Cao L (2026)
Publication Type: Journal article
Publication year: 2026
DOI: 10.1177/10776990261441303
This study examines fact-checking in mainland China’s hybrid-authoritarian media system, focusing on the intersection of state authority, platform governance, and audience participation. We analyzed 2,719 text-based fact checks from 7 institutions and 3,026 short videos from 3 individual fact-checkers on Douyin (2022–2025), employing BERTopic-based topic modeling, qualitative institutional analysis, and manual content coding on a stratified subsample (n = 400). The analysis identified four models: official, professional-commercial, independent-academic, and individual. Fact-checking appears pluralistic yet state-integrated, balancing political constraints and platform logic with procedural transparency and selective silence. This study advances a contextualized understanding of verification as epistemic governance within a hybrid-authoritarian media system.
APA:
Cao, L. (2026). Fact-Checking Organizations in Mainland China: Characteristics, Verification Approaches, and Practices. Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly. https://doi.org/10.1177/10776990261441303
MLA:
Cao, Le. "Fact-Checking Organizations in Mainland China: Characteristics, Verification Approaches, and Practices." Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly (2026).
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