How does fact-checking work?

You see a shocking news story on the Internet.

How do you know if it is true or not?

This is where the fact-checking begins.

The first step is to find the source.

Who first spread the information? Is there an actual document, statement, or video?

Second, check the date and context.

An old photo can be presented as a present-day event, and a single sentence can be cut from a complete speech.

Third, compare with other reliable sources.

Just one publication is not proof.

Is it a photo? We check to see where it has been published before.

Is it a video? We are looking for its original version.

Is it a number or a quote? Let’s go to the original document.

And in the end, we publish not our opinion, but the verification method and evidence.

The main question of fact-checking is very simple:

“How do we know this is true?”

If there is no answer to that question, don’t rush to spread it.

Ani Sukiasyan

The video was produced as part of the Disinformation Flows Monitoring Project.

#CivilSocietyCooperation #ishrarmenia #ishrfactcheck

The project is implemented with the financial support of the Federal Foreign Office of the Federal Republic of Germany.