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Who Checks The Fact Checkers Penn State Researchers

Bonisiwe Shabane
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who checks the fact checkers penn state researchers

If politicians utter dubious statements on the campaign trail and fact-checkers are around to hear them, will those fact-checkers rate the statements with agreeing skepticism? If the checkers are Snopes and PolitiFact, and the claim is similar, that answer is nearly always yes, Penn State University researchers found. This consistency helps build public trust in fact-checking and fact-checkers, the researchers said. “‘Fact-checking’ fact checkers: A data-driven approach,” a 22-page October research article from the Harvard Kennedy School Misinformation Review, examined practices of U.S. fact-checking organizations Snopes, PolitiFact and Logically, along with The Australian Associated Press. Sian Lee, Aiping Xiong, Harseung Seo and Dongwon Lee of Penn State University’s College of Information Sciences and Technology did the peer-reviewed research.

The Penn State researchers found U.S. fact-checking spikes during major news events. In recent years, that was during the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2020 presidential election. Further, the researchers said, misinformation’s spread can mislead and harm people and society. Researchers from the Penn State College of IST studied the practices used by fact-checking organizations to assess the validity of news claims. Credit: Vitalii Vodolazskyi/Adobe Stock.

All Rights Reserved. UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The use of fact-checking services spikes during major news events. Fortunately, the fact checkers have generally agreed in their assessments of whether news claims are true or false, according to researchers from the Penn State College of Information Sciences and Technology (IST). In their work, which appeared in the Harvard Kennedy School Misinformation Review in October, the researchers studied the practices used by fact-checking organizations to assess the validity of news claims. They measured the consistency of legitimacy ratings across four popular fact-checking platforms: Snopes, PolitiFact, Logically and the Australian Associated Press FactCheck.

“Half of U.S. adults regularly get their news from social media like X, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok,” said Sian Lee, doctoral student in the College of IST and first author of the research article. “But social media platforms generally do not check the legitimacy of headlines and content the way traditional news outlets do, and this can result in the spread of misinformation — fake news — that... But social media sites appear to be addressing this lack of vetting, according to the researchers. During newsworthy events, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2020 U.S. presidential election, they increasingly turn to fact checkers to assess the validity of the news in their feeds and mitigate the spread of fake news online.

The high agreement suggests Snopes and PolitiFact have established consistent and reliable fact-checking practices, they said, which “enhances the credibility of fact checkers in the eyes of the public.” Google's Fact Check Explorer is a search engine for fact checks. Many topics return mostly false posts; e.g. Hunter Biden, COVID-19 vaccine or Maui fire. https://toolbox.google.com/factcheck/explorer If politicians utter dubious statements on the campaign trail and fact-checkers are around to hear them, will those fact-checkers rate the statements with agreeing skepticism?

If the checkers are Snopes.com and PolitiFact, and the claim is similar, that answer is nearly always yes, Penn State University researchers found. This consistency helps build public trust in fact-checking and fact-checkers, the researchers said. “‘Fact-checking’ fact checkers: A data-driven approach,” a 22-page October research article from the Harvard Kennedy School Misinformation Review, examined practices of U.S. fact-checking organizations Snopes.com, PolitiFact and Logically, along with The Australian Associated Press. Read more about the study and its findings: https://lnkd.in/gbe4p4Zi #factchecking #misinformation #journalism Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

This study examined four fact checkers (Snopes, PolitiFact, Logically, and the Australian Associated Press FactCheck) using a data-driven approach. First, we scraped 22,349 fact-checking articles from Snopes and PolitiFact and compared their results and agreement on verdicts. Generally, the two fact checkers agreed with each other, with only one conflicting verdict among 749 matching claims after adjusting minor rating differences. Next, we assessed 1,820 fact-checking articles from Logically and the Australian Associated Press FactCheck and highlighted the differences in their fact-checking behaviors. Major events like the COVID-19 pandemic and the presidential election drove increased the frequency of fact-checking, with notable variations in ratings and authors across fact checkers. Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2023, Harvard Kennedy School. All rights reserved. N2 - This study examined four fact checkers (Snopes, PolitiFact, Logically, and the Australian Associated Press FactCheck) using a data-driven approach. First, we scraped 22,349 fact-checking articles from Snopes and PolitiFact and compared their results and agreement on verdicts. Generally, the two fact checkers agreed with each other, with only one conflicting verdict among 749 matching claims after adjusting minor rating differences. Next, we assessed 1,820 fact-checking articles from Logically and the Australian Associated Press FactCheck and highlighted the differences in their fact-checking behaviors.

