Vetting
Encyclopedia
Vetting is a process of examination and evaluation, generally referring to performing a background check
on someone before offering him or her employment, conferring an award, etc. In addition, in intelligence gathering, assets
are vetted to determine their usefulness.
before being allowed to race. Thus, it has taken the general meaning "to check".
It is a figurative contraction of veterinarian, which originated in the mid-17th century. The colloquial abbreviation dates to the 1860s; the verb form of the word, meaning "to treat an animal", came a few decades later—according to the Oxford English Dictionary
, the earliest known usage is 1891—and was applied primarily in a horse-racing context. ("He vetted the stallion before the race", "You should vet that horse before he races", etc.) By the early 1900s, vet had begun to be used as a synonym for evaluate, especially in the context of searching for flaws.
, bonds
, and any other securities or financial instruments
before committing money.
, the duty of fact-checking commonly falls to copy editors.
In the journalism
field, newspaper
, periodical, and television news articles or stories may be vetted by fact-checkers, whose job it is to check the correctness of factual assertions made in news copy. However, fact-checking is a time-consuming and costly process, so stories in daily publications are typically not fact-checked. Reporters are expected to check their own facts, sometimes with the aid of an in-house reference library
. Information which is verified by two independent sources
is commonly stated as fact.
Even when published or televised material is not specifically fact-checked, it is often vetted by a company's legal department to avoid committing slander or libel
.
, a party's presidential nominee
must choose a vice-presidential candidate to accompany him or her on the ticket. Prospective vice-presidential candidates must undergo thorough evaluation by a team of advisers acting on behalf of the nominee. In later stages of the vetting process, the team will examine such items as a prospective vice-presidential candidate's finances, personal conduct, and previous coverage in the media.
. When countries undergo a process of transition—after a period of armed conflict or authoritarian rule—they must determine what to do with public employees who perpetrated human rights abuses. They also must examine and revise the institutional structures that allowed such abuses to occur. Vetting is the processes of assessing the integrity of individuals (such as their adherence to relevant human rights standards) in order to determine their suitability for public employment. Countries transitioning to democracy and peace often utilize such processes to ensure that abusive or incompetent public employees are excluded from public service.
Unlike certification or classification, vetting is a private, voluntary system operators may opt to use to help them choose a particular vessel from among all of the certified vessels available, and to manage their risks.
Vetting in its current form first appeared in 1993, when the Ship Inspection Report (SIRE) database was created for use by oil companies. For each voyage, the vetting department assesses the vessel to be used, relying in particular on inspection results.
Vetting inspections do not include a survey of the vessel’s structural elements, which is the responsibility of the classification society and the shipowner as part of the vessel’s regular maintenance and of the process of ensuring that it complies with applicable rules and regulations. In any case, it would be technically impossible for a vetting department to carry out such a structural survey.
Vetting inspections also give the company access to confidential documents relating to the vessel’s maintenance and classification, which can only be consulted by third parties onboard.
Dry bulk and container vetting can also incorporate vessel inspections, along similar lines to the oil industry processes described above, although systems for inspection requests, reports and the sharing of reports are again much less standardized.
. The process of vetting code refers to ensuring a build of software meets a set of requirements before the build is passed to the quality control environment for further testing.
Background check
A background check or background investigation is the process of looking up and compiling criminal records, commercial records and financial records of an individual....
on someone before offering him or her employment, conferring an award, etc. In addition, in intelligence gathering, assets
Asset (intelligence)
In intelligence, assets are persons within organizations or countries that are being spied upon who provide information for an outside spy.There are different categories of assets, including people...
are vetted to determine their usefulness.
Origin
To vet was originally a horse-racing term, referring to the requirement that a horse be checked for health and soundness by a veterinarianVeterinarian
A veterinary physician, colloquially called a vet, shortened from veterinarian or veterinary surgeon , is a professional who treats disease, disorder and injury in animals....
before being allowed to race. Thus, it has taken the general meaning "to check".
It is a figurative contraction of veterinarian, which originated in the mid-17th century. The colloquial abbreviation dates to the 1860s; the verb form of the word, meaning "to treat an animal", came a few decades later—according to the Oxford English Dictionary
Oxford English Dictionary
The Oxford English Dictionary , published by the Oxford University Press, is the self-styled premier dictionary of the English language. Two fully bound print editions of the OED have been published under its current name, in 1928 and 1989. The first edition was published in twelve volumes , and...
, the earliest known usage is 1891—and was applied primarily in a horse-racing context. ("He vetted the stallion before the race", "You should vet that horse before he races", etc.) By the early 1900s, vet had begun to be used as a synonym for evaluate, especially in the context of searching for flaws.
Finance
Vetting can refer to the process of analyzing stocksStocks
Stocks are devices used in the medieval and colonial American times as a form of physical punishment involving public humiliation. The stocks partially immobilized its victims and they were often exposed in a public place such as the site of a market to the scorn of those who passed by...
, bonds
Bond (finance)
In finance, a bond is a debt security, in which the authorized issuer owes the holders a debt and, depending on the terms of the bond, is obliged to pay interest to use and/or to repay the principal at a later date, termed maturity...
