The Fact-Check Insights dataset is a compilation of all fact-checks published by organizations verified by the Duke Reporters’ Lab that are tagged with ClaimReview and/or MediaReview.
ClaimReview: The tagging system for fact-checks
ClaimReview is a tagging system that publishers use to flag fact-check articles for search engines, apps and social media platforms. It identifies key elements of fact-checks for platforms such as Google, Bing, and Facebook. ClaimReview also summarizes a fact-check, noting the person and claim being checked and a conclusion about its accuracy. Because of this, it has become a source of important data that can be used by researchers, academics and others interested in the work of fact-checkers.
MediaReview: Fact-checking images, video, and more
MediaReview is a sibling to ClaimReview that allows fact-checkers to share their assessment of whether a given image, video, meme or other piece of media has been manipulated. It is typically used in conjunction with ClaimReview.
Fact-checking organizations interested in tagging their articles with ClaimReview and MediaReview can visit The ClaimReview Project website for more information about getting started.
Where do the data come from?
Fact-checkers at organizations all over the world enter ClaimReview data every time they publish a fact-check. The organizations included in this dataset are limited to those appearing in the Duke Reporters’ Lab database of global fact-checking sites.
The Lab tracks hundreds of nonpartisan organizations that regularly publish articles, videos or audio reports that verify claims made by politicians, debunk social media rumors and hoaxes, and/or review political promises made by candidates or parties. Visit the Reporters’ Lab site for more information on how we determine which organizations to include. (Note: Not all organizations in the Reporters’ Lab database use ClaimReview.)
If you’d like for us to remove your organization’s data from the dataset, please fill out this email form.
What you can expect when you download the data
The Fact-Check Insights dataset is available for download as JSON (one file) and CSV (multiple files).
Not every fact-check will contain data for every field, but the main components are (click a tab to expand):
ClaimReview
| JSON Key | Description | Example Value |
|---|---|---|
| id | Unique ID for each ClaimReview entry | 6c4f3a30-2ec1-4e2e-9b57-41ad876223e5 |
| @context | Link to schema.org, the home of ClaimReview | https://schema.org |
| @type | Type of schema being used | ClaimReview |
| author | ||
| @type | Type of author | Organization |
| name | The name of the fact-checking organization that submitted the fact-check | PolitiFact |
| url | The main URL of the fact-checking organization | http://www.politifact.com |
| image | The logo of the fact-checking organization | https://d10r9aj6omusou.cloudfront.net/factstream-logo-image-61554e34-b525-4723-b7ae-d1860eaa2296.png |
| claimReviewed | The claim/statement that was assessed by the fact-checker | Marsha Blackburn "voted against the Reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, which attempts to protect women from domestic violence, stalking, and date rape." |
| datePublished | The date the fact-check article was published | 2018-10-09 |
| itemReviewed | ||
| @type | Type of item reviewed | Claim |
| datePublished | The date the claim was made | 2018-10-07 |
| name | The location where the claim was made | in an Instagram post |
| appearance | ||
| url | A URL where the claim appeared | https://www.instagram.com/p/BopoXpYnCes/?hl=en |
| @type | Type of content being referenced | Creative Work |
| firstAppearance | ||
| url | The URL of the first known appearance of the claim | https://www.instagram.com/p/BopoXpYnCes/?hl=en |
| @type | Type of content being referenced | Creative Work |
| author | ||
| @type | Type of speaker | Person |
| name | The person or group that made the claim that was assessed by the fact-checker | Taylor Swift |
| jobTitle | A title or description of the person or group that made the claim | Mega pop star |
| image | An image of the person or group that made the claim | https://static.politifact.com/CACHE/images/politifact/mugs/taylor_swift_mug/03dfe1b483ec8a57b6fe18297ce7f9fd.jpg |
| sameAs | URLs that help establish the identity of the person or group that made the claim, such as a Wikipedia page (rarely used) | https://www.taylorswift.com/ |
| reviewRating | ||
| @type | Type of review | Rating |
| ratingValue | An optional numerical value assigned to a fact-checker's rating. Not standardized. (Note: 1.) The ClaimReview schema specifies the use of an integer for the ratingValue, worstRating and bestRating fields. 2.) For organziations that use ratings scales (such as PolitiFact), if the rating chosen falls on the scale, the numerical rating will appear in the ratingValue field. 3.) If the rating isn’t on the scale (ratings that use custom text, or special categories like Flip Flops), the ratingValue field will be empty, but worstRating and bestRating will still appear. 4.) For organizations that don’t use ratings that fall on a numerical scale, all three fields will be blank.) |
8 |
| bestRating | An optional numerical value representing what rating a fact-checker would assign to the most accurate content it assesses. See note above. | 10 |
| worstRating | An optional numerical value representing what rating a fact-checker would assign to the least accurate content it assesses. See note above. | 0 |
