SLU-Madrid Students Learn to Fact Check with Journalists

09/19/2024

Communication and political science majors recently participated in an event dubbed "Fact-Checking Hackathon" to cover the Sept. 10 presidential debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump.

SLU-Madrid sponsored the experiential learning event in collaboration with Newtral, one of Spain's most prestigious fact-checking agencies.

Students attended a three-hour training and coaching session on Sept. 6 on campus at SLU-Madrid with Newtral representatives. They covered a wide range of tools and methods that they later applied in real time during the debate. The training also touched on how to verify claims made by sources and how to follow a live event when fact-checking on the job.

"This is an exciting opportunity to get first-hand skills of such an important editorial technique that is central to the work of journalists," said Communication Program Director Rosana Vivar, Ph.D.

Thirty-five SLU-Madrid students joined Newtral in their fact-checking efforts at their offices in the Royal Tapestry Factory at 3 a.m. Madrid local time when the presidential debate started. Students and professional journalists organized ideas and shared feedback on Slack, an instant messaging application, throughout the two-hour air time.

"Nowadays, and particularly in the post-truth era, fact-checking is a pressing and essential skill to have, transferable to many areas of life," said Vivar. She added that the collaboration with Newtral closely aligns with the University's Jesuit concept of "eloquentia perfecta" which promotes poise in speech and writing to contribute to the greater good.

Founded in 2018 by the well-known journalist Ana Pastor, Newtral is a media startup focused on fact-checking, data verification and artificial intelligence protocols. Its "Newtral Educación" initiative has promoted critical thinking and real-world journalism skills to college students since May 2019.