Analyzing divergent methodologies for political fact checking: United States and South Korea

Abstract

ABSTRACTIn this work in progress, we explore methods employed by professional journalists to fact‐check political claims and debunk inaccurate (“fake”) news stories. We content‐analyzed 150 articles evaluating political claims and debunking fake news published by two media companies, the Washington Post (United States) and JTBC (South Korea), during the periods surrounding the recent presidential elections in their respective countries. Overall, the most common types of claims evaluated included false claims made by politicians or political groups about their opponents' positions and numerical and nonnumerical facts. The most frequently used methods for debunking such false claims included consulting with an independent expert in the given topic domain and checking government statistics or documents. There were some variations in the types of false claims focused and debunking methods used between the two fact‐checking organizations.