“事实核查制度”是通行于欧美新闻界新闻生产过程中的一项制度。它是指在新闻生产的流程中，从记者写完新闻稿件到新闻报道最终呈现在公众面前，除了部门或版面编辑对稿件从整体结构上进行把握之外，由独立于记者和编辑之外的事实核查员对稿件中的事实进行核查。 本文以德国著名新闻类杂志《明镜》周刊为例，运用案例分析、深度访谈等研究方法，从改良传统新闻工作常规、分工和人员的专业化精细化、自我定位上对专业主义的坚守以及核查员个人的专业主义理念与职业认同等四个方面分析了《明镜》周刊事实核查工作的特点，并对照中国媒体的新闻稿件把关流程，分析了中国媒体没有产生类似核查制度的原因，为中国媒体如何借鉴西方的事实核查制度给出了建议。 此外，本文还从报刊内部的事实核查制度延伸，对发源于美国并已经席卷全球的新闻界新趋势“事实核查新闻业”进行了研究。以著名的事实核查新闻网站“PolitiFact.com”为例，通过案例分析、深度访谈等方法，从解释性报道、对选题的持续追踪、对新闻客观性和新闻形态的改良、强互动性与透明性、坚持新闻专业主义理念等五个层面总结了事实核查新闻的特点，试图为中国新闻界提供参考与借鉴。
"Fact checking system" refers to a common system in news making processes in European and American media. It describes an independent procedure in these processes, which enables independent "fact checkers", not the editors who take care of the general structure of an article, to read the news story written by a journalist carefully and to check every verifiable fact before it finally gets published.This research takes the German magazine Der Spiegel (The Mirror) as an example to study the fact checking system. By applying case study as research method and two qualitative data collecting methods - in-depth interview and observation - the characteristics of fact checking in Spiegel can be analyzed in four aspects: a reform of the news making ritual; division of labor and specialization of personnel; self-positioning as professional news media and sticking to this claim; the fact checkers' professional identity professionalism. Through comparison with the news making process in Chinese media, the research offers some suggestions for Chinese media to learn from the fact checking system.In addition, the thesis also studied "Fact checking journalism", which originates in America and now can be found all over the world. This term means re-reporting the facts purported by politicians to investigate verifiable facts in order to provide clear and rigorously vetted information to readers. This research uses the Pulitzer winner "PolitiFact.com" website as a case to study fact checking journalism and concludes its five characteristics - annotative journalism, keep tracking the news, a reform of objectivity and the way news are presented, strong interactivity and high transparency, and professionalism.
