Monthly Archive: June 2014

Is climate change just a liberal scare tactic?

“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…
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‘Statistically representative’ debate misleads

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…
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It’s a myth the ACA makes men buy coverage for pap tests?

“Myth: Obamacare makes men buy coverage for pregnancy, pap smears, mammograms, and other services that are for women.” —The Democratic National Committee, January 2014 on its “Your Republican Uncle” website   Overview Your Republican uncle is right.  It’s no myth. The Facts Zebra Fact Check continues its series on the Democratic National Committee’s “Your Republican Uncle” website with the DNC’s…
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Free contraception won’t encourage promiscuity?

“Myth: Covering contraception under Obamacare will give college students free reign [sic] to be promiscuous.” —The Democratic National Committee, January 2014 on its “Your Republican Uncle” website   Overview The DNC grasps at straws instead of giving supporting evidence for its claim. The Facts We continue to check items from the Democratic National Committee’s “Your Republican Uncle” website with the…
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7 million thanks to Obamacare?

“Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, more than 7 million Americans have signed up for private health coverage.” —the White House, April 2014 on the whitehouse.gov website   Overview The White House generously doles out undeserved credit to itself. The Facts The White House website has a menu option for exploring the administration’s stance on issues.  Clicking the “Health Care”…
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The Plain Dealer’s ‘Truth in Numbers’ project

Last year, the Cleveland Plain Dealer stopped publishing stories under the PolitiFact Ohio banner.  We read with interest the criticisms of PolitiFact coming from Plain Dealer staffers. On June 7, 2014 Plain Dealer reader representative Ted Diadiun lauded the start of the paper’s Truth in Numbers fact check effort.  He told how the Truth in Numbers system improved on PolitiFact’s…
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Minimum wage increase not for teenagers and flunkies?

“Myth:  Raising the minimum wage is for flunkies and teenagers.” —The Democratic National Committee, ~Jan. 2014 on its “Your Republican Uncle” website   Overview The DNC’s “Your Republican Uncle” website produces yet another garbled and misleading myth claim. The Facts The Democratic National Committee sponsors a website called “Your Republican Uncle.”  The DNC intends the site to offer rebuttals to common…
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Pushback on the Will McAvoy speech

Did Will McAvoy’s speech on “The Newsroom” make sense? We’ve looked forward to surpassing the transparency of more established fact check sites by regularly answering the best criticisms we receive.  Sadly, we haven’t had much to work with over the first year or so.  We’ve decided to begin highlighting criticism by replying to a critique from “Arseny.”  Arseny objected to…
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