Have you ever wondered how false information spread online can influence democracy and the public’s trust in it? Or would you like to know what the work of a fact-checker looks like?

In this episode, we hear from Sophie Timmermann, head of the fact-checking unit at CORRECTIV, a non-profit investigative media outlet in Germany. She shares what it’s like to do fact-checking professionally, discusses the influence of social media and disinformation on democracy, and explains why “prebunking” might be one of our best defenses in the fight against the spread of false information on social media.

We hear about two influential reporting lines at CORRECTIV: fact-checking reports on Doppelganger, a Russian campaign to spread propaganda using European companies. And an investigation on the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party’s efforts to deport millions of people living in Germany.

Follow CORRECTIV on instagram, youtube, X, and whatsapp, and donate here to help their work.