Fact-checks as Data Source? Content Analysis of Fact-checking Articles in Germany between 2019 and 2023

Misinformation has to be uncovered before it can be used for research purposes. This is a resource intensive process, which is why fact-checks have been a popular data source. They have been used directly as proxy for misinformation and indirectly to identify its sources and analyze its content and spread. However, there is little research on the limitations of fact-checks as a data source. Are there patterns in their topics that might lead to biased research results? How does the fact-checkers’ choice of targeting certain actors and social media platforms influence their article’s content? The study provides answers to these questions. It analyzes fact-checks from four German outlets between 2019 and 2023. The study finds that certain topics appear continuously, while for others coverage is event- driven. Furthermore, political actors are covered only to a small extent and even less when they are the originators of misinformation. Finally, fact-checks focus strongly on misinformation on Facebook and the findings indicate that the topic distribution of fact-checks might be different if other platforms were focused. The article discusses the findings with respect to limitations of fact-checks as a data source and concludes with practical recommendations for future research.