Regional Facts Matter: A Comparative Perspective of Sub-State Fact-Checking Initiatives in Europe

Ferre Wouters and Michaël Opgenhaffen
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Ferre Wouters: Media, Information & Persuasion Lab, KU Leuven, Belgium
Michaël Opgenhaffen: Media, Information & Persuasion Lab, KU Leuven, Belgium

Media and Communication, 2024, vol. 12

Abstract: After a significant surge of active fact-checking organisations over the past decade, fact-checkers now operate in more than 100 countries. Although the fact-checking movement is diverse, the majority of organisations function at a national level. However, some organisations operate on a sub-state scale, based either on community or geographic region. These fact-checkers investigate statements relevant to specific populations that might otherwise go unaddressed. In Europe, signatories of the International Fact-Checking Network are active in regions with federal or devolved power. This study brings a comparative analysis of regional fact-checkers in Europe, combining qualitative interviews with editors and managers of these organisations with complementary document analysis. Our findings highlight how organisational formats influence fact-checking motivations, the difference in scope between political fact-checking and debunking routines, and the collaborative relations regional fact-checkers maintain with national and international organisations. This article contributes to the debate surrounding the global fact-checking movement by raising awareness of regional and local fact-checking, which helps address so-called fact deserts.

Keywords: boundary work; Europe; fact-checking; journalistic practices; local misinformation; regional media (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:cog:meanco:v12:y:2024:a:8758

DOI: 10.17645/mac.8758

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