Let’s be honest for a second. The internet is a bit of a shambles right now.
You’ve seen it—that “miracle” health cure your aunt shared on Facebook, or the weirdly specific rumour about a royal homecoming that feels like it was written by a bot in a basement. It’s exhausting. Most people just scroll past, but if you’re the type of person who can’t rest until you’ve found the primary source, the actual data, or the deleted tweet that proves a story is nonsense—well, we’ve been looking for you.
At Facts Check, we aren’t just looking for “writers”. We’re looking for digital detectives. We need people who can take a mess of misinformation and tidy it up into something the average person can actually use.
What’s the Vibe?
We don’t do stuffy, academic papers. If you want to write 4,000 words on the history of the pound sterling, there are plenty of journals for that. We want punchy, “lived-in” content that feels like a conversation at a pub but with the citations of a PhD.
We currently need experts and enthusiasts in:
- The Business Desk: Can you actually explain why a “4-day work week” is hitting a wall in the UK without making it sound like a lecture?
- Celebrity & News: Did that viral TikTok trend actually happen, or is it just a clever PR stunt? We need people to pull the curtain back.
- The Royal Beat: This is a minefield of “unnamed sources.” We need writers who know the difference between a palace briefing and a tabloid fever dream.
- Health Myths: If someone claims lemon water can “detox” your liver (spoiler: it can’t), we want you to be the one to explain why with a bit of wit and a lot of science.
What We Cover
Our four main areas are:
- Business — Tax, workplace trends, economic claims, corporate stories, financial myths. If someone in a suit said something on television and you want to know whether it holds up, this is where it goes.
- Celebrity — Not gossip. We don’t do gossip. But when stories about public figures spread across social media with no clear source, we look into them. There’s a difference between what people are saying and what’s actually happened.
- News — Viral claims, political statements, government figures, anything shared online that’s taken on a life of its own. This is the core of what we do.
- Royals — One of the most rumour-heavy beats in British media. If you can separate what the Palace has confirmed from what a tabloid invented on a slow Tuesday, we want to hear from you.
- Health & Science — This is a big one for us. We’re looking for the truth behind “miracle” detoxes, trending diet fads, and those scary medical headlines that pop up on your feed. If it involves a “secret cure” or a weird wellness hack that sounds a bit too good to be true, we want to see the actual peer-reviewed evidence.
What We Expect
- Do the actual research. Every claim in your piece needs a source you can point to. If it’s a statistic, find the original study. If it’s a quote, find the original interview. Don’t cite another news article citing another news article — go back to the beginning.
- Write clearly. Our readers aren’t looking for academic papers. They want plain English that respects their intelligence. No jargon. No padding. Say what you mean.
- Be honest about what you found. If the evidence is mixed, say so. If you couldn’t verify something, say so. A good fact-check that says “we don’t know” is more valuable than a confident piece that gets it wrong.
- Length. Most of our articles sit between 700 and 1,200 words. Long enough to do the subject justice. Short enough that people actually read to the end.
- Originality. We don’t publish content that’s already been published elsewhere. Whatever you send us should be written fresh, specifically for Facts Check.
What We Won’t Publish
Anything that pushes a particular political agenda. We’re not here to win arguments—we’re here to find out what’s true.
- Opinion pieces dressed up as fact-checks. There’s a difference, and experienced readers can spot it immediately.
- Pieces with no verifiable sources. If you can’t show your working, we can’t publish it.
- Sponsored content or promotional material. Nothing on Facts Check is paid for by the subject of the piece.
What You Get
A byline under your real name. An author page where your pieces are collected. A platform read by people across the UK who take accuracy seriously.
We don’t pay for contributions at this stage, but we do credit every writer properly and we edit carefully—which means your work will actually look good when it goes out.
If you’re building a portfolio, a Facts Check byline carries weight. If you’re a professional who wants to put something useful into the world outside your day job, this is a good place to do it.
How to Apply
We don’t want you to slave away over a full article just for us to say “no thanks”. Let’s start with a chat.
Step 1: The Pitch Send us a short email (keep it under 250 words) telling us what you want to debunk. Tell us:
- What is the lie?
- What is the truth?
- How can you prove it?
Step 2: Who are you? You don’t need to be a Fleet Street veteran. Maybe you’re a junior doctor with a passion for debunking diet myths, or a uni student who’s obsessed with political transparency. Just tell us why you know your stuff.
Step 3: The Write-Up If we love the pitch, we’ll ask for a draft. Usually, we look for 800 to 1,000 words. We like short paragraphs, bold headings, and a tone that doesn’t feel forced.
What You Get Out of It
Aside from the warm, fuzzy feeling of fighting fake news, you’ll get a full author profile. This includes a bio where you can link to your own site, your portfolio, or your social media. It’s a great way to build your authority in the industry—especially as we head into the “AI-saturated” world of late 2026 where real human expertise is becoming a rare commodity.
Ready to Start?
Drop us a line at Contact@factscheck.co.uk
Don’t worry about being “perfect.” Just be honest, be thorough, and for heaven’s sake, check your sources. We’re excited to see what you’re digging up.