Data Journalism vs Fact-Check Workflow

Data Journalism

By James Anditis (Journalism)

Turn datasets into stories with cleaning, analysis, and visualization workflows.

Fact-Check Workflow

By James Anditis (Journalism)

Verify claims, gather evidence, and document findings with structured journalism standards.

Data Journalism

• Cleans messy datasets by standardizing formats, handling missing values, and flagging duplicates
• Guides you through the full data journalism process from hypothesis to publication
• Provides templates for methodology documentation and story structure
• Connects you to major public data sources like Census Bureau, BLS, FDA, and state portals
• Handles common data problems like inconsistent dates, outliers, and similar names

Fact-Check Workflow

• Extracts checkable claims from articles or statements and prioritizes them by importance
• Guides research through primary and secondary sources with documentation templates
• Provides rating scales (True, Mostly True, False, etc.) with clear criteria for each level
• Creates templates for contacting sources and giving right of response
• Organizes evidence collection with checklists for documents, data, and expert sources

Reach for Data Journalism when…

• You're building a story from public datasets and need to verify your findings
• You have messy data with inconsistent formatting and missing values
• You need to explain your methodology clearly to readers
• You're looking for reliable data sources for research or reporting

Reach for Fact-Check Workflow when…

• You're publishing an article and need to verify facts before it goes live
• You're writing a dedicated fact-check piece rating someone's claims
• You need to document your verification process for editorial standards
• You're training a team on consistent fact-checking practices