Correctiv
fact checker
| Correctiv link () Website | |
|---|---|
| File:CORRECTIV logo.png | |
| Formation | 2014 |
| Founders | David Schraven,Simon Kretschmer |
| Headquarters | Germany |
| Staff | 20 |
| Interests | fake news, conspiracy theories |
| German-based officially private and corporate-financed "fake news" "fact checker". | |
Correctiv is a German-based officially private and corporate-financed fake news fact checker. The effort was started at the same time as state cutouts started similar efforts in other countries, and is part of an international network of fact checkers, the IFCN of the US Poynter Institute.
Activities
Labels from Correctiv is also counted as an authoritative source in Wikipedia, and is virtually impossible to contest or appeal there.
The assessments from Correctiv does not deal with illegal acts, but is a frequent go-to source for corporate media to get an authoritative source for labeling of conspiracy theories, hate speech and fake news.
Correctiv describes itself as an organization that is "one of the many answers to the media crisis," and was founded 2014, the year the corporate media lost control of the narrative in major events, like the coup in the Ukraine, MH17,etc.
Correctiv releases its reports in English, German and Russian languages via its web site to media outlets throughout Europe and around the globe.
Since 2018, Correctiv has managed an education program for journalists.
Financing
Correctiv is paid by Facebook, which automatically sends it notifications of possible misinformation. Items deemde False news are provided with a forced warning label. On the question "Does Correctiv delete content on Facebook?", the answer is disingenuously "No. Censorship can only come from government agencies.", without mentioning how Facebook uses their work for shadow banning and other censoring techniques".[1]
The first chairman of its "Ethics Council", which oversees Correctiv's work, was Bodo Hombach, former head of the Chancellery of PM Gerhard Schröder, chief architect of the Thatcherite Agenda 2010 and currently the board of directors of the influential Brost Foundation, which is by far the largest financier of Correctiv. The rest of the council largely consists of representatives from corporate media.
The Brost Foundation also gave it three million euros in the first four years as start-up funds.
Other important sponsors are the Rudolf Augstein Foundation, the Schöpflin Foundation, Luminate (part of the Omidyar Group), Deutsche Bank, the Mercator Foundation, the Adessium Foundation, the Heinrich Böll Stiftung, the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung and the Open Society Foundations. There was also support for specific projects from the Google Digital News Initiative and the German federal government.
Secret meetings with government
In June 2020, several representatives of Angela Merkel's government met with the head of the Correctiv for a non-public "exchange of ideas" at the Federal Ministry of the Interior. At the time, several ministries denied that meetings of this kind in any form took place.[2]
A 2024 inquiry by AfD member of the Bundestag Leif-Erik Holm revealed that this does not correspond to the truth: after June 2, 2020, at least two more meetings between government representatives and Correctiv Managing Director David Schraven and other "fact checkers" took place. An exchange "on the topic of disinformation" took place again about a month and a half after the June 2020 meeting. On July 15, 2020, Correctiv boss Schraven then met government spokesman Steffen Seibert and "other fact checkers". Also, in November 2022, Schraven met with Andreas Görgen, office chief for Minister of State for Culture Claudia Roth (Greens) – also for an "exchange". They had been talking about how Russian journalists in exile could be "supported".[2]