The Chicago Guide to Fact-Checking
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The Chicago Guide to Fact-Checking
“A column by Glenn Garvin on Dec. 20 stated that the National Science Foundation ‘funded a study on Jell-O wrestling at the South Pole.’ That is incorrect. The event took place during off-duty hours without NSF permission and did not involve taxpayer funds.”
Corrections such as this one from the Miami Herald have become a familiar sight for readers, especially as news cycles demand faster and faster publication. While some factual errors can be humorous, they nonetheless erode the credibility of the writer and the organization. And the pressure for accuracy and accountability is increasing at the same time as in-house resources for fact-checking are dwindling. Anyone who needs or wants to learn how to verify names, numbers, quotations, and facts is largely on their own.
Enter The Chicago Guide to Fact-Checking, an accessible, one-stop guide to the why, what, and how of contemporary fact-checking. Brooke Borel, an experienced fact-checker, draws on the expertise of more than 200 writers, editors, and fellow checkers representing the New Yorker, Popular Science, This American Life, Vogue, and many other outlets. She covers best practices for fact-checking in a variety of media—from magazine articles, both print and online, to books and documentaries—and from the perspective of both in-house and freelance checkers. She also offers advice on navigating relationships with writers, editors, and sources; considers the realities of fact-checking on a budget and checking one’s own work; and reflects on the place of fact-checking in today’s media landscape.
“If journalism is a cornerstone of democracy, then fact-checking is its building inspector,” Borel writes. The Chicago Guide to Fact-Checking is the practical—and thoroughly vetted—guide that writers, editors, and publishers need to maintain their credibility and solidify their readers’ trust.
Corrections such as this one from the Miami Herald have become a familiar sight for readers, especially as news cycles demand faster and faster publication. While some factual errors can be humorous, they nonetheless erode the credibility of the writer and the organization. And the pressure for accuracy and accountability is increasing at the same time as in-house resources for fact-checking are dwindling. Anyone who needs or wants to learn how to verify names, numbers, quotations, and facts is largely on their own.
Enter The Chicago Guide to Fact-Checking, an accessible, one-stop guide to the why, what, and how of contemporary fact-checking. Brooke Borel, an experienced fact-checker, draws on the expertise of more than 200 writers, editors, and fellow checkers representing the New Yorker, Popular Science, This American Life, Vogue, and many other outlets. She covers best practices for fact-checking in a variety of media—from magazine articles, both print and online, to books and documentaries—and from the perspective of both in-house and freelance checkers. She also offers advice on navigating relationships with writers, editors, and sources; considers the realities of fact-checking on a budget and checking one’s own work; and reflects on the place of fact-checking in today’s media landscape.
“If journalism is a cornerstone of democracy, then fact-checking is its building inspector,” Borel writes. The Chicago Guide to Fact-Checking is the practical—and thoroughly vetted—guide that writers, editors, and publishers need to maintain their credibility and solidify their readers’ trust.
192 pages | 11 halftones, 2 line drawings | 5 1/2 x 8 1/2 | © 2016
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Table of Contents
Introduction
Chapter One: Why We Fact-Check
Chapter Two: What We Fact-Check
Chapter Three: How We Fact-Check
Conclusion
Acknowledgments
Appendix One: “Test Your Skills” Answer Key
Appendix Two: Suggested Reading and Listening
References
Index
Chapter One: Why We Fact-Check
Chapter Two: What We Fact-Check
Chapter Three: How We Fact-Check
Fact-Checking Magazine Articles
Fact-Checking Other Media
Navigating Relationships with Editors, Writers, and Producers
Fact-Checking on a Budget
Fact-Checking Your Own Writing
Chapter Four: Checking Different Types of Facts Fact-Checking Other Media
Navigating Relationships with Editors, Writers, and Producers
Fact-Checking on a Budget
Fact-Checking Your Own Writing
Basic Facts
Numbers
Quotes
Concepts
Analogies
Images
Physical Descriptions
Sports
Historical Quotes and Stories
Product Claims
Foreign Languages
Foreign Outlets
“Common Knowledge”
Headlines and Cover Lines
Facts from Anonymous or Sensitive Sources
Conflicting Facts
Gray Areas
Litigious Material
Plagiarism and Fabrication
Chapter Five: Sourcing Numbers
Quotes
Concepts
Analogies
Images
Physical Descriptions
Sports
Historical Quotes and Stories
Product Claims
Foreign Languages
Foreign Outlets
“Common Knowledge”
Headlines and Cover Lines
Facts from Anonymous or Sensitive Sources
Conflicting Facts
Gray Areas
Litigious Material
Plagiarism and Fabrication
People
Interview Recordings and Transcripts
The Internet
Maps and Atlases
Press Releases
Books
Newspapers
Academic Literature
Chapter Six: Record Keeping Interview Recordings and Transcripts
The Internet
Maps and Atlases
Press Releases
Books
Newspapers
Academic Literature
Paper Backup
Electronic Backup
Chapter Seven: Test Your SkillsElectronic Backup
Conclusion
Acknowledgments
Appendix One: “Test Your Skills” Answer Key
Appendix Two: Suggested Reading and Listening
References
Index