Debunking, verification, and fact checking are often used interchangeably, sometimes causing confusion, but there are differences. Many of us might be familiar with the series MythBusters, which specialised in testing urban legends, popular myths, and movie scenes. Each episode disproves or confirms a “myth”.
Debunking is literally the act of exposing the falseness of a claim. From this point of view, while verification and fact checking is the process we use to inspect the accuracy of an information, debunking is like the final act. We might find an information to be true after fact checking it and then of course we can’t debunk it.
Want to find out more? Read the Critical Balance e-book for youth workers on critical thinking and conspiracy theories!
