Fact-Checking Methodology and its Transparency: What Indian Fact-Checking Websites Have to Say?

Abstract

ABSTRACT Among other preventive measures, fact-checking is considered as one of the effective ways to combat fake news. Fact-checkers promote rationality and assist citizens in making informed decisions. However, fact-checkers’ motives, methods and abilities are doubted and subjected to distrust. Lack of perceived trust is a major concern in the profession of fact-checking journalism. To build public trust, fact-checking organisations have been advised to be transparent about news production processes. Besides the trust mechanism, compliance to transparency is an important tenet of journalistic professionalism. This study seeks to analyse Indian fact-checkers’ explanations of their methodology for fact-checking claims and commitments to ensuring methodological transparency. Qualitative content analysis of declarations published by seven Indian fact-checkers on their websites demonstrates that fact-checking is conducted in a systemic and transparent manner. Transparency norm seems to have emerged as a governing principle in the context of fact-checking journalism. The findings of this study have been interpreted in the view of literature on journalistic transparency.