Description
Project Factness aims to monitor Portuguese fitness and wellness influencers, fact-check health claims, and investigate the supplement industry. By combining scientific expertise and investigative journalism, it seeks to expose misinformation, promote accountability, and empower the public with reliable, evidence-based health information.
Factness combines investigation journalism, disinformation & pseudoscience debunking articles, and multimedia formats, including humour content for broader reach. It involves Público journalists, CHRC/NOVA Medical School researchers, OSInt expert Inês Narciso, and a well-known Portuguese comedian, with the support of a wide advisory board of scientists.
“Health disinformation, especially in the field of nutrition, has become a silent threat, driven by social media offering quick, unfounded, and dangerous solutions through simplistic messages lacking scientific basis but with real health consequences. Defining and implementing effective strategies to combat this growing misinformation is now an urgent priority.
This research project emerges from a partnership between academic institutions and journalism. It represents a firm commitment to truth, science, and the protection of public and individual health. We believe this joint effort — between quality journalism and science — is a crucial step toward safeguarding public health and strengthening trust in knowledge, science, and responsible communication, which are fundamental pillars of more informed, critical, and healthy societies.” — Conceição Calhau, Full professor & leading researcher at Nova Medical School
Project Team
Media outlet
Research organisation
Comprehensive Health Research Centre, NOVA Medical School
Lisbon, Portugal
https://www.chrc.pt/en
Maria da Conceição Calhau
Full professor and vice-dean for community engagement
Portugal
