Author Archive: Bryan W. White
Bryan W. White
August 25, 2014
“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…
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Bryan W. White
August 18, 2014
“Virginia Democrats believe they have found evidence showing states that expand their Medicaid rolls are better off than those that reject expansion. … “Barker said hospitals in states with Medicaid expansion have already benefited from a 30 percent drop in uncompensated care. … “The statement is True.” —PolitiFact Virginia, in an Aug. 10, 2014 fact check of Virginia state senator…
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Bryan W. White
August 6, 2014
“Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more; Or close the wall up with our English dead.” Henry V, from Shakespeare’s “Henry V” Mainstream media fact checkers have done a lousy job of alerting their readers to Democrats’ deceptive gender pay gap claims. We’ll review the fact checks of the pay gap issue from FactCheck.org, the Washington Post…
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Commentary, Zebra Fact Checks
FactCheck.org, gender wage gap, Glenn Kessler, PolitiFact, PolitiFact Florida, PolitiFact Georgia, PolitiFact New Jersey, PolitiFact Ohio, PolitiFact Oregon, PolitiFact Rhode Island, Washington Post Fact Checker
Bryan W. White
August 1, 2014
“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…
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Bryan W. White
July 26, 2014
“(Charlie) Crist said Scott’s per-pupil education spending is “about $200 less” than the Crist administration did during the recession. … We rate the statement Mostly True.” —PolitiFact Florida, from a July 18, 2014 fact check of Democratic gubernatorial candidate Charlie Crist Overview PolitiFact Florida’s fact check misleads on Crist’s nearly meaningless claim. The Facts On July 18, 2014, PolitiFact…
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Bryan W. White
July 23, 2014
In a July 19, 2014 fact check of an Associated Press fact check, we omitted a word in our summary section leading to the need for a correction. The sentence originally stated that the “Question from Don” ad from the Alison Lundergan Grimes campaign for one of Kentucky’s two senate seats was Grimes’ first television ad. We had reviewed reporting…
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Bryan W. White
July 19, 2014
“Alison Lundergan Grimes, Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell’s Democratic opponent, released her first attack ad Tuesday.” —The Associated Press, in a July 9, 2014 fact-check story Overview Unnecessary factoid fails to ring true. The Facts On July 9, 2014 the Associated Press published a fact check story written by Adam Beam and Calvin Woodward. The fact check examined two…
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Bryan W. White
July 10, 2014
“Taking into account all the health insurance expansions initiated by the Affordable Care Act (ACA), an estimated 20 million Americans have gained coverage as of May 1, 2014.” —The Commonwealth Fund, from “Health Care Coverage Under the Affordable Care Act—A Progress Report,” July 2, 2014 Overview “Gained” gains an expanded meaning? The Facts On July 3, The Commonwealth Fund…
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Bryan W. White
July 6, 2014
In June 2014, FactCheck.org and PolitiFact Florida fact checked the same ad from the Florida Democratic Party. The ad attacked incumbent Florida Governor Rick Scott (R-Fla.). A comparison of the fact checks helps explain why we view FactCheck.org as the current king of the fact-checking hill, with PolitiFact occupying the other end of the spectrum. The Florida Democratic Party aired…
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Bryan W. White
July 2, 2014
“(Debbie) Wasserman Schultz said that ‘nearly 60 percent of women who use birth control do so for more than just family planning.’ … The statement is accurate but needs clarification or additional information. We rate it Mostly True.” —PolitiFact Florida’s June 30 rating of a statement by Democrat Debbie Wasserman Schultz Overview The “Mostly True” rating of Wasserman Schultz…
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