Keep Factually independent
Whether you agree or disagree with our analysis, these conversations matter for democracy. We don't take money from political groups - even a $5 donation helps us keep it that way.
Fact check: Who is behind the useful website factually.co?
1. Summary of the results
Based on the analyses provided, there appears to be confusion regarding the specific website "factually.co" mentioned in the original question. The sources do not directly identify who is behind factually.co, but instead provide information about related but distinct organizations:
- The Factual is a technology company based in San Mateo, CA, that provides unbiased news and critical topics for readers [1]
- The Factual also operates as a company that matches writers and publications with freelance fact-checkers, using a business model where clients pay for fact-checking services [2]
- A separate company called "Factual" was founded by Wudan Yan as an agency matching nonfiction storytellers with vetted fact-checkers, but this is explicitly noted as not being related to factually.co [3]
- USAFacts, a data-sharing nonprofit founded by Steve Ballmer, focuses on making government data more accessible to Americans, though this is not directly connected to factually.co [4] [5]
2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints
The analyses reveal several critical gaps in addressing the original question:
- No direct information about the ownership, funding, or leadership of the specific website "factually.co" is provided in any of the sources
- The sources focus on similarly named but distinct organizations rather than the specific domain in question
- There is no discussion of potential conflicts of interest or financial backing that might influence the content or perspective of factually.co
- The analyses lack information about when factually.co was established, its mission statement, or its editorial policies
- No mention of key personnel, board members, or investors who might have influence over the website's operations and content direction
3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement
The original question itself does not contain misinformation, as it is simply an inquiry about website ownership. However, the analytical sources provided appear inadequate for answering the specific question asked:
- The sources seem to conflate different organizations with similar names, potentially creating confusion about which entity is actually being discussed [1] [2] [3]
- There may be an assumption that "factually.co" is related to these other fact-checking organizations without establishing a clear connection
- The inclusion of information about USAFacts and Steve Ballmer appears tangential and potentially misleading if readers assume this is connected to factually.co [4] [5]
The analyses fail to provide the specific ownership information requested, leaving the original question essentially unanswered based on the available sources.