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Organization: BOOM
Applicant: Jency Jacob
Assessor: Surekha Deepak
Conclusion and recommendations

Section 1: Organization

Criterion 1a
Proof of registration
Evidence required: Please provide evidence that the signatory is a legally-registered organization set up exclusively for the purpose of fact-checking or the distinct fact-checking project of a recognized media house or research institution.

BOOM
01-Mar-2019 (5 years ago) Updated: 5 years ago

BOOM is a part of Ping Digital Network (http://www.pingnetwork.in), a private limited company registered in India. Ping is a full-fledged food to living digital video network. BOOM is the news division of the network and has been in existence since 2014 and as a full-fledged fact checking initiative since November 2016. 

Surekha Deepak Assessor
17-Mar-2019 (5 years ago) Updated: 5 years ago

The company is a wing of a registered private media company, set up for the purpose of fact-checking. However, they have not provided any documents that show the registration. 


done_all 1a marked as Fully compliant by Surekha Deepak.

Criterion 1b
Archive
Evidence required: Insert a link to the archive of fact checks published in the previous three months. If you do not collect all fact checks in one place, please explain how the fact-checking is conducted by your organization.

BOOM
01-Mar-2019 (5 years ago) Updated: 5 years ago

Since November 2016, BOOM (www.boomlive.in) has only focused on publishing stories that either fact check claims made by those in public life or busts fake news. Please refer to these two links - (https://www.boomlive.in/category/fake-news/) and (https://www.boomlive.in/category/fact-file/) for a list of stories published in the previous three months. 

Surekha Deepak Assessor
17-Mar-2019 (5 years ago) Updated: 5 years ago

They published more than a 100 stories between Dec 2018 to March 2019. That amounts to an average of around 8 stories a week. In last couple of months they have published multiple fact checks each day. 


done_all 1b marked as Fully compliant by Surekha Deepak.

Section 2: Nonpartisanship and Fairness

Criterion 2a
Body of work sample
Evidence required: Please share links to ten fact checks that better represent the scope and consistency of your fact-checking. Provide a short explanation of how your organization strives to maintain coherent standards across fact checks.

Surekha Deepak Assessor
17-Mar-2019 (5 years ago) Updated: 5 years ago

the topics covered are varied and do not concentrate on one side of the topic. Most stories debunk stories that are on social media. 


done_all 2a marked as Fully compliant by Surekha Deepak.

Criterion 2b
Nonpartisanship policy
Evidence required: Please share evidence of your policy preventing staff from direct involvement in political parties and advocacy organizations. Please also indicate the policy your organization has as a whole regarding advocacy and supporting political candidates.

BOOM
01-Mar-2019 (5 years ago)

Objective and fair journalism is BOOM’s goal. So while BOOM recognises that every team member will have their own political views, there is a clear and mandatory requirement to be objective and independent while writing a fact check story. Personal biases are weeded out of every story through a clearly laid down process (Please see methodology in About us section) that only looks at the hard facts available. Every fact check is a team play with several eyes looking at the same story to avoid the risk of any individual point of view finding its place in the story. Team members are not allowed to affiliate with any political party or advocacy organisation to avoid any potential conflict of interest. The work done over the last one year stand testimony to the fact that there were no stories published due to partisan interests.

Surekha Deepak Assessor
17-Mar-2019 (5 years ago) Updated: 5 years ago

They do not have any employment contracts that prevent members from direct involvement with political orgainsations. They say the processes they follow do not allow any scope for advocacy. They clearly state team members are not allowed to affiliate with any political party or advocacy organisation to avoid any potential conflict of interest. 


done_all 2b marked as Fully compliant by Surekha Deepak.

Section 3: Transparency of Sources

Criterion 3a
Sources Policy
Please share a brief and public explanation (500 words max) of how sources are provided in enough detail that readers could replicate the fact check. If you have a public policy on how you find and use sources for your fact-checking, it should be shared here.

BOOM
01-Mar-2019 (5 years ago) Updated: 5 years ago

We rely on multiple sources to write our fact checks and bust fake news. They range from web versions of newspaper articles, Youtube links of news shows, tweets, Facebook pages to government documents on the web. Every source we refer to is hyperlinked or attributed in the story. In some cases, we also refer to them at the bottom of the story. Since tweets, Facebook posts and Youtube links are embedded in the story, there is clarity in the minds of the readers on the references we have used to write the story.

