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JOHN CABOT UNIVERSITY

COURSE CODE: "DJRN 352"
COURSE NAME: "Fact Checking for the Newsroom"
SEMESTER & YEAR: Spring 2025
SYLLABUS

INSTRUCTOR: John Christopher Fiegener
EMAIL: [email protected]
 HOURS: TTH 3:00 PM 4:15 PM
TOTAL NO. OF CONTACT HOURS: 45
CREDITS: 3
PREREQUISITES: Prerequisites: COM 221 or permission of the instructor
OFFICE HOURS:
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
The course introduces students to the work of fact-checking in journalism designed to identify and avoid fake news, deepfakes, misinformation, and disinformation and to provide journalists and audiences information to debunk or prebunk false and harmful claims and narratives. Students will learn to use online tools to verify the accuracy and provenance of third party audio visual content that becomes part of a news story, and the credibility of claims from newsmakers and social media users that can drive news coverage. The course will teach strategies to counter a growing and diverse threat from high-quality and low-cost AI generated disinformation and also leverage the use of AI tools to perform searches, identify patterns, and translate, summarize, and categorize information. Students will discuss ethical, legal and editorial considerations of fact checking for the newsroom and how to support the credibility of news operations and share content verification outcomes with a public audience.
SUMMARY OF COURSE CONTENT:
The course introduces students to the work of fact-checking in journalism designed to identify and avoid fake news, deepfakes, misinformation, and disinformation and to provide journalists and audiences information to debunk or prebunk false and harmful claims and narratives. Students will learn to use online tools to verify the accuracy and provenance of third party audio visual content that becomes part of a news story, and the credibility of claims from newsmakers and social media users that can drive news coverage. The course will teach strategies to counter a growing and diverse threat from high-quality and low-cost AI generated disinformation and also leverage the use of AI tools to perform searches, identify patterns, and translate, summarize, and categorize information. Students will discuss ethical, legal and editorial considerations of fact checking for the newsroom and how to support the credibility of news operations and share content verification outcomes with a public audience.
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
The course introduces students to the work of fact-checking in journalism designed to identify and avoid fake news, deepfakes, misinformation, and disinformation and to provide journalists and audiences information to debunk or prebunk false and harmful claims and narratives. Students will learn to use online tools to verify the accuracy and provenance of third party audio visual content that becomes part of a news story, and the credibility of claims from newsmakers and social media users that can drive news coverage. The course will teach strategies to counter a growing and diverse threat from high-quality and low-cost AI generated disinformation and also leverage the use of AI tools to perform searches, identify patterns, and translate, summarize, and categorize information. Students will discuss ethical, legal and editorial considerations of fact checking for the newsroom and how to support the credibility of news operations and share content verification outcomes with a public audience.
TEXTBOOK:
NONE
REQUIRED RESERVED READING:
NONE

RECOMMENDED RESERVED READING:
NONE
GRADING POLICY
-ASSESSMENT METHODS:
AssignmentGuidelinesWeight
Fact Checks, use of OSINT tools 30%
Written fact check samples 20%
Research Project 40%
Attendance and Participation 10%

-ASSESSMENT CRITERIA:
AWork of this quality directly addresses the question or problem raised and provides a coherent argument displaying an extensive knowledge of relevant information or content. This type of work demonstrates the ability to critically evaluate concepts and theory and has an element of novelty and originality. There is clear evidence of a significant amount of reading beyond that required for the course.
BThis is highly competent level of performance and directly addresses the question or problem raised.There is a demonstration of some ability to critically evaluatetheory and concepts and relate them to practice. Discussions reflect the student’s own arguments and are not simply a repetition of standard lecture andreference material. The work does not suffer from any major errors or omissions and provides evidence of reading beyond the required assignments.
CThis is an acceptable level of performance and provides answers that are clear but limited, reflecting the information offered in the lectures and reference readings.
DThis level of performances demonstrates that the student lacks a coherent grasp of the material.Important information is omitted and irrelevant points included.In effect, the student has barely done enough to persuade the instructor that s/he should not fail.
FThis work fails to show any knowledge or understanding of the issues raised in the question. Most of the material in the answer is irrelevant.
-ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS:
ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS AND EXAMINATION POLICY
You cannot make-up a major exam (midterm or final) without the permission of the Dean’s Office. The Dean’s Office will grant such permission only when the absence was caused by a serious impediment, such as a documented illness, hospitalization or death in the immediate family (in which you must attend the funeral) or other situations of similar gravity. Absences due to other meaningful conflicts, such as job interviews, family celebrations, travel difficulties, student misunderstandings or personal convenience, will not be excused. Students who will be absent from a major exam must notify the Dean’s Office prior to that exam. Absences from class due to the observance of a religious holiday will normally be excused. Individual students who will have to miss class to observe a religious holiday should notify the instructor by the end of the Add/Drop period to make prior arrangements for making up any work that will be missed. The final exam period runs until ____________
ACADEMIC HONESTY
As stated in the university catalog, any student who commits an act of academic dishonesty will receive a failing grade on the work in which the dishonesty occurred. In addition, acts of academic dishonesty, irrespective of the weight of the assignment, may result in the student receiving a failing grade in the course. Instances of academic dishonesty will be reported to the Dean of Academic Affairs. A student who is reported twice for academic dishonesty is subject to summary dismissal from the University. In such a case, the Academic Council will then make a recommendation to the President, who will make the final decision.
STUDENTS WITH LEARNING OR OTHER DISABILITIES
John Cabot University does not discriminate on the basis of disability or handicap. Students with approved accommodations must inform their professors at the beginning of the term. Please see the website for the complete policy.
SCHEDULE

