Every week, viewers call into our toll-free hotline to express their feedback about our coverage. The Viewer Spotlight gives us a chance to discuss those concerns directly.
Last week, the Scripps News team took viewers to Chicago for the Democratic National Committee convention, highlighting everything from the festivities inside to the protests outside.
We were there all week, giving it coverage similar to what was afforded to the Republican National Committee's convention in July.
Some of you, like a caller named Rose, were happy with what you saw.
"You covered the Democratic convention so wonderfully," Rose said.
"I got to hear the Democratic convention at a time that was convenient for me as a viewer of your station. You were there for me, covering all the highlights and speakers. You made me feel like I was there at the convention, and I'll be forever grateful to Scripps News," she continued.
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Some had questions about our coverage, specifically our fact-checks of the candidates, or a perceived lack thereof.
"I've been watching your coverage of the DNC, and I just found it odd that I haven't heard the word 'fact check' on any of their speeches so far. So hopefully you're going to bring that back," Georgia said.
"Why don't you fact-check the Democrats? How come nobody ever fact-checked any other politicians before Trump came along, who is not a politician?" echoed an anonymous caller.
Scripps News has a variety of ways we try to hold all parties accountable. Sometimes that comes via live fact-checks immediately after a speaker finishes. Other times — because candidates and their surrogates often repeat many of their favorite lines — we're able to lay out a comprehensive fact-check via a packaged report. That's what we did with Vice President Kamala Harris' acceptance speech.
Using a story that airedon our network numerous times the following day, we brought the facts on things like abortion, health care, and Project 2025.
We produced a similar story the day after former President Trump's convention speech.
We were also able to use social media to fact-check some of Harris' claims during her speech.
At times, we're able to push back on mistruths or claims needing more context in real-time — if it's something we've looked into before. If it's new, it takes more time and reporting. Those kinds of claims are also good candidates for packaged stories, which are less immediate but more in-depth.
Our fact-checking efforts don't end with those platforms. We're rolling out a new series of stories, titled "Truth Be Told," dedicated to analyzing claims from the leading presidential candidates. You can expect those in the coming weeks across the entire Scripps News network — on TV and online.
It's all part of our dedication to bringing you the truth, no matter the party. Because at the end of the day, it's the facts, not opinions, that matter.
If you have a question about the facts behind our coverage, give us a call via our toll-free Scripps News Viewer Hotline at 1-833-4-Scripps.
RELATED STORY | Fact-checking Kamala Harris' DNC presidential nomination acceptance speech
