Procedures

In order to maintain the group’s transparency and improve the processes that govern it, on November 8, 2019, Cazadores de Fake News’ Editorial Board (CEC by its Spanish acronym) was formed, with a scope of action on cazadoresdefakenews.info and the social networks of @cazamosfakenews.

To elect the CEC, the members of the Foro Cazadores (Telegram) nominated and elected, through direct voting, the members of the CEC. Its five members serve as a global representation of the editorial decisions of Cazadores de News.

As of this date, the investigative and editorial processes of Cazadores de Fake News, are summarized as follows:

A. Detection Phase

1. Any of the members of the Foro Cazadores (or other virtual spaces of Red Cazadores, such as Café Cazadores, WhatsApp groups or followers in social networks), can ask questions about rumors, possible cases of misinformation or disinformation related to Venezuela or Venezuelans.
2. CEC members will conduct continuous monitoring of publications on social networks, news websites and reports received through Telegram, WhatsApp and instant messaging on social networks. Monitoring may be conducted with the use of open source research tools.

B. Research Phase

1. The CEC will investigate each case in detail, searching and finding digital forensic evidence by consulting open sources. Consultation of sources that may provide data not available openly may be carried out, in order to reorient the investigations or collect more evidence in open sources.
2. Members of the Foro Cazadores (or other digital spaces of the Red Cazadores), may be part of the research directed by the CEC, as collaborators. These collaborators will be able to research, gather arguments and organize them collectively, delivering their conclusions to the CEC for final analysis and evaluation.
3. All available evidence will be analyzed and evaluated by the CEC. Each case will be resolved, if the members of the CEC unanimously consider that the evidence obtained is conclusive to issue a final result.
4. All members of the CEC have the right to veto the analysis, classification and publication of any case brought to the forum.

C. Disclosure phase

1. Each approved case will be published on the web or in social networks, with one of the following labels: «Verdadero» (True), «False» (Fake), «Engañoso» (Misleading), «Clarification» or «Lo Que Sabemos» (“What We Know”).
2. In the case of special reports/research, opinion articles or technical/academic articles, the categories «En La Mira» (Crosshairs), «Opinion» or «Universidad Cazadores» (Cazadores University), respectively, will be used.
3. In the event that a source of mis-disinformation news is detected to be a repeat offender, if it has been mentioned more than five times during a year in different debunks or clarifications, it will be mentioned in new cases debunked with an explicit note stating that it is a misleading source.

Others

1. All comments made in the Hunter’s Forum will be considered as personal interventions of each of its members and in no case as joint statements of Fake News Hunter’s.
2. The official spokesperson of Cazadores de Fake News will be under the responsibility of Adrián González.
3. The official statements of Cazadores de Fake News will be made public only and exclusively through the social networks of @cazamosfakenews (including the Telegram channels and groups) and cazadoresdefakenews.info.