How does fact-checking work? A checklist for verifying content

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In Google search you will find more than 10 thousand answers to your request with links to sites, articles, catalogs. Which of them will be really useful, understandable, and most importantly, reliable?

For the audience, trust goes hand in hand with the content the brand publishes. If you tell your users the truth, appeal to them, and back them up with facts, they trust you, interact with you, come back, and recommend you to their friends. It only takes one small mistake to permanently lose the consumer's trust and tarnish the brand's reputation.

In this article, we singapore cell phone number list explain what fact-checking is, why the tool is important in marketing, and how to properly check content for fakes.

Content:

What is fact checking?
Why is it important? Benefits of fact-checking

Rules for using fact-checking
Services for checking information
How to verify AI-generated content?
Conclusion
What is fact checking?

Read also : How Google Evaluates Websites: Promoting YMYL Pages


What is fact checking?
A lot of the information that is stored on the Internet is not true.the advent of the digital era, anyone can publish content in the form they see fit. Today, separating fact from fiction is becoming increasingly difficult, because fake news comes even from sources that are considered authoritative.

Fact-checking is the process of checking facts or statements that raise doubts about their veracity. The tool helps you thoroughly check the content and ensure that you are providing truthful and accurate information.

"Loud" headlines attract audiences. More often than not, fake news is published by "questionable" resources for the sake of traffic or hype. But dissemination of such content can be dangerous for users, especially if the information concerns a person's life or health.



Why is it important? Benefits of fact-checking
It is your responsibility to fact-check your content . When you run an ad, publish a blog post, or send out an email newsletter, you are not just promoting your brand, you are helping your audience find answers to their questions or solutions to their problems.

Whether you are a small company or a large international business, whether you are publishing a post on a social network or a section about a brand , in any case, you are responsible for the company's activities and the information that is published under your name. Content must be based on facts, supported by verified evidence. Not only the success of marketing efforts depends on this, but also the overall reputation of the brand.

Misinformation leads to negative consequences in the form of a lawsuit. In addition, fact-checking “saves” from plagiarism. As a violation of Google rules, plagiarism affects the site’s position in the ranking, thus reducing the likelihood that the content will reach the target audience at all.

What is fact checking?

Read also : Competitor Analysis in Search Results: Step-by-Step Instructions and Helpful Tips


How does fact-checking work? A checklist for verifying content
Fact-checking should be part of the editorial process. It is important to understand what facts to check, when and where to do it, how to apply it correctly, taking into account the sequence. Therefore, it is necessary to have a list of rules at hand - a checklist for checking content that helps to avoid misinformation and ensures accuracy.

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So, what to check:

Are the names and titles spelled correctly? Review the entire text to avoid errors within the content. Watch the spacing and do not leave unnecessary spaces. This may affect the company search in the future;
Are the positions, titles or regalia indicated correctly? This can be easily verified on the company's website, the source's electronic signature or through social network profiles (for individuals);
Are the numbers and dates given correctly? This especially applies to monetary amounts, figures and percentages, historical dates;
Is there a link to the source or research? If you add statistics, be sure to link to the resources where you got the data;
Are the contact details provided correctly ?
Is the terminology used correctly? If it is a narrow niche, then there will definitely be specific and rarely used words;
Do links to sources work/open ?
It is important to write quotes verbatim , without changing the original, to avoid losing the meaning;
Make sure the image is original and not photoshopped. Also, check for watermarks on the photo.


Rules for using fact-checking
First of all, you need to find the original source. Think about who might have the information or who might have printed it, said it for the first time? Is this person really a professional and an authority on this issue? Studying reliable and authentic data is important for filtering and finding out the facts. Do not tie the reliability of information to the rating of the site. Double-check when and where the information was published.
Refer to multiple sources. This is the most important point of the fact-checking checklist. Popular, especially “hot” news spreads quickly. When information is published by all the well-known publics, you begin to involuntarily believe it. Therefore, always study data from several sources to ensure the authenticity of the facts. Also, different points of view will help you form your own understanding of the situation, see the context in which the channels cover the event.
If you have any doubts, look for additional information. This could be scientific publications, databases, government agency websites (suitable for collecting official statistics), specialized media, information sources, international resources. You can also contact an independent expert.
Please read the content again and check its accuracy .
What is fact checking?