What Are the Skills You Need to Be a Remote Fact Checker?
Publications and social media need fact-checkers to validate the information shared on their platforms. Whether on broadcast news or in an online article, reputable broadcasters must have confidence that the information on their platform is accurate.
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What Does a Fact Checker Do?
Fact-checkers are professionals who ensure the information their employer provides to the public is true and accurate. Whether it’s broadcast or print news, fact-checkers are required to ensure the public isn’t misinformed about anything.
Fact-checkers can act as another set of eyes to help avoid costly or dangerous mistakes. If you’re not convinced about the need for fact-checking, you may be interested in readinghow AI fooled people into thinking Trump had been arrested.
Hard Skills a Remote Fact Checker Needs
There are skills you can get training for to help you become a productive remote fact-checker, and you can sharpen the skills listed with a certification or a course. You may already have some of these skills from training you received for past employment.
1. Computer Skills
To be a successful remote fact-checker, you must be comfortable doing online research. You need to know how to find confirmable resources to validate the claims made.
Due to the fast pace of a 24-hour news cycle, your troubleshooting talents can be helpful when a deadline is looming. If you’re able to’t fix the computer problem yourself, you risk losing time waiting for tech support to come or bringing it in for repair.
you may build your computer skills by taking courses likeUdemy’s Information Technology Essentials. If you’ve had difficulty opening a file on your computer, you may be interested in learninghow to fix the “This File Does Not Have an App Associated With It” error on Windows.
2. Math Skills
One of the responsibilities of a remote fact-checker is to review the figures and equations that are quoted in a broadcast or published in an article. A misplaced decimal can make a significant difference and lead the reader to draw incorrect conclusions.
Your math skills should include statistics, since they are important factors that support specific news claims. If you need some support with your math skills, you might be interested iniPhone scanner apps to track receipts, solve math problems, and more.
3. Attribution Skills
Fact-checkers must be able to confirm the claims that their employer publishes. As a fact-checker, you need to be able to cite credible sources that can back up the facts presented in the published piece.
You can take courses to strengthen your attribution skills like the one offered on Coursera,Science Communication: Communicating Trustworthy Information in the Digital World. Fact-checkers need to learn how to spot signs that the reported data might not be reliable.
4. Validation Skills
As a fact-checker, you must validate the information that is being shared. To do this, you need to check other resources for confirmation that the facts are being presented.
When researching other resources, you must be mindful of where the information comes from. Ask yourself if they present evidence to support their claims and if it’s reliable.
You also need to check what other sources say and check for potential bias. Do the people or organizations sharing the information benefit from presenting misinformation? These are the factors to consider when looking at the sources of the published material.
Soft Skills Fact Checkers Benefit From
Soft skills are abilities that you don’t need specific training for; however, you can take courses to strengthen them. They include personality traits that help you to be more effective in your job.
1. Interpersonal Skills
Remote fact-checkers frequently need to talk to sources to validate the information they see. To optimize the data you receive, you often need to establish a rapport with sources, so they say things they wouldn’t say to a complete stranger.
It would be best if you were gentle with sources since part of the job working in journalism can involve influencing people to say things they may not want to. Developing a rapport and a gentle approach are valuable skills to stop sources from changing their opinions after the fact.
2. Attention to Detail
Fact-checkers need a keen eye since skimming data isn’t a practical approach in the profession. As a remote fact-checker, you will evaluate the simplest of claims and the very complex ones.
You need strong observation skills to verify statistics and scientific information. In cases where the data you find refers to another source, you need to check the original source and use its data to ensure you capture the information without error.
When locating information, you must verify that the data comes from a credible source. You want to use information from professional sources.
3. Political Neutrality
Fact-checkers must avoid media bias. Bias can take many forms, including partisan bias, where the source’s political views affect the issue’s coverage.
Bias can present itself in the manner in which a story is approached, and data can be manipulated. Fact-checkers are responsible for ensuring that the information being presented is done in a balanced and fair way.
It would be best if you were wary of using fact-checking sites known for their political bias. Sites likeNewsbusters.orgfocus on what they see as liberal media bias, whereasThe Washington Post’s Fact Checkergrades politicians on the accuracy of their statements.
PolitFact.comandFactcheck.orgare professional fact-checking sites that employ fact-checkers representing both sides. Political neutrality may not be easy, but it is necessary when sharing news with the public.
4. Communication Skills
The internet isn’t your sole avenue to verify facts, and there are people you can talk to to get the data you need. You can speak with experts about the article or news broadcast topic and talk to as many people involved in the situation as possible to get all perspectives on the issue.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills can help you effectively and efficiently get the necessary information. You may be interested in learningcommunication skills to succeed at remote work.
Fact-Checkers Are Necessary!
When false news claims are being made regularly, the demand for fact-checkers is increasing. It’s vital that sources people go to for news and information can be trusted. Media platforms can’t risk publishing information that later turns out to be false.
If platforms are found to share information that is proven false regularly, people will start to lose faith and stop trusting them as a resource. Fact-checkers are needed to ensure the information shared with the public is valid. If you think you have what it takes, it may be time to pursue a career as a fact-checker!
Fact-checking is an important part of online journalism, and it can be a promising remote career opportunity for you as well.
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