A fact check is the action of verifying or confirming the truth of (a statement in speech or writing). Fact-checking is most often done by journalists and other people who have a commitment to journalism and public service. It may also be undertaken by organizations that specialize in evaluating the accuracy of information, such as Snopes and PolitiFact.
To do a fact check, an editor or other person reviews a piece of content and checks each claim against its source. The reviewer may call experts or eyewitnesses, consult public data and more. A fact-checker must cite every source used and may need to look for additional sources as needed.
In addition to the work done by journalists and other third-party researchers, social media platforms are increasingly incorporating fact-checking into their algorithms. For example, Facebookâs artificial intelligence analyzes a post to see if it contains misinformation or is potentially biased. It will then flag the post for further evaluation by human moderators. Similarly, Twitter and Instagram utilize machine learning to identify potentially false or misleading information. In some cases, the social network will flag a post for further review or deprioritize it in news feeds based on the number of people who have tagged it with disbelief or expressed their disagreement.
The International Fact-Checking Network, a unit of Poynter, connects and supports fact-checkers around the world. These groups verify the accuracy of claims made by individuals, media outlets and political leaders. They are the front lines in the global battle against misinformation.