An independent experimental fact-checking site, exploring and advocating ways to make fact-checking better.
Note (Dec. 29, 2016): We have updated this item in response to a critique from Aaron Huertas, the main target of our criticism. Find a description of the changes as well as the original version of the article here. Did Florida’s state government issue a gag order stopping state employees from discussing climate change? A Dec. 22, 2016 article published…
Read more
When The Associated Press ran a headline proclaiming a climate science fact check of presidential candidates, we smelled trouble. Journalists tend to struggle with science. One might expect fact check journalists to do a better job handling science. And maybe they do, but it still often looks like fish out of water. Case in point: At the request of The…
Read more
“Myth: President Obama wants the United States to stop climate change alone.” —The Democratic National Committee, December 2014 on its “Your Republican Uncle” website Overview The DNC identifies a myth nobody’s spreading and offers a dubious example of President Obama’s actions to cut carbon emissions The Facts The Democratic National Committee bills its “Your Republican Uncle” website as a…
Read more
“Myth: The United States can’t stay economically competitive if we address climate change.” —The Democratic National Committee, Nov. 27 from its “Your Republican Uncle” website Overview Cutting carbon emissions carries a cost, and the cost tends to make the United States less competitive. The DNC’s rosy picture of the benefits of climate change mitigation ignores many complications. The Facts…
Read more
“Myth: Humans can’t do anything to combat rising CO2 levels.” —The Democratic National Committee, Nov. 27, 2014 on its “My Republican Uncle” website Overview We’re not convinced this is something a Republican uncle is likely to say. The Facts The DNC created its “Your Republican Uncle” website to give Democrats the perfect answer to the Republican at holiday family…
Read more
“Myth: Climate change is just a liberal scare tactic.” —The Democratic National Committee, on its “My Republican Uncle” website, Nov. 27, 2013 Overview Climate change is more than just a liberal scare tactic. But it doubles as a pretty good scare tactic. The Facts With fact checking completed on the gender equity, economy and health care sections of the…
Read more
A viral video featuring the latest news comedian’s take on the climate change debate caught our attention this week. Comedian John Oliver’s HBO program “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” follows a trail blazed by John Stewart and Stephen Colbert. As with Stewart and Colbert, we’re willing to cut Oliver a break on the accuracy of his content. He’s a…
Read more
We ran across a fact check from May of 2013 recently while looking at search hits on the 97 percent consensus claim. The Washington Post Fact Checker, Glenn Kessler, gave four “Pinocchios” to a Republican who denied a scientific consensus on the role of humans in driving climate change. Kessler’s fact check topped the list of search engine hits. That…
Read more
“Organizing for Action said that Rubio ‘refuses to accept the basic science’ on climate change and is ‘a climate change denier.’ … We rate the statement ‘Mostly True.’” —PolitiFact, Aug. 16, 2013 Overview PolitiFact’s ruling defies logic and sets aside its own standards. The Facts PolitiFact used an email from OFA’s Ivan Frishman as the subject of its fact…
Read more
Last week, we published a fact check of a new Organizing For Action campaign designed to expose Republican “climate change deniers” in Congress. One of the features of OFA’s attack ad was its claim of a 97 percent consensus among scientists on climate change. We noticed a few problems with the support typically offered with that and similar claims, and…
Read more