Maine Trust for Local News “Fact Briefs” combat misinformation and earn strong digital readership

As misinformation spreads across social media and beyond, the Maine Trust

for Local News is combating false narratives with “Fact Briefs” — 150-word, yes-or-no explainers that have quickly become some of its most-read stories.

The Maine Trust for Local News started publishing two briefs a week in May, and they have ranked among its best-read items, with more than 160,000 page views and 200,000 readers in about 10 months. 

Fact Briefs are an editorial product developed by Gigafact, a nonprofit that works with newsrooms to identify and respond to misinformation, claims and rumors circulating on social media platforms.

Fact Briefs align closely with the Maine Trust’s mission of protecting local news and uplifting communities as they help correct inaccurate information, said Carolyn Fox, the trust’s executive editor.

“Once we started writing these briefs in partnership with Gigafact, we saw a lot of audience response,” said Fox. “People were really interested in the subjects.”

Due to this early success, the Maine Trust is pursuing funding for possible expansion of the series, including video content.

The Georgia Trust for Local News has also rolled out Fact Briefs, starting at The Macon Melody.

Fact Briefs typically rank higher than other digital stories. One, “Did a court ruling make half of Maine eligible for Canadian citizenship,” attracted 40,000 readers.

Gigafact works with nonprofit newsrooms, offering tools, training and support at no cost. Gigafact staff trained Portland Press Herald News Editor Alex McCann and a freelance reporter for several weeks on guidelines and procedures. The two scour social media for questions of the day, using Gigafact tools to identify claims that are addressable and relevant in Maine. They vary the topics, and once or twice have scrapped an idea that did not have a clear answer.

“There’s no ‘maybe’ or ‘sometimes,’” McCann said. “Only ‘yes’ or ‘no.’”

Chandran Sankaran founded Gigafact after a career as a tech entrepreneur, shifting his focus to promoting information integrity.

“We were trying to draw on the essence of the work of fact checkers like Politifact and FactCheck.org, but to make it simpler, shorter, less political and more standardized, so many people could do the work without losing the elements of great journalism,” Sankaran said.

Elevating quality journalism and supporting digital innovation represent key focus areas of the National Trust for Local News and each of its state trusts. Facts Briefs offer immense value to readers who seek to cut through the noise.

“People don't know what to trust and don't know what they should believe,” said McCann. “Fact Briefs present a topic in a very digestible way. It’s very straightforward.”

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Fact Brief:

Can brief stories in a strict format combat online rumors and claims and drive the audience to news websites?

Yes.

Maine Trust’s use of Fact Briefs, stories of no more than 150 words with a clear yes or no answer, rank among the Maine Trust’s most popular stories.

The Maine Trust’s Fact Briefs have drawn about 200,000 readers in less than one year, and audiences want more. 

Developed by Gigafact, the Fact Brief template always has a question in the headline, and the answer in the first paragraph. The rest of the brief explains why, with sourcing.

“Gigafact (or a billion facts) points to the idea of facts being pervasive in our modern online discourse,” said Chandran Sankaran, founder of Gigafact. “Fact Briefs are easy to consume, and the reader can see how conclusions were made.”

Sankaran established Gigafact in 2022. The nonprofit started its work with three newsrooms. Now, it partners with more than 20, including the Maine Trust for Local News and The Macon Melody.