Fact check policy

At Rozana Spokesman Fact Check, we are committed to upholding the principles of accuracy, impartiality, and transparency in our fact-checking process. We ensure that our fact-checking efforts are not unduly concentrated on any particular side, ideology, or perspective. Our aim is to provide a balanced and comprehensive assessment of claims to serve the public interest.

1. Approach:

We strive to maintain a balanced approach in our fact-checking endeavours. Our commitment is to examine claims from various sources and perspectives, avoiding undue concentration on any specific political, social, or ideological stance.

2. Consideration Of Reach & Importance:

The selection of claims for fact-checking is not arbitrary. We carefully consider the reach and importance of each claim, focusing on those that have a significant impact on public discourse and understanding. Claims that are widely circulated or have potential consequences are given priority.

3. Transparent Selection Criteria:

We believe in transparency and accountability. To provide clarity to our audience, we have outlined the criteria we use to select claims for fact-checking in a concise statement on our website, under section Methodology.

4. Openness to Feedback:

We welcome feedback from our audience ,If there are concerns about our fact-checking approach or claims we choose to evaluate, we are open to constructive criticism and are committed to addressing any oversights promptly.

Our contact information is provided on our website's Contact Us page, and you can also find our phone number prominently displayed at the top of our Fact Check Page.

5. Continuous Improvement:

Our fact-checking processes are subject to continuous review and improvement. We strive to incorporate feedback, stay updated on emerging issues, and refine our methodologies to ensure the highest standards of accuracy and fairness.

By adhering to these principles, we aim to be a reliable source of fact-checked information that contributes to a well-informed public discourse.

 

About Us

Rozana Spokesman Fact Check was set up in January 2021 and operates as an autonomous journalistic endeavour within Green Media, a proprietorship registered in India, established in 2016. We are committed to provide accurate information to our users. Our Fact Checking team is independent of Rozana Spokesman Editorial unit and does not interfere in the operations of fact check at all.

Rozana Spokesman Fact-Check is led by Bhagwant Singh, our senior fact-checker. It’s been 3+ years, our team debunked more than 1000+ claims and made their presence in Punjabi Media Industry. Our work has been recognized by several media houses and big names like Boom Live, Alt News etc.

With motto of “Small Team Doing Big Things”, we are growing and serving our best to our users. Rozana Spokesman is an independent journalistic initiative under Green Media, a proprietorship registered in India.

MEET OUR FACT - CHECK TEAM
 
 
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Fact-Check Head - Bhagwant Singh

Bhagwant Singh oversees all the fact-checking operations and is integral to the growth of this team. He began this department and has continued to put in tremendous effort to ensure its expansion. He is GNI certified and thoroughly enjoys fact-checking. He is interested in learning more about public policy and governance.

...
Head of Social-Media - Ravinder Kaur

Ravinder Kaur is responsible for the management of the social media team and oversees all content posted on our channels on various social media platforms. She ensures that all content that is posted is in line with our organization’s journalistic ideals and beliefs. She is well-versed and experienced in team management and is passionate about social media, traveling, and is a foodie.

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Fact-Checker and Desk-Writer - Veerpal Kaur

Veerpal is enthusiastic about Punjab politics, and she is interested in education and entertainment. She loves working in this team and is passionate to learn more about fact-checking. She enjoys writing stories about Punjab’s education system and politics.

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Fact-Checker and Desk-Writer - Kamaljeet Kaur

Kamaljeet Kaur has studied Journalism and has been accredited with Reuters Training Course. Her interest lies in politics and health. She is very passionate about content writing and fact-checking.

...
Head Graphic Design Team - Eva

Eva leads our team of graphic designers and has brought an influx of creativity into our work. She is constantly helping out all of her juniors, helping them adjust, and giving them feedback. She loves creative work and believes graphic designing is a perfect fit for her.

 

Fact Check Head- Bhagwant Singh

Bhagwant Singh oversees all the fact-checking operations and is integral to the growth of this team. With having around 5 years of splendid experience in Fact Checking, Singh began this department and has continued to put in tremendous effort to ensure its expansion. He is Google News Initiative India Network Trainer and thoroughly enjoys fact-checking. At early stage of Fact Checking, Singh was interviewed by Bloomberg. He monitors training session of new joiners in our organization. From leading School cricket team to becoming a Fact Checker, he loves writing about public policy and governance. He is a graduate in Punjabi from Shri Guru Nanak Dev Khalsa College of Delhi University. He is also a recipient of Hands-on Fact-Checking: A Short Course – Poynter University’s eLearning course.

