Proofreading & Editing Fact-Checking & Accuracy 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which type of error involves presenting accurate facts in a misleading context?
- Typographical error
- Contextual inaccuracy (Correct answer)
- Syntactic error
- Attribution error
Correct answer: Contextual inaccuracy
A contextual inaccuracy occurs when facts are technically correct but framed or juxtaposed in ways that mislead the reader about their meaning.
Question 2: An article claims a company's revenue 'doubled' from $500 million to $900 million. Is this claim accurate?
- Yes, because the increase is substantial
- No, because doubling $500 million would equal $1 billion (Correct answer)
- Yes, because 'doubled' is approximate language
- No, because revenue figures require audited sources
Correct answer: No, because doubling $500 million would equal $1 billion
Doubling means multiplying by two; $500 million doubled is $1 billion, so describing an increase to $900 million as 'doubled' is numerically inaccurate.
Question 3: What is a 'churnalism' risk in fact-checking?
- Publishing too many articles in a short time
- Reprinting press release claims without independent verification (Correct answer)
- Using too many direct quotes in a single piece
- Fact-checking an article after it has already been published
Correct answer: Reprinting press release claims without independent verification
Churnalism refers to publishing press releases or wire stories verbatim without independent verification, risking the uncritical spread of inaccurate or promotional claims.
Question 4: A fact-checker notes that an article consistently misspells a proper noun (a person's name). Under which category does this error primarily fall?
- Factual inaccuracy (Correct answer)
- Stylistic inconsistency
- Grammatical error
- Punctuation error
Correct answer: Factual inaccuracy
A misspelled proper noun is a factual inaccuracy because the correct spelling of a name is a verifiable fact, not merely a stylistic choice.
Question 5: Which of the following is the LEAST reliable source for fact-checking purposes?
- A government agency's official website
- An academic journal article
- An anonymous user-edited online forum post (Correct answer)
- A published autobiography
Correct answer: An anonymous user-edited online forum post
Anonymous user-edited forum posts have no editorial oversight or accountability, making them the least reliable source for verifying factual claims.
Question 6: An editor is checking an article that says 'the majority of Americans support this policy,' citing a poll. What must the editor verify beyond the poll's existence?
- Whether the poll was conducted by a university
- The sample size, methodology, margin of error, and question wording (Correct answer)
- Whether the polling company is well-known
- That the poll was conducted within the last decade
Correct answer: The sample size, methodology, margin of error, and question wording
Responsible fact-checking of poll data requires examining sample size, methodology, margin of error, and question wording to assess whether the conclusion is supported.
Question 7: What does it mean to 'verify attribution' in fact-checking?
- Confirming the article's author is credentialed
- Ensuring that quotes, data, and claims are correctly tied to their actual sources (Correct answer)
- Checking that footnotes are formatted according to style guidelines
- Reviewing whether sources are listed alphabetically
Correct answer: Ensuring that quotes, data, and claims are correctly tied to their actual sources
Verifying attribution means confirming that each quote, statistic, or claim is accurately linked to the person or document that actually produced it.
Proofreading & Editing Fact-Checking & Accuracy 2
Which type of error involves presenting accurate facts in a misleading context?