Thrown In At The Deep End: Fact-Checking 101

Hey there Edsters!

Good news: I have survived my first day of work at the Regional Mag. And nothing really went wrong! Well, not really…

After stressing over what to wear—my editor had given me a cryptic “business casual” guideline—I decided on a skirt, sweater and black heels, something I regretted on the rather long walk from my parking to the Mag’s offices. I was walking, trying to keep my head held high as I gave myself little pep talks, when I looked over to a woman handing out flyers on the street corner. As soon as I turned, my heel went straight into a crack on the ground.

There Is Hope Out There

Last week, in the midst of major magazine turmoil, my boss asked me to venture out of my usual tasks and overtake a fact-checking assignment. Earning to momentarily rid myself of the monotony of the daily tasks that I had been assigned until then, I gladly accepted the offer.

Personally, I don’t view fact checking as an extremely difficult job. Tedious, yes. Crucial, yes. Possibly boring, yes. But hard? I don’t think so. It usually involves three parts (and this is for you aspiring fact-checkers):