Within Name Claim
How fact checkers decide what to test
Fact-checkers first define the exact assertion of public interest so evidence can be applied consistently and fairly.
On this page
- Select the claim of public interest
- Name assumptions hidden inside the wording
- Apply the same evidence standard to the claim
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Introduction
Professional fact-checkers do not begin by asking whether an entire post, speech, video or article is true. They begin by deciding exactly which claim deserves testing. This choice is one of the most important parts of the fact-checking process because evidence can only be applied fairly when the assertion being examined is clear, specific and relevant to the public. In an information environment shaped by social media algorithms, viral rumours and AI-generated content, many messages contain several claims at once. Fact-checkers therefore narrow the focus to a claim that is both checkable and important enough to justify investigation. [Full Fact]fullfact.orgFull FactHow we fact check – Full FactHow we choose what to check. We fact check claims in public debate which are of public interest. Th…
The result is a discipline that differs from casual online argument. Rather than judging an entire post as a package, professional fact-checkers identify a single factual proposition, define its boundaries, and then apply a consistent evidence standard to that proposition alone. [IFCN Code of Principles]ifcncodeofprinciples.poynter.orgSignatory organizations fact-check claims using the same standard for every fact check. They do not concentrate…
Select the claim of public interest
The first question is not “Is this controversial?” but “Is this worth checking?”
Many fact-checking organisations explicitly prioritise claims that affect public understanding or could cause real-world harm if left unchallenged. Full Fact, for example, states that it checks claims in public debate that are of public interest and gives priority to claims with significant potential impact on people’s lives. Claims may be selected because they are widely shared online, repeated by influential figures, or prominently featured in major media coverage. [Full Fact]fullfact.orgFull FactHow we fact check – Full FactHow we choose what to check. We fact check claims in public debate which are of public interest. Th…
[reuters]reuters.comReuters ha establecido una unidad de fact-checking que revisa material visual y declaraciones en redes sociales. Los hallazgos se publica… Fact Check describes a similar selection process. It considers factors such as:
- Whether the topic is newsworthy and relevant to the public.
- Whether inaccurate information could cause harm.
- How widely the claim has spread.
- Whether the claim is likely to spread further.
- Whether a factual assertion can be separated from opinion or commentary. [Reuters]reuters.comReuters ha establecido una unidad de fact-checking que revisa material visual y declaraciones en redes sociales. Los hallazgos se publica…
This means a professional fact-checker may ignore a sensational but obscure claim while prioritising a less dramatic statement that is reaching millions of people. The goal is not to chase controversy for its own sake but to focus limited resources where accurate information matters most. [Full Fact]fullfact.orgFull FactHow we fact check – Full FactHow we choose what to check. We fact check claims in public debate which are of public interest. Th…
Why popularity alone is not enough
A viral post is not automatically a good fact-check candidate. Fact-checkers generally look for a combination of reach and factual significance.
For example, a post saying “This policy will destroy the economy” expresses a prediction and value judgement. A post saying “The policy increases taxes by 20% next month” contains a concrete factual assertion that can be tested against official documents. Professional fact-checkers are more likely to investigate the second statement because evidence can directly confirm or refute it. [House of Commons Library]commonslibrary.parliament.ukHouse of Commons Library How to check factsHouse of Commons LibraryHow to check facts - The House of Commons Library5 May 2026 — Fact-checking usually involves following a claim ba…
Name assumptions hidden inside the wording
Once a claim has been selected, fact-checkers often discover that the apparent claim is not the real one.
Social media posts frequently compress several assumptions into a single sentence, image or caption. A photograph labelled “Taken yesterday outside a hospital” contains at least three factual elements:
- The image is genuine.
- The location is a hospital.
- The date is yesterday.
Each component may require separate verification.
