In our impossibly polarised world, facts are now submerged in the mud of fake news, self-serving spin, misinformation and good old-fashioned fearmongering.
RMIT ABC Fact Check determines the accuracy of claims by politicians, public figures, advocacy groups and institutions engaged in the public debate.
It is a partnership between RMIT University and the ABC combining academic excellence and the best of Australian journalism to inform the public through an independent non-partisan voice.
It is funded jointly by RMIT University and the ABC. The ABC is a publicly funded, independent media organisation, and therefore RMIT ABC Fact Check is accountable to the Australian Parliament.
Fact Check is an agenda-free zone; it fearlessly follows the facts no matter where they lead.
As a condition of employment, staff of the unit cannot be members of political parties or activist groups and must declare all previous affiliations.
Fact Check does not seek to influence voters or push for a particular outcome or be a dispenser of "truth".
We do not speculate on the motives of those of who may get it wrong and we are not about "gotcha" moments.
Fact Check only tests claims made in the public domain by politicians, public figures and advocacy groups.
We check claims which can be tested against available data at the time they were made.
We do not check the work of journalists, from the ABC or elsewhere.
We aim to be available to all audiences by operating across multiple platforms, including television, radio and online.
Fact check suggestions from the audience are welcomed and can be submitted via the contact page, or via our Twitter and Facebook accounts.
Audience comment and feedback is encouraged.
All verdicts fall into three colour-based categories: in the red, in the green or in between – red being a negative ruling, and green being a positive.
In the interests of transparency, all sources relevant to the verdicts are identified online.
Our aim is to be 100 per cent accurate. But if a mistake is made, the item in question will be corrected and if necessary the verdict revised.
Statements can be both right and wrong, depending on when they were said. Determinations are therefore based on evidence available at the time.
If an audience member believes a fact check does not meet our high standards for rigour and accuracy, they can lodge a complaint through the ABC.
RMIT ABC Fact Check is a signatory to the International Fact-Checking Network's code of principles. The IFCN has an independent complaints process for readers who believe a fact-checking organisation has violated the code.
Our methodology
Our entire team monitors broadcast, print and social media, as well as Parliament, for checkable claims.
We also take suggestions from the public .
We're not about the gotcha, and we prefer to check contested claims which beg the question: can that be right?
Loading...Once the director approves a claim, one of our researchers contacts experts in the field to seek their opinion and guidance on available data.
We may also contact the claimant to ask for the basis of the claim.
The expert opinion and data is written into a draft, which is then reviewed by our chief fact checker, who identifies problems, and challenges the researcher on anything that they might have missed.
The chief fact checker also scrutinises all sources and makes sure the draft is consistent with what the data says.
The researcher continually reworks the draft based on this feedback, and once the chief fact checker is satisfied, the team discusses the final verdict
These discussions are rigorous and much thought is given to the verdict word and the colour that will be used, which is an important part of how we inject nuance into our verdicts.
Our online editor then prepares the final product, which is once again checked by the chief fact checker for any inaccuracies which may have crept up during the editing process.
Once the director signs off on the finished draft, it's ready to be released to the world.