When we spoke with Jelena, a key figure behind Faktograf, it became clear that their journey with JTI is about more than just certification—it’s about setting a standard for trustworthy journalism in Croatia. Faktograf began as a small initiative but has grown into a self-sufficient, nonprofit newsroom with 18 full-time employees, all dedicated to fact-checking and media integrity. Over the past decade, the organization has played a crucial role in monitoring democratic processes, EU media legislation, and digital regulations, ensuring that fact-based reporting remains at the core of public discourse. In their pursuit of greater credibility and recognition, Faktograf became JTI-certified. In this interview, Jelena, who led the certification process, shares her experience and thoughts on the future of JTI in media.
“We saw JTI certification as an opportunity to test a new standard for media transparency, and having the support to undergo the audit made it a valuable experience for us.”– Jelena Berkovic, Advisor at Faktograf.
Tell us a bit about yourself and your role at Faktograf.
I was responsible for leading Faktograf through the JTI certification process. My role involved managing the application, handling technical requirements, and communicating with Reporters Without Borders and our auditor. I wanted to ensure our newsroom met the transparency standards JTI promotes.
Can you introduce Faktograf and its mission?
I’ve been involved in Faktograf since the beginning, helping it grow from an idea into a fully operational newsroom. Over the past decade, we’ve built a nonprofit, journalist-led organization dedicated to fact-checking and holding those in power accountable. We are also involved in shaping media policy at the European level, ensuring that democracy and press freedom remain protected.
How did Faktograf first learn about JTI?
We’ve been aware of JTI since its early development, particularly when its 130 certification criteria were introduced. We also had conversations with JTI representatives at fact-checking conferences, which sparked our curiosity. Given that JTI is mentioned in key EU legislative frameworks, we wanted to explore its potential impact on media credibility.
What motivated Faktograf to pursue JTI certification?
We saw JTI certification as an opportunity to test a new standard for media transparency. Since there was financial support available to help cover the audit, we decided to take part and see what value it could bring. We saw value in the structured approach JTI offered, ensuring our editorial processes met global standards.
How was the experience of going through the certification process?
The process required us to review and document our editorial practices, ensuring we aligned with JTI’s transparency standards. It was a learning experience, but having the Journalism Trust Initiative team and our auditor guiding us made it manageable.
How did Faktograf share the news of its certification?
We followed Journalism Trust Initiative’ recommendations and announced our certification on LinkedIn. We also published an article about it on our publisher’s website. To make it visible to our audience, we added the JTI badge to the bottom of our homepage, alongside other credibility indicators.
What impact do you see for JTI certification in the future?
I’m still curious to see how JTI certification will be recognized by platforms and stakeholders. However, I believe it has great potential to bring credibility to independent media and encourage higher transparency standards across the industry. If more media outlets adopt JTI, it could create a stronger, more accountable media ecosystem—not just in Croatia but across Europe.
