Fact-checking in Europe: data journalism as the spearhead in the fight against COVID-19 misinformation

Abstract

Introduction: This research analyses the content strategy of fact-checkers from five Western European countries and, within it, the way they used data journalism to fight against misinformation about COVID-19. Methodology: From a sample of 2,410 publications by 25 European fact-checkers, a content analysis is conducted to define the type of content published, the use or non-use of data journalism techniques, the level of development of these techniques and the inclusion of transparency elements. Results and discussion: Fact-checkers base their content strategy on a dual approach: the publication of fact-checks complemented by contextual content. Data journalism techniques appear in 35.9% of the total, with this percentage exceeding 40% in 12 of the 25 media outlets in the sample. The use of visualizations reaches 39.5% of the publications with data journalism, a percentage that exceeds 40% in 11 of the 25 outlets in the sample. Conclusions: The study proposes a categorization of fact-checkers based on their relationship with data journalism: data-specialized media conducting verifications, fact-checkers who predominantly and advancedly use data journalism, fact-checkers who employ data in a basic way in their verifications, and media outlets that use data journalism only superficially. The study emphasizes the need for improvements in transparency, particularly methodological, to foster greater public trust and progress in media literacy.