Truth before lies: How Factcheck.bg fights misinformation

Originally published in Bulgarian at Bluelink.net

Can you expose a lie before it is told? There is a method that does just that – it is called “prebunking” and is an approach whereby facts on sensitive public issues are checked and published in advance. The goal is to prepare journalists, civil society organizations, and ordinary people with reliable information that can serve as a shield against misinformation.

It is a form of journalistic prevention against manipulation and outright lies online. This mission is undertaken by the team at Factcheck.bg – the first and only Bulgarian fact-checking platform that not only responds to lies, but also anticipates them. With their new prebunking project, journalists from the organization proactively check facts and make them available to the public.

Who are they

Factcheck.bg is the first and only Bulgarian fact-checking organization, created as a project of the Association of European Journalists – Bulgaria. It was launched in 2020 with the mission to verify facts on important public issues and expose misinformation. The organization is part of the European Fact-Checking Standards Network (EFCSN) and operates under strict professional codes of conduct. Behind Factcheck.bg is a team of experienced journalists, led by Kristina Hristova, an established media expert, long-time journalist, three-time winner of the Robert Schuman Award, member of the EFCSN board, and chair of the Coalition for Media Literacy in Bulgaria.

How did it all begin

From its inception, Factcheck.bg has focused on the “Facts About” section, which systematizes verified facts on hot public topics. “Back then, we were doing something very similar to ‘prebunking’, but we lacked recognition – other media outlets did not actively use our materials,” Hristova recalls. It took several years for the platform to establish itself as an authoritative source cited in the media. In 2024, the team worked on the Election24 project within the European fact-checking network, which focused on the expected disinformation narratives in the context of the European elections. The experience from this project became the basis for a new, more comprehensive initiative dedicated to prebunking publications.

A vaccine against disinformation

“The idea is to have a ready-made ‘file’ with verified information even before the lies appear – because we know from experience what disinformation is repeated around important dates or events,” explains the media expert. The publications bring together all known facts on sensitive topics, such as the euro, religion in schools, or educational reform. “This is disinformation that is repeated over and over again, with the aim of destabilizing society and embroiling people in artificial controversies. That is why we need to repeat the facts – constantly.“ Factcheck.bg also monitors ”classic” narratives – such as the one that the HAARP scientific experiment causes disasters.

“Most media outlets simply cannot monitor and verify everything that circulates on social media. That is why organizations such as Factcheck.bg are an essential corrective and partner that fills this gap,” explains the head of Factcheck.bg. The information verified and systematized by the “fact checkers” is published to serve as a reliable source for interviews, analyses, or debates. “When journalists interview a politician and he says something untrue, they have a ready resource and can immediately counter with facts. That is our goal,“ she says. ”The idea is that when there is public debate, it should be based on facts. Not on fears and false claims,” she explains. The effects are not long in coming. More and more journalists are starting to use Factcheck.bg materials, and their checks are now finding their way into parliamentary debates. “We see politicians and presenters referring to our checks. Journalists are starting to use our information on current topics in public debate. This is a good start. We are pleased with the effect we have achieved so far,” says Kristina Hristova.

An uneven battle for the truth

According to the head of the Bulgarian fact-checkers, the fight against disinformation is an “uneven battle” because: “We cannot compare ourselves to the propaganda industries in terms of scale. While we adhere to a code of ethics and strict rules of transparency and accountability, the other side uses all means without restrictions. They act quickly, with a lot of resources and emotional language that easily reaches people. But that’s the situation – we work with the means we have,” she explains. “Effectively countering disinformation requires us to choose very carefully how we communicate. We need to learn how to talk to people in a way that reaches them, rather than just telling them they are wrong,” says Hristova.

One of the new directions the organization is working on is engaging users on social media. “We teach people to recognize misinformation and report it to us so we can work on it. This gives them skills that they can easily pass on to their loved ones, which is what happens. This model works,“ Hristova says. Surprisingly, pensioners are the most active: ”They are very intelligent, they have time and a great desire to be useful to society,” she says.

The problem is exacerbated by the withdrawal of tech giants such as Meta from partnerships with fact-checkers. “The model, in which verified content can be flagged as false by fact-checkers, works well. Without this mechanism, it will become increasingly difficult to reach people exactly where they encounter lies,” warns the media expert.

The Digital tools of truth

Bulgarian fact-checkers use an arsenal of tools to establish the authenticity of content on the internet. These include platforms for checking images and videos, such as InVid, which analyze metadata and traces of manipulation, as well as tools such as TinEye, which track where a particular photo has appeared on the web. Solutions such as AiOrNot and Hive AI Detector are used to recognize content generated by artificial intelligence. Fact-checkers also rely on Google Earth for geolocation and Street View to verify locations, and use Google Fact Check Tools to check existing assessments of questionable claims. Archiving platforms such as MediaVault are used to preserve vulnerable online content (before it disappears). These technologies are just part of the toolkit that fact-checkers use to combat lies in the information space.
 

The war against lies has to begin in school

For Kristina Hristova, the fight against disinformation is not just a professional commitment, but part of a broader vision: “When we created the AEJ (Association of European Journalists-Bulgaria) in 2010, I realized that we journalists cannot fight for freedom of speech and ethical journalism on our own. Citizens who consume information from the media do not understand what journalists do, and therefore cannot fight for freedom of expression and quality journalism. That is where my interest in media literacy began. We need to engage as many people as possible.”

Hristova is adamant that change must start with the education system. Students no longer want to just listen and memorize—they create content and are constantly online. “Forcing them to sit and listen, and just take in information without checking it, is detached from reality and harmful to children. “ That is why, according to her, it is imperative to integrate critical thinking, source verification, and information literacy skills into all stages of education. ”Children are constantly on social media. They need to know how to check which profiles are fake and which are authentic. These are basic skills,“ says the representative of the fact-checkers. She compares media literacy to basic safety rules: ”It’s like teaching first-graders how to cross the street, traffic rules, and not to talk to strangers.” “The entire learning process must include skills for working in the internet space and social networks,” she says emphatically. According to her, attention should also be paid to adults. They need informal training programs to cope with the information challenges of today.

The Factcheck.bg project for debunking publications is an example of strategic thinking in an increasingly chaotic information environment. It does not promise miracles, but offers a consistent and fact-based response to one of the greatest threats to democracy today. The truth needs support.
 

How can you help?

You can support the activities of Factcheck.bg by sending a bank transfer:
United Bulgarian Bank
IBAN: BG39UBBS81551011658021
Recipient: Association of European Journalists – Bulgaria
You can find other opportunities for financial support here.

On the Factcheck.bg website, you can find a wealth of information on important topics, verified according to the strictest journalistic standards.
Useful resources for combating disinformation can be found here.
You can also follow Factcheck.bg on social media for regular updates on current topics: Facebook, YouTube, X (Twitter).

The BlueLink civic action network tells 7 stories about initiatives by members of Ravni BG, focusing on the strategic use of information technologies. Ravni BG brings together 37 civil society organizations working in areas such as human rights protection, vulnerable groups, sustainable development, the rule of law, and advocacy. The project is implemented with the support of the Solidarity Fund of Ravni BG.

Published within the framework of “Ravni BG,” with financial support from the Solidarity Fund of “Ravni BG,” the funds for which have been provided to the Bulgarian Fund for Women (BFW) under the Strong and Resilient Civil Society in Europe program of the European philanthropic initiative for democracy and solidarity Civitates of the Network of European Foundations.

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