Author Archive: Bryan W. White

Review: ‘Checking the Fact-Checkers in 2008: Predicting Political Ad Scrutiny and Assessing Consistency’

January 29, 2015 0 Comments

In 2014 we first heard of a branch of scholarly research purporting to support the accuracy of mainstream fact checking. The research was mentioned in a paper by political scientists Brendan Nyhan and Jason Reifler, The Effect of Fact-checking on Elites: A field experiment on U.S. state legislators: While individual fact-checks sometimes veer into punditry or semantic disputes (Marx 2012;…
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Commentary, Zebra Fact Checks

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Glenn Kessler defends his use of the Neil Newhouse quotation

December 31, 2014 0 Comments

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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the Blog, Zebra Fact Checks

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Quote check: ‘We’re not going to let our campaign be dictated by fact checkers’

December 31, 2014 0 Comments

“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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Fact Checks, Zebra Fact Checks

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Waterboarding fact check: Kessler vs. Cheney

December 23, 2014 0 Comments

“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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Fact Checks, Zebra Fact Checks

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Correction to our report of a contraceptive study

December 15, 2014 0 Comments

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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Corrections

PolitiFact vs. Giuliani on murder conviction rates

December 11, 2014 0 Comments

“[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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Fact Checks, Zebra Fact Checks

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CNN misreports “classic study on race”

December 3, 2014 4 Comments

“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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Fact Checks

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Review: “Truthiness Check”

November 23, 2014 1 Comment

A different approach to fact checking partially unveiled itself on the Web in October 2014. Dubbed “Truthiness Check,” the site takes a Wikipedian approach to fact-checking. We’ve moved slowly to review Truthiness Check partly since we’ve puzzled over how to figure out what the site is even saying about various political claims. The creators have acknowledged the problem and promise…
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the Blog

Is health care the ‘single biggest factor’ driving down the budget deficit?

October 21, 2014 0 Comments

“Obama said the cost of “health care is now the single-biggest factor driving down” the federal budget deficit. … We rate Obama’s claim Mostly True.” —PolitiFact, from an Oct. 8, 2014 fact check of President Obama   Overview The mainstream fact checker PolitiFact exemplifies inconsistency with its fact check of President Obama. The Facts On Oct. 8, 2014, PolitiFact published a…
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Fact Checks, Zebra Fact Checks

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