This commentary was published in commemoration of International Fact-Checking Day 2024, held April 2 each year to recognize the work of fact-checkers worldwide. Filipe Pardal is chief operating officer of Polígrafo, a Portugal-based fact-checking group.
A study conducted by a Portuguese university revealed that the fact-checking website Polígrafo was the most viral Portuguese media outlet on X during the first week of the Portuguese electoral campaign in February 2024. Polígrafo also garnered one of the highest levels of interactions and reach on Facebook and Instagram. These data points are even more important when you learn that Polígrafo is the only Portugal-based news website that uses the fact-checking format as its core activity.
Fact-checking must be based on methodology and principles. That’s why organizations like the International Fact-Checking Network, on a global scale, and the European Fact-Checking Standards Network, regionally, play a pivotal role in bolstering the credibility of a community still navigating growing pains. The public is still learning about independent fact-checking and how it differs from traditional campaign news coverage.
The Portugal example shows that when it comes to project sustainability and social impact, local efforts are where the true difference is made. It involves breaking out of the bubble and tailoring content to the specific society in focus. It means engaging with audiences and crafting formats that instill trust in fact-checking work without patronizing, all while upholding one nonnegotiable value: facts.
That’s what we’ve been trying to do: with a website with daily fact checks, with a weekly television program that is the most watched (in the information segment) in all Portuguese television (more than 1.2 million viewers in each episode), and with digital communication, through social networks. We’ve fostered a unique level of engagement with readers, including those inclined to criticize us. We’ve, of course, identified classic criticisms echoed worldwide: Who verifies the fact-checkers? Who funds you? What is your political affiliation? How can I verify your sources? When we answer those questions publicly, it increases both transparency and trust.
One of the most iconic instances of the fact-checking of the campaign — from a fact-checker’s perspective — occurred during a nationally televised debate between the two main candidates for prime minister on Feb. 19. The Socialist Party candidate showed, at one point, a printed Polígrafo fact-check to try to demonstrate that his opponent was lying. In turn, his opponent (now prime minister of Portugal) asked, in an attempt to gain some time: “You’re showing Polígrafo, aren’t you?”
Indeed, he was. This small gesture, previously witnessed in past elections by other political protagonists, demonstrates our impact in local terms, but it demonstrates more than that: It makes very clear how important fact-checking can be in deepening democracy. On many occasions, it has been directly observable that politicians refrain from lying when aware of the presence of Polígrafo, which scrutinizes their statements on the same day they make them.
This is evident in references to our publication by opinion leaders, politicians at rallies, comedians, columnists and all other actors involved in the campaign.
This premise demonstrates the potential of fact-checking activities during elections. It also shows that it is possible to use digital strategies — without neglecting positive interaction with audiences — to combat disinformation/misinformation in increasingly challenging times.
Some have asked us: Is the truth enough? Absolutely! Truth stands as the cornerstone, a nonnegotiable principle. But, let’s face it, it would have little impact without strategies effectively reaching the average reader/viewer.
It is not yet clear to us whether the impact on audiences and recognition of fact-checking in Portugal is due to its presence on national television, its digital communication approach, or whether it benefits from the country’s small size. These are clues that deserve further investigation to find replicable models that can benefit the community around the world.
What is clear is that fact-checking in Portugal has come out of the bubble (the bubble burst!) and it is undeniable that if someone is holding a printed fact-check to prove an argument they are actually “showing Polígrafo.”
