Abstract
Fact checking has gained prominence as a form of journalism for countering mis- and disinformation, however, little scholarly attention has been paid to the Campaign Promise Evaluation Tools (CPETs) operated by some fact checking outfits. Similarly, there has been little consideration given to the differences and similarities between CPETs operated by political science researchers and journalists. Taking Australia’s RMIT ABC Fact Check’s Promise Tracker as a case study, this article uses interviews to investigate approaches by fact checkers and political scientists involved in producing this tool. The resultant analysis finds two distinct but complementary approaches to election promise tracking: one that captures every possible political promise for tracking, fuelled by political science expertise and methodological approaches; and the other led by fact checkers and shaped by the logics of journalism. The case of a prominent Australian example where political science, digital journalism and fact-checking intersect, provides important and original insights into CPETs.
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Data availability
The interview data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
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Waller, Morieson and Thomas wrote the manuscript, and all authors reviewed the manuscript.
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All research carried out for this study was performed in line with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki, as expressed through Australia’s National Statement and the Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research. Approval was granted by the Monash University Human Research Ethics Committee (MUHREC) (Project ID: 28469) on 19/04/2021.
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The lead author of the article contacted all the participants who took part in the study via email on 03/10/2023, inviting them to be involved. In that email they were provided with a written copy of the Explanatory Statement about the research project as well as the Consent Form. By signing and returning the Consent form via email before participating in their interview, all participants agreed to the conversation being recorded and transcribed; that they could chose to remain anonymous; that they had the opportunity to review the transcript and request any changes within a month of the interview; that they could withdraw from the project at any time and that they consented to the authors publishing their comments.
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Waller, L., Morieson, L. & Thomas, S. Understanding election promise tracking as a form of fact-checking. Humanit Soc Sci Commun (2026). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-026-06603-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-026-06603-7
