International scope of European fact-checkers: case study of Spain, France and the UK

Abstract

Disinformation poses a critical threat to democracies, directly impacting individuals and specific communities. The intertwining factors of social media, political polarization, and recent international conflicts—such as the Russian invasion of Ukraine or the Israel-Hamas conflict—have fuelled the evolution of more sophisticated disinformation techniques. This has heightened social and academic concerns.

Journalism has embraced fact-checking as a crucial weapon against the proliferation of fake news (Amorós, 2018). In the current landscape of dwindling trust in the media, verification emerges as a powerful tool for media accountability, offering journalism an opportunity to reclaim its societal significance (Mayoral et al., 2019). This sentiment resonates in the research of Rodríguez Martínez et al. (2021), exploring disinformation and fact-checking platforms, emphasizing collaboration between journalism and communication professionals and technicians armed with tools and algorithms to navigate extensive information (Vizoso et al., 2018). The research aims to determine the geographical focus of fact-checkers in Spain, France, and the UK. This overarching objective encompasses three specific goals: firstly, to gain a comprehensive understanding of the extent of fact-checking activities in these pivotal European countries; secondly, to identify variations among the three nations, particularly in terms of the regions and areas most frequently subject to fact-checking; and finally, to establish a profile for each agency, delineating their scope and geographic concentration. The research adopts a descriptive methodology, leveraging the analysis of multimedia content as the most effective approach for delving into media content (Chaves Montero, 2018). Employing a quantitative approach, each verification undergoes coding based on predefined categories and variables. Two dependent variables are considered: fact-checker (encompassing fourteen fact checkers) and country (encompassing Spain, France, and the U.K.). The independent variables include scope, International Institutions, Other identities, Country, and Region. The selection of fact-checkers adheres to specific criteria: (1) Compliance with IFCN criteria, as transparency standards are mandatory; and (2) operating in the U.K., Spain, and France—countries chosen to represent diverse international perspectives and cultural ties, as well as the three predominant European languages globally. Seventeen fact-checkers across the three countries were identified: four in Spain (EFE Verifica, Maldita, Newtral, and Verificat), four in the U.K. (FactCheckNI, Ferret Fact Service, Full Fact, and Logically), and nine in France (20 Minutes Fake off; France 24 - Les Observateurs; Le Monde - Les Décodeurs; Les Vérificateurs LCI / TF1; Libération – CheckNews; franceinfo.fr, Les Surligneurs, AFP Fact Checking, and Science Feedback).