Assessors

External assessors are the first filter in the application and vetting process of the Code of Principles.External assessors are journalism professors, researchers or media consultants that have a solid knowledge of the media and fact-checking ecosystem, a broad understanding of transparency and freedom of the press and about the political context of the country or region where they work and where the assessed applicants publish their fact checks.

Eligible candidate description:

  • Assessors are the first line in the review of an application to become a signatory to the Code of Principles.
  • Independent assessors may be journalism professors, journalists, researchers, or media consultants who have a solid working knowledge of their country's media and the fact-checking ecosystem.
  • Assessors have a broad understanding of transparency and freedom of the press, including experience with the political context of the country or region where applicants to the Code of Principles publish their fact checks.
  • While the applicant's website may be displayed in the country-of-origin native language, the application will be in English, so the assessor must also have English language proficiency. 

Time commitment:

  • Interested individuals will schedule a call with the IFCN staff of up to one hour to speak about the role, including walking through the assessment process.
  • The review of the orientation materials by the individual should take no more than 1-2 hours.
  • Each application assessment is allocated 15 consecutive days for review, based on the guidelines here. New assessors can request time extensions as appropriate. If the assessor determines that applicant responses require clarification, an additional 1 - 2 weeks may be necessary to complete the assessment.
  • The actual commitment of assessment time will be dependent on the number of new and renewal applications that an assessor can be matched with. It is expected that there will be perhaps 2-4 opportunities per year to assess applications.

Compensation:

  • For each assessment conducted, the IFCN pays the assessor $350 USD. $350 USD comes from the application fee and the rest is a subsidy that comes from IFCN funding. Assessments that require an extended second phase of reviewing will be compensated with an additional $100 amount for extra work.
  • Interested individuals who have a desire to join our pool of assessors can simply visit here and register.