Epistemology versus ontology

These are two different branches of philosophy.

Epistemology

asks

How do we know?

Examples:

How do historians know Caesar crossed the Rubicon?

How reliable is archaeology?

When should testimony be believed?

statement

Newspapers do not automatically create facts.

is primarily an epistemological claim.

It concerns justification for believing something.

Ontology

asks

What exists?

Examples:

Do nations exist independently?

Is money a real thing or a social institution?

What is a state?

So if someone asked

What is a historical fact?

that question may involve ontology.

If someone asks

How do we know a historical fact?

that is epistemology.