Overview
Students: To use the module, click through the chapters, which are at the left if you’re on a desktop or within the dropdown menu above if you’re on a mobile device. You may receive additional materials from your professor, including two quizzes and several assignments.
In the module, you will learn about the practical and philosophical aspects of editorial fact-checking (as distinguished from political fact-checking, a related but separate journalistic practice).
Learning Objectives
By the end of the module, students should be able to:
- Define editorial fact-checking.
- Explain how fact-checking differs from reporting, copy editing, and other related roles.
- Understand why fact-checking is an important journalistic process.
- Understand the basic workflow for fact-checking.
- Know how to properly source.
- Know how to spot common mistakes in reporting on science, health, and the environment.
- Know how to use diplomacy to work with writers, editors, and sources.
- Be able to integrate fact-checking even at cash-strapped or fast-paced media outlets.