Timeline of fact-checking
From Timelines
This timeline covers independent fact-checking operations, as well as key events that shaped the perception and application of fact-checking.
Full timeline
| Year | Month and date (if available) | Event type | Details | Geographical location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Fact-checking website launch | Snopes.com is founded by couple David and Barbara Mikkelson, initially as a website to debunk urban legends, though it subsequently expands to covering the factual accuracy of popular stories or claims.[1] The website is an outgrowth of David Mikkelson's work with username 'snopes' in the Usenet newsgroup alt.folklore.urban.[2] | Global (though more focused on the United States) | |
| 2007 | August | Fact-checking website launch | PolitiFact.com launches as a project operated by Tampa Bay Times, in which reporters and editors from the Times and affiliated media fact check statements by members of Congress, the White House, lobbyists and interest groups. The website publishes original statements as well as evaluations along a Truth-o-Meter.[3] | United States |
| 2007 | September 19 | Fact-checking website launch | The Washington Post launches The Fact Checker, a blog by veteran journalist Glenn Kessler that rates statements by politicians according to their accuracy, with the rating ranging from one to four Pinocchios (more Pinocchios means a bigger lie).[4] The initial launch is for the purpose of the 2008 Presidential Election in the United States | United States |
| 2010 | January | Fact-checking website expansion | PolitiFact expands to its second newspaper, the Cox Enterprises –owned Austin American-Statesman in Austin, Texas. The subproject, PolitiFact Texas, focuses on fact-checking Texas local news. | United States (Texas) |
| 2010 | March | Fact-checking website expansion | PolitiFact expands to its third newspaper, 'The Miami Herald in Florida. The subject, PolitiFact Florida, focuses on Florida local news. | United States (Florida) |
| 2011 | January 9 | Fact-checking website revival | The Washington Post revives and makes permanent Glenn Kessler's blog, The Fact Checker, that was originally piloted during the 2008 Presidential elections | United States |
References
- ↑ Seipp, Cathy (July 21, 2004). "Where Urban Legends Fall". National Review. Archived from the original on July 23, 2004. Retrieved February 7, 2014.
- ↑ Porter, David (2013). "Usenet Communities and the Cultural Politics of Information". Internet Culture. Routledge. p. 48. ISBN 978-1-135-20904-9. Retrieved September 13, 2016.
The two most notorious trollers in AFU, Ted Frank and snopes, are also two of the most consistent posters of serious research.
- ↑ "Bill Adair, PolitiFact Editor, Named Knight Professor at Duke". Duke University. April 5, 2013. Retrieved March 19, 2017.
- ↑ "Guide to Washington Post Fact Checker Rating Scale". Voices.washingtonpost.com. December 29, 2011. Retrieved January 3, 2012.
