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Journalism & Media vocabulary · Fact-Checking and Verification

Fact-check

Meaning in journalism & media, with examples

/ˈfækt tʃek/verbCore term

In journalism & media, fact-check means: To check whether the names, numbers, dates and claims in a story or statement are correct before or after it is published; as a noun, the check itself.

In Turkish: doğrulamak, teyit etmek, doğruluk kontrolü yapmak

How it is used

Used in two senses: internal checking of your own story before publication, and published fact-checks that rate public claims as true, false or misleading. Fact-checkers work in newsrooms and in specialist organisations.

Example sentences

  1. Please fact-check every number in the budget story before it goes live.

  2. Our fact-check found that the viral video was filmed three years ago in another country.

Common collocations

  • fact-check a claim
  • publish a fact-check
  • fact-checking team
  • independent fact-checkers
  • verifyTo check carefully that information, a photo, a video or a source is real and true before you use or publish it.
  • debunkTo show with clear evidence that a claim, rumour, theory or image is false or misleading.
  • misinformationFalse or misleading information that is spread without the intention to deceive, often by people who believe it is true.
  • accuracyThe quality of being correct in every fact, name, number and quote, which is the first duty of a journalist in most codes of practice.

More terms: Fact-Checking and Verification

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