How do we choose claims to fact-check?
Each day, FactMv journalists look for statements to fact-check. We read transcripts, speeches, news stories, press releases, and campaign brochures. We watch TV and scan social media for viral content.
Readers also can send us suggestions for fact-check via email to: [email protected] or reach us via Whatsapp; we often fact-check statements submitted by readers. Because we can't feasibly check all claims, we select the most newsworthy and significant ones.
In deciding which statements to check, we consider these:
- Is the statement rooted in a fact that is verifiable? We don’t check opinions, and we recognize that in the world of speechmaking and political rhetoric, there is license for hyperbole.
- Does the statement seem misleading or sound wrong?
- Is the statement significant? We avoid minor "gotchas" on claims that are obviously a slip of the tongue.
- Is the statement likely to be passed on and repeated by others?
- Would a typical person hear or read the statement and wonder: Is that true?
We mostly select statements about topics that are in the news. Without keeping count, we try to select facts to check from different political parties and groups. At the same time, we more often fact-check the party that holds power or people who repeatedly make attention-getting or misleading statements.
What is the process to follow when we fact-check?
In general our reporting process includes the following:
- a review of what other pp okfact-checkers have found previously
- a thorough Google search
- a search of online databases
- consultation with a variety of experts
- a review of publications
- final overall review of available evidence
We emphasize primary sources and original documentation. We use on-the-record interviews and publish a list of sources with every fact-check. When possible, the list includes links to sources.
We seek direct access to government reports, academic studies and other data. It’s not sufficient for us to get something second-hand. We don’t rely on what a campaign or elected official tells us -- we verify it independently.
In cases where we cite news reports from other media that rely on unnamed or unattributed sources (usually due to the extreme newsworthiness of the report), we note that we cannot independently verify their reporting.