Fact-Checking Policy

AFSCME Now strives to be precise with its words, headlines and URLs. In doing so, writers and contributors must verify the information they gather. This includes identifying information such names and positions, but also assertions and accounts. Writers conduct their own fact checking, using their own judgment and guided by the ethics policy. AFSCME Now editors verify facts and accuracy before publishing articles online.

Our vetting process is thorough and rigorous. Pieces from the field written by field staff are edited in headquarters, reviewed by the relevant AFSCME affiliates and field directors, and then reviewed again by AFSCME’s legal department before being published. Stories originating out of headquarters are reviewed by the appropriate headquarters and field departments, then the legal department, and, in some cases, by AFSCME’s officers before being published.