Head of Social-Media - Ravinder Kaur

Ravinder Kaur is responsible for the management of the social media team for Rozana Spokesman Fact Check and oversees content posted on our channels on various social media platforms. She ensures that all content that is posted is in line with our organization’s journalistic ideals and beliefs. She is easily able to identify misleading piece of content. Whenever any irregular post comes to her notice, she quickly starts verifying the integrity of that post and asks the Fact Checking department to take relevant action. She is well-versed and experienced in team management.

Fact-Checker and Desk-Writer - Veerpal Kaur

Veerpal Kaur is working with Rozana Spokesman Fact Check from 3 years and her splendid work makes her an excellent Fact Checker. She is enthusiastic about Punjab politics, and she is interested in education and entertainment.

Fact-Checker and Desk-Writer - Kamaljeet Kaur

Kamaljeet Kaur is working with Rozana Spokesman Fact Check from 3 years and is a Fact Checker with us. Kamaljeet has studied Journalism and has been accredited with Reuters Training Course. Her interest lies in politics and health. She is very passionate about content writing and fact-checking.

Head Graphic Design Team – Eva

Eva leads our team of graphic designers and has brought an influx of creativity into our work. She manages all the important graphic designing work for our Rozana Spokesman Fact Check department.

Claim Selection:

False or misleading news pieces or claims can be sent to us through our email, fact-check helpline number, or our social media platforms. We actively monitor both mainstream and social media for potentially questionable content, including viral posts, propaganda, and misinformation.
Our social media and input teams spend hours interacting with news pieces, online and those received by our reporters. Most of our verifying and debunking are based on their recommendations, or our own team scouring the internet for factual misrepresentation. Focus has always remained on stories or claims with larger implications, wider audiences (we use tools like CrowdTangle and Google Trends to track widespread dissemination), pertinent or trending topics, and areas of regular mis/disinformation.
Here, we discuss and consider the potential harm that could be caused, the potential reach (virality), the individual(s)/account(s) making the claim(s), the potential consequences or importance of the claim, and the time horizon (old or new). We focus on verifying and working to debunk misleading political news, current affairs, and major events like the Covid-19 outbreak and statements surrounding it. Our fact-checks range from sports, health, lifestyle, and history to policy, among other topics. We maintain a neutral stance while selecting the claim.  

Research :

Once the subject for a fact-check is determined, it undergoes discussion within Fact Checking Team. The subsequent step involves comprehending the material, specifically what was stated or posted. Great care is taken to initially determine whether the claim is verifiable. We refrain from fact-checking opinions or attempting to refute claims presented in an opinionated manner.

Upon identifying the nature of the claim, we directly reach out to the individual or entity, seeking evidence to substantiate the assertion. We prioritize obtaining the claimant's response through various channels.

Our attention then shifts to scrutinizing the credibility and reliability of the source. We rely on authoritative sources such as government websites, reputable journals, well-known organizations' websites, magazines, newspapers, or company publications for the information backing claims. In addition to traditional methods of contacting potential sources, we employ various internet tools to verify the origin of viral photos or videos before drawing conclusions.

Another integral aspect of the fact-checking process involves reaching out to subject matter experts, official authorities, or the police to gather their perspectives and record their views.

GROUND LEVEL VERIFICATION:-

Our one of the important call is to examine the content. With a keen eye, irregularities can be noticed. On many occasions, we have been able to easily identify misleading pieces of information which allow us to quickly debunk them. Details are key to our work, for recognizing and then understanding the context in which the piece would have to be fact-checked. We are listing below some common irregularities that can be found, which can help you, as readers, conduct your own fact-checking:

  1. Language: Audio in videos especially can help identify locations/regions to an extent

  2. Background images, posters, addresses: Common in both videos and images. Can help identify various aspects of a claim

  3. Source of content: What type of account is posting? Are they regularly posting any content? Is this content along any specific party lines? Check their earlier posts to gain such information. Check profile details too. Are they regularly reposting content others have posted? Or sharing similar posts from the same accounts? Such information can reveal a lot.

