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Fact-checking is journalism. It is the straightforward work of comparing public claims against the best available evidence and publishing the results for all to see. This work strengthens public debate — it does not censor it. It is protected within the United States by the First Amendment, and the U.S. has long supported similar press freedoms internationally. To conflate this work with censorship is to misunderstand what fact-checkers do, or to deliberately misrepresent it.

Initial project documents reveal that 25 wind turbines are situated in the mountainous timberland which is outside the protected area, while 13 will stand in the strict protection zone, where infrastructure is heavily restricted.

On Nov. 30, VERA Files introduced SEEK, its new AI-powered archival chatbot, now available in public beta for free. The announcement was made by Celine Samson, head of VERA Files’ online verification team, during the #JournalismAI Festival in London from Nov. 11 to 12.

In Gubat’s coastal villages, generations of crab growers are pairing traditional knowledge with community-led conservation, proving that sustainable livelihoods grow strongest where people and nature thrive together.

Quarry suspensions are in place, but Masarawag’s sudden floods continue, leaving residents to wonder if the new rules will be enough.

Celine Samson, head of VERA Files online verification, was at the JournalismAI Festival 2025 in  London last month where she shared insights about VERA Files’ use of artificial intelligence in combatting disinformation.

The Supreme Court is on a collision course with the International Criminal Court over the dismissal of a petition to review the case of Efren Morillo, an eyewitness and survivor of the war on drugs of former president Rodrigo Duterte, who has been detained at the Scheveningen facility while awaiting trial for charges of crimes against humanity in The Hague, Netherlands.

Find out more how Catbalogan City, nestled amid its rugged and mountainous landscape, is responding to rising climate risks that have disrupted harvests across Samar. Watch this video:

The outrage is still there over the trillions of pesos worth of public funds that were diverted to pockets of senators, congressmen, other public officials and contractors.But the shouts and placards in the two separate rallies held on Nov. 30 show a growing sense of frustration over what many people feel is the slow pace of making those involved accountable.

Residents say they are willing to try alternatives while waiting for suspended flood-control projects to resume. They see vetiver not as a miracle solution but as something they can begin with on their own while pushing for more comprehensive government action.

Salcedo's 2023 Municipal Resolution on Climate Accountability was the first in the Philippines to formally name major fossil fuel companies and recognize their contribution to climate risks experienced locally.

SEEK is VERA Files' AI chatbot. Think of it as having a research partner who's read everything we've ever published since 2008.

Relief and then, joy filled the room after the presiding judge of the Appeals Chamber of the International Criminal Court in The Hague announced that they rejected the appeal of former president Rodrigo Duterte for an interim release.

The five-person Appeals Chamber unanimously rejected all three grounds that Duterte’s lawyers raised to reverse the pre-trial chamber’s decision, saying the defense team “failed to demonstrate error” in PTC’s assessment.

Another case of General Santos City police officers abusing women in their custody happened in October, two months after a similar crime was committed in the same city, monitoring by Sandatahang Dahas revealed.

China-related activities in the country: The Diliman College in Quezon City launched Nov. 18 a new academic center aimed at reshaping the negative perception of China. This followed a large gathering of overseas Chinese citizens at the Century Park Hotel in Manila in October, opposing Taiwan independence while promoting unification with the mainland.

The alliance expressed “firm opposition” to proposals calling for an end to government support to tobacco farmers, imposing quotas on the manufacture and importation of tobacco products, and banning or phasing out of tobacco sales.

Senators honored former Senate president Juan Ponce Enrile during the necrological service Nov 19 at the Senate Plenary Hall, his stage for many years. He was Senate president from 2008 to 2013.