The Week in Fact-Checking

Welcome to the first joint fact-checking blog post from Poynter and the American Press Institute, just in time to fact-check yet another U.S. presidential debate. Thursday’s event in Milwaukee was the 14th debate this election season, and that’s a lot of fact-checking. So journalists around the world are trying new platforms to keep audiences interested.

Snapchat, GIFs and short videos are being used to reach wider and younger audiences, and it appears the efforts are appreciated. Read the full article on Poynter.org.

You can get this blog post delivered each week as a newsletter; just sign up here.  And let us know what you think of our new joint project.

Fact-checking in the U.S.

Quote of the week
“I think one of the most disturbing things about a very disturbing election cycle, for me, has been the growth of this idea that somehow we’re in a post-factual era.  Well, God help us if we’re in a post-factual era.” — Larry Sabato, Director at the Center for Politics, University of Virginia

Fact-checking the 2016 elections
Remember how much fun political gaffes can be? There were some good ones last year.But this election season, says Michael Kinsley, gaffes have been replaced by lies. And maybe that’s not all bad. Read it.

Fact-checking fail
It was a “good story” that contained some bad red flags: An anonymous source, an over-the-top claim, confusing details. It ended with a Texas newspaper retracting the story, apologizing for a fact-checking fiasco and a lack of skepticism, and making a pledge to readers. Read it.

Beware the faux-check
Here’s another tip for sorting out real fact-checking from agenda-driven fact-checking: A command in the middle of a “fact check” about abortion funding that says: “Click ‘like’ if you are PRO-LIFE!” The phrase, “I’m no lawyer, but…” also is a giveaway. Examine it.

Fact-checking around the world

Fact check of the week: France assigns Lying Oscars
Individual fact-checkers around the world have been assigning (or letting their readers elect) the worst political fib of the year for a while now. Thomas Guénolé, a French journalist and political scientist, went one step further by putting together a jury of fact-checkers from across French media to do the job. And the winner is…

Fact-checker of the week: Dogruluk Payi
Turkish fact-checkers were awarded by the Sabanci Foundation for being a “Change Maker”, which resulted in a profile on Al Monitor (more about their fact-checking in this Poynter article from October).

Quick fact-checking news
(1) PolitiFact and Africa Check launched their joint venture fact-checking global health and development (2) A new app wants to fix link rot, a scourge for journalists in general and fact-checkers in particular (3) The Journal is fact-checking the Irish elections (4) Africa Check broke the 2 million pageviews mark (5) Lupa published its first report on piauí magazine (6) Is Italy’s press sick? And is fact-checking the cure?

Jane Elizabeth, American Press Institute’s Fact-Checking Project

Alexios Mantzarlis, International Fact-Checking Network @ Poynter

The post The Week in Fact-Checking appeared first on American Press Institute.

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