, and any other securities or financial instruments
Financial instruments
A financial instrument is a tradable asset of any kind, either cash; evidence of an ownership interest in an entity; or a contractual right to receive, or deliver, cash or another financial instrument....
before committing money.
Media
In book publishingPublishing
Publishing is the process of production and dissemination of literature or information—the activity of making information available to the general public...
, the duty of fact-checking commonly falls to copy editors.
In the journalism
Journalism
Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...
field, newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
, periodical, and television news articles or stories may be vetted by fact-checkers, whose job it is to check the correctness of factual assertions made in news copy. However, fact-checking is a time-consuming and costly process, so stories in daily publications are typically not fact-checked. Reporters are expected to check their own facts, sometimes with the aid of an in-house reference library
Reference library
A reference library does not lend books and other items; instead, they must be read at the library itself. Typically such libraries are used for research purposes, for example at a university. See List of closed stack libraries...
. Information which is verified by two independent sources
Independent sources
The term "multiple independent sources" in journalism, criminal justice, science and general research, refers to two or more unconnected people, organizations, entities or objects which provide a given set of information or samples. For example, two separate people who witness a traffic accident,...
is commonly stated as fact.
Even when published or televised material is not specifically fact-checked, it is often vetted by a company's legal department to avoid committing slander or libel
Slander and libel
Defamation—also called calumny, vilification, traducement, slander , and libel —is the communication of a statement that makes a claim, expressly stated or implied to be factual, that may give an individual, business, product, group, government, or nation a negative image...
.
Political selection
Politicians are often thoroughly vetted. For example, in the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, a party's presidential nominee
Presidential nominee
In United States politics and government, the term presidential nominee has two distinct meanings.The first is the person chosen by the primary voters and caucus-goers of a political party to be the party's nominee for President of the United States...
must choose a vice-presidential candidate to accompany him or her on the ticket. Prospective vice-presidential candidates must undergo thorough evaluation by a team of advisers acting on behalf of the nominee. In later stages of the vetting process, the team will examine such items as a prospective vice-presidential candidate's finances, personal conduct, and previous coverage in the media.
Transitional Justice
Vetting is also a term used in the field of transitional justiceTransitional justice
Transitional justice generally refers to a range of approaches that states may use to address past human rights violations and includes both judicial and non-judicial approaches. They include series of actions or policies and their resulting institutions, which may be enacted at a point of...
. When countries undergo a process of transition—after a period of armed conflict or authoritarian rule—they must determine what to do with public employees who perpetrated human rights abuses. They also must examine and revise the institutional structures that allowed such abuses to occur. Vetting is the processes of assessing the integrity of individuals (such as their adherence to relevant human rights standards) in order to determine their suitability for public employment. Countries transitioning to democracy and peace often utilize such processes to ensure that abusive or incompetent public employees are excluded from public service.
Ships
Ship/vessel vetting is the process by which a charterer determines whether a vessel is suitable to be chartered, based on the information available to it. Ports, terminals, insurers and other maritime industry operators also vet ships to identify and manage risks, and many shipowners and ship managers use ship vetting services to monitor information about their own vessels.Unlike certification or classification, vetting is a private, voluntary system operators may opt to use to help them choose a particular vessel from among all of the certified vessels available, and to manage their risks.
Vetting in its current form first appeared in 1993, when the Ship Inspection Report (SIRE) database was created for use by oil companies. For each voyage, the vetting department assesses the vessel to be used, relying in particular on inspection results.
Oil tanker vetting
The results of inspections carried out by oil companies, who are members of the OCIMF (Oil Companies International Marine Forum), are shared via the joint SIRE database. Oil majors perform inspections according to a standard report format developed by the OCIMF. These reports are available to all OCIMF members via the SIRE database, which provides each company’s vetting department with the information it needs to apply its own internal criteria without having to inspect each vessel itself. Tanker vetting inspections are usually carried out during commercial unloading operations, with the prior agreement of the shipowner and management company, the only organizations authorized to allow third parties onboard.Vetting inspections do not include a survey of the vessel’s structural elements, which is the responsibility of the classification society and the shipowner as part of the vessel’s regular maintenance and of the process of ensuring that it complies with applicable rules and regulations. In any case, it would be technically impossible for a vetting department to carry out such a structural survey.
Vetting inspections also give the company access to confidential documents relating to the vessel’s maintenance and classification, which can only be consulted by third parties onboard.
Dry vetting
Dry bulk and container ships can also be vetted. Systems for dry vetting were developed after SIRE had proved valuable for oil industry standards, and in recognition that substandard ships remained a major risk for the shipping industry. Vetting for dry vessels is less regulated than in the oil industry, remains less structured, and is not universally used, although acceptance has grown significantly, especially through the growth of accessible online vetting services including equasis and RightShip.Dry bulk and container vetting can also incorporate vessel inspections, along similar lines to the oil industry processes described above, although systems for inspection requests, reports and the sharing of reports are again much less standardized.
Software
Vetting is also a reference to software developmentSoftware development
Software development is the development of a software product...
. The process of vetting code refers to ensuring a build of software meets a set of requirements before the build is passed to the quality control environment for further testing.