The week in fact-checking: That time reporters fact-checked some big lies; that time they didn’t

The American Press Institute presents a roundup from the world of fact checking, debunking and truth telling — just in case you haven’t been paying as much attention as we do.

Quote of the week
“…many news sites try to demonstrate that they are fair and balanced by presenting ‘both’ sides of any issue deemed ‘controversial’ — even when there really aren’t two credible sides. That isn’t objectivity. And the consequence is public confusion.”  

—Lee McIntyre, author of “Respecting Truth: Willful Ignorance in the Internet Age.”

Fact-checking the 2016 campaign
Already with the fact-checking? Former Virginia Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va., who hasn’t even officially announced a run for president, is off to a dubious start with some misrecollections of previous campaigns. FactCheck.org explains. Read it.

Fact-checking fail
Which of these things is most shameful: A guy who told fantastical lies about his military service for years, or the news organizations who reported those lies for years without fact-checking a single one? Yep, it’s a toss-up. Read it.

Fact-checking science
The most frustrating characteristic of Internet rumors is that they move faster than the speed of, well, pretty much anything. Including reporters. By the time the Arizona Daily Sun staff debunked rumors about the awakening of a local dormant volcano, the Internet had already erupted. The paper’s editor decided to handle the non-story in an unusual way. Read it.

What? Something is fake on the internet?
And while people in Arizona were chasing volcanic rumors, the Great Falls Tribune was chasing an ultimately-fake photo of two grizzly bears in a local park. Fact-checking the source of a photo is not too difficult, but “it’s hard to retract information that has gone viral on social media,” says a Tribune editor. Read it.

Fact-checking Hollywood
Could Hollywood please just decide whether or not dinosaurs had feathers? Jurassic Park is giving us paleontological whiplash. Vox’s “Observatory” examines the history of dinosaurs, birds and movies. Watch it.

Fact-checking tips
When an Arizona education official said the newly signed state budget meant “a 20 percent cut in funding for each and every in-state student,” parents and students took notice. So did an Arizona Republic reporter who, appropriately, was suspicious of such an absolute statement. Her finding: “False,” and no stars for the speaker. Read it.

Not just for politics
Fact-checking football can be fun, too. Here’s what the Voice of San Diego found when it fact-checked what NBC San Diego calls “a crummy deal” made by the city’s favorite football team. Watch it.

Fact-checking around the world
The fact-checked officials of the European Union can relax now. FactCheckEU has closed its operations, more than a year after journalists launched what was supposed to be a four-month pilot project. Additional funding allowed them to produce hundreds of fact checks, but managers “have however not found sufficient funding to continue operations in a satisfactory manner,” according to their farewell newsletter. Read it.

Behind the fact check
Upworthy’s fast growth after its launch in 2012 is inarguably impressive, but the site got off to a rough start when it came to fact-checking. Now, a fact-checking team lead by standards chief Matt Savener combs through the site’s curated stories to separate the unworthy from the “upworthy.” Read it.

For media organizations: Is fact-checking worth your time? We can help you determine the impact of your accountability, fact-checking and investigative journalism.Contact us for a free assessment.

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