Fact checking efforts
From WikiFactCheck
(Redirected from Existing efforts)
This page documents existing fact checking operations, starting with nonpartisan/academic efforts, and the significant ones allied with a particular (American) political ideology.
Fact checking
User based efforts
- NewsTrust Truthsquad - launched August 2, 2010 by Poynter Intitute and FactCheck.org. Described as "a community fact-checking experiment led by NewsTrust," it asks participants to vote Yes/No/Not sure on statements picked by the editorial staff. Good lively comments and discussion. Example of fact checking the cash compensation from Citibank to Obama's choice of Chief Budget Officer [1].
- MediaBugs- users can bring specific errors, issues and problems (aka "bugs") they've found in media coverage that they'd like fixed. Journalists running the site provide a neutral, moderated space where errors can be flushed out. Media outlets are alerted to their errors and the site tracks how the outlets respond, if at all. They call the discussion, at the very least, a "useful public record." Bug example: Maddow overstates partisanship at Fox News [2].
- Regret the Error- curated by one freelance journalist and author, Craig Silverman, the website has been tracking corrections made by different news publications since October 2004. Users can send him corrections they find. The main difference between this website and the others is that it follows those corrections media outlets already admit to needing to make. Example, Pigocalypse!, wrong number of pigs counted floating down the river [3].
- Report an Error- inspired by the people who started MediaBugs and Regret the Error, this website encourages individuals and media organizations to post a "report the error" button on their sites. Report the Error alliance is made up of about 90 ad hoc groups that want you to know they care about accuracy, according to the website. The idea is to make it easy for people to flag an error on a media site.
- Quippd - two tech guys started developing the site in May 2009. Wiki-style commentary/fact checking on news, with a social element. Users also encouraged to write their own stories and have others collaborate. The site is still in heavy development, highly interested in the Wikifactcheck vision and would love to work with the community.
- Meet The Facts - independent, student effort, fact checking NBC Meet the Press
- TruthGoggles - Dan Schultz, MIT
- Retraction Watch - Adam Marcus
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Media institution based efforts
- FactCheck.org- run by Annenberg Public Policy Center
- PoliGraph- headed by Minnesota Public Radio
- CNN Fact Check
- Columbia Journalism Review
- On the Media- site representing weekly, one-hour NPR program devoted to media criticism and analysis
- Fox News Watch - site based on their Saturday afternoon show that covers the media bias of the week
- Fact Checker-at The Washington Post, monitors political rhetoric the media often repeats or ignores
Research efforts
- Truthy - http://truthy.indiana.edu/ - a research project that helps you understand how memes spread online. Our first application was the study of astroturf campaigns in elections. With our images and statistics, you can help identify misuse of Twitter.
Politically motivated efforts
Progressive/Liberal
- Media Matters for America - "non-profit progressive research and information center dedicated to comprehensively monitoring, analyzing, and correcting conservative"
- SourceWatch -- "Your source to the names behind the news." Their "State portals" have extensive links to local blogs that carry additional information. See, for instance, its Texas Portal.
- Newshounds - "We watch FOX so you don't have to." Focused specifically on Fox News
- Think Progress- from the Center for American Progress Action Fund
- ConWebWatch - "because the conservative media need a watch dog too"
- Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting - dedicated to reporting on what the media misses and on conservative bias
Conservative
- Media Research Center - "Conservative group founded to bring political balance to the news media"
- NewsBusters - blog of the Media Research Center
- Accuracy in Media - "conservative watchdog group"
- Olbermann Watch - fact checking and criticism of MSNBC's Keith Olbermann
Related efforts
- Vote Wrap - a flexible democratic method for groups of people to propose and vote on individual and multiple issues
- Media Monitors Network- left leaning magazine reporting on subjects the "bias media" and "crooked journalist" don't.
- Stinky Journalism - catalogs "stinky journalism" of each major news organization, also produces its own articles
- Project Censored- based out of Sonoma State University Foundation, media criticism and investigative journalism project.
- Politifact (St Petersburg Times) - checks "truth meter" on statements made by politicians and media figures, also produces its own articles.
- Churnalism - Churn engine to distinguish journalism from churnalism (news based closely on press releases)
Unusual efforts
- Mythbusters- on Discovery Channel, tries to experimentally re-create and test urban myths and legends. The show is hosted by Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage.
- Quackwatch- investigates health myths, quackery and fraud -- Cynic 06:16, 17 August 2010 (UTC)
- Snopes - checks urban legends
- MoveableCite - "Our product helps solve a problem of citation on the web. For instance, if one website or blog quotes text from another, how can you ensure that your quote stays updated when the remote original is modified? This functionality helps prevent the propagation of misinformation, as updates and edits are securely pushed to any website that has quoted the original body of text."
How Is WikiFactCheck Different?
- An open community process for fact checking. Fact checking the Wiki Way!
- What makes WikiFactCheck different is:
- Neutrality - using Wikipedia's NPOV as a foundation, it can be a trusted resource in a space often overshadowed by partisan sites, both progressive and conservative
- Breadth of coverage - most efforts today have to focus on a particular medium, show or beat, and are also limited to how much they can check. The 'crowd' can cover much more
- Timeliness - Wikipedia has shown updating can be done fast. In fact, we now come to expect Wikipedia to be updated within minutes, if not seconds, of an event happening (London train bombings, sports events, election results, et al)
- Evolvability - A wiki encourages experimentation, by allowing the community to build on existing efforts or starting completely new ones. Volunteers can start new projects quickly and gather feedback, as all activity in the wiki is tracked and visible to all others.
- Just some of the ideas. -- Fuzheado 21:48, 10 August 2010 (UTC)
- What makes WikiFactCheck different is:
