Fact-check

To test a claim against dependable evidence before accepting or publishing it.

Reach for it when describing an explicit verification step for statements, quotations, or public claims

The producer will fact-check every date in the documentary script.

• everyday

  verify

  evidence must establish that a specific claim is accurate

  not when Identity and completion can also be verified, so the verb alone does not promise a reporting check.

• professional

  audit

  a systematic review of records or controls is required

  not when Audit implies broader procedural scrutiny than checking one quotation.

• professional

  authenticate

  the origin or genuineness of a document is in question

  not when Authenticating a source does not prove that every statement inside it is true.

• professional

  validate

  a result or method must be tested against stated criteria

  not when Validation can confirm internal rules without establishing real-world truth.

• formal

  corroborate

  independent evidence should support an existing account

  not when Corroborate strengthens a claim but may not uncover every error in it.

• formal

  substantiate

  a claim needs enough evidence to be responsibly maintained

  not when Substantiate focuses on support, while fact-checking also tests contrary evidence.

• fabricate
• misreport
• assume
• repeat uncritically

• fact-check a claim

  Editors fact-check a claim before adding it to the headline.

• fact-check the article

  Two researchers fact-check the article before publication.

• independently fact-check

  The review board will independently fact-check the disputed figures.

• fact-check thoroughly

  Please fact-check thoroughly before quoting the historical timeline.