Nieman Lab Prediction 2025: From fact-checking to friction-checking

Misinformation succeeds because it taps into the same issues that make journalism difficult: unequal access to knowledge, community distrust of the press, precarious work and low pay for reporters, and the emotional pressures that journalists face when institutions ignore real public concerns. This shift to friction-checking requires new roles and methods that are

people- and data-focused. Read more in my Nieman Lab for 2026 Prediction.

NiemanLab Prediction Title 2026