Fact-Checking in the Era of Misinformation: How Journalism Counters False Claims

In an age where misinformation spreads with alarming speed, the role of accurate, data-driven journalism has never been more crucial. Recent months have seen a surge of demonstrably false claims that nonetheless gain traction in public discourse.

When Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh asserted in a court opinion that U.S. citizens caught in immigration raids face only brief inconvenience and are “promptly” released once their legal status is verified, one news organization decided to put this claim to the test.

Reporter Nicole Foy had already been tracking incidents of citizen detentions, combing through social media posts, press reports and court records. Rather than producing a standard fact-check that might be forgotten the next day, her team aimed to compile comprehensive nationwide data on U.S. citizens detained by immigration authorities.

The investigation revealed more than 170 citizens who had been detained during raids and protests. Over 20 reported being held for at least a day without being allowed to contact family members or legal counsel. Approximately 130 people were arrested for allegedly interfering with immigration agents, many of whom were ultimately never charged or had their cases quickly dismissed.

When presented with these findings, the Department of Homeland Security maintained that agents do not engage in racial profiling or target Americans. “We don’t arrest US citizens for immigration enforcement,” spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin stated.

The impact of this reporting was significant. The investigation became one of the organization’s most-read pieces of the year, prompting Congressional Democrats to launch their own inquiry. The precise figure—more than 170 U.S. citizens detained—became a focal point in discussions about immigration enforcement tactics.

Weeks later, when Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem claimed that “no American citizens have been arrested or detained,” numerous news outlets countered this assertion by citing the investigation’s findings.

This approach to journalism—focused on precise data gathering through extensive research—has proven effective in other contexts as well. Another investigation revealed that 600 children have been placed in shelters by immigration agents this year, the highest annual total since record-keeping began more than a decade ago. Further analysis of records for approximately 400 of these children showed that while around 160 were detained due to child welfare concerns—consistent with past years—the majority were held as part of the ongoing immigration crackdown.

Many were picked up during routine traffic stops, at immigration hearings, or when ICE agents came to arrest someone else. The DHS spokesperson maintained that ICE “does not separate families” but offers parents choices about their children’s placement.

Amid declining public trust in media, news organizations are finding that precision journalism—providing specific, verifiable statistics—may help rebuild credibility. This approach requires substantial resources, as evidenced by another investigation that traced the criminal histories of 238 Venezuelans sent to an El Salvador prison. By obtaining unpublished government data and verifying it through police and court records both in the U.S. and abroad, reporters discovered that the government knew at least 197 of these individuals had no U.S. criminal convictions.

Similarly, when federal officials raided a Chicago apartment building claiming it harbored gang members but declined to name the 37 Venezuelans detained, journalists identified 21 of them through intensive investigation. Their reporting ultimately found minimal evidence supporting the government’s claims.

As government agencies restrict data collection and publication on major initiatives, while congressional oversight committees hold few hearings and internal watchdogs face dismantling, the responsibility for factual documentation has increasingly fallen to independent journalism—a vital function in maintaining democratic accountability.