Fact-Checkers as New Journalistic Mediators: News Agencies' Verification Units and Platform Dynamics

Abstract

This article examines how European international news agencies - Reuters, Agence France-Presse (AFP), Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa), and EFE - engage with the emerging subgenre of external fact-checking journalism in response to (dysfunctional) hybrid media systems. Through a content analysis of 860 verification articles published between January and December 2022 and interviews with seven experts, the study demonstrates that (external) fact-checking practices are deeply embedded in these agencies' operations, leveraging extensive global communication networks to deliver timely and accurate verifications, reinforcing journalistic authority in the digital age. Partnerships with tech platforms were viewed as a strategic opportunity, a sustainable digital-age revenue stream at the time, enabling the creation of dedicated fact-checking units to combat disinformation. Nonetheless, these agencies prioritize verifying content from ordinary social media users over domestic political claims stated by public figures, with 90% to 100% of their articles focusing on online rumors, except for dpa. Key selection criteria include virality, particularly on Meta platforms, timeliness, and social impact. Despite criticisms, the collaboration between historically influential global news agencies and tech platforms offers critical insights into the workings of (dysfunctional) hybrid media systems.