Tikrintojais

Tikrintojais is a term used in Lithuanian to refer to a person or group who verifies facts, data, and sources to ensure accuracy in information production. The standard noun for the person is tikrintojas; tikrintojais is the instrumental plural form used in sentences like su tikrintojais and when referring to the group of verifiers. In practice, the role overlaps with editors, researchers, and fact-checkers in journalism, publishing, and academia.

Definition and scope: A tikrintojas checks claims, quotes, statistics, and documents against reliable sources, requests documentation, and flags unverifiable or misleading material. They typically work within the editing or research process, coordinating with authors and editors to correct errors and clarify ambiguous information.

Fields and settings: The role appears in newsrooms, academic journals, publishing houses, think tanks, and corporate communications. Fact-checking teams may operate as a dedicated unit or as part of a broader editorial process.

Methods and ethics: Tikrintojais relies on primary sources, official records, databases, and interviews. Practices emphasize transparency about uncertainties, avoidance of conflicts of interest, and respect for privacy and source confidentiality.

Education and training: Professionals typically have backgrounds in journalism, library or information science, or scientific research. Key skills include critical thinking, source evaluation, data literacy, and careful documentation of sources and decisions.

Related terms: korektorius (proofreader) and duomenų tikrintojas (data verifier) are closely related, but tikrintojas focuses on factual accuracy and sources rather than language or typography. In Lithuanian media and academia, tikrintojais denotes the group of verifiers as a professional niche.