Week 1

 

Overview:

 

  • Why fact checkers matter in the newsroom? 
  • Is journalistic fact-checking a one-size-fits-all approach? 
  • What triggers a fact check and what are ethical, legal and editorial questions to consider?
  • How to be transparent, fair, nonpartisan, and open in the search for factual information. 
  • What is the desired impact of fact-checks? 
  • What resources are available to fact-checkers?
  • What happens if misinformation is left unchecked?
  • How can Artificial intelligence tools assist fact-checking?

 

Discuss: Outline study topics and methods, discuss research projects.

 

Reading: 

  • Fact-checkers and the news media: A Nordic perspective on propaganda

Authors: John Grönvall

Article 2023

in Nordic Journal of Media Studies v5 n1 (20230621): 134-153

 

  • Studying the Downstream Effects of Fact-Checking on Social Media: Experiments on Correction Formats, Belief Accuracy, and Media Trust

Authors: Ingrid Bachmann, Sebastián Valenzuela

Article 2023

in Social Media + Society v9 n2 (202304)

 

  • Journalism and Fact-Checking Technologies: Understanding User Needs

Authors: Laurence Dierickx

Downloadable Article 2023

in communication +1 v10 n1 (20231201)

 

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Week 2

 

A Mindset 

 

  • How to view the role of fact checking in the newsroom?
  • How to view the purveyor of mis and disinformation?
  • How to think about the work of verification?
  • How to recognize the different stages of fact-checking?
  • How to think about open-source information research?

 

Reading:

  • What To Do About Conspiracy Theories? : Academic Entanglements in Conflicts Over Truths.

Authors: Elżbieta Drążkiewicz, Jaron Harambam

eBook 2024 First edition.

Routledge, 2024.

 

  • How Disinformation Reshaped the Relationship between Journalism and Media and Information Literacy (MIL): Old and New Perspectives Revisited

Author: Divina Frau-Meigs

Digital Journalism v10 n5 (20220528): 912-922

Database: Taylor and Francis Journals

 

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Week 3

 

The Claims

 

  • How to find the central claim in media content?
  • How to differentiate fact from opinion and satire? 
  • What verdicts are assigned to claims?
  • What is considered a harmful narrative?
  • How to connect a false claim to a verification verdict?
  • What motivates purveyors of harmful, false and misleading claims?
  • Is there a way to defend against repeat offenders?  

 

Guest: Journalist Fact Checker shares experience and discusses issues. In person or via teleconference. Name tba

 

Reading:

  • Disinformation debunked : building resilience through media and information literacy

Authors: Divina Frau-Meigs(Editor) Nicoleta Corbu(Editor)

eBook 2024

Abingdon, Oxon ; New York : Routledge, 2024.

 

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Week 4

 

Strategizing

 

  • What techniques and strategies work best in different fact checking scenarios? 
  • How to identify and judge claims for verification and how to present fact checked verdicts? 
  • How to break down and prioritise multiple claims in a single news event? 
  • Is the false claim going viral, is it topical and is it generating public interest?
  • What is the reach of a piece of disinformation, and how can we measure its impact?
  • Is one claim more harmful than another?
  • Is it better to pre bunk or debunk a false and harmful narrative? 

 

Discuss and decide term project topics. 

 

Reading: 

  • Web Literacy for Student Fact-Checker ...and other people who care about facts.

Author: Mike Caulfield

Creative Commons Attribution

@ pressbooks.pub/webliteracy/

 

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Week 5

 

Tools and Techniques I

 

  • Which online tools may be used to verify the accuracy of a claim? 
  • How to check claim provenance, source credibility, and reliability? 
  • Why is it important to authenticate online content items such as text, images, and videos?
  • How and why to use search engines, reverse image search, geolocating and metadata extraction tools?

 

Guest: OSINT operator to provide an overview of the tools and answer questions. Name tba

 

Reading:

  • The Chicago Guide to Fact-Checking, Second Edition

Authors: Brooke Borel

eBook 2023

Chicago : University of Chicago Press, [2023]

 

  • Evaluating digital sources in journalism : an introduction to digital source criticism

Authors: Ståle Grut 

eBook 2024

Abingdon, Oxon ; New York, NY : Routledge, 2024.

 

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Week 6

 

Tools and Techniques II

 

  • How and when should Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) tools be used? 
  • Where to find them?
  • How to detect AI-generated material? 
  • How do you research quotes, figures, and statistics?
  • How to access company and government public records?
  • How to confirm and identify historical records?
  • How do you check research networks, studies, and authors?

