Based on two white papers on fact-checking by the University of Amsterdam published in December 2022 and October 2023 (details below), BENEDMO produced a fact-check roadmap for fact-checkers and the interested public. The step-by-step map indicates what readers should pay attention to and what they can do if they suspect that false information is being deliberately spread.

You can download the map in English here on the BENEDMO website.

More information about the white papers:

Making fact-checks work

Evidence-based recommendations for practitioners

By Michael Hameleers and Marina Tulin
Available here

Summary: Misinformation and disinformation, which refer to unintentionally false and deliberately misleading information respectively, have been associated with severe democratic and societal ramifications. Among other things, exposure to misinformation can create misperceptions, reinforce societal cleavages, or result in doubts and cynicism regarding the status of facts. Exposure to false information can also reduce audiences’ trust in real information. To deal with these potential threats, fact-checking has been introduced as a viable and effective response to the dissemination of mis- and disinformation.

Although experiments and meta-analyses have shown that such forms of corrective information can be effective in combating falsehoods (e.g., Walter et al. 2020; Hameleers and Van Der Meer 2020), we currently lack an externally valid overview of how fact-checks should be embedded in the information ecology, and which modes and forms may be most effective under different conditions. For this reason, this white paper reviews the state-of-the-art and recent experimental research collected in real-life settings to offer recommendations on how to make fact-checking more effective. It provides concrete suggestions on the mode of presentation, argument structure, and tailored responses to different forms of mis- and disinformation.

Ultimately, this white paper aims to equip practitioners involved in fact-checking, such as journalists and fact-checkers, with evidence-based recommendations for correcting mis- and disinformation.

Finding truth amidst turmoil

Evidence-based recommendations for fact-checking in times of crisis

By Christofer Talvitie, Michael Hameleers, Marina Tulin and Claes de Vreese

Available here

Crisis settings may fundamentally change the information landscape, and amplify the threats associated with mis- and disinformation. Although fact-checkers may face similar challenges in routine and crisis times, the context of uncertainty, information overload and fluxing trust levels may exacerbate the challenges they face in crisis times.

In this white paper, we aim to map the disinformation landscape in crisis settings, and offer different areas in which fact-checking may be different against the backdrop of turmoil. We formulate concrete suggestions on how fact-checkers may respond to crisis settings.

The most important suggestions involve (1) enhanced transparency in the procedures of the selection of dubious statements, the level of uncertainty, and the process of arriving at verdicts on (un)truthfulness; (2) the strengthening of the fact-checking community and collaborations between checkers in close proximity to unfolding crisis events; (3) the development of a handbook with factchecking practices and infrastructures that anticipate future crisis settings.