R0051/2026-03-31/Q001/SRC02

Research	R0051 — Fact-Checking Gap
Run	2026-03-31
Query	Q001
Search	S01
Result	S01-R02
Source	SRC02

Uscinski & Butler (2013) — Foundational epistemological critique of fact-checking

Source

Field	Value
Title	The Epistemology of Fact Checking
Publisher	Taylor & Francis / Critical Review
Author(s)	Joseph E. Uscinski, Ryden W. Butler
Date	2013
URL	https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/08913811.2013.843872
Type	Research paper

Summary

Dimension	Rating
Reliability	High
Relevance	High
Bias: Missing data	Low risk
Bias: Measurement	N/A
Bias: Selective reporting	Some concerns
Bias: Randomization	N/A — not an RCT
Bias: Protocol deviation	N/A — not an RCT
Bias: COI/Funding	Low risk

Rationale

Dimension	Rationale
Reliability	Peer-reviewed in a respected journal. Seminal paper — widely cited in subsequent fact-checking epistemology literature.
Relevance	Directly critiques fact-checking methodology from an epistemological standpoint, arguing methods fail scientific standards.
Bias flags	Some concerns about selective reporting: the authors' strong thesis (fact-checking should be "condemned to the dustbin of history") may lead to selective emphasis on weaknesses. Later rebuttals contested their sampling methodology.

Evidence Extracts

Evidence ID	Summary
SRC02-E01	Fact-checking methods fail to meet epistemological standards of scientific inquiry