Stagnation of fact-checking in Public Service Media from the pandemic to the present: The cases of ZDF, FT, and BBC

• Autores: Casás, José, Fernández Lombao, Tania
• Formato: artículo
• Fecha de Publicación: 2025
• Institución: Universidad de Piura
• Repositorio: Revista de Comunicación
• Lenguaje: español
• OAI Identifier: oai:revistas.udep.edu.pe:article/3992
• Enlace del recurso: https://revistadecomunicacion.com/article/view/3992
• Nivel de acceso: acceso abierto
• Materia: desinformación; medios públicos; periodismo de datos; fact-checking; PSM; ZDF; BBC; FT; covid; Trump; Ucrania; disinformation; public service media; data journalism; COVID; Ukraine

Purpose. This research analyses the evolution of verification strategies of Europe's three main Public Service Media (PSM) – ZDF (Germany), FT (France), and BBC (United Kingdom) – in relation to their budgets, from the European COVID-19 vaccination campaign until the current context of political instability, notably marked by the war in Ukraine and Donald Trump's return to the U.S. government. Disinformation is a critical challenge for journalism and PSM, requiring a redefinition of public value based on citizen trust and credibility. Methodology. A structured content analysis was conducted using a specifically designed template to evaluate four key parameters: types of content and genres, incorporation of data journalism, formats used for verification, and level of transparency. Results and conclusions. The findings reveal stagnation in verification techniques, rigidity in the presentation methods of verified content, and limited innovation in formats. This indicates significant difficulties in adapting to today's media environment, characterized by rapid information dissemination and virality. Original contributions. The originality of this study lies in combining the evolutionary analysis of verification strategies with an economic perspective, highlighting the impact of budgets allocated to each PSM. Additionally, it emphasizes the need for renewing the social contract to enhance citizen participation and social cohesion—crucial elements in the fight against disinformation in the digital society.