In Brief

The North Carolina Fact-Checking Project is a collaborative effort focused on the 2018 state elections and 2019 state legislative session, providing non-partisan fact-check articles for publications and broadcast programs statewide.

Summary

The Duke University Reporters’ Lab is a research center specializing in fact-checking and automated journalism. The lab is part of the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University. It will serve as a hub for the North Carolina Fact-Checking Project, which will focus on the 2018 state elections and 2019 state legislative session. The project includes partners from Duke University, the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and three newspapers published by McClatchy in North Carolina, including the News & Observer in Raleigh.

The project aims to increase fact-checking coverage of public officials and candidates, as well as broaden its availability to citizens statewide. The project brings together a team of partners with deep experience in fact-checking and journalism innovation. The partners include Bill Adair, PolitiFact creator and director of the Duke Reporters Lab; Robyn Tomlin, regional McClatchy editor stationed at the News & Observer; and Ryan Thornburg, director of the UNC Reese News Lab. The project will provide vital factual information, test new tools, and provide free fact-checking content for publications statewide.

In Their Own Words

“We’re thrilled to have the support of the NC Local News Lab Fund for our ambitious project to expand fact-checking in the state. Facts are the building blocks of a healthy political discourse. Our project will expand this important accountability journalism throughout the state and help voters sort out the facts from the falsehoods.”

Bill Adair, Director of the Duke Reporters’ Lab

How to Connect

Learn more about the Duke University Reporters’ Lab via its website and Twitter.

Total Commitment

2018: $50,000 for one year

Learn More

Dive deeper by learning about the North Carolina Local News Lab Fund and discovering our other grantees.