Masterclass: Fact Checking with The New Yorker

Tribeca Talks

| 60 MINUTES

In a moment when news can be called fake with impunity, the work of the fact checker in the media has never been more critical. This master class with members of The New Yorker’s renowned fact-checking department dives deep into the responsibility of a fact checker, how they approach their role in the reporting and editorial process, and the importance of always getting to the truth.

Panelists

Fergus McIntosh

Fergus McIntosh leads The New Yorker’s fact-checking department, responsible for ensuring the accuracy and editorial integrity of the magazine across print, digital, audio, and video. In his previous role as a fact-checker, he worked on a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigation, and he has checked books by writers including Patrick Radden Keefe and Andrea Bernstein. He writes occasionally on movies, music, and British politics.

Yasmine AlSayyad

Yasmine AlSayyad is the deputy head of fact-checking at The New Yorker, where she supervises the review process for all of the publication’s videos. She has checked feature films and non-fiction books. She is also a writer and has contributed book reviews, TV reviews, and cultural reporting to the magazine. Her earlier work includes pieces on Egyptian cotton, the soccer star Mo Salah, the science of menstruation, pawpaw fruits, and the siege of Aleppo. Her writing also appears in The New York Times.

Paul Moakley

Paul Moakley is the executive producer of The New Yorker Documentary and formerly an editor at large, special projects at TIME. His work stems from a passion for photography and storytelling and takes shape in collaborative documentary projects using his skills as a producer, director, and writer. He's earned numerous awards, including an Emmy as a producer on the interactive, multi-platform project Beyond 9/11.

Melissa Fajardo

Melissa Fajardo, Supervising Producer at The New Yorker, oversees production and programming for the magazine's documentary series. Previously, she produced for Vox Media's 'Explained' on Netflix and directed an award-winning investigative series at NowThis.