An analysis of the use of the BBC's fact-checking service BBC Verify in its flagship news bulletin BBC News at Ten

This study examines whether integrating dedicated fact-checking services into broadcast news alters the dominant “impartiality as balance” paradigm that prioritises presenting claim and counterclaim over evaluating their veracity. Using the BBC’s fact-checking unit, BBC Verify, and the flagship bulletin BBC News at Ten as a case study, a two-stage quantitative content analysis assesses the extent to which BBC Verify informs bulletin reporting and the level of scrutiny applied to political claims across both outputs. The analysis covers 266 BBC Verify items and 365 News at Ten bulletins, examining 215 political claims and 585 instances where journalists or sources interacted with these claims. Dataset 1 examines how frequently BBC Verify Online items are cross-referenced on BBC News at Ten between 30th April 2024 to 30th April 2025Dataset 2 examines the degree of claim scrutiny on BBC VerifyDataset 3 examines the degree of claim scrutiny on BBC News at Ten.