Real Time Fact-Checking
Arthur S. Brisbane, the New York Times’ public editor, is asking his readers for help.
He wants to know if the Times should call out newsmakers when they stretch if not ignore the truth or, in other words, lie. And not just in a separate fact-checking assessment, but in day in and day out coverage.
The answer: a resounding yes.
As I’ve written before, one of the more encouraging developments in journalism in recent years has been the rise of the fact-checking movement. First came factcheck.org, an initiative of the Annenberg Public Policy Center, in 2003, followed by the Tampa Bay Times’ PolitiFact four years later. Many news outlets have followed their lead, and PolitiFact is franchising its operation around the nation.
This was a refreshing change of pace after so many years of news outlets letting politicos make shark-jumping claims, having their rivals deny them and calling it a day.
Mostly the new fact-checking outfits assess the claims of political figures in stand alone, after the fact assessments. And that’s terrific. But it doesn’t go far enough.
Allowing a politician to get away with nonsense day after day lets false statements seep into the public consciousness. Once that happens, it can be hard to dislodge them. And the separate fact-checking piece, while incredibly valuable, is an imperfect antidote.