How to politely fact-check a reporter in advance to avoid a mistake in reporting

Reporters make mistakes sometimes, too. Here’s how to help them out in advance.

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For an industry that is so (rightfully) obsessed with getting the facts straight, it may come as a surprise to many outside the newsroom that there is no one, universally accepted process for journalists to fact-check their work.

No single strategy is commonly taught in college classes.

A best-practice list hasn’t been standardized by the Associated Press.

There is no magic, golden scroll passed down by the news elders.

Every organization just does it their own way – some more strictly than others, but all genuinely intending to be fair and accurate.

Still, everyone makes mistakes occasionally, and sometimes reporters will, too. Sometimes it’s of their own doing, and sometimes not.

A few common reasons:

• Dumb error – happens to everyone in every line of work eventually.
• A seemingly trustworthy source willfully lied about something and it couldn’t be verified separately (generally, reporters use multiple sources to avoid this kind of problem).
• A reporter or source misinterpreted an event or data that led to bad reporting or a lack of all sides being presented. (Ex. If apples and peaches both grow on trees and both make great pies, then anything that grows on a tree makes a great pie. Hooray for pine cone pie!)
• A lazy reporter sourced or fact-checked their information from something else that was also lazily sourced or fact-checked.

So here are a few tips for making sure the reporting done about your school is always accurate:

#1 – First and foremost, always make sure you have the facts straight yourself, including names, ages, grades, and job titles of anyone who might be involved with a story. Never assume a fact, like the the correct spelling of a student’s name. Also, don’t assume someone else knows the fact unless they are in a unique position to be an “expert” about that fact (for example: a student’s teacher should know the correct spelling of their name, but a counselor who sees them less often might not or might accidentally confuse it with a child with a similar spelling).

#2 – Anticipate trouble areas for reporters and be intentional about providing clarity. For example, reporters often struggle with student and staff names, so have the student or staff member write the name down for the reporter so it can be handed off or copied. Many reporters often also may not understand the workings of some of your lesser-known programs, like robotic competitions. So go into stories knowing that you’re going to have to be polite but purposeful about making sure the reporter get certain details right.

#3– Provide or suggest other credible sources of information to verify or compliment your message. At an event, this might mean offering multiple students for an interview, rather than just one. In other cases, it might mean suggesting someone externally (ex. community leader, partner in education, database) that is trusted to provide more information about a subject. In others, it might mean suggesting a previous article that did a good job of explaining complex information correctly.

#4 – Extend follow-up help to reporters. When a reporter finishes an interview, politely offer to help if any more information or clarity is needed. Then follow-up with another email or phone call thanking them for their time, and re-offering assistance. (Note: Never insist on reading or pre-approving a reporter’s story before publication. They are not obligated to do so, and asking can create hostility in the reporter-source relationship.)