Professional fact-checking therefore involves extracting the central assertion and making implicit assumptions visible. Reuters notes that after identifying content to check, its team first identifies and summarises the key claims before investigating the foundations and origins of those claims. [Reuters]reuters.comReuters ha establecido una unidad de fact-checking que revisa material visual y declaraciones en redes sociales. Los hallazgos se publica…
This process is especially important with AI-generated and edited media. An image may be authentic while its caption is false. A quote may be real while its context is distorted. A statistic may be accurate while the conclusion drawn from it is unsupported. Unless the exact claim is isolated, the fact-check risks answering a different question from the one audiences are actually asking. [Reuters]reuters.comReuters ha establecido una unidad de fact-checking que revisa material visual y declaraciones en redes sociales. Los hallazgos se publica…
Turning a post into a testable sentence
Professional fact-checkers often reformulate messy content into a claim that can stand on its own.
Research on claim extraction for fact-checking describes this as “decontextualisation”: rewriting a claim so it remains understandable outside the original document or conversation. This helps fact-checkers retrieve evidence consistently and ensures readers know exactly what was tested. [arXiv]arxiv.orgarXiv Document-level Claim Extraction and Decontextualisation for Fact-CheckingDocument-level Claim Extraction and Decontextualisation for Fact-CheckingJune 5, 2024…
A post stating:
“They’ve been hiding this from us for months.”
might be rewritten into a checkable claim such as:
“Government agency X possessed document Y before date Z and did not publish it.”
The rewritten version exposes the factual proposition that evidence can address.
Apply the same evidence standard to the claim
Claim selection is closely tied to fairness.
The International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN) Code of Principles requires participating organisations to use the same standard and process for every fact check and to let evidence determine conclusions rather than political preference. Similar commitments appear in the standards of multiple fact-checking organisations. [IFCN Code of Principles+2FactCheckNI]ifcncodeofprinciples.poynter.orgSignatory organizations fact-check claims using the same standard for every fact check. They do not concentrate…
That principle begins before evidence gathering. If fact-checkers define claims differently depending on who made them, the process becomes inconsistent. A politician, journalist, celebrity or anonymous social media account should face the same basic question: what exactly is being asserted, and what evidence would confirm or disprove it? [IFCN Code of Principles]ifcncodeofprinciples.poynter.orgSignatory organizations fact-check claims using the same standard for every fact check. They do not concentrate…
This is why professional fact-checks usually identify a central claim before assigning a verdict. Reuters explicitly states that its fact-check articles assign verdicts to the central claim after that claim has been identified and investigated. [Reuters]reuters.comReuters ha establecido una unidad de fact-checking que revisa material visual y declaraciones en redes sociales. Los hallazgos se publica…
Avoiding the “moving target” problem
A common difficulty in online debates is that claims shift during discussion. When evidence challenges one version, a speaker may retreat to a broader or vaguer version.
Professional fact-checkers reduce this problem by fixing the wording of the claim before beginning the assessment. Once the claim is defined, the evidence standard remains stable. The fact-check is no longer evaluating every implication, emotional reaction or political argument surrounding the topic. It is evaluating a specific assertion against verifiable evidence. [IFCN Code of Principles]ifcncodeofprinciples.poynter.orgSignatory organizations fact-check claims using the same standard for every fact check. They do not concentrate…
Why this step matters in the age of AI
The volume of potentially checkable claims now far exceeds the capacity of human fact-checkers. Researchers studying “checkworthiness”—the process of deciding which claims deserve investigation—have found that professional fact-checkers use multiple criteria simultaneously, including public impact, potential harm, relevance and evidence availability. Claim selection is therefore a form of prioritisation as well as definition. [arXiv]arxiv.orgExploring Multidimensional Checkworthiness: Designing AI-assisted Claim Prioritization for Human Fact-checkersDecember 11, 2024…
AI systems can generate thousands of plausible-sounding assertions in minutes. Deepfakes, synthetic images and automated content farms increase the number of claims competing for attention. Under these conditions, the ability to identify the precise factual proposition worth testing becomes even more important than the mechanics of checking it. [Full Fact]fullfact.orgFull FactFull Fact AIFull Fact AI. Every day fact checkers around the world find, check and challenge false claims identified by AI enabl…
The central lesson is straightforward: professional fact-checking begins not with evidence but with claim selection. Before asking whether something is true, fact-checkers decide what “something” actually is. By choosing a clear claim of public interest, exposing hidden assumptions and applying a consistent standard, they create the conditions that make reliable verification possible. [Full Fact+2IFCN Code of Principles]fullfact.orgFull FactHow we fact check – Full FactHow we choose what to check. We fact check claims in public debate which are of public interest. Th…
Amazon book picks
Further Reading
Books and field guides related to How fact checkers decide what to test. Use these as the next step if you want deeper reading beyond the article.
