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PolitiFact mishandled a fact check of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis touching illegal border crossings and ignored a correction request. Accordingly, Zebra Fact Check submitted a formal complaint to the International Fact-Checking Network.
Our first formal complaint about PolitiFact to the International Fact-Checking Network was submitted via email on Jan. 26, 2018.
Back in early 2018 the International Fact-Checking Network had yet to develop a working complaint submission interface. We filed our earliest complaints via email. For this example the first email points out to PolitiFact its inconsistency on spending cuts to future budgets. That March 29, 2018 email (documented at this website here) gets forwarded to the IFCN to serve as…
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Zebra Fact Check noted that a PolitiFact fact check created a false narrative around Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida, suggesting that DeSantis conflated one statistic with another when speaking about illegal immigration. PolitiFact failed to acknowledge that border apprehensions have a long history as a proxy for illegal border crossings. PolitiFact also failed to acknowledge that border apprehensions do not…
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As we have noted in past posts, Zebra Fact Check has moved to focus more on fact-checking accountability than on doing our own program of fact-checking. Of course this altered focus affords many opportunities to check facts. As it stands, there exists no entity dedicated to holding fact-checkers accountable. The International Fact-Checking Network advertises itself in that role, but that…
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The title says it all, given that we’re posting a commentary article about this particular complaint.
On July 24, 2023 PolitiFact published a supposed fact check of Vice President Kamala Harris. Harris claimed “(T)hey (Florida) decided middle school students will be taught that enslaved people benefitted from slavery.” PolitiFact rated Harris’ claim “Mostly True” on its trademarked “Truth-O-Meter.” Doubtless DEI directors and Democrats will largely cheer the ruling. We’ll explain how PolitiFact botched the ruling in…
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Zebra Fact Check noticed a fine case of inconsistent methodology from the fact checkers at PolitiFact. As correction requests go, this one counts as ill-defined. We point out the inconsistency but do not suggest how PolitiFact might fix the problem, for the problem of inconsistency forms a veritable spider’s web of problems with PolitiFact’s fact-checking. In response to our email…
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After PolitiFact failed to respond to a correction request we sent on Dec. 20, 2022, Zebra Fact Check submitted a formal complaint to the International Fact-Checking Network on Jan. 10, 2023.
When PolitiFact Wisconsin perpetuated PolitiFact’s inconsistent approach to rating claims about the gender pay gap with a Dec. 16, 2022 fact check of Sen. Tammy Baldwin, Zebra Fact Check sent a correction request. As of this date (Jan. 10, 2023), we have noted no effort by PolitiFact or PolitiFact Wisconsin to address its inconsistency. PolitiFact acknowledged our request with its…
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