The Misinformation Combat Alliance (MCA) on November 7 announced the launch of a Fact Checking Network (FCN), an initiative aimed at developing self-governing standards and best practices for fact-checking organisations in India. In its announcement, MCA highlighted the importance of fact-checking organisations given the rise in misinformation and disinformation online and the need for fact-checking organisations to earn the trust of citizens. "They need to be satisfied that our work is unbiased, rigorous and fair; and that we are transparent about our approach and how we operate, so that they can feel safe relying on our assessments and fact checks when trying to make sense of the world around them," MCA stated. MCA also notified an email address (factcheckthis@mcaindia.in) for users to flag suspected mis/disinformation that will then be verified by fact-checking organisations under MCA. Code of Principles: Fact-checkers wanting to be part of the FCN must commit to the following Code of Principles: non-partisanship and fairness (including not unduly targeting any side) transparency of methodology (including explaining how fact checks are done and what evidence is used) transparency of funding (to ensure readers are aware of any relevant bias) making their checks easily accessible and not hidden behind a paywall making checks available for non-commercial purposes like awareness campaigns under a Creative Commons licence privacy and safety (including considerations under Indian law for protecting the identities of children and victims of heinous crimes, as well as protecting personal data under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023) Organisations that…