We also speak to police chiefs, government officials, company spokespersons and politicians wherever the fact check process demands it. In case of not being able to reach them, we usually mention it upfront in the story.

In the Methodology section of About Us, more details have been provided in point no. 2, 3 & 4. 

Surekha Deepak Assessor
17-Mar-2019 (5 years ago) Updated: 5 years ago

Most key sources are linked, and have clearly listed how the process of how fact checking was carried out. If a different media house has debunked the same story they have credited and hyperlinked the source. 


done_all 3a marked as Fully compliant by Surekha Deepak.

Section 4: Transparency of Funding & Organization

Criterion 4a
Funding Sources
Evidence required: Please link to the section where you publicly list your sources of funding (including, if they exist, any rules around which types of funding you do or don't accept), or a statement on ownership if you are the branch of an established media organization or research institution.

BOOM
01-Mar-2019 (5 years ago)

BOOM is part of Ping Digital Network, a private limited company in India. The website is funded by Ping and its investors. Ping’s unique identification number is U74900MH2012PTC232599, assigned by Registrar of Companies (ROC) under Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA), Govt. of India.

Surekha Deepak Assessor
17-Mar-2019 (5 years ago) Updated: 5 years ago

Each source of funding is not listed, but the website makes it clear that it is the news division of a private digital network.


done_all 4a marked as Fully compliant by Surekha Deepak.

Criterion 4b
Staff
Evidence required: Please link to the section detailing all authors and key actors behind your fact-checking project with their biographies. You can also list the name and bios of the members of the editorial board, pool of experts, advisory board, etc. if your organization has those.

BOOM
01-Mar-2019 (5 years ago)

For details on all authors and key actors, please refer to https://www.boomlive.in/about-us/

Surekha Deepak Assessor
17-Mar-2019 (5 years ago) Updated: 5 years ago

Not all authors are listed or profiled in the about us page. They are clearly mentioned in the story pages. 


done_all 4b marked as Fully compliant by Surekha Deepak.

Criterion 4c
Contact
Evidence required: Please link to the section where readers can get in touch with the organization.

BOOM
01-Mar-2019 (5 years ago)
Surekha Deepak Assessor
17-Mar-2019 (5 years ago) Updated: 5 years ago

They have clearly listed out ways to contact them.


done_all 4c marked as Fully compliant by Surekha Deepak.

Section 5: Transparency of Methodology

Criterion 5a
Detailed Methodology
Evidence required: Please link to a section or article detailing the steps you follow for your fact-checking work.

BOOM
01-Mar-2019 (5 years ago)
Surekha Deepak Assessor
17-Mar-2019 (5 years ago) Updated: 5 years ago

The methodology is clearly explained and followed. 


done_all 5a marked as Fully compliant by Surekha Deepak.

Criterion 5b
Claim submissions
Evidence required: Please link to the page or process through which readers can submit claims to fact-check. If you do not allow this, please briefly explain why.

BOOM
01-Mar-2019 (5 years ago)

We run a helpline on WhatsApp and a number has been provided in the ‘About Us’ section of the website. A link to the WhatsApp helpline number is provided at the bottom of each story. We also regularly publicise the existence of such a helpline on Twitter and Facebook and invite images, videos and claims for us to verify and publish fact check stories. Please see this link https://www.boomlive.in/about-us/

Surekha Deepak Assessor
17-Mar-2019 (5 years ago) Updated: 5 years ago

Readers are invited to send in claims to be fact checked. They also have a whatsapp contact number for this. It also explains the rational behind selecting a claim.


done_all 5b marked as Fully compliant by Surekha Deepak.

Section 6: Open & Honest Corrections Policy

Criterion 6a
Corrections policy
Evidence required: Please link to the page with your policy to address corrections. If it is not public, please share your organization's handbook.

BOOM
01-Mar-2019 (5 years ago)

Please refer to point no. 7 in our About Us section https://www.boomlive.in/about-us/

Surekha Deepak Assessor
17-Mar-2019 (5 years ago) Updated: 5 years ago

The corrections policy is clearly listed.


done_all 6a marked as Fully compliant by Surekha Deepak.

Criterion 6b
Examples of corrections
Evidence required: Please provide two examples of a correction made, or correction requests handled, in the past year.

Surekha Deepak Assessor
17-Mar-2019 (5 years ago) Updated: 5 years ago

they have provided examples of corrections. 


done_all 6b marked as Fully compliant by Surekha Deepak.