Portugal’s Public Newsrooms Unite for Real-Time Fact Checks Ahead of EU Vote

The Portuguese government has instructed news agency Lusa and public broadcaster RTP to build a shared fact-checking hub, a move that will funnel public money into a single verification desk and reshape how false claims are debunked on television, radio and major websites.

Why This Matters

• Unified watchdog – instead of competing fact-check columns, the two largest public newsrooms will share databases and verdicts.

• Budgeted €1.2M over 3 years – funded from the state media levy already on residents’ electricity bills.

• Election-year urgency – the tool is promised to be live before the European Parliament vote in June, when online rumours typically spike.

• Open API for local papers – regional outlets from Bragança to Faro will be able to embed verdict badges for free.

How the System Will Work

Lusa’s existing real-time wire will feed every political speech, viral post and government press release into a machine-learning triage filter built by RTP’s data team. Human editors from both newsrooms then apply a four-colour rating—from “verified” to “false”—and publish a short explainer in Portuguese and English. The database will sit behind a public dashboard and a private API that social networks can ping to label disputed content.

Why the Government Stepped In

Lisbon officials cite three pressures:

EU Digital Services Act fines that can reach 6% of turnover if platforms ignore harmful disinformation.

A record 38% of Portuguese adults now get news primarily from social media, according to OberCom.

Rising deep-fake campaign videos already circulating ahead of municipal races.

“Separating opinion from outright fabrication is now a public-interest utility, like water or roads,” argued the Secretary of State for Digital Transition when presenting the plan in Parliament.

Industry Reactions

Private newspapers such as Público welcome the free API but warn that a state-funded arbiter must stay independent. SIC Notícias questions whether sharing code between two public entities will really speed up verdicts during live debates. Meanwhile, Meta has indicated it might integrate the tags, provided the methodology meets its transparency standards.

What This Means for Residents

• More trustworthy feeds – Facebook or Instagram users in Portugal could soon see a grey banner linking back to the Lusa-RTP verdict whenever a viral claim is flagged.

• No extra cost – the €1.2M will be covered by the existing media fee (about €3 per month on an average household bill).

• Faster corrections – televised debates will carry on-screen QR codes leading to live fact checks, reducing the 24-hour lag that viewers endured during the last presidential campaign.

• Media literacy push – high-school teachers will gain access to lesson packs built on the same database, part of a broader curriculum update next autumn.

Next Steps

Draft bylaws defining editorial independence are due to be published for public consultation within 30 days. If approved, the pilot platform will enter closed beta with 12 regional newspapers in April and full national rollout by early June. The government has pledged a sunset review in 2029 to decide whether the joint desk remains a permanent fixture or returns to separate newsroom budgets.

Bottom Line for Investors & Entrepreneurs

For Portugal-based start-ups focused on AI moderation, media analytics or cybersecurity, the open API and government urgency create an immediate market for plug-in tools. Local fintech FiniSafe has already signalled interest in using the ratings to detect scam investment ads. While the €1.2M budget is small, the credibility boost from partnering with two flagship newsrooms could be worth far more for early-stage companies.