 

Reading:

  • The Challenges of Open Source Journalism

Authors: Rayya Roumanos, Olivier Le Deuff

Article 2022

in Multitudes v89 n4 (20221219): 67

 

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Week 7

 

Tools and Techniques III

 

  • How does fact-checking augment investigative reporting?
  • When can a fact check be used in news reporting?
  • How and why investigate the reputation of authors/publishers and sources of claims?
  • How to investigate social media platforms 
  • How and why to protect your identity as a fact checker?

 

Case studies: Investigate claims on social media. Find a claim on X, TikTok or Instagram, investigate it, write a verdict.  

 

Reading:

  • Disinformation debunked : building resilience through media and information literacy

Authors: Divina Frau-Meigs(Editor) Nicoleta Corbu(Editor)

eBook 2024

Abingdon, Oxon ; New York : Routledge, 2024.

 

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Week 8

 

AI Assisted fact checking

 

  • AI-assisted searches, pattern identification, translation, transcription and summarization.
  • AI use in fact-checking tools and websites
  • AI assists in identifying plagiarism and AI-generated content
  • AI-generated news articles
  • AI-generated images, photos, video, sound and graphics
  • AI-based algorithms
  • AI impact on news content creation and delivery
  • AI role in news production
  • AI bias and reliability
  • AI-assisted fact-checking of real-time events (speeches and live news events)

 

Guest: AI expert to explain how the tools work

 

Reading:

  • Guidelines on the responsible implementation of artificial intelligence systems in journalism. 

Strasbourg: Council of Europe. @ https://rm.coe.int/cdmsi-2023-014-guidelines-on-the-responsible-implementation-of-artific/1680adb4c6

 

  • The ethics of artificial intelligence: principles, challenges, and opportunities 

Authors: Luciano Floridi

eBook 2023

Oxford ; New York, NY : Oxford University Press , 2023.

 

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Week 9

 

AI information in the news

 

  • What is AI’s role in combating disinformation in journalism?
  • What is AI’s role in making and spreading disinformation in the news?
  • How do search platforms use AI to act on your queries?
  • Do AI assisted searches require better prompting to produce better results? 
  • How to verify the information provided by an AI assisted search platform? 
  • What are emerging trends and developments in AI-assisted journalism and fact checking?

 

Case studies: US Presidential and EU Parliamentary election, Generative AI company guidelines from OpenAI, Meta, Google, Midjourney and Microsoft. Write prompts to assist fact check using different AI Chatbots Chat GPT, Microsoft Co Pilot, Google Gemini and compare results

 

Reading:

  • Artificial Intelligence in the News: How AI Retools, Rationalizes, and Reshapes Journalism and the Public Arena. 

Authors: Simon, F.M.

New York Columbia Journalism Review 2024. 

@ https://www.cjr.org/tow_center_reports/artificial-intelligence-in-the-news.php

 

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Week 10

 

Ethical and Legal considerations

 

  • Reasons to limit the use of AI tools in fact-checking and journalism
  • Legal limits to information searches
  • Privacy and AI regulations in the EU and US
  • Newsroom guardrails for the use of fact-checking and AI tools 

 

Discuss term project updates, issues and concerns.

 

Reading:

  • Promoting responsible AI: A European perspective on the governance of artificial intelligence in media and journalism

Authors: Colin Porlezza

Article 2023

in Communications v48 n3 (20230824): 370-394

 

  • Artificial Intelligence in Automated Detection of Disinformation: A Thematic Analysis

Authors: Fátima C. Carrilho Santos

Downloadable Article 2023

in Journalism and Media v4 n43 (20230601): 679-687

 

  • Caring in an Algorithmic World: Ethical Perspectives for Designers and Developers in Building AI Algorithms to Fight Fake News.

Authors: Galit Wellner, Dmytro Mykhailov

Article 2023

in Science and engineering ethics v29 n4 (20230809): 30

 

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Week 11

 

Writing fact checks

 

  • Is the fact check for newsroom consumption?
  • Should it be publicized?
  • Is the claim to fact check accessible or available in the public domain?
  • Is it in a format that can be read and processed? 
  • Is there sufficient evidence available related to a claim?
  • Is there a clear verdict to reach? 
  • Is there a clear justification for the verdict?

 

Write sample fact checks. 

 

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Week 12

 

Sharing content verification

 

  • When and why does a claim require publication?
  • What is the best way to effectively communicate a verdict with your audience?
  • When is a pre-bunk helpful strategy?
  • How do you gauge the effectiveness of a fact check?

 

Write a fact check on assigned claim for newsroom consumption and public consumption, explain your strategy. These will be graded

 

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Week 13

 

Disinformation pushers

 

  • What are the push factors of mis and disinformation in geopolitical competition and partisan politics?
  • Who are actors involved in state-sponsored, freelance, and professional disinformation campaigns? 
  • What role do conspiracy theories play in the spread of false, misleading, or harmful narratives?
  • Who is behind the rise in online disinformation?
  • How does the politics of alternative realities promote false and harmful narratives?

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Week 14

 

Discuss Research Project Findings

 

Discuss and submit the findings of your term project