reliable one. Images are searched using Google reverse image search to backtrack the earliest date they were posted. In case of videos, we use online tools like Invid, to extract the keyframes from the video and then those pictures are used for reverse image search. Any kind of manipulation, such as photoshop, can be found out using this technique. Official press releases, posts or tweets of official and verified social media handles are also used.
Claims from various languages can also be checked by translating the content to any desirable language by using translating tools like Google translate etc. Features like Geolocation, Maps, Street view etc are used to identify the location of the image or video.
Various search engines like Yandex, Bing, Baidu, Tineye along with Google are used to find and analyze the origin of the claims shared.
3. Research:
Publicly available resources such as News releases from authentic news agencies, reputed media websites are used in the verification process. Evidence in the form of pictures, videos are sorted and presented to either support or refute the claim made.
For the understanding of the user, the techniques used for fact-checking are listed and presented well, links of the resources used are hyperlinked in the story to make it authentic.
4. Fact Check:
Based on the research done, the claim is concluded as
True
Partly True
False
Some claims which cannot be fact checked, due to lack of enough evidence, will be pronounced as Unverified.
5. Correction policy:
The editor inspects every Fact check story before it is published to avoid any factual errors. Readers are encouraged to link the page with your policy to address corrections and mail us at [email protected].
We are open to Constructive criticism and feedback.
Fact Check Team:
Team in English:
Satya Priya BN (Fact Checker)
Satya Priya leads the Fact Check Team at the Newsmeter.
A motivated professional with zeal to learn, Sathya Priya has more than five years of experience as a Content and Digital manager in Press, Electronic and Digital media. She is Andhra Pradesh government-accredited Multimedia Journalist. A science Post Graduate, with excellent computing skills, She is a fact-checker certified by Google News Initiative. She has also completed Fundamentals of Digital Marketing Certification from Google.
Aiswarya Sriram (Fact Checker)
Aiswarya Sriram is a budding multimedia journalist and is currently working for NewsMeter. A graduate from Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media (IIJNM) Bangalore, Aiswarya has earlier worked with The Logical Indian and has interned with Republic TV. Aiswarya loves to do rural reporting. She started as a journalist reporting on civic issues, GHMC, human-interesting features for Newsmeter. She is now a full time fact checker doing fact check text stories and videos.
Atisha Rai (Senior Sub Editor for Fact Check)
Atisha Rai is a research scholar at the English and Foreign Languages University, Hyderabad. She has worked as a sub-editor for The Statesman, Kolkata, and was a senior sub-editor at The Deccan Chronicle. She now subs fact check stories for Newsmeter.
Team in Telugu:
Satya Priya BN (Fact Checker)
Motivated professional with zeal to learn, Sathya Priya has more than five years of experience as a Content and Digital manager in Press, Electronic and Digital media. She is Andhra Pradesh government-accredited Multimedia Journalist. A science Post Graduate, with excellent computing skills, She is a fact-checker certified by Google News Initiative. She has also completed Fundamentals of Digital Marketing Certification from Google.
Sujatha Saptagiri Gopagoni(Fact Checker)
He is a certified Fact-checker and trainer. He has formerly worked with Telugu daily.
Geetika Rustagi has trained the entire NewsMeter team (English & Telugu). She is GNI certified fake news fact-checker who teaches at GNI, Hindustan Times, Livemint, NDTV, and ACJ India. She has briefed them about the tools required for a fact-checker, and also showed them few case studies.
Promoters and funding sources of NewsMeter
The company is promoted by A Bharani Kumar and B V Reddy. A Bharani Kumar is a graduate in commerce and his vision of setting up an independent fact checking news site has been realised with News meter. B V Reddy is a registered private medical practitioner who is known for his medical service.
Funding
Newsmeter is mostly self-funded through the Investments from promoters. Around 50 per cent of operational costs are borne through the investments from promoters. Both fact check unit and editorial team operates independently.
Newsmeter also receives funding(revenue) through advertisements from Google Adsense, Taboola and other advertisers. We have received a revenue of Rs 48,900,57 in the financial year 2019-2020. Around 50 per cent of operational costs are borne through the advertisement revenue. The figures are yet to be audited. None of the advertisers has any role in deciding the selection of claims for a fact check or findings to be published or in editorial policy. We are a free and separate fact-checking unit that acts independently.
Newsmeter receives nominal revenue from news aggregators like daily hunt who pick up our stories. We do not provide any content separately to any news aggregators. All the news stories published on the site are picked up by them automatically with RSS feed. News aggregators has no role in deciding the editorial policy or selection of news stories or fact check to be published on Website. Moreover the revenue generated from news aggregators is insignificant amounting to less than 0.1 per cent of operational costs/budget and they have no influence on either fact checking or editorial. We have received nominal revenue of Rs 4688 form news aggregators in financial year 2019-20.
Newsmeter doesn’t receive any funding from local or foreign state or political sources.
