Glossary · Making it with AI
Fact-checking
Fact-checking is the work of confirming that every claim in a piece, from names and dates to numbers and quotes, is supported by reliable sources before it is published.
Why it matters
A documentary asks viewers to believe it. One wrong figure or misquoted line can undo that trust, and in a short video the mistake is often the part that gets shared.
A careful check traces each claim back to where it came from: an original document, a respected reference work, an official record or a first-hand account. Where good sources disagree, the script says so or uses only the claim it can best support.
Some claims need extra care. Famous quotes are often misattributed or reworded over time, round numbers are often estimates, and dramatic stories about famous people sometimes turn out to be later legends. A claim that can't be confirmed is cut or clearly framed as uncertain.
AI tools can write fluent sentences that sound right but aren't, including made-up figures and sources. That makes checking more important, not less: a claim belongs in the video because the research supports it, not because it reads well.
A script about a famous inventor includes a well-known line he supposedly said about failure. The research finds no record of him saying it in his lifetime, so the line is cut and the short quotes a sentence from one of his own letters instead.
How we use it
Every claim in our scripts is tied to the research behind it. A figure appears only when the research supports it, and a claim it can't support is cut or said with care.
Last reviewed 15 October 2026.