StopFake

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StopFake
FormationMarch 2, 2014; 8 years ago (2014-03-02)
FoundersMargot Gontar
Oleg Shankovskyi
Yevhen Fedchenko
Ruslan Deynychenko
TypeNonprofit
PurposeFact-checking
HeadquartersKyiv, Ukraine
Official languages
Russian, English, Spanish, Italian, Romanian, Bulgarian, French, Dutch, Czech, German[1]
Staff (2022)
15
Websitewww.stopfake.org

StopFake is a Ukrainian nonprofit media organization founded in March 2014 by Ukrainian professors and students to refute Russian propaganda and fake news.[2][3][4] Although it began as a Russian and English language fact-checking organization, StopFake has grown to produce a TV show broadcast on 30 local channels, a weekly radio show, and a strong social media following.[5]

Stopfake was founded as a volunteer effort, but by 2017 included paid employees on its team. It is largely funded by grants.[6] It has received praise from other media outlets and been granted awards for its efforts in combating disinformation and propaganda. In 2020 an article alleging links to neo-nazis and subsequent harassment of the author of the article drew controversy.[7][8]

History[edit]

The organization grew out of an online discussion between faculty and alumni of National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.[9] Margot Gontar (at that point a recent master's graduate of the Mohyla journalism program), Oleg Shankovskyi, Ruslan Deynychenko,[1] and Yevhen Fedchenko (a professor of journalism at Mohyla Academy) co-founded the organization in 2014.[10][9][4][11] The website StopFake.org went live on 2 March 2014.[12] It was founded shortly after the invasion and annexation of Crimea by Russia.[6]

In its first four months of operation, its website averaged one and a half million visitors per month.[13]

In November 2016, the organization became a partner in the First Draft News network.[1]

Operation[edit]

StopFake has streamlined the process of fact-checking stories with software tools.[14] The organization has worked on combatting the spread of disinformation by Russia,[2][15] focusing on information disseminated on social media.[16] For example, Russian media has taken the likeness of living persons and fabricated claims that the person died in service of pro-Russian forces fighting in the War in Donbas.[17] It produces StopFake News, a weekly television show hosted by co-founder Gontar only about fake news, and holds the standard that "[i]f fact checkers cannot prove that a story published or broadcast by another news media outlet is false, it will not be featured in the weekly airing".[4] Following the allegations of Russian influence in the 2016 United States presidential election, StopFake began to gain international recognition.[3] The site is financed by crowdfunding, readers' contributions, the Renaissance Foundation, National Endowment for Democracy, National Democratic Institute, German Marshall Fund, the Foreign Ministry of the Czech Republic, the Foreign Ministry of the United Kingdom, the British Embassy in Ukraine, and the Sigrid Rausing Trust.[18][19][1] In 2022 Fortune described it as operating on a "shoestring budget".[6]

StopFake started as a volunteer effort, but it had 26 paid staff members by 2017.[9][13][4] In 2022 The Washington Post reported that it had 15 employees.[20] CBS News reported in 2022 that it was run by volunteers and journalism students.[21]

With its expanding audience, the organization began promoting in 2017 media literacy, and it began conducting research into the creation and dissemination of propaganda.[1]

In July 2020, StopFake journalists became a partner of the National TV and Radio Council in the field of information protection and signed, agreeing on cooperation in the field of information exchange at the stages of collection, monitoring, processing and analysis of information that contains signs of disinformation, and also identified directions in which cooperation will be implemented.[22] Stopfake is part of the International Fact-Checking Network, run by the Poynter Institute, which sets editorial standards.[20]

Reception[edit]

In a joint effort, the Financial Times, Google, Res Publica and Visegrád Group recognized StopFake and its founder in their 2016 New Europe 100 list, commending "central and eastern Europe’s brightest and best people—plus the organisations who are changing the region’s societies, politics or business environments and displaying innovation, entrepreneurialism and fresh approaches to prevailing problems".[23] StopFake won the "Best Project in Russian Award" in Deutsche Welle's 2014 BOBs awards.[24]

The New York Times states that StopFake "is highly respected in journalistic circles here in Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital, for its specialty of debunking fake news", and it "reported some of the biggest nonstories of the war" in Ukraine.[4] Politico stated that "the journalism school crew behind StopFake have emerged as the 'grand wizards' of the fake-news-busting world".[3] Freedom House described it as a "gold standard" in exposing fake news, said that it has become "a model in other Central and Eastern European countries".[6]

During the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine Stopfake received attention for its role in combating disinformation. Fortune described it as a "vital force" in protecting Ukraine's efforts against propaganda and disinformation.[6][20][25] In 2022 Stopfake was one of seven Ukrainian outlets that was awarded the Free Media Pioneer award by the International Press Institute.[26]

Controversy[edit]

