Ethics
Pantau Hoaks investigates claims from various sources that allegedly contain various kinds of potential mis/disinformation circulating in Indonesian social media conversations.
With this generalist approach, Pantau Hoaks does not specifically concentrate on fact-checking certain people/political institutions/influential figures. The institution does, however, pay close attention to events happening in offline settings, such as elections, high-profile court trials, natural disasters, religious ceremonies, sporting events, military conflicts, and others. This empowers its editorial debates in deciding which claims need fact-check priority due to their connection with events being widely discussed both digitally and in other settings.
Pantau Hoaks will not fact-check claims to serve a particular group’s or person’s interests, either politically or commercially. In its fact-checks, Pantau Hoaks provides evidence as comprehensively as possible, using high standards of digital investigation methods and journalistic fact-finding. It ensures that mere comments, whether unconfirmed testimonies or one-sided answers from authorities, are never used as sole evidence to uphold the integrity and accuracy of its findings.
Pantau Hoaks is a self-funded, non-partisan entity with no affiliation with any political party, politician, political candidate, or advocacy group. During electoral events, Pantau Hoaks will strive to balance its fact-check reporting between candidates to uphold its commitments to non-partisanship. The firm’s non-partisanship policy requires its fact-checkers:
- To not become members or participate in any event held by a political party.
- To not debunk claims based on personal preferences, ideologies, or political tendencies.
- To select claims based on urgency and virality.
- To ensure that their fact-check findings are dictated by evidence.
- To follow clear guidelines when producing fact-check articles, including detailing every single source they use and how they find them. This will allow the public to easily replicate and test their findings.
Methodology
In its fact-checking, Pantau Hoaks is informed by its founder’s years of disinformation investigation and journalistic storytelling at the highest international level. The firm applies rigorous digital investigation methodology and adheres to high-quality journalistic standards in all facets of its fact-checking: selecting, researching, writing, and publishing.
Selecting claims
- Pantau Hoaks fact-checkers regularly monitor social media conversations across platforms to identify posts containing possible mis/disinformation. The firm also invites the public to send claims to be investigated by its fact-checkers.
- After identifying posts allegedly containing mis/disinformation, Pantau Hoaks fact-checkers pitch the selection(s) to the editorial board, which will decide if the proposal can proceed for further investigation. Such a selection decision is based on the availability of evidence for the claims and the urgency of the matter, taking into account the responsibility to uphold the firm’s non-partisanship stance.
Researching
- Pantau Hoaks fact-checkers are responsible for researching the evidence for the alleged mis/disinformation posts. The research is divided into primary and secondary stages.
- In the primary stage, fact-checkers compile potential pieces of evidence to support their story pitch to the editorial board. This could include, but not limited to, results of reverse image searches, quotes from news articles, excerpts from scientific articles, encyclopedia entries, or books. Fact-checkers may strengthen their pitches with interview answers from related experts, providing they offer scientific/theoretical/empirical explanations towards the issues being investigated.
- Fact-checkers conduct the secondary research if it is suggested by the editorial board. This need-based research aims to supplement the pieces of evidence collected during the primary research, aiming to provide the most rigorously investigated fact-checks for the public.
Writing
- Aiming to provide media and information literacy to the Indonesian public, Pantau Hoaks mainly writes its fact-checks in Indonesian.
- Fact-checkers are responsible for writing the first draft of any fact-check, using the standardized Indonesian journalistic writing.
- The Editorial Board is responsible for editing the first draft and, if needed, adding new parts to supplement the fact-checkers’ drafts.
Publishing
- Pantau Hoaks currently mainly publishes its fact-checks on Instagram, whether through carousel posts or explainer videos.
- This publishing strategy aims to capitalize on the platform’s wide reach among Indonesian social media users and affordances for multimodal communications.
- The Editorial Board sends the writing from the final draft of every fact-check to the firm’s social media designer or video editor, who will create the visual/audiovisual representation of the fact-check story.
- The designer/video editor sends the draft to the Editorial Board, which will decide if it can proceed for publishing.
Contact information
Send your media inquiry, collaboration ideas, or complaints to our email at info@pantauhoaks.com
Address
165 Tower, Fl. 14, Unit E
TB Simatupang Rd., Kav. 1, Jakarta 12560
Pantau Hoaks is a self-funded, non-partisan company that is legally registered as PT Informasi Bersih Indonesia.