StopFake

Supervisory Board

Serhiy Kvit – President of the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy (NaUKMA), founder of the Mohyla School of Journalism, Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine (2014–2016), and Head of the National Agency for Higher Education Quality Assurance (2019–2022)

Yosyf Zisels – Chair of the VAAD of Ukraine, Executive Vice-President of the Congress of National Communities of Ukraine, and member of the First of December Initiative Group

Larysa Mudrak – President of Win Win Communication, CEO of FBN–Ukraine, and Deputy Chair of the National Council of Television and Radio Broadcasting of Ukraine (2010–2014)

Volodymyr Borodianskyi – Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports of Ukraine (2019–2020), former CEO of STB television channel and former head of the StarLightMedia Group

Oleksandr Khoruzhenko – Director of the Agency for Innovation and Strategic Development

Alain Guillemoles (France) – Journalist at La Croix, editor of the international economics section, lecturer at CELSA, and author of books on Ukrainian politics

Marcel van Herpen (the Netherlands) – Expert on geopolitics and propaganda and author of several books

The StopFake team would like to thank all our colleagues who have contributed to the creation and development of the project at various stages.

Ethics and Standards

In 2016, StopFake.org became a Core Partner of First Draft, a global network of media organisations working together to improve the quality of online journalism.

On 22 February 2020, StopFake.org joined the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN). StopFake adheres to the IFCN Code of Principles in its work.

Comments and feedback regarding StopFake’s work can be submitted directly to the IFCN. More information is available here.

StopFake is a Meta partner in the Third-Party Fact-Checking Programme and a member of The European Digital Media Observatory (EDMO).

We also adhere to the European Code of Standards for Independent Fact-Checking Organisations, developed by the European Fact-Checking Standards Network (EFCSN). Comments and complaints concerning compliance with the Code may be submitted to the EFCSN in accordance with Article 6 here.

StopFake also adheres to the principles of the Bordeaux Declaration.

Principles of Independence

StopFake does not accept funding from political parties, politicians, candidates for elected office, or organisations acting on their behalf.

StopFake independently determines its editorial priorities, selects topics, and makes decisions about what to publish. The project does not represent the interests of any political parties, politicians, or public officials, does not engage in election campaigning, and does not endorse or call on the public to vote for any party or candidate.

Claims are selected for fact-checking based on their content, public significance, and relevance to the project’s area of expertise. The political affiliation, position, or views of the person making a claim do not influence whether it is selected for verification or the outcome of the fact-check. The same evidentiary standards apply to government representatives, the opposition, and other political actors. StopFake does not enter into agreements or partnerships that could restrict its editorial independence or call the project’s impartiality into question.

StopFake’s focus on Russian disinformation does not preclude fact-checking false claims that promote pro-Ukrainian narratives, provided they fall within the project’s scope of work.

Support for Ukraine’s sovereignty is grounded in international law, not political sympathies. Pro-Ukrainian claims are subject to the same fact-checking standards, and conclusions are determined by evidence.

Conflicts of Interest and Human Resources Policy

StopFake authors, editors, and external experts are required to disclose any actual or potential conflicts of interest to the editorial team. Relevant affiliations and potential political biases involving StopFake, its authors, sources, experts, and organisations are disclosed in the relevant publications.

Members of the editorial team and editorial board may not belong to political parties or hold politically significant positions. Employment in government bodies or local self-government institutions is not permitted where it could compromise editorial independence.

External authors and experts may work with StopFake provided that they disclose their relevant status in advance, that this information is made public in the relevant material, and that their involvement does not affect the impartiality of the fact-check.

Conflicts of interest are assessed by an editor or another authorised editorial representative who is not personally involved in the conflict. Where necessary, the material is assigned to another author or editor, the individual concerned is recused from the fact-checking process, or other measures are taken to safeguard editorial independence.

To learn more about the characteristics of false information and the types of claims eligible for fact-checking, please consult our Methodology.

You can also submit a fact-checking request via the StopFake Telegram bot, which can help you find out whether our editorial team has already verified the information in question.

This Privacy Policy describes how StopFake collects, uses, and protects information collected from users of our website StopFake.org (“the Site”), StopFake’s chatbot services and other multimedia products. By using the Site and StopFake’s chatbot services, you agree to the terms outlined in this policy.