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International fact-checking sites
Fact Check was Ballotpedia's fact-checking project that ran from October 2015 through October 2018. These pages have been archived.
The popularity of fact-checking journalism in the United States has increased exponentially since the founding of major American fact-checking enterprises such as FactCheck.org (2003), PolitiFact (2007) and The Washington Post Fact Checker (2007). The number of fact-checking articles and articles that reference fact checks increased 300 percent in the United States between the years 2008 and 2012, according to an April 2015 study by the "Fact-Checking Project" of the American Press Institute.[1]
But the rise of fact-checking journalism has not been limited to the United States; fact-checking organizations can be found throughout the world. The Duke Reporters' Lab lists over 60 different organizations operating outside the U.S. in approximately forty different countries.[2]
"It's hard to think of any other new idea in journalism that has spread this quickly around the world. Even the news interview—the idea that you would interview a source and print their quotes in the paper—had to be invented in the second half of the 1800s... That took half a century to spread to the rest of the world," said Lucas Graves, a journalism professor at the University of Wisconsin.[3]
Building on this momentum, the Poynter Institute organized the first annual international fact-checking conference in London in June 2014.[4] The second took place in August 2015, less than a month after Poynter announced its intentions to establish an international fact-checking organization.[5][6]
What's driving the proliferation of fact-checking around globe is not yet well-understood. To explain it, scholars and journalists have cited a general desire among international journalists "to educate citizens about critical policy issues" and to hold public officials accountable. In addition, fact-checking offers a fresh alternative to "the news-driven reporting model."[7][3]
Characteristics
The styles, methods and focal points of international fact-checking organizations vary significantly.[8] Here, we offer a quick sample of some of their characteristics.
Some organizations, such as UYCheck in Uruguay and Vertetematesi in Albania, use rating systems similar to PolitiFact and The Washington Post Fact Checker. UYCheck rates claims on a scale ranging from "verdadero" (true) to "ridículo" (ridiculous).[9] Vertetematesi uses a meter that flashes red for E Pavertete (False) and green for E Vertete (true).[10] Reporters' Lab estimated in January 2015 that about 80 percent of international groups use some form of a rating system.[11]
Other groups, such as FactChecker in India and StopFake in Ukraine, use no rating system at all.[12][13]
Transparency is another area where international groups differ. Some, such as Africa Check in South Africa, provide detailed descriptions of their methodologies and approaches to fact-checking.[14] Other organizations include little to no information on their inner-workings. Michelle Ye Hee Lee of The Washington Post Fact Checker, citing a presentation by Lucas Graves, notes that legal restrictions in some countries may hinder organizations from including such information.[5]
On the other hand, at least two organizations use crowd-sourcing to evaluate claims. Faktomat in Germany allows readers to submit claims, engage in debate and vote on how claims are rated on a true/false scale.[15]Cite error: Closing </ref> missing for <ref> tag
The focal points of international groups also vary. Many take a comprehensive approach to politics in their countries, covering political figures at all levels. Several focus on specific politicians. Some of these include the (now-defunct) Morsi Meter in Egypt, which tracked the political promises of former president Mohamed Morsi; Buharimeter in Nigeria, which tracks the political promises of President Muhammadu Buhari; the Rouhani Meter in Iran, which rates claims made by President Hassan Rouhani; and the Jomma Meter in Tunisia, which focused on former Prime Minister Mehdi Jomaa.[16][17][18]
Not all groups focus solely on politics. Crikey Get Fact in Australia, for example, assesses a wide range of claims and statistics with its "Fib-o-Matic" meter, including "Is it really cheaper to buy than rent?" and "What secrets are hidden in McDonald's food?" Crikey Get Fact covers politics as well.[19]
List of Fact-Checking Organizations around the World
The table below lists international fact-checking organizations and the country in which they are based. Data comes from the Duke Reporters' Lab. Not all organizations listed are currently active.
