Who are they? A biographic study of three professional fact-checkers

Public trust of the news media in the United States is strikingly low. Fact-checkers for news organizations seek to supplement traditional reporting by debunking false claims shared everywhere from social media to by the nation’s political leaders. Examining the work of fact-checkers is important in addressing the low levels of trust between the public and news organizations. The public wants to know that the information it is receiving from news sources is accurate and trustworthy. This study offers an exceptional view of professional fact-checkers in a contemporary society through in-depth interviews with three fact-checkers who work for reputable news-related organizations. Interviews were conducted with Madison Dapcevich of Snopes.com, Louis Jacobson of PolitiFact, and Glenn Kessler of the Washington Post. This study offers a biographic look at the people who are working to combat falsehoods appearing in the media.