Fact-Checking Climate Change: An Analysis of Claims and Verification Practices by Fact-Checkers in Four Countries

Abstract

This study examines climate claims by analyzing fact-checked content from four countries. In addition, it investigates several important aspects of professional fact-checking practices including transparency, accessibility, and the use of corrective sources. Findings of this study indicate that fact-checked climate claims from different countries vary by the aspects of climate change they focus on (e.g., existence, causes, impacts, and solutions), types of claim makers, and levels of accuracy. Furthermore, there are differences in fact-checking practices from the four countries with regard to transparency, accessibility, and the use of corrective sources. Theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed.

Fact-Checking Journalism: A Palliative Against the COVID-19 Infodemic in Ibero-America

“…When we consider that many of the organizations analyzed are digital media without national boundaries ( Higgins Joyce & Harlow, 2020 ; Vu et al, 2022 ), it becomes clear that the Ibero-American fact-checking associations are an example of how transnational online journalism contributes to strengthening democracy.…”

“…Fact-checking has had a rapid expansion on a global level ( Vu et al, 2022 ). According to Amazeen (2019) , the reasons behind this expansion are the decline in journalism practices, which went from a public service to a business venture, public disempowerment, technological changes, and social/political crisis and reform movements.…”

“…Competition has always had greater visibility due to the business logic that has governed the journalistic field ( Graves & Konieczna, 2015 ). However, collaboration has changed the common mind-set of rivalry and allowed fact-checking organizations to demonstrate the growing advantages of cooperation ( Vu et al, 2022 ).…”

Comparing Media Systems in Western Democracies: Examining the Role of Multiplatform News Use and Fake News Concern on News Engagement and Selective Exposure

“…The widespread use of social media platforms provides individuals with greater opportunities to engage with public issues and express their views across multiple platforms, which inevitably intersect with the media systems to which they are exposed on a daily basis (Mattoni & Ceccobelli, 2018). Meanwhile, as media systems vary across regions, these differences can shape the information environment and influence the prevalence and impact of fake news within a society (Vu et al, 2023). Empirical research has indicated that digital technologies can facilitate both diverse and liberal information dissemination as well as increased polarization.…”

Focusing on fake news’ contents: The association between ingroup identification, perceived outgroup threat, analytical‐intuitive thinking and detecting fake news

“…Fake news, rumors, conspiracy theories, and disinformation have spread across various media platforms, such as Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, and WhatsApp, along with concerns not only in cyberpsychology but also in various theoretical and applied areas of human behavior (Guitton, 2020; Vu et al., 2023). Alongside the pandemic, the number of people consuming news has increased as well as the fake news detection ability (Al‐zaman, 2020) and the dissemination of health‐related fake news (Mian & Khan, 2020; Quandt et al., 2020).…”