Misinformation spreads, but fact-checking has leveled off
A demonstrator holds a placard reading "Scammer, thief, killer, Pfizer" during a protest against the vaccine pass and vaccinations to protect against COVID-19 in front of the Pfizer headquarters, in Paris, on Jan. 29, 2022. With lingering public health issues, climate disasters, and Russia’s ongoing war with Ukraine, factual information is still hard to come by in important corners of the world. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
Duke Reporters’ Lab
While much of the world’s news media has struggled to find solid footing in the digital age, the number of fact-checking outlets reliably rocketed upward for years — from a mere 11 sites in 2008 to 424 in 2022.
But the long strides of the past decade and a half have slowed to a more trudging pace, despite increasing concerns around the world about the impact of manipulated media, political lies and other forms of dangerous hoaxes and rumors.
In our 10th annual fact-checking census, the Duke Reporters’ Lab counts 417 fact-checkers that are active so far in 2023, verifying and debunking misinformation in more than 100 countries and 69 languages.
While the count of fact-checkers routinely fluctuates, the current number is roughly the same as it was in 2022 and 2021.
In more blunt terms: Fact-checking’s growth seems to have leveled off. MORE