the Blog
Bryan W. White
June 8, 2019
Today, by 12:30 a.m. EDT, the International Fact-Checking Network had moved Maldito Bulo, a fact-checking organization from Spain, from its “Verified Signatories” list to the “Expired Verified Signatories” list. Maldito Bulo’s certification date was June 7, 2018. FactCheck.org (United States) shared the same certification date but it remained on the “Verified Signatory” list. IFCN Director Baybars Örsek has said organizations…
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Bryan W. White
June 7, 2019
The International Fact-Checking Network today announced via Twitter that it received a report that one of its verified signatories from India had violated the IFCN Code of Principles. We have been informed of a potential violation of the IFCN code of principles by one of our verified signatories in India. Further evaluation will be followed by communication with the related…
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Bryan W. White
June 4, 2019
June Anniversaries Five of 65 verified signatories to the International Fact-Checking Network’s statement of principles will come due for re-verification in June 2019. FactCheck.org (US) June 7, 2018 Libération – CheckNews (France) June 11, 2018 Maldito Bulo (Spain) June 7, 2018 Pesa Check (Kenya) June 12, 2018 Science Feedback (France) June 7, 2018 IFCN Director Baybars Örsek has said that…
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Bryan W. White
May 30, 2019
What does the IFCN Code of Principles Require? The International Fact-Checking Network first published its Code of Principles in 2016. After Facebook made adherence to the IFCN’s code of principles a requirement for partnering in its effort to limit misinformation, the IFCN developed an application and review process for would-be signatories. The application elaborates on the text of the original…
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Bryan W. White
May 28, 2019
We’ve encouraged the International Fact-checking Network to systematically offer updates regarding its routine work of reviewing compliance with its code of principles. We don’t see that happening, so we’re taking it on ourselves to provide the type of news update we’d like to see from the IFCN. Unfortunately, we do not anticipate having the time to do this task adequately….
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Bryan W. White
April 23, 2019
A fact-checking organization either is or is not a verified signatory of the International Fact-Checking Network’s code of principles. Right? In truth, it’s hard to tell. The system has gray areas. First, “partial compliance” apparently counts the same as “full compliance” with various IFCN criteria. Fact-checking organizations routinely pass inspection despite failing to fully comply with the IFCN code of…
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Bryan W. White
February 27, 2019
This post was updated on June 27, 2019 to add imagery that no longer shows up in an embedded Tweet. Are fact checkers immune to confirmation bias? Survey says no. On Twitter today fact checker Brooke Binkowski, current managing editor for Truth or Fiction and former managing editor for Snopes, posted a link to the non-profit March of Dimes’ page…
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Bryan W. White
October 12, 2018
The Brush-off On Oct. 3, 2018 Zebra Fact Check contacted PolitiFact to point out the need for a correction to a PolitiFact Missouri fact check from Sept. 20, 2018. Our message explained the correction was necessary because PolitiFact Missouri had rated “Mostly False” a claim PolitiFact had stated as true in 2013. PolitiFact gave Zebra Fact Check the brush-off. PolitiFact…
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Bryan W. White
September 24, 2018
Not long after the International Fact-Checking Network committed to policing whether signatories to its code of principles were following that code, we observed that the means the IFCN chose to ensure compliance with its code set a low bar for fact-checking organizations. That bar was especially low for organizations’ policies for “open and honest” corrections: How does one verify scrupulous…
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Bryan W. White
July 5, 2018
PolitiFact Does a Poor Job With Corrections. We’ve belabored the point that PolitiFact has yet to fix two problems we pointed out to the International Fact-Checking Network. The independent assessor chosen by the IFCN wrote that the problems we pointed out deserved a reply. But despite the passage of months we have seen no evidence PolitiFact has either run a…
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