Acronym used in the course to stand for Verification, Independence, and Accountability. Reliable information has all three of these characteristics.
Verification is the investigative process of finding and confirming facts.
Independence describes the journalist or news source’s ideal relationship to the story: no financial, personal or intellectual stake in the outcome.
A journalist or news source is accountable when they attach their name to what they report. Information a responsible person would republish, or use as the basis of a decision or action, has all three characteristics