| Fact-Checking Organizations outside the U.S. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Organization | Country | |||
| SadRoz | Afghanistan | |||
| Vertetematesi | Albania | |||
| Chequeado | Argentina | |||
| ABC FactCheck | Australia | |||
| Crikey Get Fact | Australia | |||
| Medical Observer | Australia | |||
| PolitiFact Australia | Australia | |||
| The Conversation Fact Check | Australia | |||
| FactcheckEU | Belgium | |||
| Preto No Branco | Brazil | |||
| Truco | Brazil | |||
| Istinomjer | Boznia and Herzegovina | |||
| Baloney Meter | Canada | |||
| FactsCan | Canada | |||
| El Poligrafo | Chile | |||
| Lie Detector | Colombia | |||
| Rete al Candidato | Costa Rica | |||
| UYCheck.com | Uruguay | |||
| Politigrafo | El Salvador | |||
| Morsi Meter | Egypt | |||
| Faktabaari | Finland | |||
| Desintox | France | |||
| Facta Media | France | |||
| Le Veritometre | France | |||
| Le Vrai Du Faux | France | |||
| Les Decodeurs | France | |||
| Les Pinocchios | France | |||
| Grass Fact Check | Georgia | |||
| Faktomat | Germany | |||
| Münchhausen-Check | Germany | |||
| ZDFcheck | Germany | |||
| iDemagog | Hungary | |||
| Factchecker | India | |||
| Rouhani Meter | Iran | |||
| CivicLinks Fact Checking | Italy | |||
| Pagella Politica | Italy | |||
| Politicometro | Italy | |||
| Vistinomer/Vertetmates | Macedonia | |||
| Animal Politico | Mexico | |||
| Promis | Moldova | |||
| FHJ Factcheck | Netherlands | |||
| Nieuwscheckers | Netherlands | |||
| Fact or Fiction? | New Zealand | |||
| Buharimeter | Nigeria | |||
| Faktasjekk | Norway | |||
| Ateneo Fact Check project | Philippines | |||
| Demagog | Poland | |||
| Obywatele Rozliczają | Poland | |||
| Factual | Romania | |||
| Istinomer | Serbia | |||
| Demagog | Slovakia | |||
| AfricaCheck | South Africa | |||
| "Truth or False poll" | South Korea | |||
| JTBC Fact Check | South Korea | |||
| Really? | South Korea | |||
| El Objectivo | Spain | |||
| VerdadMentira | Spain | |||
| Faktakoll Blog | Sweden | |||
| Livekollen | Sweden | |||
| Lögndetektorn | Sweden | |||
| Jomaa Meter! | Tunisia | |||
| Dogruluk Payi | Turkey | |||
| FakeControl | Ukraine | |||
| StopFake | Ukraine | |||
| Vladometr | Ukraine | |||
| Full Fact | United Kingdom | |||
| Guardian Reality Check | United Kingdom | |||
| The FactCheck Blog | United Kingdom | |||
See also
- What is fact-checking?
- Fact-checking organizations
- The methodologies of fact-checking
- Academic studies of political fact-checking
- PolitiFact
- FactCheck.org
- The Washington Post Fact Checker
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ American Press Institute, "The Diffusion of Fact-Checking: Understanding the growth of a journalistic innovation," April 22, 2015
- ↑ Reporters' Lab, "Fact-Checking," accessed September 11, 2015. Note: these numbers are based on our own assessment. Not all groups are necessarily currently active.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 PolitiFact.com, "New fact-checking websites span the globe," August 9, 2013
- ↑ The Washington Post, "The global boom in political fact checking," June 13, 2014
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Washington Post, "Fact checking of political statements expands dramatically overseas," August 14, 2015
- ↑ Poynter, "Poynter to Become Home of International Fact-Checking with Grant of Up To $225,000 from Omidyar Network, with Additional Support from National Endowment for Democracy," July 24, 2015
- ↑ Foreign Affairs, "Just the Facts: Politics and the New Journalism," January 6, 2014
- ↑ Reporters' Lab, "Study explores new questions about quality of global fact-checking," August 11, 2015
- ↑ UYCheck.com, "Home," accessed September 11, 2015
- ↑ Vertetematesi, "Home," accessed September 11, 2015
- ↑ Reporters' Lab, "Fact-Checking Census finds continued growth around the world," Januaru 19, 2015
- ↑ FactChecker, "Home," accessed September 11, 2015
- ↑ StopFake.org, "Home," accessed September 11, 2015
- ↑ Africa Check, "About us," accessed September 11, 2015
- ↑ Faktomat, "Home," accessed September 11, 2015
- ↑ MorsiMeter, "Home," accessed September 11, 2015
- ↑ Buharimeter.org, "Home," accessed September 11, 2015
- ↑ JommaMeter.org, "Home," accessed September 11, 2015
- ↑ Crikey - Get Fact, "Home," accessed September 11, 2015
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