Poynter’s International Fact-Checking Network and the Duke Reporters’ Lab will host “Tech & Check,” a landmark event on March 31-April 1 at Duke University in Durham to explore ways technology can be used to make fact-checking faster and smarter.
The international conference, will bring together experts from journalism, academia and the tech industry, including IBM Watson, PolitiFact, the Qatar Computing Research Institute, the Tow Center for Digital Journalism, Google, National Geographic, NBC and many more.
“Technological advances are creating newer, faster and more efficient ways to fact-check claims made by politicians and government officials,” said Poynter President Tim Franklin, in a statement, adding, “This is the first conference of its kind that combines technologists, academics and journalists to improve fact-checking methods. As we’ve seen in recent months, modern political campaigns move instantaneously on social media and cable news. It’s vital for citizens in our democracy that fact-checking of politicians move at a rapid pace.”
“Tech & Check” will examine current research that automates fact-checking, the promise of live fact-checking and automated annotation, and the institutional challenges of expanding automated work.
“Computer scientists and journalists around the world are doing some really exciting work into automating fact-checking. Tech & Check will be an opportunity to learn about those projects and dream big about what can be done in the future,” said Bill Adair, Knight Professor of the Practice of Journalism and Public Policy at Duke University.
The conference is made possible with support by the Park Foundation and Google News Lab.
