Who are we?
The Raskrinkavanje platform was launched by the team of “Zašto ne”, an organization with years-long experience in fact-checking, acquired through our work on checking the accuracy and consistency of statements by public officials, as well as monitoring the fulfilment of pre-election promises on the Istinomjer platform.
In our work so far, we noticed a growing need for a similar approach in the sphere of media accountability. We have often faced problematic claims that were not coming from politicians, but rather from the media which reported on their statements. Since Istinomjer is committed to strengthening the political accountability of public officials and does not deal with the verification of media information, such claims have so far remained unrated. Starting a separate platform for fact checking the media was, therefore, the next logical step for us.
The development of the Raskrinkavanje platform is done in cooperation with the Crime and Corruption Reporting Network (KRIK), a partner organization from Serbia which deals with investigative journalism, and the Center for Democratic Transition from Montenegro, an organization with extensive experience in promoting the accountability of democratic actors, as well as social and political research. We hope that in the future we will extend cooperation to other countries in the region, as all face similar problems and challenges in the media sphere.
What do we do?
Raskrinkavanje bases its work on an impartial, independent and thorough verification of media information.
Raskrinkavanje follows media reports and, based on its methodology, checks and evaluates those whose credibility is questionable. The ratings we use don’t all hold the same “weight” – among them there are those which do not necessarily indicate an intention to spread disinformation (such as “satire” or “error”), but we consider them important for a comprehensive mapping of the quality of media content. The worst rating that can be given to a report is “fake news”, when it can be established beyond any reasonable doubt that a particular media has fabricated a particular story or a claim and presented it as a true, deliberately misinforming the public. In such cases, we try to identify all the media that have republished such news, which we give a rating of “redistributing fake news”.
The media whose publications we analysed are allocated to one of two lists based on the ratings received: List of media that publish fake news; and the List of high-risk media, which show a tendency for unprofessional reporting and the risk of publishing fake news. By reviewing these lists, one can quickly and easily identify which media should be approached with caution, that is, consider them a non-credible source of information.
You can find out more about how we choose media and publications, about classification of ratings and how media lists are created by reviewing our Methodology.
In addition to verification of individual articles and media feature stories, Raskrinkavanje will occasionally publish analyses based on its findings and additional media research in BiH and the region. The topics that we plan to address in this way include, but are not limited to: identifying narratives that are associated with various forms of media manipulation; issues related to the legal framework of media functioning, such as registration and transparency of media ownership; mapping various interests, both political and economic, responsible for the creation and redistribution of fake news; and the identification of key figures in the production of fake news and related media narratives.
In this way, we build a unique database that should serve as a kind of “guide” through the media scene in a time when we are overwhelmed by information, among which it is often difficult to distinguish between true and fake content.
Correction of false statements
Raskrinkavanje calls on all media and other stakeholders subject to our analyses, whose statements and reports are verified and rated, to provide further clarification and facts if they believe that our reports and ratings do not match the existing facts.
If, after presenting new facts and our verification, it is determined that Raskrinkavanje falsely rated the media report and/or based the rating on incorrect information, it will publicly admit the mistake and correct it.
The correction of a mistake is conducted as follows:
- Disputed part and/or rating is corrected in the original analysis
- A highlighted note is added to the text of the analysis that the analysis was subsequently modified
- The note contains clear indications of what was changed in the analysis and based on which new information, as well as the date when the change occurred
We believe that such mistake-correcting is a model that should be encouraged in media discourse and activity, in order to continually provide citizens with precise, accurate and up-to-date information.
Impartiality in work
Raskrinkavanje is non-party oriented and equally approaches all content analyses, irrespective of what media they come from. Raskrinkavanje applies a pre-established methodology when verifying the accuracy of media reports, without distinguishing them based on the source of information (media and/or author of the material being analysed), or any type of political affiliation of the media and/or author of the material being analysed. These characteristics of the media or analysed material are taken into account to the extent where they are relevant to the context in which the disinformation being analysed occurred, which is necessary for understanding the intent, procedure, or consequences of such disinformation, especially when it comes to disinformation of a primarily political nature (“spin”).
This approach is ensured by the principal procedure that Raskrinkavanje applies in analysing media content, that is, by searching and recording not only the source but also all available redistributions of disinformation being analysed, which are handled in the same way in each analysis.
