Fake News: Watchdogs

Checkpoint is a research project at PROTO, which uses a tip line on WhatsApp (+91- 9643-000-888) to collect information that is otherwise inaccessible given the nature of private messaging. The goal of this project is to study the misinformation phenomenon at scale on WhatsApp during the Indian elections.

Craig Silverman is a Canadian journalist and the media editor of BuzzFeed, and the former head of BuzzFeed's Canadian division. He has been writing for many years for a variety of publications on media accuracy and verification issues. He is known as an expert on 'fake news’.

From columnist Glenn Kessler, focusing on accuracy of statements of political figures "regarding issues of great importance, be they national, international or local" is of utmost importance. In a busy, 24-hour news cycle, it's hard to spot the truth behind the rhetoric. We're doing it for you.

FactCheck.org is a nonpartisan, nonprofit “consumer advocate” for voters that aims to reduce the level of deception and confusion in U.S. politics. We monitor the factual accuracy of what is said by major U.S. political players in the form of TV ads, debates, speeches, interviews and news releases.

It is an "independent and nonpartisan fact-checker on Canadian federal politics." The team does through fact-checking of claims made by federal politicians and other public figures. Fact checks separate the facts from spin, distortion, omission, error, and lies. The organisation is run entirely by volunteers and funded by donations.

Hoaxy is a tool that visualises the spread of articles online found on Twitter, or in a corpus of claims and related fact checking. The Hoaxy corpus tracks the social sharing of links to stories published by two types of websites: (1) Low-credibility sources and (2) Independent fact-checking organisations.

Media Bias/Fact Check, founded in 2015, is an independent online media outlet. It is dedicated to educating the public on media bias and deceptive news practices. The aim is to inspire action and a rejection of overtly biased media and to return to an era of straight forward news reporting

The Michigan Truth Squad checks the truth and accuracy of Michigan political advertisements. The objective is to make Michigan a better place by by encouraging greater understanding and involvement in policy issues among the state’s citizens and making sure their voices are regularly heard. It is incorporated as a nonprofit corporation. 

Fact-checking journalism is the heart of PolitiFact. Our core principles are independence, transparency, fairness, thorough reporting and clear writing. We publish to give citizens the information they need to govern themselves in a democracy. It is focused on looking at specific statements made by politicians and rating them for accuracy.

Vote Smart is a historic undertaking. Citizens come together not out of selfish interest but to defend democracy. It is an extraordinary gathering of people committed to one purpose: to strengthen the most essential component of democracy and check voting records, background, and public statements of candidates from around the country.

ProPublica is an independent, non-profit newsroom that produces investigative journalism in the public interest. We dig deep into important issues, shining a light on abuses of power and betrayals of public trust — and we stick with those issues as long as it takes to hold power to account.

PunditFact is a project dedicated to checking the accuracy of claims by pundits, columnists, bloggers, political analysts, the hosts and guests of talk shows, and other members of the media. It defines a pundit as someone who offers analysis or opinions on the news, particularly politics and public policy.

When misinformation obscures the truth and readers don’t know what to trust, Snopes.com’s fact checking and original, investigative reporting lights the way to evidence-based and contextualised analysis. We always document our sources so readers are empowered to do independent research and make up their own minds.