Trasparency

Transparency Code

FACTA is fully committed to transparency, both at the editorial and non-editorial levels. 

We sign up and adopt the Reference Media Circle Transparency Code, granting organisational transparency and editorial responsibility.

We adhere to the principles of public interest journalism and to the Global Charter of Ethics for Journalists.

Revenue Sources

Overall, sources of revenues come from a mix of philanthropic grants, syndication and partnership with media, editorial companies, civic organisations and research institutes, training and consultancy, and public project funding.

The current breakdown of our target revenue is as follows:

• Philanthropic grants (e.g. from foundations): 25%. This includes multi-year institutional support aimed at consolidating FACTA’s core structure and enabling editorial independence.
• Institutional and editorial partnerships (e.g. co-productions with universities, NGOs, and research centres): 55%. These are mission-aligned collaborations that fund joint investigations, data-driven reporting, and outreach initiatives.
• Training, workshops, and consultancy services: 10%. These services are offered to journalists, educators, and civil society actors, covering topics such as AI and journalism, crisis communication, and science-media translation.
• Public project funding (national/EU): 10%. Participation in public-funded projects remains limited but strategic, particularly when aligned with our thematic focus (e.g. environment, public health, digital literacy).

Financial and Annual Reports

As a recognised non-profit social enterprise (impresa sociale S.R.L.), FACTA files its annual financial statements with the Italian “Registro delle Imprese” and publishes an impact report (“bilancio sociale”)  reviewed by the statutory auditor and aligned with the transparency obligations of Legislative Decree No. 112/2017

You can download FACTA’s latest financial reports and annual reports.

Financial_report_2023

Annual_report_2024

Risk management and integrity policy

At FACTA, we approach risk management not as a defensive mechanism but as an essential part of building trust, accountability, and resilience in our journalistic practice. Inspired by the ENJOI project's emphasis on transparency, co-creation, and engagement, our risk strategy is deeply embedded in both the ethical and operational core of our media organisation.

Guiding Principles

Our approach is based on the following key principles:

Transparency – We are committed to the principles and philosophy of open science, which imply clear processes and communication with all stakeholders, including audiences, funders, and partners.

Participatory governance – Following ENJOI’s co-creation methodology, we engage a variety of actors – civil society, researchers, communities – as part of risk identification, mitigation, and response.

Contextual awareness – Given our focus on environmental and science-based reporting, we are particularly attentive to risks such as misinformation, political interference, and the instrumentalisation of science in the public discourse.

Flexibility and responsiveness – We acknowledge the evolving nature of journalistic risk in the digital and political environment and adjust our workflows through continuous internal review and learning.

Operational and editorial safeguards

• We regularly review our digital and information security protocols to protect data, sources, and collaborators. However, as both technological threats and political pressures evolve – particularly in a context of growing authoritarianism – we recognise the need for ongoing learning, regular updates, and critical reflection on our safety practices.
• We uphold strict editorial standards, especially in science reporting, and explicitly avoid 'false balance' in controversial issues. At the same time, we are fully aware that science is not a monolithic body of truth, but a dynamic and iterative process marked by uncertainty, debate, and trial-and-error. Our goal is not merely to communicate results, but to help our audience understand how scientific knowledge is produced, debated, and contextualised – making the processes, limitations, and tensions visible and meaningful. We believe that science can be a powerful ally for the communities we work with, but only when it is approached with intellectual honesty, methodological rigour, and a clear commitment to the public interest.
• We ensure workflow clarity and task sharing through internal protocols, shared tools, and regular editorial and team coordination meetings.
• We implement internal fallback mechanisms for sensitive editorial or data-related tasks.
• Our team structure allows for the redistribution of responsibilities among board members or staff, when needed.

Financial and organisational risk

Facta adopts a proactive and structured approach to financial and organisational risk:

• We implement standard financial controls, such as segregation of duties, quarterly expense monitoring, and oversight of budgets and deliverables.
• Risks are reviewed quarterly by the Board of Directors, with updates presented by the Chair or relevant team lead.
• We maintain timely communication with funders and partners in the event of delays or issues.
• In case of funding delays, we mitigate by adjusting internal allocations and rescheduling outputs while protecting core editorial work.

Engagement as a Form of Risk Mitigation

We believe that authentic engagement with communities, researchers, and stakeholders is one of the most effective ways to prevent misinformation, crises, and harm. Our methodology – based on co-creation and long-term collaboration – creates natural checkpoints for monitoring relevance, ethical concerns, and social impact.

Our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) is formalized in our DEI Framework, which guides our efforts to ensure that our journalistic practices are inclusive and representative of the communities we serve. This framework informs our engagement strategies, helping us to identify and mitigate risks associated with exclusion or misrepresentation.

Furthermore, as members of the Reference Circle network, we adhere to its Transparency Code, which outlines standards for organisational transparency, editorial responsibility, and public accountability. By aligning with these principles, we reinforce our commitment to integrity and openness in our operations and reporting.​

We are also aware that many of the communities we report on live in contexts of environmental and health-related stress, often due to systemic neglect or harmful policies. For this reason, we are currently working to develop safeguarding protocols that protect not only our sources but also these communities – ensuring our journalism does not inadvertently reproduce extractive or harmful dynamics.

Legal Integrity

FACTA and its leadership have not faced any legal proceedings related to journalistic or organisational matters in the past five years. However, we are fully aware that environmental and investigative reporting carries a high risk of legal threats – particularly in the form of SLAPPs or other forms of intimidation.

We are currently working to secure appropriate legal coverage and protection for our team, also through collaboration with an informal network of other independent Italian media who face similar challenges. Strengthening shared strategies and support mechanisms is part of our broader effort to protect press freedom and journalistic integrity in high-risk fields.