CHAPTER 03 Fact-Checking and Protocols in Journalism "In the race to be first with the news, let us not forget the race to be right and fair." —Philip Balboni, Journalist In a world inundated with a constant stream of information, the veracity of news has never been more crucial. The responsibility of the media to disseminate accurate, factual, and respectful information is paramount. This chapter outlines essential protocols and the importance of fact-checking in journalism, with a special focus on navigating bias. Accurate and nuanced reporting is especially important in racerelated coverage, as errors can have wide-ranging, unintended consequences for impacted communities. concrete actions that participants can take. Such actions can be regularly assessing the application of anti bias reporting, analysing monthly the headlines and narratives, content decisions, details and ‘facts’ reported to decipher if in fact the organisation is adhering to and free from bias and harmful stereotypes. Fact-checking and bias training are not mere formalities; they are integral to the credibility of journalism. However, it is crucial to recognise that research indicates that most unconscious bias training is often ineffective and does not lead to significant behavioural change. Focusing solely on unconscious or implicit biases can divert attention from addressing structural and systemic racism within an organisation or the broader sector. This rigorous approach ensures continuous learning and creates scalable impact, whereas most bias training without it becomes a sunk cost. To ensure effectiveness, bias training must be embedded as part of the standard workflow, regularly implemented across all content-making departments and newsrooms, and supplemented with | CHAPTER 03 By integrating comprehensive protocols that address both individual biases (unconscious and conscious) and systemic issues, journalism can produce content that reflects reality in its most authentic form. This approach is informed and fair public discourse ensuring journalists and media organisations as a whole continue to play a crucial role in providing the public with reliable information. 27