In 2020 Ekaterina Sergatskova, a Ukrainian journalist, published an article on Zaborona alleging links between Ukrainian far-right and neo-Nazi groups such as S14 and a presenter on the youtube channel at StopFake.org.[8][7] According to the article, the presenter at StopFake, Marko Suprun was shown in social media photos with former members of S14 at a gathering, and additionally the director and founder of StopFake, Yevhen Fedchenko, tweeted in defense of S14.[8][7] Following this, Sergatskova was targeted for harassment and threats, and personal information of her and her son were posted online.[27] Sergatskova was forced to flee Kyiv citing fears for her life.[8] StopFake denied having any far-right ties or bias, calling the Zaborona article part of a campaign of slanderous "information attacks."[28] Stopfake argued that the use of the photographs to allege far-right connections were employing "guilt by association".[7]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e Budivska, Halnya (2 March 2017). "StopFake, Ukraine's Fact-Checking Site, Expands Across Europe". European Journalism Observatory. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
  2. ^ a b Hern, Alex (19 June 2017). "Facebook and Twitter are being used to manipulate public opinion – report". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 February 2019. The report on the country’s efforts to tackle Russian misinformation highlights the StopFake project, a collaborative effort to tackle fake stories “produced mainly by the Russian media”
  3. ^ a b c Maheshwari, Vijai (12 March 2017). "Ukraine's fight against fake news goes global". Politico. Retrieved 12 February 2019.
  4. ^ a b c d e Kramer, Andrew E. (26 February 2017). "To Battle Fake News, Ukrainian Show Features Nothing but Lies". The New York Times. Retrieved 12 February 2019.
  5. ^ "Ukraine's Remedy for Fake News: News About Fake News". WNYC Studios. Retrieved 2022-05-02.
  6. ^ a b c d e "Meet Ukraine's fact-checkers on the war's front lines". Fortune. Retrieved 2022-09-28.
  7. ^ a b c d Troianovski, Anton (26 July 2020). "Fighting False News in Ukraine, Facebook Fact Checkers Tread a Blurry Line". The New York Times.
  8. ^ a b c d "Ukrainian journalist forced to flee following threats from far-right". The Independent. July 14, 2020. Archived from the original on 2022-05-25. Sergatskova co-authored an investigation alleging links between neo-nazi groups and StopFake, a Ukrainian NGO working as a Facebook fact-checking partner. [...] Mr Suprun, the Canadian husband of Ukraine’s former health minister, was shown sharing platforms with former C14 members and other far-right figures, including one convicted of a racially-motivated murder. Yevhen Fedchenko, director of StopFake and the journalism school at Kiev’s Mohyla Academy, has also previously tweeted in defence of C14.
  9. ^ a b c "A Ukrainian factchecking site is trying to spot fake photos in social media — and building audience". Nieman Lab. Retrieved 2022-05-02.
  10. ^ Chimbelu, Chiponda (6 May 2014). "Fake news can ruin lives, says Stopfake.org founder". DW.COM. Retrieved 2022-05-02.
  11. ^ "In Ukraine, A Battle of Words and Images". Time. Retrieved 2022-05-02.
  12. ^ "Media Myths Regarding Events in Ukraine are Misleading". mythdetector.ge. Media Development Foundation. 2014-11-27. Retrieved 2022-05-02.
  13. ^ a b Stephen, Russ-Mohl (28 July 2014). "Stopfake: Ukraine's Reply to Propaganda". European Journalism Observatory. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
  14. ^ Priest, Dana; Birnbaum, Michael (25 June 2017). "Europe has been working to expose Russian meddling for years". Washington Post. Retrieved 12 February 2019.
  15. ^ Palma, Bethania (27 June 2017). "Russia's Neighbor Ukraine Besieged by 'Fake News' and Hacking Years Before United States". Snopes. Retrieved 12 February 2019.
  16. ^ "Crecen los sitios web dedicados sólo a chequear informaciones". Clarín (in Spanish). 25 July 2014. Retrieved 12 February 2019. Each fact-checking undertaking has its specificity. In Ukraine, StopFake.org focuses on social networks, which function as one of the main sources of information for citizens, and evaluates the veracity of the images disseminated, currently closely related to the war in the country.
  17. ^ "The Ukrainian female suicide bomber who never was". The Observers - France 24. 2014-12-08. Retrieved 2022-05-02.
  18. ^ "About us". StopFake. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  19. ^ "О нас". StopFake (in Russian). Retrieved 5 April 2022.
  20. ^ a b c Nix, Naomi (12 April 2022). "In Ukraine, Facebook fact-checkers fight a war on two fronts". The Washington Post. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
  21. ^ Ott, Haley (17 February 2022). "Information warfare expert says the U.S. is finally countering Russia at its own game". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved 2022-09-28.
  22. ^ "Нацрада оприлюднила меморандум про співпрацю зі StopFake". detector.media (in Ukrainian). 2020-07-22. Retrieved 2022-07-05.
  23. ^ Foy, Henry (15 November 2016). "New Europe 100 — changemakers in central and eastern Europe". Financial Times. Retrieved 12 February 2019.
  24. ^ "Best of Online Activism". Deutsche Welle. 2014. Retrieved 12 February 2019.
  25. ^ "Battle Is Intense Against Disinformation on Russia's War in Ukraine". VOA. Retrieved 2022-09-29.
  26. ^ "Ukraine live briefing: IAEA mission inspects nuclear plant after delays". Washington Post. 2022-09-01. Retrieved 2022-09-28.
  27. ^ "Ukraine Urged To Protect Journalist Threatened Over Her Reporting". RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty.
  28. ^ "The StopFake Supervisory Board Position About the Escalating Information Attacks Directed Against the Project Team". StopFake. 2020-07-08. Retrieved 2020-09-29.

External links[edit]

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