Who runs factually website
Executive summary
The name “Factually” is used by at least three distinct projects; identifying who runs “Factually” therefore depends on which site or product is meant. Poynter’s Factually newsletter is produced by the International Fact‑Checking Network (IFCN) at the Poynter Institute (the newsletter and its editorial stewardship are described on Poynter’s site), a separate health-information platform called Factually Health is led by CEO Lina Forcier and an AI-focused founding team, and an algorithmic news-rater called The Factual was co‑founded by Arjun Moorthy and acquired by Yahoo in 2022 — each of these uses similar branding but is run by different organizations [1] [2] [3].
1. Poynter’s “Factually” newsletter — run by the International Fact‑Checking Network
Poynter publishes a biweekly newsletter titled “Factually,” and Poynter states that the newsletter is written by the International Fact‑Checking Network, which is part of the Poynter Institute; the site describes the newsletter’s mission to highlight fact‑checks, misinformation trends and training opportunities and invites readers to subscribe [1]. The Poynter Institute is a nonprofit journalism school and research organization that operates projects including the International Fact‑Checking Network and has institutional ties described broadly in Poynter’s public materials [4] [1].
2. Factually Health — an AI‑driven health information platform led by Lina Forcier
A separate entity, Factually Health, presents itself as an AI‑driven health information platform whose leadership includes Lina Forcier as CEO and Pascal Soucy joining as CTO in 2021, with a founding team claiming expertise in epidemiology, AI, and business; the company’s “Who We Are” page lays out that team and mission to combat health misinformation using AI [2]. That corporate “About” page explicitly links Factually Health’s founding and leadership to named individuals and positions the organization as a privately run startup rather than a journalism nonprofit [2].
3. The Factual (algorithmic news rater) — founded by Arjun Moorthy, acquired by Yahoo
A third, distinct brand — The Factual — is an algorithm‑based news rating company founded in 2019 and led publicly by cofounder and CEO Arjun Moorthy; The Factual’s algorithm and leadership were highlighted when Yahoo announced it had acquired The Factual in 2022 and said the company’s founders would join Yahoo in product and engineering roles [3] [5] [6]. Press releases and reporting on the acquisition make clear The Factual now operates as part of Yahoo’s news ecosystem rather than as an independent startup [3] [6].
4. Why this naming confusion matters — different missions, governance and funding
These similarly named projects serve different purposes and operate under divergent governance, funding and editorial models: Poynter/IFCN’s Factually is an editorial newsletter tied to an established nonprofit journalism institute [1] [4]; Factually Health bills itself as an AI health start‑up with named founders and corporate leadership [2]; and The Factual was a commercial algorithmic product integrated into Yahoo after acquisition, with its founders joining Yahoo leadership [3] [5]. Readers attributing content or editorial stances to “Factually” without specifying which product risk conflating nonprofit fact‑checking, private health information services, and a corporate news‑rating algorithm [1] [2] [3].
5. What reporting does not resolve and how to verify which “Factually” is intended
Available sources clearly identify the organizations behind the Poynter newsletter, Factually Health, and The Factual/Yahoo acquisition, but they do not address every possible use of the “Factually” name or any smaller projects that may share the brand; if a specific URL or product is in question, the most reliable confirmation is the site’s own “About” or corporate disclosure page or an official press release [1] [2] [3]. Where overlap exists — for example, similar names in search results — those institutional disclosures (Poynter/IFCN for the newsletter, Factually Health’s team page for the health platform, and Yahoo’s press release for The Factual) provide the clearest evidence of who runs each project [1] [2] [3].