Navigating Truth in the Digital Age: A Nuanced Comparison of US and India Based Fact-Checking Organisations

Abstract

The ubiquity of misinformation & disinformation poses substantial hitches to the integrity and dependability of news and public discourse in an era distinguished by the widespread impact of digital information. Given the spread of misinformation & disinformation and its potentially disastrous repercussions, such as destroying the social fabric of society, loss of lives and property, crushing democracy, and undermining authorised sources, reliable fact-checking practices have become essential. This research paper delves into the fact-checking practices in India and United States of America (USA), with a primary focus on comparing and contrasting the fact-checking scenario in these two countries. Both these countries are also the top two in terms of total number of fact-checking organisations per country, as listed in the Duke Reporter's Lab database (N=76 for US & N=26 for India).

This study uses secondary data analysis to examine fact-checking in two countries by systematically examining credible sources such as databases, academic studies, governmental documents, and organizational websites. The study’s findings come out with a multifaceted understanding of fact-checking practices, which includes different trends and patterns of their growth and disparities, varying geographical distribution, prevailing diversity, Collaborations among them and methodological variations.