Methodology

Gigafact’s role

Gigafact supports the fact-checking efforts of state and local nonprofit newsrooms. We do not write or publish any content ourselves. Instead, we serve as an incubator for publications interested in entering the field of fact checking. We supply our new newsroom partners with a one-time grant, software tools, and three months of close editorial training and oversight to ensure internalization of our editorial guidelines. For our veteran newsrooms, we act as a conscience and compliance agent, with periodic reviews of editorial output and guidance on edge cases.

Selection of claims

Gigafact instructs partner newsrooms to be equal-opportunity fact-checkers. We encourage them to target unsupported, trending claims on the internet related to a newsroom’s region or area of expertise, regardless of the claimant’s political leaning. Topics must be answerable with a definitive “yes” or “no” ruling using publicly available sources and be explainable in 150 words or less. Selected claims must be topical, substantive, and have received at least moderate public engagement (read our full guidance here). We encourage newsrooms to source claims from a variety of viewpoints, across a variety of media in order to ensure they are not leaving certain claims or public figures unexamined. Each newsroom also has access to a “tipline” that their readership may use to submit fact check requests.

Sourcing

Every fact cited in fact briefs must be directly corroborated by a transparent and accessible source. Gigafact recommends using reputable primary, publicly available sources whenever possible. Examples include peer-reviewed journals, government websites, news wires, nonpartisan research organizations, and transcripts. Occasionally, when primary sources are not publicly available, or are behind a paywall, secondary sources are permitted. Sources that are highly partisan, have a reputation for poor factuality, or whose information is not transparent must not be used. Gigafact encourages newsrooms to contact a public figure or organization and offer them an opportunity to supply evidence or clarify their position. Email statements that serve as sources for a fact brief are uploaded to Document Cloud or Google Docs and linked as sources. Each fact brief must contain at least two reputable sources, barring cases where only a single source is available on a narrow topic.

Writing

Gigafact trains newsrooms’ fact brief writers to write in a neutral, informative tone. Each fact brief begins with a headline question crafted in accordance with the hyperlinked claim being fact checked. A “yes” or “no” conclusion is displayed at the top of the page. The first sentence of the brief provides a simple answer to the headline question explaining the reasoning behind the conclusion. The next few lines provide particular facts and figures to support the conclusion. Space permitting, the last line addresses a salient piece of the more general factual context surrounding the topic. Newsrooms are instructed to address the common talking points for and against each claim if applicable. The same standards of rigor in research and logic must be applied to every fact brief.

Publishing

All fact briefs must be carefully reviewed by a newsroom editor to ensure compliance with Gigafact editorial standards before publication. Additionally, the Gigafact editor will oversee briefs written by newly recruited newsrooms and writers over a training period of approximately one month. Fact briefs are published on the Gigafact website and each newsroom’s website.

Disclosure

In rare instances where a fact brief cites a reputable research organization that engages in advocacy, this must be disclosed in-line. Gigafact is a nonprofit organization that limits its recruitment to nonprofit newsrooms to avoid commercial conflicts of interest. Neither Gigafact nor any of its partners is affiliated with any political party, candidate or policy advocacy. The “funding” section of the Gigafact website lists donors who have contributed $5,000 or more to Gigafact. The “staff” section displays Gigafact’s employees and backgrounds.

Retraction, corrections and updates

Corrections

Newsrooms must notify the Gigafact editorial manager immediately upon discovering a factual inaccuracy. The Gigafact editorial manager must likewise notify a newsroom if they or another member of the Gigafact staff discovers a factual inaccuracy. Newsrooms, in consultation with the Gigafact editorial manager, must correct any factual inaccuracies as quickly as possible.

Factual corrections made to any fact brief must be made transparent at the bottom of the story in the following format: Correction (dd/mm/yy): followed by a brief description of the factual inaccuracy and how it was corrected. Gigafact does not require a correction note for minor grammatical fixes.

Retractions

If a newsroom or the Gigafact editorial manager determines that a fact brief is structurally unsound, it must be unpublished and rewritten as quickly as possible. Reasons for retraction include:

• An incorrect ruling.
• An incorrect attribution of a claim to an individual or organization.
• Facts that are wholly erroneous rather than imprecise, and which undermine the conclusions reached.
• Faulty logic wherein cited facts do not prove the conclusions, even if they may incidentally be true.

Upon republishing, retracted fact briefs must be made transparent at the bottom of the story in the following format: Editor’s note (dd/mm/yy): A previous version of this fact brief published (dd/mm/yy) was retracted due to [explanation]. This brief has been rewritten and republished (dd/mm/yy) to rectify these issues.

Updates

Fact briefs are snapshots of the factual information available on a given topic at the time of publication. Gigafact routinely reviews high-traffic briefs and recommends updates if new information has surfaced that renders a fact brief’s conclusion outdated. Updated briefs must be made transparent in the following format: This brief has been updated to reflect the most up-to-date information regarding [affected fact(s)] as of (dd/mm/yy).

Readers may suggest corrections, retractions and updates by emailing us at info@gigafact.org. We will pass this feedback onto the relevant Gigafact member.