The International Fact-Checking Network has deep concerns over recent harassment against the Center for Research, Transparency and Accountability (CRTA) in Serbia. CRTA is a nonpartisan civil society group that runs Istinomer.rs, a verified signatory of the IFCN Code of Principles. Such harassment can have chilling effects on independent accountability journalism, including the work of fact-checkers. CRTA is a respected part of the international fact-checking community and should be able to continue its work without threats.
CRTA has been targeted by numerous online accounts since the suspension of funding from USAID. In a statement to IFCN, CRTA has noted threats against its director, Vukosava Crnjanski, including inaccurate claims that she “plays a key role behind plans for overthrowing (Serbian President Aleksandar) Vučić.” Such claims are false and unfounded. CRTA has a strong record of working to improve the conditions for fair and free elections without partisanship. USAID funding for CRTA went to anti-corruption education campaigns to foster government accountability. Its Istinomer project has been a respected member of the fact-checking community in good standing.
The IFCN publicly condemns the orchestrated smear campaigns against civil society actors in Serbia and calls on Serbian authorities to ensure the safety and basic rights of all civil society representatives, particularly those facing explicit threats.
CRTA’s Istinomer has been a longstanding signatory to the Code of Principles, receiving its first independent assessment and successful approval in 2017. Fact-checkers voluntarily sign on to the Code of Principles and go through a verification process to prove they meet universal standards of transparency, independence, nonpartisanship and methodology.
The Code of Principles is administered by the IFCN, a global community of fact-checking organizations based at the Poynter Institute, a U.S. nonprofit supporting independent journalism. Fact-checking organizations are evaluated by an independent academic or media expert familiar with the local context, with the results verified by the IFCN advisory board of peer-selected leaders from around the world.
Established in 2015, the IFCN is dedicated to supporting press freedom and fact-checkers globally, including our signatories. CRTA and Istinomer deserve to continue publishing the explanatory journalism and fact checks that hold the government, political parties and candidates accountable without threat of reprisal.