| ratingExplanation | One to two short sentences providing context and information that led to the fact-checker's conclusion | Blackburn voted in favor of a Republican alternative that lacked discrimination protections based on sexual orientation and gender identity. But Blackburn did vote no on the final version that became law. |
| image | An image representing the fact-checker's rating, such as the Truth-O-Meter | https://static.politifact.com/politifact/rulings/meter-mostly-true.jpg |
| alternateName | The fact-checker's conclusion about the accuracy of the claim in text form — either a rating, like "Half True," or a short summary, like "No evidence" | Mostly True |
| url | The URL of the fact-check article | https://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2018/oct/09/taylor-swift/taylor-swift-marsha-blackburn-voted-against-reauth/ |
MediaReview
| JSON Key | Description | Example Value |
|---|---|---|
| id | Unique ID for each MediaReview entry | 2bfe531d-ff53-40f5-8114-a819db22ca8b |
| @context | Link to schema.org, the home of MediaReview | https://schema.org |
| @type | MediaReview | |
| author | ||
| @type | Type of author | Organization |
| name | The name of the fact-checking organization | PolitiFact |
| url | The URL of the fact-checking organization | http://www.politifact.com |
| datePublished | The date the fact-check article was published | 2020-07-02 |
| itemReviewed | ||
| contentUrl | The URL of the post containing the media that was fact-checked | https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10223714143346243&set=a.3020234149519&type=3&theater |
| startTime | Timestamp of video edit (in HH:MM:SS format) | 0:01:00 |
| endTime | Ending timestamp of video edit, if applicable (in HH:MM:SS format) | 0:02:00 |
| @type | Type of media reviewed | ImageObject / VideoObject / AudioObject |
| mediaAuthenticityCategory | The fact-checker's conclusion about whether the media was manipulated, ranging from "Original" to "Transformed" (More detail) | Transformed |
| originalMediaContextDescription | A short sentence explaining the original context if media is used out of context | In this case, there was no original context. But this is a text field. |
| originalMediaLink | Link to the original, non-manipulated version of the media (if available) | https://example.com/ |
| url | The URL of the fact-check article that assesses a piece of media | https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2020/jul/02/facebook-posts/no-taylor-swift-didnt-say-we-should-remove-statue-/ |
ClaimReview
| CSV Key | Description | Example Value |
|---|---|---|
| id | Unique ID for each ClaimReview entry | 6c4f3a30-2ec1-4e2e-9b57-41ad876223e5 |
| @context | Link to schema.org, the home of ClaimReview | https://schema.org |
| @type | Type of schema being used | ClaimReview |
| claimReviewed | The claim/statement that was assessed by the fact-checker | Marsha Blackburn "voted against the Reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, which attempts to protect women from domestic violence, stalking, and date rape." |
| datePublished | The date the fact-check article was published | 10/9/18 |
| url | The URL of the fact-check article | https://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2018/oct/09/taylor-swift/taylor-swift-marsha-blackburn-voted-against-reauth/ |
| author.@type | Type of author | Organization |
| author.name | The name of the fact-checking organization that submitted the fact-check | PolitiFact |
| author.url | The main URL of the fact-checking organization | http://www.politifact.com |
| itemReviewed.@type | Type of item reviewed | Claim |
| itemReviewed.author.name | The person or group that made the claim that was assessed by the fact-checker | Taylor Swift |
| itemReviewed.author.@type | Type of speaker | Person |
| itemReviewed.author.sameAs | URLs that help establish the identity of the person or group that made the claim, such as a Wikipedia page (rarely used) | https://www.taylorswift.com/ |
| reviewRating.@type | Type of review | Rating |
| reviewRating.ratingValue | An optional numerical value assigned to a fact-checker's rating. Not standardized. (Note: 1.) The ClaimReview schema specifies the use of an integer for the ratingValue, worstRating and bestRating fields. 2.) For organziations that use ratings scales (such as PolitiFact), if the rating chosen falls on the scale, the numerical rating will appear in the ratingValue field. 3.) If the rating isn't on the scale (ratings that use custom text, or special categories like Flip Flops), the ratingValue field will be empty, but worstRating and bestRating will still appear. 4.) For organizations that don't use ratings that fall on a numerical scale, all three fields will be blank.) |
8 |
| reviewRating.alternateName | The fact-checker's conclusion about the accuracy of the claim in text form — either a rating, like "Half True," or a short summary, like "No evidence" | Mostly True |
| author.image | The logo of the fact-checking organization | https://d10r9aj6omusou.cloudfront.net/factstream-logo-image-61554e34-b525-4723-b7ae-d1860eaa2296.png |
| itemReviewed.name | The location where the claim was made | in an Instagram post |
| itemReviewed.datePublished | The date the claim was made | 10/7/18 |
| itemReviewed.firstAppearance.url | The URL of the first known appearance of the claim | https://www.instagram.com/p/BopoXpYnCes/?hl=en |
