Handbook to fact-checking Part 2

Write perfectly

Don’t create everything — you’re correspondent, and the writer. Look for details and fascinating information. Do not waste power and report on moving info.

Information that is create, not estimates. Then don’t concentrate on just how to provide the precise estimate whenever your objective would be to gather info. The precise phrases aren’t essential, concentrate on information and details, that leads the loudspeaker.

Create noisy estimates. But to create along the precise estimates fascinating feeling or that Show somebody is respected viewpoint, require with quality that is careful. Search in your mind what of the loudspeaker before you create along it written down.

Quit the loudspeaker. Quit him if your supply provides you with info about wherever he got the information to inquire about and have, ask questions. How will you realize that? Are you certain? How will you mean that? This really is a precise number or a? You’ve it to be proven by the files? Did you state million or thousand? Feel liberated to quit the loudspeaker, in order to report issues precisely.

Paraphrasing. Not all the speaker’s fascinating views could be tailored for publishing. In this instance, ensure that they’d recognized the hero’s words properly and have ” are you understood by me? You stated that…?”. This can allow you provide and to verify sometime to create records. And which means you obtain an estimate that is more fascinating.

Rethink your documents. Soon after meeting or the function, evaluate your saving. If some phrases are created uncertain or uneven, then duplicate them to some good, while they’re still clean within the storage.

Verify through resources that are additional

Who else can know? Look for other people who might know something about the event. They can confirm or deny what you just said another source. They can shed light on some aspects. But, of course, ask them how they know it.

Look for the documents. Find the official data, reports and records that can confirm, deny or Supplement the information that you reported. Photos and videos will help confirm some details. If you write about the court in which you were not, find an official transcript.

Scour the Internet. Look for confirmation of the information (or its source) on the official website of the company about which you write or on the website of the organization that regulates or audit a certain sector. Expose this information the same question as any other. Be especially careful with sites like Wikipedia, where no one can vouch for the accuracy of the information.

Try to understand. Before you begin writing, make sure you understand the topic, Immerse yourself in the context. Search for explanations. Look at the story from the other side. Ask stupid questions, so you do not make the material a stupid mistake.

Check the facts

After you’ve finished a draft of the material, do some fact-checking.

Names. Check the spelling of each name. Please check the entries, please refer to public sources, look at the business card, official document, an address book or a company website. If you find an alternative spelling of the name, better ask the hero material. Similarly, check the post.

Figures. Double check every figure. Only your records are insufficient. Check documents, reports, databases, web sites. Do the math yourself. Then calculate again, especially if math is not your strong point. If you don’t understand numbers, not able to check. Ask for a source or someone who understands the numbers, to explain them to you or to count them.

Quotes. Check the citations on their records. Read the quotes out loud several times — this helps to notice a missing or misspelled word.

Ask if not sure. If your records show that you did not understand until the end or something, what you doubt, do not be lazy to call the speaker again. “I was sure you said, but just wanted to make sure”. The speaker may confirm, refute or correct information. In addition, the speaker may add something I wanted to tell you after the interview, but forgot.

Technical data. If you write about technology, science, or law, you might want to simplify this information for the reader. Indicate the material of the expert to ensure that you understood everything correctly and do not enter the reader astray.

Components. Modern material can be layered. It can include videos, text, tables, charts, recordings, callout quotes, and much more. Check out each of these layers — perhaps somewhere in the table lies a mistake.

Be open

You won’t always have the ability to check every fact. In this case, you may want to involve in check of the facts of living people — for example, your friends on Facebook. Once you posted the material, invite people openly to inform you about the inaccuracies and mistakes — if you work in online media, the error is easy to fix, thanking the attentive reader.