The big day of the municipal elections is getting closer. In Barcelona, ​​as the polls point out, equality is maximum in the dispute between the main candidates to reach the mayoralty in a very fragmented electorate. Around 30% of voters have not yet decided who they will support, votes that will surely be decisive, according to the latest survey carried out by Ipsos for La Vanguardia and RAC1. When choosing one mayor or another, being as well informed as possible and knowing in a reliable way the proposals of the political formations are fundamental issues.

The debates held during the campaign are a good opportunity to compare ideas and learn about political promises. It is the moment in which numerous data that are sometimes out of context or directly incorrect are put on the table. Some messages that are repeated even in a current era of information overload and are amplified exponentially on social networks.

In order to unmask erroneous information and certify its veracity, the figure of fact checkers arose some time ago. In Catalonia, the independent entity Verificat performs this task through a team of journalists, contrasting the information from different reliable and legitimate sources, in some cases obtained through requests from the administrations’ transparency portals.

In the battle for the mayoralty of Barcelona, ​​some of the most recurring issues subject to fact-checking correspond to those related to security, the housing problem or the environment. In this sense, an issue that has led to heated discussions has been that of squatting, focusing the current news and conditioning the campaign based on what happened with the squatted buildings El Kubo and La Ruïna in Bonanova.

The Valents candidate, Eva Parera, has stated that around 40% of the squatting in all of Spain is concentrated in Barcelona. According to Verificat, a “false data” since the figure refers to the complaints filed in Catalonia in relation to the Spanish group and the correct number in Barcelona was 9% in 2022, when 1,469 complaints were filed for squatting of the residence of the 16,726 total in Spain, according to data from the Department of the Interior obtained by the entity through a request for transparency.

Without abandoning the issue related to housing, the Junts candidate, Xavier Trias, has pointed out that when he was mayor the price of rent fell by 8% while in Colau’s two terms it rose by 49%. In this case, the verification association concludes that the data is close to that published by the Institut Català del Sol although the comparison is “misleading” by arguing that the statement lacks context because the evolution of prices is similar in Barcelona, Catalonia and Spain. They add that these changes cannot be attributed only to municipal management as other factors intervene, such as the 2008 recession or the economic impact of the covid.

As for security, the fact-checking platform determines that it is “misleading” that the Urban Police have increased by 1,000 urban guards over the last four years, as stated by the socialist Jaume Collboni. They clarify that although it is true that 1,075 positions have been called since 2019, the workforce will have increased by 416 local police officers in 2023 if retirements are also included in the equation.

Other issues that gain more presence in political interventions refer to the environment. Information that is not entirely correct has been given in this section. For example, the BComú candidate, Ada Colau, has said that pollution has been reduced by 30% in Barcelona during the time she has been mayor, something that for Verificat is a “half truth” when remembering that NO2 emissions (nitrogen dioxide) have decreased this percentage although other polluting particles such as PM10 have grown by 2% in traffic stations.

Without leaving the issue of pollution, the popular Daniel Sirera has commented that Barcelona does not meet the air pollution parameters set by the European Union while Madrid does. For the fact checkers, this is a “misleading” figure, understanding that Madrid equaled the permitted NO2 limit in 2022 and Barcelona exceeded it by two micrograms per cubic meter, “but their emissions trajectory is very similar.” Remember that the Court of Justice of the European Union condemned Spain because both Madrid and Barcelona had repeatedly exceeded the established NO2 limit between 2010 and 2019.

For more than three months, the Verificat team has listened to the interventions of the main candidates for mayor of Barcelona and they have published on their website a complete database with fifty figures and contextualized graphics on issues that have been repeated more than once This weather. The information is structured around the main concerns of the people of Barcelona: housing, security, economy, environment and municipal management. Among other verifications, they have verified the debates of La Vanguardia and RAC1, Betevé and the next one will be this Tuesday that of TV3. After publishing the verified information and in a consensual manner by the fact checkers specialized in the matter, they transfer it to the political formations.

On the other hand, during this campaign they have carried out a pilot test working with the campaign teams of different parties to previously verify the statements in a debate with representatives of the main formations. “We wanted to show that positions on the future of the city can be debated politically without resorting to false information,” says Alba Tobella, co-founder and head of content at Verificat.

In these last days of the campaign, Tobella sends a clear message to defend himself against erroneous information: “In the case of not having verified information, it should not be shared. And, on the other hand, at electoral time it is the moment for voters to demand that politicians tell the truth”.