How to Fact-Check Political Claims Online

Politicians rarely tell outright lies that are easy to catch. More often a claim is true but stripped of context, built on a cherry-picked year, or about a number that measures something else. Checking a claim yourself takes 10 to 20 minutes once you know where to look.

• The claim as it was actually said: a link to the video, transcript or post.
• A search engine, and a second browser tab for checking who is behind each page you open.
• Access to official statistics. In the US that means the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Census Bureau, the Congressional Budget Office, the FBI's Crime Data Explorer and Congress.gov.

1. Pin down the exact claim. Write down who said it, when, where, and the words they used. A paraphrase in a headline or a screenshot is not enough. Find the full video or the official transcript and listen to the sentences before and after: a quote can be accurate and still misleading when the next sentence changes its meaning.

1. Split it into checkable parts. "Crime has doubled since the governor took office" contains three claims: a number (doubled), a period (since a date) and a cause (the governor). Facts can be checked; predictions and pure opinions cannot. Note which parts are which.

1. Search for an existing fact check. Type the key words into Google Fact Check Explorer, which collects fact checks from many outlets in one search. Then try PolitiFact, FactCheck.org and AP Fact Check directly. Check the date: a fact check of last year's version of a claim may not fit this year's numbers.

1. Go to the primary source. Find the official data the claim is about, not an article describing it. Jobs and inflation come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, population and income from the Census Bureau, the budget and deficits from the Congressional Budget Office, bills and votes from Congress.gov, campaign money from the Federal Election Commission. Download the table or read the bill text yourself.

1. Test the numbers. Ask four questions of every figure:
2. Which period? Starting a comparison in an unusually low or high year can make any trend look dramatic.
3. Total or per person? A state's total crime can rise while its rate per 100,000 people falls, because the population grew.
4. Adjusted for inflation? Spending "at a record high" in dollars may be lower than before once prices are taken into account.
5. Same measure? "Unemployment" has several official measures. A claim can switch between them.

1. Check the cause. If the claim credits or blames someone, ask whether they controlled the outcome. Many trends started before a politician took office, or follow the national pattern. Correlation in time is not proof of cause.

1. Read about the source laterally. If the claim cites a think tank, poll or study, open a new tab and search for who funds it and what others say about it. Professional fact-checkers judge a site by leaving it and reading about it elsewhere, rather than reading the site itself in depth.

1. Reach a plain verdict. Say what is accurate, what is missing and what would change your view. "The number is right, but it covers only two years and leaves out the population rise" is more useful than a single word.

• Fact checks age. Official statistics are revised. Check whether a newer release has changed the figure.
• Both sides do it. Apply the same standard to claims you agree with. That is where most people slip.
• Platforms changed in 2025. Meta stopped using independent fact-checkers on Facebook and Instagram in the US in April 2025 and moved to community notes, so a post without a warning label has not necessarily been checked.

How long does a fact check take? A simple number can be checked in 10 minutes. A claim about cause and effect can take hours, which is why professional fact checks are worth reading first.

What if I cannot find the data? Say so. "I could not find a source for this figure" is a fair conclusion, and the burden of proof sits with the person making the claim.

Can I trust an AI chatbot to fact-check? Use it to find leads, never as the final source. Chatbots can invent figures and citations. Always open the original document they point to.