No one who works in “Raskrinkavanje” is not and may not be an active member of any political party, or actively participate in election campaigns of political subjects.
The activities of the project Raskrinkavanje and all other projects by “Zašto ne” organisation are independent of any political influence, including financial influence. Our work is funded solely by international organisations and embassies, who share our beliefs of objectivity and impartiality.
As an organisation, we are committed to promoting government transparency and political accountability, and in this regard, we have always supported and will always support policies and legislation that help BiH society to move towards a more transparent and accountable government, irrespective of which political party or person proposes such policies or legislation.
Since strengthening media literacy is one of our objectives, we are also open to cooperation with all institutions and/or decision makers working on media freedom policies and media literacy in BiH. This applies to all relevant stakeholders, regardless of their political background or party affiliation.
What do we want to achieve?
The purpose of Raskrinkavanje is to contribute to the disclosure of fake news, propaganda narratives, commercial and political interests wrapped in a reporting format and, ultimately, to build a more credible media sphere in Bosnia and Herzegovina and beyond. We also strive to contribute to building a critical approach to media content and strengthening media literacy.
Accurate and objective reporting is not only necessary for fact-based decision-making in the political sphere, but also in many matters related to daily life. Therefore, occurrences such as the dissemination of disinformation and the production of fake news, political instrumentalization of the media, propaganda under the guise of reporting, etc., pose a serious threat not only to the development and functioning of a democratic society, but often to the personal safety and well-being of citizens.
Our goal is to contribute to better and better-quality informing of the public based on facts rather than, as increasingly is the case, sensationalist “news” that is not sensationalist, political propaganda, pseudo scientific “findings” and other forms of media manipulation. We want to achieve this through research that will establish a clear distinction between disinformation and facts, and identify credible and non-credible media sources.
It is our desire that Raskrinkavanje also serves as a resource for the media themselves, especially for young journalists, in order to identify bad practices in the beginning of their careers and to avoid them.
Why “Raskrinkavanje”? Does this mean that all media lie?
The general claim that “the media should not be trusted” is as wrong and dangerous as the unconditional and uncritical acceptance of everything that can be heard, seen and read in the media. Unjustified accusations against the media, based on arbitrary generalisations or on personal and political preferences, do not contribute to strengthening their credibility or their better work – on the contrary, they often indicate tendencies to restrict media freedoms and constitute a form of media manipulation themselves.
We believe that quality journalism is one of the pillars of a healthy democracy and that free media, which access information in a dedicated, responsible and professional manner, is necessary to build a free and just society. The work of journalists who do their job professionally, often exposed to risks, threats and attacks, is praiseworthy and should not be lumped together with tabloid or “copy/paste” journalism, or with the production of propaganda pamphlets disguised as news reports.
Sometimes such disinformation is disseminated through anonymous portals and blogs, profiles on social networks, media whose ownership structure and editorial boards cannot be “traced”, and similar channels, which by their very form can cause suspicion among more cautious readers and viewers. Such media that publish inaccurate information and do not respect professional standards often present themselves to the public as “rebels against the system”, and as the only ones telling the truth while everyone else is lying. However, fake news, disinformation, and reporting that violates the principles of media ethics can also be found in established media, including public service broadcasters, which further makes these occurrences more serious. For this reason, we believe that it is important to look at each media individually and judge its credibility on the basis of objective, independent and rigorous fact-checking.
So, although we approach all media information in the same way, our view is definitely not “all media are the same”. On the contrary – we believe that one of the most important results we can achieve is to identify and clearly label the media that damage the reputation of the profession and thus contribute to its strengthening.
How are we funded?
“Raskrinkavanje” platform has so far been funded with support from the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), the Embassy of the United States in BiH, and the Civil Society Promotion Center (CPCD) through the IMEP project. In the current year, Raskrinkavanje was supported by NED with 55,000 USD through a project that also supported partner organisations in Serbia and Montenegro; then with 49,725 USD from the US Embassy in BiH through media literacy development projects, and collaboration with Analiziraj.ba to combat disinformation in the 2018 elections; and with 16,960 USD from the CPCD for a training project for journalists and journalism students in partnership with the daily “Oslobođenje”.
The funding structure is as follows:
- Coordination and administration – 21,130 USD
- Office and communication expenses – 3,550 USD
- Research and content development – 72,645 USD
- Training costs – 14,560 USD
- Online costs and promotion – 9,800 USD
