WHEN 4 weeks, April 23 - May 14 Chats Wednesdays, 8:00-9:00 pm ET WHERE Online. Click here for more information. LEVEL Intro PRICE $350 ($325 for ) more info

Course Details

Fact-checking is a wonderful way to start out in magazines, hone a skill you can use in the freelance job market, or become a life-long truth warrior. If you're looking for in-depth fact-checking instruction, as well as hands-on experience with how to fact-check and take fact-checking tests, this is the course for you. Since fact-checkers work closely with editors, writers, copy editors and production staff, they gain a thorough understanding of what it takes to putout a magazine. And by retracing the footsteps of reporters and writers while bringing their own expertise to the table, they learn how to be great reporters.

In this class, you will learn:

Check out the preview of Katherine Wessling's Mediabistro On Demand Fact-Checking Video, included in full in this online course.

Admission Requirements:
Please submit a letter of interest (including a brief work history).

The online classroom has several interactive components:

• Instructors post lectures once a week. You can read them online, print them, or download them at your convenience.
• Students post completed assignments for feedback and discussion by the instructor and class.
• Weekly chats allow your class to get together via instant message. Transcripts are available for review if you can't attend.
• Technical support is available from mediabistro staff.

Related Courses

Instructor Bio

Katherine Wessling's Courses

Katherine Wessling has fact-checked for magazines including Esquire, Newsweek International, Ladies' Home Journal, Us, In Touch, Star, and Teen People. She was associate research editor at Glamour and headed up the research department at Good Housekeeping. Katherine has also done primary research for Sky magazine, Chic Simple books, and playwright Eve Ensler (for The Good Body). She's attended and/or participated in numerous MPA and ASME seminars on fact-checking.
Her other journalism experience includes: contributing literary editor for Swing, senior editor at Speak, and editor-in-chief of (ai) performance for the planet. She's also been a commentator on WNYC's broadcast of NPR's Morning Edition.

photo credit: Susan Shacter

Testimonials

I was very impressed and thought Katherine did a great job. In fact, I attended because she had taught an in-house fact-checking class at my office before I started working there and my boss wanted me to have a similar experience. Overall, I really liked how Katherine balanced her anecdotes with more technical information. It kept the class interesting. -- Jessica Feder, editorial assistant, Country Living


"The class was very helpful in my role as fact-checker at the Seton Hall University Magazine. Katherine Wessling was able to successfully communicate the very basics of fact-checking. I was surprised at how much I liked the three-hour course considering the fact that I was coming from a long day of work. The mediabistro venue was comfortable and contributed to an open learning environment. Well done!" -- Isabel Bauer, Graduate Assistant, Seton Hall University

"As someone who had never attended a mediabistro.com course, I was expecting a more corporate environment. I was pleasantly surprised to find a relaxed, open space--at the center of which was a large table for the intimate course, which made me feel like a part of a group. Katherine Wessling was very personable. Her anecdotes are enjoyable, and helped me gain a better grasp of how interesting--and sometimes neurotic--the fact-checking process really can be." -- Daniel Quiterio, Proofreader, JWT