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R0050/2026-03-31-02/Q001/SRC01/E01
Research R0050 — Journalism Disciplines
Run 2026-03-31-02
Query Q001
Source SRC01
Evidence SRC01-E01
Type Factual

IFCN Code of Principles defines procedural commitments without structured evidence scoring

URL: https://ifcncodeofprinciples.poynter.org/the-commitments

Extract

The IFCN Code of Principles comprises five commitments with 31 compliance criteria:

  1. Non-partisanship and Fairness (5 criteria): Apply "the same high standards of evidence and judgment" regardless of source. No evidence quality scale is defined — the standard is "same high standards" without specifying what those standards are.
  2. Standards and Transparency of Sources (4 criteria): Prioritize primary over secondary sources; verify against "multiple named evidence sources." No formal hierarchy of evidence types is defined.
  3. Transparency of Funding & Organization (5 criteria): Disclosure requirements. Not related to evidence evaluation.
  4. Standards and Transparency of Methodology (6 criteria): Publish methodology; present evidence "supporting and undermining claims equally." No structured bias assessment domains.
  5. Open & Honest Corrections Policy (5 criteria): Error correction procedures. Not related to evidence evaluation.

Key finding: The IFCN requires fact-checkers to use "the same high standards of evidence" and to prioritize primary sources, but does not define what those standards are in structural terms. There is no evidence quality scale, no calibrated uncertainty language, no structured bias assessment checklist, and no source reliability tiering system.

Relevance to Hypotheses

Hypothesis Relationship Strength
H1 Contradicts IFCN lacks all four structural features — no evidence hierarchy, no calibrated language, no bias domains, no reliability tiers
H2 Supports IFCN does require primary-over-secondary source preference (a minimal hierarchy) and equal presentation of supporting/contradicting evidence (a procedural fairness standard)
H3 Contradicts IFCN's 31-criterion assessment is itself a structured compliance framework, even if it lacks the four specific features

Context

The IFCN Code of Principles is the de facto global certification standard for fact-checking organizations. As of 2026, over 100 organizations have been verified as signatories. The code defines what fact-checkers must do procedurally but does not prescribe how they should structurally evaluate evidence quality.