Today, April 2, is the second annual International Fact-Checking Day. To mark the occasion, we’ve answered several questions from our readers about fact-checking.
We’ve posted our answers in video form on Facebook. Our staff answers these questions:
- Is there really an International Fact-Checking Day or did you just make one?
- How many are involved in the fact-checking? How do you determine what to fact-check?
- How many sources do you use to fact-check, and how is it determined how reliable the source is?
- Who checks your facts?
- Do you ever find that you have made an error in a published fact-check, and if so, how do you retract it (and mitigate any damage it did)?
- Why don’t you fact-check Democrats more? Do you fact-check any other politicians besides Trump?
- Do you and PolitiFact check with each other to ensure all information is investigated?
International Fact-Checking Day is coordinated by the Poynter Institute’s International Fact-Checking Network, which promotes best practices in fact-checking around the world. There are 49 signatories, including FactCheck.org, to the IFCN code of principles.
Check out the International Fact-Checking Day website for tip sheets on how to fact-check political claims, social media videos and online information, and a lesson plan for high school students and online course for college students.