Monthly Archive: December 2014

Glenn Kessler defends his use of the Neil Newhouse quotation

Early on Dec. 31, 2014 we published a critique of the way the three major mainstream fact checkers, FactCheck.org, the Washington Post Fact Checker and PolitiFact, used a 2012 quotation from Romney campaign pollster Neil Newhouse. Glenn Kessler, the Washington Post Fact Checker, didn’t waste much time in responding. That’s one thing we absolutely love about the guy. On Twitter,…
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Quote check: ‘We’re not going to let our campaign be dictated by fact checkers’

“We’re not going to let our campaign be dictated by fact checkers.” —Neil Newhouse, Mitt Romney campaign pollster, Aug. 28, 2012     Overview A media myth surrounds an oft-repeated quotation. The Facts On Aug. 28, 2012 the campaign pollster for the Mitt Romney presidential campaign, Neil Newhouse, participated in a media breakfast event sponsored by Yahoo! and ABC News….
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Waterboarding fact check: Kessler vs. Cheney

“Contrary to Cheney’s assertion, waterboarding was an important charge in a number of the lesser-profile cases.” —Glenn Kessler, the Washington Post Fact Checker, from a Dec. 16, 2014 fact check of former Vice President Dick Cheney   Overview In a fact check of the former vice president, the Washington Post Fact Checker muddies the waterboarding. The Facts Former Vice President Dick…
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Correction to our report of a contraceptive study

An anonymous visitor used our “Report an Error” feature on Dec. 14, 2014: Please describe the error: You cite a study that finds: “researchers from Washington University in fact observed a statistically significant decrease in the number of sexual partners participants reported” Then you conclude that: “The study from the Contraceptive Choice Project gives some weak evidence that free contraception…
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PolitiFact vs. Giuliani on murder conviction rates

“[Rudy] Giuliani said, “the conviction rate is almost exactly the same” for whites and blacks who commit murder. … Without statistical data to back up his claim, we rate it False.”   —PunditFact, from a Nov. 26, 2014 fact check of former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani   Overview: Facts and consistency escape PunditFact’s grasp as it overlooks an extensive…
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CNN misreports “classic study on race”

“In a classic study on race, psychologists staged an experiment with two photographs that produced a surprising result.” —CNN’s John Blake, in a Nov. 27, 2014 story titled “The new threat: ‘Racism without racists’.”   Overview: CNN and the expert it sourced, Howard Ross, both provide badly distorted accounts of a research project. The Facts “The new threat: ‘Racism without…
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