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One in four: Repeated falsehoods undermine fact-checking efforts
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Almost one in four fact checks of political discourse focuses on false claims that have been repeated, with each claim repeated an average of four times. That strongly suggests that these are not isolated errors, but disinformation strategies.

Research on fact-checking has largely focused on its influence on public perception, while its effects on politicians are less understood — particularly on how fact-checking motivates them to correct false claims or at least stop their spread. However, repeating false statements suggest the speaker is spreading falsehoods on purpose.

These are some of the conclusions drawn from the recent study ([link removed]) , “Combating Repeated Lies: The Impact of Fact-Checking on Persistent Falsehoods by Politicians.” The study was published in Media and Communication and developed as part of the Iberifier ([link removed]) project, which studies disinformation in Spain and Portugal. The authors examined 1,204 fact-checked claims over a period of five years to identify notable trends.

Repeated false claims are increasingly common in political discourse, leading fact-checkers to adopt various strategies to combat recycled disinformation. Ahead of Spain’s regional elections on May 28, 2023, Spanish fact-checking organization Newtral flagged ([link removed]) more than 30 repeated false claims that had been debunked multiple times. Similarly, in 2021, The Washington Post’s Fact Checker recorded ([link removed]) over 55 false statements made by former U.S. President Donald Trump repeated at least 20 times, including one claim that resurfaced an astonishing 493 times.

Nearly 25% of the political falsehoods debunked by Newtral ([link removed]) involved repeated claims. This repetitive pattern suggests a deliberate strategy within political parties in which politicians prioritize maintaining a false narrative even when confronted. These claims show they are not simply occasional mistakes; they reflect a coordinated effort to fortify specific political positions.

Original claimants rarely repeat their falsehoods directly — only about 20% of the time — but other party members often echo these claims, showcasing their widespread dissemination.

To do so, political actors use tactics that blur the lines between deception and self-correction. The study identified five distinct strategies used in political discourse to repeat these falsehoods.

The first is introducing nuanced variations. By slightly modifying or adapting numbers or context while maintaining the core falsehood, political actors maintain the same ideas.

Read the full article, by Neutral’s Irene Larraz and her research colleagues Ramón Salaverría and Javier Serrano-Puche, here ([link removed]) .
Wisconsin Watch pushes to fill fact deserts as local news disappear
Wisconsin Watch CEO George Stanley in Milwaukee. (Poynter/Enock Nyariki)


MILWAUKEE, Wisc. — With Election Day approaching, Wisconsin Rep. Derrick Van Orden claimed on Fox News that a Venezuelan immigrant, charged with sexual assault and child abuse, was released in Prairie du Chien due to sanctuary policies in Minneapolis and Madison.

Immigration and crime were already key issues for voters in swing states like Wisconsin. Van Orden’s statement fueled the debate, but he provided no evidence to support his claim.

“He was released from both of these places because they are sanctuary cities,” the congressmantold ([link removed]) conservative television host Laura Ingraham.

In nearly30 states without dedicated local fact-checkers ([link removed]) , such a claim might have gone unchallenged.

But in Wisconsin, the nonprofit newsroom Wisconsin Watch reviewed the statement, as it touched on a local issue of public interest. Wisconsin Watch runs the state’s only standalone fact-checking initiative verified as a signatory of the International Fact-Checking Network's Code of Principles ([link removed]) .

Tom Kertscher, Wisconsin Watch’s lead fact-checker, examined Van Orden’s claim. His investigation found no evidence that sanctuary policies influenced the release of the suspect, Alejandro Coronel Zarate.

In a short fact check, Kertscherwrote ([link removed]) that Coronel Zarate was arrested in Minneapolis in November 2023 on unrelated charges, but prosecutors declined to file charges, and he was released under standard legal procedures. In Madison, where Van Orden also pointed blame, Coronel Zarate was never in custody.

Coronel Zarate, who is accused of violent crimes in Prairie du Chien, is alleged to have ties to the Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan gang involved in human trafficking and other criminal activity. His escape resulted from procedural decisions, not local policy.

He was eventually jailed on Sept. 5, 2024, in Prairie du Chien, after police arrested him for multiple charges following a reported disturbance. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement issued a detainer to notify federal authorities if he posted bail.

With an overwhelming number of false claims focusing on local issues in the days leading up to the election, the fact-checking team often debated which statements to verify.

“We’re up against hundreds of millions of dollars worth of misinformation,” Wisconsin Watch CEO George Stanley told me during my late October visit to the team in Milwaukee. Political ads were the biggest expense in the presidential race, which cost $3.5 billion, according to the Financial Times ([link removed]) — with much of the spending focused on the seven swing states.

As a lifelong Wisconsin resident and veteran news leader, Stanley has seen the collapse of a once-vibrant local news landscape, leaving partisan radio shows to fill the void.

“In Wisconsin, a battleground state, there’s no local news on radio anymore,” said Stanley. “All our daily newspapers are owned by far-away chains with no knowledge of the local environment. … They’ve cut costs to the bone, so local knowledge and voices are lost.”

The U.S. saw 127 newspaper closures last year, according to a recent study ([link removed]) on “news deserts.”

