Menu Close

Articles on Fact-checking

Displaying all articles

Joining up with someone who holds a different perspective influences your take on online posts. Frazao Studio Latino/E+ via Getty Images

People dig deeper to fact-check social media posts when paired with someone who doesn’t share their perspective – new research

A new study unexpectedly found a way to help people assess social media posts with less bias and more care – pairing them up with partners who have a different perspective.
Genuine image of an abandoned Russian tank near the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv during this week’s invasion. But social media is rife with fake or misattributed images. Sergey Kozlov/EPA

Fake viral footage is spreading alongside the real horror in Ukraine. Here are 5 ways to spot it

Footage claiming to document the situation in Ukraine may not necessarily be genuine. Here’s how to treat viral footage with the right level of scepticism before sharing it on social media.
With the American flag reflected in the teleprompter, President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally at Duluth International Airport on Sept. 30, 2020, in Duluth, Minn. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Why Donald Trump’s words work, and what to do about it

Because dramatic tension fuels attention, Trump’s words work to generate tension, anxiety and conflict. We need to react with civility, care and calm to undo the cycle of attention and persuasion.
We don’t automatically question information we read or hear. Gaelfphoto/Shutterstock.com

Why you stink at fact-checking

Cognitive psychologists know the way our minds work means we not only don’t notice errors and misinformation we know are wrong, we also then remember them as true.
The Conversation

How we do FactChecks at The Conversation

We build in extra checks and balances, including blind peer review by a second academic expert, additional scrutiny and editorial oversight.
There’s no easily defined line between ‘fact’ and ‘non-fact’, so how do journalists make judgements about factual accuracy? Image from shutterstock.com

When 1+1=1: journalism and the trouble with ‘facts’

A posse of fact-checkers has been riding the boundary of the federal election. Not happy with the standard of honesty in political discourse, the ABC, this website and PolitiFact.com.au, a localised version…

Top contributors

More