  4. The varied internet tools are regularly used and can be very helpful in accurately determining information:

We tap into this extensive network of reporters and correspondents spread across the country and beyond to validate facts directly from the field. To uphold credibility and objectivity, we refrain from assigning the task of cross-verification or confirmation to a reporter who may have submitted their own report on the same subject or served as a primary source for the information under investigation. In our narratives, we incorporate hyperlinks where feasible, directing readers to the origins of information and evidence utilized to formulate conclusions, empowering them to autonomously assess authenticity.

Crafting & Publishing :

We strive to communicate confirmed information in a clear, concise, and transparent fashion, complemented by a thorough and pertinent viewpoint. Our reports are crafted with a balanced level of detail for accessibility and comprehension, providing a transparent trajectory of the steps taken to arrive at our conclusions. Special consideration is given to maintaining a neutral tone in our fact-check posts, avoiding editorial commentary and focusing solely on the verified facts. Before publication, each report undergoes an additional review by the team member.

Post - Publishing:-

Upon the publication of a fact-checked report, we actively track audience feedback via story comments or social media channels. If any inaccuracies are highlighted, we conduct a comprehensive review and, if deemed necessary, implement updates or corrections adhering to our established correction policy.

  • Our fact-check department ensures adherence to our methodology and a commitment to non-partisanship. Our fact-checking process deters personal biases, which works to look at all stories through a critical and objective lens based on factual information. Our fact-checks do not contain any personal opinions, they are facts. We ensure that all those recruited into the fact-checking team do not have any affiliation with any state or the national government, politician, or political party.

  • The other integral aspects of our non-partisanship policy are mentioned below:

    • Employees are not allowed to be affiliated with any politician or any political party, and must not advocate for or represent any political leaning or views.

    • Employees are not allowed to participate in any political protests or campaigns.

    • Employees are not allowed to use any office resources to help amplify the voice of any political campaign, party, state, or national government.

  • Employees found to be violating any of these terms will be subject to an internal review/hearing process whereby required action will be taken.

  • Non-partisanship is non-negotiable for Rozana Spokesman, and we stand by all principles mentioned above. All employees must adhere to these policies.

Why is it important to us?

  • Political funding and pressure can influence the content we are striving to create, disturbing its originality and factuality. Sometimes, this can lead to biased views or mis/disinformation. The powerful fourth pillar of democracy must serve to protect, preserve and uphold the rights to truthful and factual information by exercising our freedom of expression. We at Rozana Spokesman value our voice and independence. Our stance is clear, we will continue to raise our voice for the people through reporting honest, independent, and factual information.

  • Rozana Spokesman’s fact-checking department strives to produce accurate content based on facts and/ or any required verifications. Although, sometimes mistakes are made. Here, we believe that any mistakes in our fact-checks should be instantly acknowledged, corrected, clarified, and retracted if needed.

  • Moreover, Rozana Spokesman actively monitors its significant presence on social media platforms and encourages feedback and critique from readers.

  • We invite our readers to write to us at factcheck@rozanaspokesman.com if any discrepancy is found in our work, any information, data, or links we have used. Please write “Correction” followed by the title of the article in the subject line. Please tell us why the information is incorrect, a link to where you find this factual information, and add the link to our article in the body.

Note: Personal opinions do not qualify as a reason for us to review or correct our work.

How is a correction made?

  • A correction is made within 24 hours. If the verification process takes longer*, please allow us to extend this deadline by another 48 hours. This is to ensure that our vetting process is thoroughly executed. If a correction is made, it will be prominently displayed on the article itself along with the editor’s note expressing regret and any additional information or sources we use to attain any required information.

  • *Sometimes it can take longer than usual to verify and vet information. There can be delays when trying to track down sources, especially outdoor correspondents and field reporters.

  • If you are not satisfied with our fact-check or corrections, please feel free to mail us at factcheck@rozanaspokesman.com

  • In instances where significant corrections are made, we include a DISCLAIMER at the conclusion of our story outlining the modifications undertaken. This disclaimer not only elucidates the reasons behind the necessary changes but also highlights any substantial amendments made to the content. Minor adjustments such as typographical errors, misspellings, grammatical nuances, or inconsequential changes that do not meet the threshold of significance according to our editorial standards are typically not highlighted.

COMPLAINT:-

Not satisfied with our Fact Check? You can write to us at our email (factcheck@rozanaspokesman.com) and we would be happy to know how we can improve our report.

You can also message or call us at +91 9560527702