Resources By Department: 2024 Election: Fact Check

The Importance of Fact-Checking

In an election year, fact-checking is crucial for several reasons:

Informed Voting: Elections are the foundation of democracy, and informed voters are essential for its health. Fact-checking ensures that voters base their decisions on accurate information rather than misleading claims. This helps people make choices that truly reflect their values and interests.
Combating Misinformation: Election periods often see a surge in misinformation, whether intentional or accidental. False claims can spread quickly through social media, influencing public opinion. Fact-checking helps identify and correct these inaccuracies, preventing them from distorting the democratic process.
Holding Candidates Accountable: Candidates often make numerous promises and statements during campaigns. Fact-checking holds them accountable by verifying the truth of these claims. This ensures that candidates cannot gain an unfair advantage by misleading the public.
Strengthening Democracy: A well-informed electorate is essential for a strong democracy. When voters have access to accurate information, they can participate in elections more effectively, leading to outcomes that better reflect the collective will of the people.
Promoting Civil Discourse: Fact-checking encourages a higher standard of discourse during election campaigns. By focusing on truth and accuracy, it promotes more constructive debates and helps reduce the spread of divisive or inflammatory rhetoric.

In summary, fact-checking during an election year is not just about verifying facts—it's about ensuring that democracy functions as it should, with voters making informed decisions based on truth rather than misinformation.

AP Fact Check
Verify the latest news with AP Fact Check. AP fact checkers combat misinformation by debunking false and misleading claims.
FactCheck.org® A Project of The Annenberg Public Policy Center
We are 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. Our goal is to apply the best practices of both journalism and scholarship, and to increase public knowledge and understanding.
Open Secrets
OpenSecrets is the nation's premier research group tracking money in U.S. politics and its effect on elections and public policy. Our mission is to track the flow of money in American politics and provide the data and analysis to strengthen democracy.
Politifact
Fact-checking journalism is the heart of PolitiFact. Our core principles are independence, transparency, fairness, thorough reporting and clear writing. The reason we publish is to give citizens the information they need to govern themselves in a democracy.
Reuters Fact Check
Reuters News has a fact-checking unit within its editorial department. The principal aim of this unit is to fact-check visual material and claims posted on social media. The fact-checking producers in this unit report their findings on a section of the Reuters.com website.
Verify This
VERIFY is dedicated to helping the public distinguish between true and false information. The VERIFY team, with help from questions submitted by the audience, tracks the spread of stories or claims that need clarification or correction. We provide trustworthy, transparent information to prove or disprove them. VERIFY's sources are always provided, allowing the audience to see exactly how the team determines the veracity of any claims.

VERIFY is owned by TEGNA, one of the country's largest owners of local television stations. We work with 49 newsrooms across the country so that VERIFY covers a wide-range of topics that impact diverse communities.

2024 Election

The Importance of Fact-Checking

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