Philosophy
About Factly#
Started as an idea in 2014, it was in the mid-2010s that Factly moved into the Data journalism space, which was still in its nascent stages in India. By 2015, Factly had evolved from a blog to a company with an aim to transform the public information landscape in India by making data and information meaningful to people. Between 2016-18, Factly launched its own website and boosted the publishing of its in-house articles- this combination of the data stories along with YouTube videos helped Factly gain a foothold in the news media space through increased subscribers to its content. Today, Factly undertakes three broad categories of work - content production; tool-building; and consulting & training projects.
Factly's Mission#
Factly strives to cultivate civic participation and engaging citizens in accessing, understanding and using important government data/information at various levels.
Factly's Vision#
Factly will strive to transform the public information landscape in India by improving access & understanding of the common public about important government data/information and evolve into a reliable and significant resource in the context of public information & governance.
About Factly Labs#
Factly Labs is the technology wing at Factly that works on various solutions for Journalism Tech. Factly Labs was started to primarily address the technolgy needs at Factly, but we quickly realized that the solutions developed for Factly addressed similar problems across other media organisations. We also believed that the solutions developed for Factly would benefit media organisations of all sizes. We have since developed various open source projects and will continue to develop more solutions while building a vibrant open source community around these projects.
Factly Labs Mission#
Factly Labs strives on developing and managing various applications that will increase access to public data and information by making it easy, interactive and intuitive.
Factly Labs Vision#
Factly Labs will strive to democratize journalism technology.
Our Principles of Open Source#
Transparency#
Whether we're developing software or solving a business problem, we all have access to the information and materials necessary for doing our best work. And when these materials are accessible, we can build upon each other's ideas and discoveries. We can make more effective decisions and understand how decisions affect us.
Collaboration#
When we're free to participate, we can enhance each other's work in unanticipated ways. When we can modify what others have shared, we unlock new possibilities. By initiating new projects together, we can solve problems that no one can solve alone. And when we implement open standards, we enable others to contribute in the future.
Release early and often#
Rapid prototypes can lead to rapid discoveries. An iterative approach leads to better solutions faster. When you're free to experiment, you can look at problems in new ways and seek answers in new places. You can learn by doing.
Inclusive meritocracy#
Good ideas can come from anywhere, and the best ideas should win. Only by including diverse perspectives in our conversations can we be certain we've identified the best ideas, and decision-makers continually seek those perspectives. We may not operate by consensus, but successful work determines which projects gather support and effort from the community.
Community#
Communities form when different people unite around a common purpose. Shared values guide decision making, and community goals supersede individual interests and agendas.