Without recent donor funding to increase resources, Stanley doubts his team could have helped voters separate fact from fiction in as many posts as they did. The organization used part of a $100,000 ENGAGE grant from the IFCN ([link removed]) to hire Kertscher and Trisha Young, an audio and video producer of fact checks, full-time.

ENGAGE, the third annual round of the Global Fact Check Fund managed by the IFCN and supported by Google and YouTube, distributed ([link removed]) $2 million to 20 organizations. This funding strengthens global fact-checking efforts, enabling recipients like Wisconsin Watch to expand their capacity to combat misinformation.

The organization also used the funds to bring its evidence-based journalism to the state’s “news deserts,” produce Spanish-language content for Hispanic and Latino communities, and tailor fact checks for platforms like TikTok, YouTube and Instagram, popular with young audiences.

To reach radio listeners statewide, the newsroom tapped Young, a multimedia journalist, to create 30-second fact briefs for broadcast. Partnering with Civic Media ([link removed]) , she delivers these briefs across 20 radio stations, connecting with listeners in areas lacking local news.

Young also produces 60-second fact brief videos for the outlet’s social media audience.

“The strategy is to reach people where they are and deliver accurate information in formats they enjoy,” she told me.

Read the full story here ([link removed]) .
YouTube launches information panels for fact-checkers

YouTube announced ([link removed]) a new information panel for videos by fact-checkers certified by the IFCN or the European Fact-Checking Standards Network (EFCSN). Under each video, viewers will see a label stating, “This channel belongs to a verified member of the IFCN,” or “This channel belongs to a verified member of the EFCSN,” adding context about the channel’s commitment to reliable information.

The company says the feature will initially roll out in English, with more languages to follow soon.
From/for the community:
•


** Apply for IFCN’s ENGAGE 2024 grants
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Just days after awarding ([link removed]) grants of $50,000 each to 20 fact-checking initiatives through its GROW program, the IFCN opened applications for its next funding round, ENGAGE – the third tier of the Google and YouTube-funded Global Fact Check Fund. The deadline to apply is Nov. 21, 2024.
In the ENGAGE round, the IFCN will distribute $2 million across approximately 20 organizations, each receiving up to $100,000. Recipients will create new ways to engage audiences and share valuable insights with the global fact-checking community. Only verified signatories to the IFCN Code of Principles may apply here ([link removed]) .
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** LatamChequea 2024 summit in São Paulo
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Latin America’s leading fact-checkers will convene in São Paulo on Nov. 28–29 for LatamChequea 2024 ([link removed]) , marking 10 years of collaboration.

Organized by Chequeado, along with Brazilian fact-checkers Aos Fatos, Comprova, Estadão Verifica and Lupa, the summit brings together journalists from a network of 47 organizations across 21 countries to address shared challenges and innovations in fact-checking. IFCN Deputy Director Ferdi Ferhat Özsoy and Program Officer Salvador Rodriguez-Ruiz are set to attend and discuss the IFCN Code of Principles application process.
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** African fact-checkers agree on joint effort to combat misinformation
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At the Africa Facts Summit, held Oct. 9-10 in Ghana, 50 fact-checking organizations from 30 African countries signed ([link removed]) the Accra Declaration on Information Integrity and Resilience. The agreement binds these organizations to tackle misinformation through collaborative efforts with civil society, tech platforms and governments.

The work will focus on teaching media literacy, supporting offline communities, addressing challenges such as gendered disinformation, public distrust and politically sensitive misinformation.
Quick Hits
* MediaWise’s Alex Mahadevan and ex-IFCN director Alexios Mantzarlis reported that “X’s Community Notes had a marginal, if any, impact on the (U.S.) election ([link removed]) ”
* Maldita examined ([link removed]) how platforms failed to address disinformation during Spain’s devastating flooding crisis.
* Science Feedback’s Bastien Carniel with “Despite Community Notes, most content reviewed by EU fact-checkers goes unaddressed on X/Twitter ([link removed]) .”
* RasKRIKavanje’s Marija Vučić and Vesna Radojević with an analysis of Serbia’s right-wing media network ([link removed]) , detailing how rival outlets collaborate to amplify nationalist and anti-globalist narratives.
* The Washington Post’s Glenn Kessler with “What I’ve learned from 9 years of fact-checking Donald Trump ([link removed]) .”
* Factchequeado, a U.S.-based Spanish language fact-checker, debuted Electopedia, an online resource ([link removed]) designed to pre-bunk electoral misinformation, providing bilingual resources and key information about the voting process. Its Electobot ([link removed]) is a WhatsApp chatbot that answers questions regarding the electoral process and political candidates, ensuring that voters can make informed decisions.
* PolitiFact’s Madison Czopek with an analysis of Elon Musk’s 450 posts in two weeks on X ([link removed]) , showing how he spreads falsehoods about FEMA, immigration and voting.
* The New York Times’ Steven Lee Myers and Stuart A. Thompson with “Disinformation Watchdogs Are Under Pressure. This Group Refuses to Stop. ([link removed]) ”
* Claire Wardle on “How news paywalls contribute to the spread of misinformation ([link removed]) ”

Have ideas or suggestions for the next issue of Factually? Email us at [email protected]
Angie Drobnic Holan
Director, IFCN
[email protected] (mailto:[email protected])
Enock Nyariki
Communications Manager, IFCN
[email protected] (mailto:[email protected])

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