I stated in an earlier blog post that the campaign will be in collaboration with Full Fact, an independent factchecking organisation based in the UK. The majority of Fact checking sites based in the UK are charities. A charity within the political spectrum will hold a non-bias representation, therefore, being trustworthy and a credible resource for all, no matter the political affiliation. A factchecking website that isn't a charity runs the risk of being biased or untrustworthy because it has no duty to serve all, even if they claim too. With this in mind, I researched whether or not charities can work in collaboration with a political movement or party, which the government explains on their website:
"Charity law defines political activity as any activity that aims to promote or oppose a change in the law or Government policy. Charities can undertake political activity in support of their charitable aims, but it’s not acceptable for a charity to pursue its aims solely through political activities. This is because charities can never have a political purpose – so an organisation which exists purely to campaign for a change in the law is not a charity. Whether or not charities choose to undertake political activity, they must never support or oppose a particular political party or endorse a particular political candidate." it continues "A charity can’t make political donations, give other financial support, or support in kind, to a political party. This is a fundamental principle of charity law. This prohibition also applies to any trading subsidiary a charity may have."
- https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/354727/Charities_politics_and_campaigning_MP_factsheet_6.pdf
What this means is I must revisit this part of my campaign and see how I can implement a credible and trustworthy factchecking resource. It's clear that the campaign cannot work with a charity so it's either find another solution or don't go forward with collaborating with other partners.
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