At Local Voices Liberia Fact Checking Desk, our process of fact checking and verifying information is thorough, transparent, and designed to ensure accuracy at every step. Here’s how we fact-check:
Step 1: LVL Fact Checkers monitor variety of media including social media, radio, newspapers, online news, and in-persons gatherings to track or identify claims. We also ask readers, social media followers and listeners of our fact check radio program to send in claims they want us to check, but if it is impossible to fact check a certain claim, we inform the reader about the situation and why the statement or claim is not fact checkable.
Step 2: We decide which claim should be fact checked based on a rating of the claim. The claim might be rated harmful, trending, or Important. During the writing of our fact check report, we will mention why the claim is being and provide context for readers to understand the significance of our decision.
Step 3: We only rely on credible and authoritative sources for evidence when verifying a claim. This standard is applied to all claims of the same magnitude regardless of who made the claim. If possible, we contact the person who made the claim to inquire about the source of the claim and ask for supporting evidence, however; if the person does not respond to our inquiry, we then rely on other relevant evidence provided by credible or authoritative sources. We try as much as possible to rely on multiple sources for evidence.
Step 4: Our fact checker writes the report using sample explanation, hyperlinks, disclosure of all sources (absolutely no anonymous sources) and explains the why the verdict was reached. The fact checker reviews the work and submits to the fact checking desk coordinator (deputy editor). The coordinator reviews the work along with the fact checker before submitting to the editor.
Step 5: The editor cross-checks all the evidence in the report, sources of evidence, and their credibility. If there are complex issues that requires an expert interpretation, the editor will commission interviews with more than one independent and credible expert to provide better context and clarity to help readers understand. Before relying on experts’ view/analysis for publication, the Editor will corroborate the evidence and share the final report to the fact checker to ensure the details are viewed and understood by the fact checker. The report is then published.
Step 6: Where there is evidence that a fact check report has an error and same is flagged by a reader, the editor will lead a review of the work and if an error is identified, will make the relevant corrections as quickly as possible based on LVL Fact Checking Desk Correction Policy – this includes ensuring that the corrected work reaches all those who read the previous version of the report.