Major events like the COVID-19 pandemic and the presidential election drove increased the frequency of fact-checking, with notable variations in ratings and authors across fact checkers. Penn State fans woke up Thursday to an unexpected bombshell. An alleged audio recording of Athletic Director Pat Kraft speaking candidly to players made the rounds on social media. The audio features someone who sounds like Kraft being brutally honest about Penn State’s challenges, including recruiting struggles in “middle of nowhere PA” and calling Michigan “losers and cheaters.” So is this actually real? Or is it another AI deepfake making the rounds?​ All the signs indicate that the audio is legitimate.

Credible sports media figures, including Barstool Sports’ Liam Blutman, shared clips of the allegedly leaked audio. Even Blutman was shocked, posting that he “can’t believe I’m listening to this.” The nature of the audio itself is raw and unfiltered. It features blunt assessments that an AD might make in a private player meeting, which adds to its credibility. Still, without official confirmation from Kraft or Penn State, it remains “alleged” audio that hasn’t been independently verified.​ According to the recording, Kraft went all in when he discussed Penn State’s competition in the Big Ten. He allegedly called Michigan both “losers and cheaters,” referring to the Wolverines’ recent struggles and the sign-stealing scandal.

But Kraft saved particular disdain for Oregon. He made fun of the Ducks and expressed his distaste for the program. Here is a quick clip of the alleged audio of Penn State AD Pat Kraft speaking to players https://t.co/llgU3UDJ35 pic.twitter.com/GvbOLUMwsb — Liam Blutman (@Blutman27) December 5, 2025 A study found high agreement on like claims for PolitiFact and Snopes. Every time President Donald Trump talks about 9/11, U.S fact-checkers raise their pens.

The story… Snopes is no longer debunking misinformation in partnership with Facebook. In a statement published Friday,… It looks like a Snopes fact check. It reads like a Snopes fact check. And…

First, Brooke Binkowski was burned out. Then, she was told that she had been fired… True: Fact checkers tend to agree on validity of news claims, researchers say UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The use of fact-checking services spikes during major news events. Fortunately, the fact checkers have generally agreed in their assessments of whether news claims are true or false, according to researchers from the Penn State College of Information Sciences and Technology (IST). In their work, which appeared in the Harvard Kennedy School Misinformation Review in October, the researchers studied the practices used by fact-checking organizations to assess the validity of news claims.

They measured the consistency of legitimacy ratings across four popular fact-checking platforms: Snopes, PolitiFact, Logically and the Australian Associated Press FactCheck. For more insights, read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/dQDVR8pV #misinformation #disinformation #mitifyplus #fakenews #propangada #disinformationdetection #factchecking #mitifyplus #disinformationdetection Platform: Penn State University Author: Mary Fetzer The use of fact-checking services spikes during major news events. Fortunately, the fact checkers have generally agreed in their assessments of whether news claims are true or false, according to researchers from the Penn State College of Information Sciences and Technology (IST). In their work, which appeared in the Harvard Kennedy School Misinformation Review in October, the researchers studied the practices used by fact-checking organizations to assess the validity of news claims. They measured the consistency of legitimacy ratings across four popular fact-checking platforms: Snopes, PolitiFact, Logically and the Australian Associated Press FactCheck.

“Half of U.S. adults regularly get their news from social media like X, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok,” said Sian Lee, doctoral student in the College of IST and first author of the research article. “But social media platforms generally do not check the legitimacy of headlines and content the way traditional news outlets do, and this can result in the spread of misinformation — fake news — that... But social media sites appear to be addressing this lack of vetting, according to the researchers. During newsworthy events, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2020 U.S. presidential election, they increasingly turn to fact checkers to assess the validity of the news in their feeds and mitigate the spread of fake news online.

“Fact checking is complex and multifaceted and involves numerous variables,” said Aiping Xiong, assistant professor in the College of IST and co-principal investigator on the project. “Currently, fact-checking is often done by humans. As fact checkers aim to get closer to the truth, they may select and verify different events or see different things when looking at the same event.”

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