With the birth of “alternative facts” and the recent surge of interest in fact-checking the news, the pressure is high for the media and communicators to get their stories straight. The Society of Professional Journalists Western Washington and the Northwest Science Writers Association presented a panel on May 10 at Town Hall Seattle on getting the facts right in modern news.
Five science journalists explored the art of fact-checking and shared examples from their own experiences. What makes a source “credible”? How does a news organization avoid embarrassing mistakes? How can anyone become a better fact-checker when they’re writing—or consuming—the news? The evening ended with a Q & A for the audience. Panelists included:
- Ashley Ahearn, KUOW
- Lila Cherneff, radio producer, writer, and multimedia artist (joining Ahearn via Skype)
- Adiel Kaplan, freelance journalist and videographer
- Wudan Yan, investigative journalist
- Ashley Braun, freelance science and environmental journalist
A live tweet of the event is available below: