ST. PETERSBURG, Florida (January 30, 2026) – PolitiFact, the Pulitzer-Prize winning fact-checking newsroom based at the Poynter Institute, is the focus of a television documentary premiering this week on Japanese broadcaster Nippon Hōsō Kyōkai, known as NHK.
“The Battle for Truth: The Front Lines of American Fact-Checking,” premieres Friday, Jan. 30 in Japan on NHK, which translates to the Japan Broadcasting Corporation.
“With the widespread use of social media, the global spread of ‘fake news’ has become a serious social issue,” Masahiro Yamamoto, the documentary’s director, said in an email. “In Japan as well, information of mixed accuracy is circulating widely, and the situation continues to worsen. Against this backdrop, we felt there was much to learn from PolitiFact, which has been conducting fact-checking for nearly two decades.”
A production team from the Japanese public broadcaster, which delivers a variety of programs to about 460 million households in 160 countries, approached PolitiFact last year about being the focus of the documentary.
“In addition, with the reemergence of President Trump, we anticipated renewed and intensified battles between misinformation and verified facts,” Yamamoto said. “Given PolitiFact’s experience as a Pulitzer Prize–winning organization and its role as a global leader in fact-checking, we decided to develop this project.”
An English-language version of the film is planned, but the release date is not yet scheduled. NHK said March is a possibility.
Katie Sanders, PolitiFact editor in chief, said the film crew spent time with PolitiFact’s staff, both at Poynter in St. Petersburg and at the team’s Washington, D.C. office.
“They pegged their first visit to the day President Trump gave a United Nations address,” she said, filming how PolitiFact prepared for and fact-checked the event. “They ended up pivoting to how we cover breaking news” in light of the administration’s press conference on Tylenol recommendations the previous day. The crew also delved into 2024’s Lie of the Year, about administration claims that migrants in Springfield, Ohio were eating pets, and also followed PolitiFact’s process in determining the most recent Lie of the Year – which flipped the script and named 2025 the Year of the Lies.
Screenshot from the NHK documentary about PoltiFact, featuring chief correspondent Lou Jacobson.
“They were really great to work with and very up front about their intentions and what they wanted to show people,” Sanders said, adding, “the opportunity to explain how we do our work is so valuable. … I hope the documentary shows just how serious and evenhanded we are every step of the way.”
Yamamoto said his team was impressed.
“The people at PolitiFact, who work tirelessly to convey the truth, were truly inspiring. The situation in the United States is far more challenging than one might imagine, and I believe that reality comes through on screen,” he said. “Day by day, they confront various pieces of misinformation and carefully counter each one with accurate information.It is painstaking work, but thanks to their efforts, we may still be able to grasp the facts.”
In terms of what he hopes the audience will take from the documentary, Yamamoto said he wanted to “convey the importance of fact-checking to audiences in Japan and all around the world, and that their work will continue to expand and have a broader impact.”
Those who don’t have access to NHK in Japan or on cable systems should be able to see the English-language version on NHK World, https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/, once it is scheduled.
Media Contact
Jennifer Orsi
Vice President, Publishing and Local News Initiatives
Jorsi@poynter.org
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