The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe
Closely matches the process of deciding which claims deserve scrutiny.
The Demon-Haunted World
Promotes consistent standards when assessing factual assertions.
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Endnotes
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Source: reuters.com
Link: https://www.reuters.com/fact-check/about/Source snippet
Reuters ha establecido una unidad de fact-checking que revisa material visual y declaraciones en redes sociales. Los hallazgos se publica...
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Source: factcheckni.org
Link: https://factcheckni.org/about/code-of-principles/Source snippet
Code of PrinciplesNo matter the claim, we use the same standard for every fact check. We follow the same process for every fact check and...
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Source: arxiv.org
Title: arXiv Document-level Claim Extraction and Decontextualisation for Fact-Checking
Link: https://arxiv.org/abs/2406.03239Source snippet
Document-level Claim Extraction and Decontextualisation for Fact-CheckingJune 5, 2024...
Published: June 5, 2024
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Source: arxiv.org
Link: https://arxiv.org/abs/2412.08185Source snippet
Exploring Multidimensional Checkworthiness: Designing AI-assisted Claim Prioritization for Human Fact-checkersDecember 11, 2024...
Published: December 11, 2024
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Source: arxiv.org
Link: https://arxiv.org/abs/2004.08166 -
Source: factcheckni.org
Link: https://factcheckni.org/about-us/code-of-principles/Source snippet
Code of PrinciplesIFCN publishes a Code of Principles, which is a series of commitments that organisations abide by to promote excellence...
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Source: fullfact.org
Link: https://fullfact.org/about/how-we-fact-check/Source snippet
Full FactHow we fact check – Full FactHow we choose what to check. We fact check claims in public debate which are of public interest. Th...
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Source: ifcncodeofprinciples.poynter.org
Link: https://ifcncodeofprinciples.poynter.org/the-commitmentsSource snippet
Signatory organizations fact-check claims using the same standard for every fact check. They do not concentrate...
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Source: fullfact.org
Link: https://fullfact.org/about/frequently-asked-questions/Source snippet
Frequently asked questionsWhat kind of thing do you check? We fact check claims in public debate which are of public interest. This inclu...
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Source: commonslibrary.parliament.uk
Title: House of Commons Library How to check facts
Link: https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-10820/Source snippet
House of Commons LibraryHow to check facts - The House of Commons Library5 May 2026 — Fact-checking usually involves following a claim ba...
Published: May 2026
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Source: mythdetector.com
Link: https://mythdetector.com/en/ifcn-code-of-principles/Source snippet
IFCN CODE OF PRINCIPLES | Mythdetector.comA commitment to Nonpartisanship and Fairness. Signatory organizations fact-check claims using t...
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Source: ifcncodeofprinciples.poynter.org
Title: IFCN Code of Principles About
Link: https://ifcncodeofprinciples.poynter.org/aboutSource snippet
IFCN Code of PrinciplesAbout - IFCN Code of Principles - PoynterThe Code of Principles is for organizations that regularly publish nonpar...
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Source: fullfact.org
Link: https://fullfact.org/ai/Source snippet
Full FactFull Fact AIFull Fact AI. Every day fact checkers around the world find, check and challenge false claims identified by AI enabl...
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Source: fullfact.org
Link: https://fullfact.org/Source snippet
Full FactNot sure what to believe? Full Fact checks the claims you see online and in the news, helping you spot misinformation and get th...
