#FactCheckingDay 2019: We tell you how we fight against lies

We want to take this opportunity to tell you how we work and introduce you to all the colleagues who debunk the hoaxes you send us daily. Clara Jiménez and Julio Montes invite you to learn more about the work we do at Maldita.es:

The work of Maldito Dato

You know that moment when numbers seem to trip up a politician? We’re here to make sure you have the correct numbers. Sometimes, politicians say one thing and do another. And yes, we’re there to check that too. How do we verify all this data? Sergio Sangiao and Rubén Díaz explain with some examples, like the false figures and misused data by Pablo Casado regarding the economy under the PSOE government or the statements by Carmen Calvo claiming that the Congress approved Franco’s exhumation three times without any opposition. Here’s how Maldito Dato works:

But sometimes, stories require information that isn’t publicly available. In such cases, we use the Transparency Law, which allows us to uncover stories like how former presidents receive a lifetime allowance for ‘office expenses’ that they don’t have to justify. Nacho Calle explains how these stories are handled:

Debunking the Malditos Hoaxes

By the way, have you heard the hoax about yellow ribbons being removed by Madrid residents? Do you want to know how we debunked one of the most impactful hoaxes in recent days?

Did you know that a third of potential hoaxes we receive are related to immigration? The most common ones involve alleged benefits that immigrants receive at the expense of Spaniards. Yuly Jara and Andrés Jiménez explain how we debunked the idea that immigrants have easier access to aid than Spaniards:

Special dates increase hoax circulation: As elections approach, more hoaxes related to sensitive political topics like immigration or Catalonia appear. Around March 8th, the main protagonists were sexist hoaxes. Laura del Río and Adela Vived explain how Maldita.es debunked the hoax about an attack perpetrated by «feminazis» that Vox spread.

At Maldita Ciencia, we also have a lot of work debunking hoaxes. Sometimes, they involve misinterpreted studies, such as the supposed allergy to semen that Rocío Pérez and Laura García Merino explain here:

Join our fight against lies

Many of the previous hoaxes reached us thanks to Maldita’s community who sent us those supposed «information» that seemed suspicious to them. What can you do if you come across something that sounds a bit off? David Fernández and Bea Lara explain it to you:

We hope you take advantage of this International Fact-Checking Day to join us, we count on you in our fight against lies! Because together it is more difficult for them to sneak us in.