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What is a Fact Brief?

Fact briefs are informative 150-word responses to claims, confusions, questions, and rumors circulating online. They provide a clear “yes” or “no” answer to the key question at hand, and are backed by high-quality sources that corroborate each point.

The goal of each fact brief is to swiftly impart the critical information in a transparent and unbiased manner, and to build trust with the reader.

The Details of a Fact Brief

Fact briefs are inspired by the best practices of fact-checking and journalism, but we consider them a distinct editorial product due to the combination of the following characteristics:

  1. Title-question: All are headlined with a question that reflects the core contention or inquiry of the original claim that inspired the fact brief.
  2. Yes/No answer: Fact briefs provide a clear “yes” or “no” answer in response to the title question. No other answers are permitted.
  3. Brevity: Fact briefs are all under 150 words.
  4. Link to original claim: Fact briefs expose the conversation that inspired them. 
  5. Linked source list: All the assertions made in a fact brief’s body are corroborated by high quality, often primary, sources, enabling the reader to reconstruct the conclusions of the fact brief and understand how the writer came to their determination.

Together, these elements constitute a fact brief. Finally, all fact briefs adhere to Gigafact’s Editorial Guide. The guide seeks to achieve consistency and build trust via the substance, tone and style.

Need a clearer picture?

Check out some recently published fact briefs from our network.

View All Fact Briefs