Most of us serve as the first and perhaps only fact-checker of our own work. “Learning how to fact-check can help writers become better reporters,” Brooke Borel asserts in The Chicago Guide to Fact-Checking. Fact-checking is reporting in reverse, she says. You need to fact-check everything, even the thing you just checked last week, and even things you think you know are true, she insists. You also need to identify what’s missing, and whether that undermines the accuracy of your work. Borel tells how to check facts from a variety of sources, including analogies, product claims, press releases, and maps and atlases. She also offers tips on keeping good records of your sources.
On October 29, during the membership meeting, NASW members will be voting on amendments to the bylaws, including a set of revisions stemming from periodic review and an amendment proposed last year by 39 petitioners. Members should review the changes and come prepared to vote. If you are unable to attend, you may register your choices on the proposed amendment and bylaw revisions online, by responding to your individual proxy invitation sent on October 13. Student and honorary members are welcome to attend the membership meeting but may not vote. Read more to review the proposed amendments.