Weekly Digest: The state of fact-checking, The Independent’s yearly results

The number of fact-checking organisations has levelled off, according to a new study by the Duke Reporters’ Lab.

News media have invested significantly in fact-checking over the past decade, and the number of fact-checking outlets had been growing steadily, reaching around 420 in the past couple of years. Now this growth has stalled; the study counted 417 active fact-checking organisations in 2023.

Slowed growth isn’t a negative decline per se. As the authors note, “one good sign for fact-checking is the sustainability and longevity of many key players in the field”, adding that “almost half of the fact-checking organizations in the Reporters’ Lab count have been active for five years or more”. They also note that many think tanks and mainstream news organisations have recently invested in fact-checking, reducing the need for dedicated outlets. 

Still, there are also worrying signs. The authors remind that “factual information is still hard to come by in important corners of the world”, and launching fact-checking initiatives is becoming harder in countries with limited press freedom – that is, in countries where the hunger for verified information is greatest. 

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The Independent, one of the UK’s biggest online newspapers, has recorded a sixth consecutive year of profit. 

Revenue grew 12% year-on-year in 2022, and the newspaper reached 5 million registered users (though monthly views declined in the UK in line with the broader trend). As The Guardian notes, The Independent “has been profitable every year since it closed its print edition in March 2016 and became a fully digital publisher”.

At the same time, the paper’s profits fell 66%, reaching £1.9 million (€2.2 million) in the past financial year, which the company says is partly caused by its investments in news coverage in the UK and US, as well as in coverage of Ukraine.

As Press Gazette highlights, “non-advertising revenue – in which [The Independent] includes content licensing, syndication and e-commerce – made up 57% of the total revenue taking advertising below 50% for the first time”.

Bonus — Three more stories you might want to check out:

• The Guardian: ABC’s international budget should grow as China spends billions on information war, inquiry told
• Axios: Forbes’ would-be new owner hunts for more American investors 
• Institute of Mass Information: 519 crimes against journalists and media in Ukraine committed by Russia in the year and four months of the big war

Source of the cover photo: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/how-to-get-the-most-out-of-commenting-on-the-independent-b2064963.html

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