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This page was translated from the German original, partly by machine. Some passages may read awkwardly or contain inaccuracies. When in doubt, please read the original.

Fact-checking and verification tools

You don't have to check everything yourself; professionals have often already done so. And for the cases you take on yourself, there are good, free tools.

Reputable fact-checking services​

In the German-speaking world, fact-checkers include:

Internationally well known are Snopes, PolitiFact and Full Fact, as well as the AFP Fact Check of the news agency Agence France-Presse.

My tip

Fact-checkers, too, are checked laterally. Reliability shows in transparency: are sources disclosed? Is there a visible correction practice? Is the funding identifiable?

The IFCN seal of quality​

A good sign to look for is membership of the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN) at the Poynter Institute. Whoever signs its Code of Principles (introduced in 2016) commits to five principles, compliance with which is verified by independent assessors (ifcncodeofprinciples.poynter.org):

  1. Non-partisanship and fairness: the same standard for everyone.
  2. Transparency of sources: disclose evidence so that readers can verify it.
  3. Transparency of funding and organisation.
  4. Transparency of methodology: disclose how the checking is done.
  5. Open and honest corrections.

Incidentally, these five principles are a good yardstick for any source, not just for fact-checkers.

A checking flowchart​

Anyone who wants to proceed in a structured way can follow the EUfactcheck flowchart, a teaching tool for journalism students. It divides the check into three steps (eufactcheck.eu):

  1. Analyse the claim: what exactly is being claimed? Which part is even a verifiable fact?
  2. Analyse the author/source: who is making the claim? With what credibility, expertise and possible motive?
  3. Fact check: research the evidence and determine its accuracy.

At its core this is the same logic as SIFT, just more detailed.

Tools for checking images and videos​

Images and videos are the most common carriers of disinformation, because they look so convincing. These tools help:

  • Reverse image search: where else does an image appear, and how old is it?
  • InVID / WeVerify: a free browser plugin that bundles many verification tools: extracting still frames from videos, reverse search, viewing metadata, magnifying parts of an image (invid-project.eu).
  • Geolocation: with Google Maps / Street View you can use buildings, signs or landscape to check whether an image was really taken at the claimed location.
  • EXIF data: image files sometimes contain metadata (time taken, device, GPS). Readable with tools such as Pic2Map. Caution: social networks usually strip this data on upload.

A practical German-language guide to geolocation is offered by CORRECTIV/GADMO: Geolocation: 5 Tipps, um den Aufnahmeort eines Bilds zu finden.

Practising checking skills​

Anyone who wants to practise lateral reading with real examples will find free exercises and videos in English and French at the Canadian programme Ctrl-F (CIVIX) (ctrl-f.ca). A study with over 2,300 students showed that the share of those who read laterally rose from 11% to 59% thanks to the programme: checking skills really are trainable.

In short

Check yourself or use reputable fact-checkers, both are good. For images: reverse search first. It exposes most „out-of-context“ fakes in seconds.