The project will include the development of a set of practical resources that will combine artificial intelligence tools with the expertise and materials of climate experts. This toolkit is designed to strengthen the preparedness of European fact-checkers to respond to climate disinformation and to foster cross-border collaboration.
As a result, a public and collaborative database will be created and fed by fact-checkers, allowing citizens to access information on climate-related disinformation content as well as the corresponding fact-checks. Initially, the database will be used by the fact-checking organisations that are members of the EFCSN as part of a pilot programme to test and improve it. The public will be able to access the database through a dedicated public website.
Who is part of the FactCRICIS consortium?
For this project, Maldita.es will be part of a consortium together with el EFCSN, TU Dortmund University (Germany), the fact-checking and technology development organisations Newtrall (Spain) and Science Feedback (France), and the AI and data management organisation Ontotext (Bulgaria). In addition, 21 other organisations that are part of the EFCSN network will also participate as collaborators.
What will Maldita.es do?
Maldita.es will be responsible for the design and harmonisation of the data provided by the European fact-checking organisations participating in the project. To this end, the Maldita.es team will create a tailored guide to define how data should be standardised throughout the project and how common formats should be established to ensure data compatibility. It will also develop a WordPress plugin that will allow organisations to easily submit their data to the project database in a standardised way.
Maldita.es will implement and evaluate a pilot programme that will include different tools designed to strengthen the capacities of European fact-checkers to identify, monitor and combat climate disinformation.
In addition, Maldita.es will contribute its own articles and fact-checks to populate the database, alongside the other fact-checking organisations involved in the project.
If you are interested in this or other projects promoted by European fact-checkers, you can subscribe to the EFCSN newsletter. You will also stay up to date on the main disinformation trends detected and the fact-checks carried out by members of the network.
How much funding will Maldita.es receive to carry out the project?
Maldita.es will receive €45,689.00. The total project budget is €849,258.89, and the project will run for 18 months, until 31 October 2025.
Who funds the project??
The project is co-funded by the European Union (LC-02869427).
You can read more about the project at efcsn.com/factcricis or by writing to [email protected].