"We Follow the Disinformation": Conceptualizing and Analyzing Fact-Checking Cultures Across Countries.

Area of Science:

• Political Science
• Communication Studies
• Sociology

Background:

• Misinformation challenges democratic societies by influencing voting behavior and eroding trust.
• Fact-checking initiatives have grown globally to combat misinformation.
• Existing research on fact-checking is limited, focusing on the Global North and lacking comparative studies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce a context-sensitive framework for analyzing fact-checking cultures.
• To conduct a cross-national comparative analysis of fact-checking in Brazil (Global South) and Germany (Global North).
• To explore divergences and convergences in fact-checking cultures.

Main Methods:

• Mixed-methods design integrating computational, qualitative, and quantitative content analysis.
• Analysis of 11 fact-checking organizations and 13,498 fact-checking articles (2013-2023).
• Qualitative semistructured interviews with 10 fact-checkers.

Main Results:

• Identified areas of both divergence and convergence in fact-checking cultures.
• Demonstrated the applicability of the context-sensitive framework in a cross-national design.
• Findings suggest fact-checking cultures are not confined by organizational or national boundaries.

Conclusions:

• Fact-checking cultures exhibit commonalities that extend beyond national and organizational contexts.
• The study provides a novel framework for comparative analysis of global fact-checking.
• Further research can build on these findings to understand diverse fact-checking landscapes.