# 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*.

<!--
Guidance: How to use this template
- Copy this file once per piece. The copyeditor or a separate checker
  extracts every checkable claim from the draft into section 2 before
  checking starts.
- A claim is anything a reader could prove wrong: names, titles, dates,
  numbers, quotes, superlatives ("the first", "the largest"), cause and
  effect, and descriptions of documents or events.
- Check against the primary source where one exists, and record the
  exact place (page, table, timestamp) so a second checker can repeat
  the check.
- The piece is ready only when no claim is Open. Record the result in
  the Editorial Review Checklist (`writing/editorial-review-checklist`,
  check ED-F-01).
- The worked example (fictional "Tidewater Gardens" magazine feature) is
  marked *Example*; replace it.
-->

## 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

<!-- Guidance: Agree the scale before checking so that two checkers mark the same claim the same way. -->

| 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

<!-- Guidance: One row per claim. Quote the claim as it appears in the draft. Risk is High when an error could harm a person, mislead on health, money or safety, or expose the publisher legally. -->

| 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

<!-- Guidance: Correct openly. Say what was wrong, what is right and when it changed; do not silently edit published text. -->

| 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.