Fact-Check Log Template

Claim-by-claim log: status scale, source rules, claim, risk, source location, status, checker, final wording, post-publication corrections

Rédaction & ContenuLégerIFCN Code of Principles (named as reference)fact check logMis à jour 29 oct. 2026

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Mode d'emploi: Use it for any article, episode or report with checkable claims. Extract every claim into the log before checking starts. The main pitfall is relying on the author's notes instead of the primary source.

Aperçu

Fact-Check Log: [article, episode or publication title]

Claim-by-claim fact-check record for one piece of content: each checkable claim, the source used, its status, who checked it, and any correction made before or after publication. The status scale, source rules and corrections section reflect the themes of the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN) Code of Principles (transparency of sources and methodology, open and honest corrections), named as a reference only. Replace every [bracketed] value and every row marked Example.

Piece details

Field	Value
Log ID	[FC-NNN]
Piece	[title, draft version]
Author	[name]
Checker	[@checker]
Second checker (High-risk claims)	[@checker]
Publication date	YYYY-MM-DD
Status	[Checking / Complete / Correction issued]

1. Status scale and source rules

Status	Meaning	Action
Verified	Confirmed by a primary or two independent reliable sources	Keep
Corrected	Wrong in the draft; text changed to match the source	Record old and new wording
Qualified	Partly supported; wording narrowed or attributed	Record the change
Unverifiable	No reliable source found	Remove or attribute clearly as a claim
Open	Not yet checked	Blocks publication

Source rules: prefer primary sources (official statistics, court records, original studies, the speaker's own recording); note the date you accessed each source; never use the piece's own earlier drafts or the author's notes as the only source.

2. Claim log

ID	Location	Claim (as drafted)	Risk	Source and exact location	Accessed	Status	Checker	Final wording
[CL-NNN]	[para N]	[claim]	[High / Medium / Low]	[source, page or timestamp]	YYYY-MM-DD	[status]	[initials]	[text as published]
CL-001 (Example)	Para 3	"Tomato yields rose by a third last year"	Medium	Regional growers' survey 2025 (fictional), table 4	2026-10-20	Corrected	JK	"Tomato yields rose by about a quarter in 2025"
CL-002 (Example)	Para 5	"Raised beds warm up two weeks earlier in spring"	Low	Two extension-service guides (fictional), both state 1 to 2 weeks	2026-10-20	Qualified	JK	"can warm up one to two weeks earlier"
CL-003 (Example)	Para 8	Quote from head gardener Ana Ferro (fictional)	Medium	Interview recording, 12:40 to 13:05	2026-10-21	Verified	JK	Unchanged
CL-004 (Example)	Para 9	"The oldest community garden in the region"	Medium	No reliable source found	2026-10-21	Unverifiable	JK	Removed

Example: summary: 4 claims, 1 Verified, 1 Corrected, 1 Qualified, 1 Unverifiable, 0 Open.

3. Corrections after publication

ID	Date found	Reported by	Error	Correction published	Where noted
[COR-NNN]	YYYY-MM-DD	[reader, staff]	[what was wrong]	[new wording, date and time]	[correction note at end of article]

Reference and licence note

Based on common newsroom fact-checking practice. The IFCN Code of Principles sets five commitments for signatory fact-checking organisations: non-partisanship and fairness; standards and transparency of sources; transparency of funding and organisation; standards and transparency of methodology; and an open and honest corrections policy (named here, checked October 2026: https://ifcncodeofprinciples.poynter.org/the-commitments). This log supports the sources, methodology and corrections themes; it does not make an organisation a signatory. All wording is original. Template licence: MIT.

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