| itemReviewed.firstAppearance.type | Type of content being referenced | Creative Work |
| itemReviewed.author.image | An image of the person or group that made the claim | https://static.politifact.com/CACHE/images/politifact/mugs/taylor_swift_mug/03dfe1b483ec8a57b6fe18297ce7f9fd.jpg |
| reviewRating.ratingExplanation | One to two short sentences providing context and information that led to the fact-checker's conclusion | Blackburn voted in favor of a Republican alternative that lacked discrimination protections based on sexual orientation and gender identity. But Blackburn did vote no on the final version that became law. |
| itemReviewed.author.jobTitle | A title or description of the person or group that made the claim | Mega pop star |
| reviewRating.bestRating | An optional numerical value representing what rating a fact-checker would assign to the most accurate content it assesses. See note on "reviewRating.ratingValue" field above. | 10 |
| reviewRating.worstRating | An optional numerical value representing what rating a fact-checker would assign to the least accurate content it assesses. See note on "reviewRating.ratingValue" field above. | 0 |
| reviewRating.image | An image representing the fact-checker's rating, such as the Truth-O-Meter | https://static.politifact.com/politifact/rulings/meter-mostly-true.jpg |
| itemReviewed.appearance.1.url to itemReviewed.appearance.15.url | A URL where the claim appeared. This field has been limited to the first 15 URLs submitted for the stability of the CSV. See the JSON download for complete "appearance" data. | https://www.instagram.com/p/BopoXpYnCes/?hl=en |
| itemReviewed.appearance.1.@type to itemReviewed.appearance.15.@type | Type of content being referenced | CreativeWork |
MediaReview
| CSV Key | Description | Example Value |
|---|---|---|
| id | Unique ID for each MediaReview entry | 2bfe531d-ff53-40f5-8114-a819db22ca8b |
| @context | Link to schema.org, the home of MediaReview | https://schema.org |
| @type | Type of schema being used | MediaReview |
| datePublished | The date the fact-check article was published | 2020-07-02 |
| mediaAuthenticityCategory | The fact-checker's conclusion about whether the media was manipulated, ranging from "Original" to "Transformed" (More detail) | Transformed |
| originalMediaContextDescription | A short sentence explaining the original context if media is used out of context | In this case, there was no original context. But this is a text field. |
| originalMediaLink | Link to the original, non-manipulated version of the media (if available) | https://example.com/ |
| url | The URL of the fact-check article that assesses a piece of media | https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2020/jul/02/facebook-posts/no-taylor-swift-didnt-say-we-should-remove-statue-/ |
| author.@type | Type of author | Organization |
| author.name | The name of the fact-checking organization | PolitiFact |
| author.url | The URL of the fact-checking organization | http://www.politifact.com |
| itemReviewed.contentUrl | The URL of the post containing the media that was fact-checked | https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10223714143346243&set=a.3020234149519&type=3&theater |
| itemReviewed.startTime | Timestamp of video edit (in HH:MM:SS format) | 0:01:00 |
| itemReviewed.endTime | Ending timestamp of video edit, if applicable (in HH:MM:SS format) | 0:02:00 |
| itemReviewed.@type | Type of media being reviewed | ImageObject / VideoObject / AudioObject |
A few things we’ve learned about working with this data:
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Check names
Most fields in ClaimReview and MediaReview are entered by fact-checkers as free text. This means you may need to standardize references to, for example, “Joe Biden” versus “Joseph Biden.”
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Rate the ratings
Fact-checkers choose their own rating systems for ClaimReview, which means standardization can be challenging. Some also use numerical ratings, on a scale of 1 to 10, but since they define their own scale, those ratings are also not standardized.
-
A ratings exception
Fact-checkers do use standard ratings for MediaReview, when describing if a fact-checked image, video, audio or meme has been manipulated, and if so, how. Those ratings include “Missing Context,” “Edited,” “Satire/Parody,” and more.
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Duplicates Duplicates
You may find accidental repeats of ClaimReview entries — but sometimes duplicates occur on purpose, such as when a fact-checking organization does a roundup of several claims from the same event or politician.
-
Language matters
Some fact-checking organizations publish in multiple languages, so you may find the same content translated into multiple entries.
-
Watch for dates
While most dates are entered using a selector, you may encounter mix-ups due to human error and the international nature of the data — the most common example is the digit of the day and month being accidentally swapped.
Note: While we have made small attempts to enhance data clarity where obvious, the content is primarily presented in its original form as submitted by fact-checking organizations. We have made no alterations to the content itself. The dataset reflects the information provided by the original sources, and any discrepancies or variations are a result of the data as submitted by the fact-checkers.