This initiative, for which the Foundation joins investigative documentarian Carles Tamayo, is born with the aim of guaranteeing access to information for everyone, and also of sparking young people’s interest in the issues that affect them most: politics, economy, culture. Tamayo explains that “the goal is to bring current affairs closer to younger people with a relatable and informal language, but without giving up rigour”.
With a 30-second format and clear, direct, simple language adapted to new narratives, Factous seeks to connect with younger audiences by providing data and context to the news they see every day.
@factous_es helloooo bienvenido a factous!!! un proyecto de @Maldito Bulo junto a @TAMAYO para entender los movidotes que pasan en el mundo... de locos 👍🏼 . . . #noticias #desinformacion #informacion #actualidad #juventud #jovenes #youth #y2k #noticiastiktok ♬ Rock and Roll Session - Canal Records JP
Users can find a series of videos on different topics on the TikTok and Instagram accounts, and from now on also on YouTube Shorts. In addition, followers will be able to consult the sources that have been used to build the video. In this way, interested users will have the option to verify the information themselves and learn more about the topic.
Carlos Hernández-Echevarría, deputy director of the Foundation, says that “Factous is a necessary project and is in line with what we have always wanted to do: speak to people in their own language and go to find them in the places where they already like to spend their time. Disinformation is everywhere; good information has to be too”.
The visible face of the project is Alba Moreno, a young journalist and political scientist who adds that “on social media there are a thousand spaces that cover current affairs, but very few are verified. With the amount of time young people spend on social media, we swallow more disinformation than we think. And we, as young journalists, have the responsibility to fill that gap with verified information. That is why Factous is born”.
Factous is born as another brand within Fundación Maldita.es, to provide citizens with reliable content based on evidence, facts and data that debunks disinformation and addresses citizens’ information queries with varied and accessible formats, thus creating a more resilient, accessible and trustworthy information and media ecosystem.