It should be every day, but it hasn’t been. So The Poynter Institute in St. Petersburg, Florida, partnering with fact-checking organizations worldwide, is promoting International Fact-Checking Day April 2, 2017.
As the website says, it’s “not a single event but a rallying cry for more facts - and fact-checking - in politics, journalism, and everyday life.”
The site includes a downloadable lesson plan and links to other sites with “how-to’s” such as spotting fake news, checking a politician’s claims and recognizing twitter handles who aren’t who they say they are. There’s also a trivia quiz noting popular political claims – but are they factual?
There’s a hoax-off and a map showing sites all over the world where others are celebrating International Fact-Checking Day.
It’s not just a U.S. problem. It’s one we all have to address.
#FACTCHECKIT