JOUR 11200: Investigative Journalism
Evaluate for Accuracy and Fairness
Who are the parties involved in your topic? Are there interest/advocacy groups; what are their positions? Is there an individual that is addressing or instigating the issue? Does it involve a company? What do you know about that company? Are there policy questions that think tanks are writing about? Are there local, state, or federal laws? What led up to the event? Recognize the cultural, organizational, historical, political and other contexts of the information gathered. Fact check by finding the information in multiple credible sources.
Fact Checking
To fact check, compare entries on a variety of sources.
- Statista
Subjects are geared towards business and marketing statistical needs, and include consumer goods, media, politics, sports, travel, and technology.
Contents: Statistical information, data, infographics, and tables.
- BBC News: Country ProfilesClick on a region to find country profiles. The Media page will list press, television and radio and who owns them (private, public) as well as the language it is in.
- Central Intelligence Agency (CIA): The World FactbookProvides basic history of all countries - includes maps, population, history, politics, economics, education, communications, transportation and military data.
- FactCheck.orgAnnenberg Political fact check site. Use to discern the truth behind all kinds of political, scientific and public policy claims.
- PolitiFactA project of the St. Petersburg Times, PolitiFact is a website that examines truth in politics.
- SPJ's Journalist's ToolboxLists some copy editing blogs and writing handbooks.
Perspectives: Gender, Race, and Ethnicity
- Alternative Press Index (EBSCO)
Produced by the Alternative Press Center, this bibliographic database contains citations from international alternative, radical, and left periodicals, including works by journalists, theorists, and writers from a wide variety of concentrations within the fields of alternative and cultural studies.
Contents: Citations for journal, newspaper, and magazine articles. 1991-present.
- Ethnic NewsWatch (ProQuest)
Collects full-text articles from the ethnic, minority, and native press, including top scholarly journals on ethnicities and ethnic studies. Contents include African American, Arab, Middle Eastern, Asian American, European, Jewish, and Native American publications.
Contents: Full-text articles from newspapers, magazines, and scholarly journal. 1990-present; plus historical coverage of Native American, African American, and Hispanic American periodicals from 1959-1989.
- GenderWatch (ProQuest)
Supports gender and women's studies, and gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender research.
Contents: Citations and full-text articles from academic, radical, community, and independent presses. 1970-present.
- LGBTQ+ Source (EBSCO)
Formerly known as LGBT life with Full Text, this database provides scholarly and popular LGBTQ+ publications.
Contents: Full-text articles, primary sources, monographs, magazines, and newspapers and a specialized thesaurus.
Verification
Here are some resources from the internet:
- Bellingcat's Digital ToolkitOpen Source Verification and Investigation Tools and Methods.
- Exploring the Invisible: The KitMakes investigative tools and techniques accessible to the public.
- Verification and Digital Investigations Resources by Craig SilvermanTry the browser plugins -- InVID verification is highly recommended.
- Verification HandbookA definitive guide to verifying digital content for emergency coverage (2nd ed.)
Cathy Michael
