Fact Checking for Librarians
Presented by
Librarians of Radical Reference
www.radicalreference.info
January 2005
fact checking 101
Someone other than the reporter filing the story verifies all
factual material prior to publication so that:
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The work can’t be dismissed as propaganda or rumor
Legal risks associated with printing inaccuracies can be avoided
An even more interesting story might be discovered
Sources are kept happy
Embarrassment—or worse—can be avoided
Determine and highlight all facts in a story
Go beyond spelling and dates—look for causal links, attributions,
reporter assumptions, facts contained within quotes, and memories
• Evaluate sources used by the reporter
• Confirm everything, using multiple sources for controversial facts
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getting started
• Read through the story once to get a sense of
the content
• Read the story again, using a highlighter to
indicate all facts that must be checked
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Names
Dates
Attributions
Causal links
Facts within quotes
Reporter assumptions
Memories
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meeting with the journalist
• Discuss sources and potential areas of
concern
• Identify which sources were used for
which part of the story
• Go fact by fact through the story, using
additional sources when possible
• Quotes—checked or not?
• Note changes so that they're easily
identifiable
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post-check
• Discuss the story a final time.
• Pay particular attention to substantive changes
• You are concerned with accuracy. Suggestions
about reworking the story will relate solely to
factual issues.
• Unless the editorial policy dictates otherwise, it's
the reporter's name on the story, and his/her
final call.
• Save a copy of the article and source materials.
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Critical thinking: evaluating different
types of resources
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Books
Serials
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Websites
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magazines (Newsweek, the Nation, World Press Review)
[scholarly] journals (Third World Journal, American Political Science Review)
trade publications (Library Journal, Pig International)
Newspapers (The New York Times, the Daily News)
Advocacy (FAIR, Prison Activist Resource Center)
Business (Monsanto, The New York Times Company)
News (IndyMedia, Fox News)
Informational (American Heritage Dictionary, Critical Mass)
Personal (Makezine, Street Librarian)
Databases
– Subscription
• Commercial (Academic Universe, MasterFILE Premier—Use NYPL for local access
nypl.org/databases
• Scholarly (PAIS International, Alternative Press Index)
– Free(ish)
• Commercial (New York Times, the Guardian)
• Government (American Factfinder, Library of Congress American Memory)
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evaluation criteria
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Authority (auspices)
Accuracy
Objectivity (perspective, bias)
Currency (time, not money)
Coverage (scope, mission)
Much of the evaluation section was inspired by or taken directly from
Evaluating Web Resources
by Jan Alexander and Marsha Ann Tate
which can be found at
http://www2.widener.edu/Wolfgram-MemorialLibrary/webevaluation/webeval.htm
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alternative resources
• Commercial subscription databases are freely available
and accessible from home to many public library card
holders and at branch and research libraries to anyone
who walks in
• Access government and legal information, newspapers
and magazine, statistical and business information, and
alternative indexes
• Use materials that will be provided in the next two skill
shares:
– 1:30-2 Alternative Resources. Presented by the world
renowned Jessamyn West.
– 2-2:30 Alternative Libraries and Infoshops. Presented by
Shinjoung Yeo.
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accessing the databases
• Arranged alphabetically, by subject, and
by document type (e.g., full-text)
• Icons indicate from where databases can
be accessed
• Check other area public libraries and their
database collections:
– www.brooklynpubliclibrary.org
– www.queenspublic.org
• Ask a reference librarian
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radical reference
• www.radicalreference.info
--Ask a reference question
--Links to radical information sources
--Search archive of questions
• fact_IMC.ppt, factchk.doc on Radical
Reference site under files on the left of the
page.
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Integrating fact checking into your
production schedule
• While investigating—post research queries
to Radical Reference, but try to give us
enough time to come up with a quality
response. Follow up, if necessary.
• Rout stories to fact checking or "research"
during the editorial process.
• Arrange to have one or more librarians inhouse or offsite, but dedicated to the
project during production.
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contact us
info@radicalreference.info
this presentation on the web:
http://radicalreference.info/node/479
Look for us in the streets during demonstrations. We’ll be
wearing hats with the Radical Reference logo.
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