API’s next summit: ‘Truth in Politics 2014: A Status Report on Fact-Checking Journalism’

The American Press Institute will hold an invitation-only Thought Leader Summit on fact-checking and accountability journalism on Dec. 10, 2014, in Arlington, Va.

The summit, “Truth in Politics 2014: A Status Report on Fact-Checking Journalism,” will assess the state of political fact checking, lessons learned during the 2014 midterm elections, and look ahead at what’s needed to improve and expand fact-checking efforts during the 2016 campaign.

The day-long event in Arlington will bring together a  spectrum of participants in the political campaign universe: journalists, advertising executives, researchers, academics and political scientists.

Discussion will include reports from fact-checking journalists in the field during the latest campaign season, a close look at existing and upcoming technology to assist in efficient and accurate fact checking, and non-traditional ways to produce accountability journalism. The summit will open with a preview of upcoming research from scholars around the country working with API’s fact checking project. The research efforts examine false statements, their dissemination, and the impact of fact-checking journalism on politicians and rhetoric.

The American Press Institute’s fact-checking program began in early 2014 and is funded in part by The Democracy Fund, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and the Rita Allen Foundation. The project’s goal is to examine the state of fact-checking in media organizations, study best practices, and provide training.

Participants in the Dec. 10 invitation-only summit will represent organizations around the country, including: the Sunlight Foundation, the Washington Post, The New York Times, WRAL-TV (North Carolina), the Associated Press, PolitiFact and PunditFact, FactCheck.org, Alaska Dispatch, and Putnam Partners LLC.

Also participating are: Kennesaw State University, University of Texas, Duke University, MIT, Knight Lab at Northwestern University, Columbia Journalism Review, Poynter, Media Matters for America, American Copy Editors Society, True Politics, and Tow Center for Digital Journalism at Columbia University.

This is API’s fourth Thought Leader Summit. Each event in this series is designed to facilitate peer learning among leaders in the industry and formulate practical lessons. Check the American Press Institute’s web site for future posts about the fact-checking summit and for information about upcoming summits.

For more information about API’s ongoing fact-checking project, contact Jane Elizabeth, senior research project manager for the American Press Institute, at jane.elizabeth@pressinstitute.org or 571-366-1116. You can also sign up to receive our weekly fact-checking newsletter.