Hacker News new | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submit login

Who fact checks the fact checkers?



I would imagine that you; the reader, does. If you find something incorrect, you should tell them or make an attempt to do so.

Having said that, I'm skeptical that this will be a force for overall good. I can already imagine ways in which this will be abused.


"If you find something incorrect, you should tell them or make an attempt to do so."

This seems like the common-sense approach, but who knows how long a proper "review" would take place and how much damage would be done (e.g. thousands or millions being improperly informed by a supposedly reliable service) in the meantime.

I am also highly skeptical of this effort, which essentially amounts to Google and a few parties trying to automate critical thinking skills.


Yeah.. it doesn't work that way at all. The lie is usually bombastic and bite-sized, the debunking subdued and thorough.

Result: Most people won't even see the debunking.

Churchill had a great quote here:

"A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on."


> I would imagine that you; the reader, does. If you find something incorrect, you should tell them or make an attempt to do so.

Although certainly not perfect, I'd say Wikipedia does an excellent job doing just this. And at the beginning, everybody said something like Wikipedia would be impossible.


Wikipedia doesn't always do a good job. Many wikis specific to companies read like press releases, scrubbing controversy and bad news.


>These fact checks are not Google’s and are presented so people can make more informed judgements.

Also at the bottom of the article it links to this site. https://reporterslab.org/fact-checking/




Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: