Fact-Checking News Sources

The fast pace of the 24 hour news cycle has pushed sources to break news quickly, and often sensationalize stories to remain competitive. The rush to be the first to publish has created an environment where facts are checked during or after a story breaks. Consumers are now forced to be more aware of whether news sources are providing factual information.

Luckily, there are resources available for consumers to vet the news. Several nonprofit organizations are dedicated to investigating news stories to find the facts and reduce sensationalized or misleading reporting.

https://www.factcheck.org/ is a nonpartisan nonprofit organization affiliated with the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania. The organization “aims to reduce the level of deception and confusion in U.S. politics.” They track news stories in “TV ads, debates, speeches, interviews, and news releases.”

https://www.politifact.com/ is affiliated with the nonprofit journalism school, the Poynter Institute. Politifact offers their fact-checking service “to give citizens the information they need to govern themselves in a democracy.” Politifact uses the “Truth-O-Meter” to rate claims based on their truthfulness.

https://www.opensecrets.org/ is run by the Center for Responsive Politics, a nonpartisan nonprofit organization. Opensecret.org’s vision “is for Americans to be empowered by access to clear and unbiased information about money’s role in politics and policy and to use that knowledge to strengthen our democracy.” The site tracks federal campaign contributions and lobbying data to provide greater transparency.

Are you a Jenkins member and searching for a place to find local and national news? Login to Newsbank for access to over 10,000 news sources. Try vetting a news story using one of the links above!