VERIFY Fact Check – About the Team - VERIFYThis.com
VERIFY's mission is to stop the spread of false information.
What is VERIFY?
VERIFY is dedicated to helping the public distinguish between true and false information. The VERIFY team, with help from questions submitted by the audience, tracks the spread of stories or claims that need clarification or correction. We provide trustworthy, transparent information to prove or disprove them. VERIFY's sources are always provided, allowing the audience to see exactly how the team determines the veracity of any claims.
VERIFY is owned by TEGNA, one of the country's largest owners of local television stations. We work with 49 newsrooms across the country so that VERIFY covers a wide-range of topics that impact diverse communities.
Please consider subscribing to our Fast Facts newsletter. You also can subscribe to our daily texts by texting VERIFY to 202-410-8808. You can follow VERIFY on YouTube, Snapchat, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Our Process
A VERIFY story consists of four key elements: the claim, the sources, the explanation and the answer.
The Claim
We gather claims or questions from our audience via text, email and social media.
The Sources
Our sources are listed at the beginning of every VERIFY story. We only use primary sources to determine the answer. Primary sources include original media like photos and videos, original documents, peer-reviewed studies and vetted experts.
The Explanation
The VERIFY story provides background information about the claim or question and a thorough explanation of the topic so the audience can grasp the full context of the story.
The Answer
We strive to label each claim as true or false based on the information we gather in the reporting process.
Contact Us
To submit a question or claim to be VERIFIED, or to sign up for our newsletter, fill out this form.
To contact VERIFY, text us at 202-410-8808 or email questions@verifythis.com.
Ethics Policy
VERIFY is committed to the highest ethical standards and dedicated to the principles of truth, independence, public interest, fair play and integrity. See our full ethics policy here.
Corrections Policy
VERIFY fact-checks true/false claims and uses multiple sources to confirm the information. If a VERIFY story publishes with an error that changes the answer or scope of a story, or incorrectly cites a source, the VERIFY team will quickly and transparently issue a correction by updating the existing story across all platforms and include the correction note in the story text, explaining to our audience what changed and why. If the error is minor and does not significantly change the reporting, the VERIFY team may instead issue a clarification in the form of an editor's note in the body of the story. If the error is very minor, such as a misspelling, the story may be updated without a clarifying editor's note. Sometimes new information warrants updates to a previous story. VERIFY includes an editor’s note in those cases as well, explaining how the story has evolved. If you notice an error or want to request a correction, please contact us.
Gigafact Partnership
VERIFY publishes some stories in partnership with Gigafact, a network of local and specialized newsrooms that provide accurate responses to confusion and misinformation spreading among their communities.