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Source: fullfact.org
Title: how fact checking works
Link: https://fullfact.org/blog/2019/jun/how-fact-checking-works/Source snippet
Fact checking doesn't work (the way you think it does)20 Jun 2019 — Fact checking claims made by politicians, public figures and viral on...
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Source: utopia.ut.edu
Link: https://utopia.ut.edu/FakeNews/factcheckSource snippet
ut.edu"Fake News" & Misinformation: How to Fact Check16 Apr 2026 — Here's a quick guide to sorting out facts, evaluating resources and be...
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Source: reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk
Link: https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/sites/default/files/research/files/The%2520Rise%2520of%2520Fact-Checking%2520Sites%2520in%2520Europe.pdfSource snippet
Full Fact relies on public data in its fact-checks but its researchers...Read more...
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Source: ifcncodeofprinciples.poynter.org
Link: https://ifcncodeofprinciples.poynter.org/signatoriesSource snippet
IFCN Code of Principlestransparency of sources, transparency of methodology, and a commitment to open and honest [corrections]({{ 'corrections/' | relative_url }}). Active (149)...
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Source: ifcncodeofprinciples.poynter.org
Link: https://ifcncodeofprinciples.poynter.org/Source snippet
Code of PrinciplesThe Code of Principles is for organizations that regularly publish nonpartisan reports on the accuracy of statements by...
Additional References
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Source: frayintermedia.com
Link: https://www.frayintermedia.com/post/back-to-basics-fact-checking-in-journalism/Source snippet
Back to basics: fact-checking in journalismDecide if a statement is worth fact checking for the public's interest; Ask the original sourc...
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Source: efcsn.com
Link: https://efcsn.com/code-of-standards/Source snippet
Code of StandardsThe European Code of Standards for Independent Fact-Checking Organisations is designed to ensure that organisations adhe...
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Source: internews.org
Link: https://internews.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Youth-Media-Litreracy-Program-Fact-Checking-Manual-final.pdfSource snippet
FACT-CHECKING MANUALFact-checking, as practised by independent fact-checkers, such as Africa Check, is the verification of claims made in...
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Source: publicmediaalliance.org
Link: https://www.publicmediaalliance.org/tools/fact-checking-investigative-journalism/Source snippet
Fact Checking & Investigative Journalism ToolsA collection of tips, platforms and other resources to better practice fact checking and in...
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Source: ballotpedia.org
Link: https://ballotpedia.org/The_methodologies_of_fact-checkingSource snippet
The methodologies of fact-checkingThese methodologies govern how they select topics, conduct research, structure articles, evaluate claim...
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Source: chequeado.com
Link: https://chequeado.com/code-of-principles/ -
Source: dirittoue.info
Title: International Fact Checking Network fact checkers’ code of principles Poynter
Link: https://www.dirittoue.info/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/International-Fact-Checking-Network-fact-checkers%E2%80%99-code-of-principles-Poynter.pdfSource snippet
International Fact-Checking Network fact-checkers' code of...2 Jul 2018 — This code of principles is for organizations that regularly pu...
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Source: youtube.com
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VE8K_IAhPZ4Source snippet
Higher standards in fact-checking: IFCN's Code of PrinciplesLearn about the recent update to the IFCN's Code of Principles and hear a liv...
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Source: rand.org
Link: https://www.rand.org/research/projects/truth-decay/fighting-disinformation/search/items/international-fact-checking-network-ifcn-codes-and.htmlSource snippet
International Fact Checking Network (IFCN) Codes and...The IFCN aims to ensure that fact-checking remains objective and rigorous, essent...
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Source: cmpf.eui.eu
Title: code of professional integrity for fact checkers
Link: https://cmpf.eui.eu/code-of-professional-integrity-for-fact-checkers/Source snippet
a Code of Professional Integrity for Fact-checkers7 Sept 2022 — A list of principles and concrete measures to ensure the integrity of fac...
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