BEYOND THE FACTS: political fact-checking and the risks of “us against them” journalism. A France–Brazil comparison

ALÉM DOS FATOS: o fact-checking político e o risco entre si. Uma comparação França-Brasil

MÁS ALLÁ DE LOS HECHOS: fact-checking político a riesgo de cada uno. La comparación Francia-Brasil

AU-DELÀ DES FAITS : le fact-checking politique au risque de l’entresoi. Une comparaison France – Brésil

The revival of fact-checking in the 2000s mainly refers to political discourse, which partially shifted into the “post-truth” register in the late 2010s. Faced with disregard for facts and misinformation, fact-checking reaffirms the authority of journalists and presents itself as a means of promoting the emancipation of citizen-readers, as demonstrated by the fact-checking of the debates between the two rounds in France and Brazil, analyzed in this article. The tests called upon establish the journalistic method as the norm and ignore the narrative dimension of journalism, in which freedom of expression and the representation of diversity of opinions are at stake. Between politicians and journalists, convinced readers and distant audiences, an “us against them” dynamic emerges that questions the initial claim of fact-checking to place journalism at the center of public debates.

Key words
Fact-checking; Journalistic authority; Primary sources; Misinformation; Political debate