Marta du Vall | Andrzej Frycz Modrzewski Krakow University, Poland
ORCID 0000-0003-1245-730X
Marta Majorek | Andrzej Frycz Modrzewski Krakow University, Poland
ORCID 0000-0001-6541-5184
„Bezpieczeństwo. Teoria i Praktyka”, 2/2022, s. 113-130
DOI 10.48269/2451-0718-btip-2022-2-008
PDF: English
Abstract: The article presents an internal fact-checking procedure which in the opinion of the authors is a mandatory procedure for journalists, an important and necessary stage in a journalistic routine. The good practice is that the journalists do internal fact-checking every time they publish a news piece. Based on their decision-making patterns, they select the method of fact-checking or – unfortunately – sometimes skip this stage. We called these “fact-checking logic” patterns as a part of general media logic. In this article, we present the fact-checking logic of a Polish press title published online since 2016, OKO.press, which, in the authors’ view, is an excellent example of reliable journalism practiced to the benefit of the public. Particular attention was paid to information management methods: obtaining, verifying and presenting information. Nowadays, there is enormous urgency for reliable and at the same time engaged journalism practiced to the benefit of the social and civic interest. The authors assume that, in order to speak about journalistic craftsmanship in the above categories, we need to combine the elements of both the engaged and civic journalism known from common definitions and to guard the professionalism. This is the only combination that can provide an antidote to manipulation and disinformation. The case study was of a qualitative nature, and it was preceded with research review and theoretical deliberations on the social engagement in the era of new media. The main goal is to present and analyse the activities of the OKO.press journal in the context of combating disinformation spread in the media dependent on the Kremlin’s authorities.
Key words: information management, engaged journalism, fact-checking, civic interest, independent journalism, disinformation