An independent experimental fact-checking site, exploring and advocating ways to make fact-checking better.
We were recently reminded of the allegation that tea party members don’t understand that Medicare is a government insurance program. The reminder came with photographic evidence: an early tea party rally featuring a person holding a sign that read “Keep government out of my Medicare! You damn socialists!” The sign didn’t look quite right. Suspecting a Photoshop job, we looked…
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“It’s capitalism. You can go out and buy whatever you want, but the insurance company realizes they can’t sell this lousy insurance policy anymore.” —Frank Pallone, Oct. 31, 2013 Overview Rep. Pallone’s description of the reasons behind the recent raft of insurance policy cancellations creates a freakishly distorted picture of reality. The Facts Rep. Frank Pallone (D—N.J.) appeared on…
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A critical review of Jordan Humphreys’ “When Lies Matter: The Effect of Media Coverage of Misinformation on Public Opinion in the Health Care Reform Debate” Zebra Fact Check started in part to help express my concern about the state of high-quality information. The sources normally deemed worthy of trust, like journalists and academia, tend to have liberals in control. …
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“[Sen. Ted] Cruz said Obamacare has led to premiums going up and up and up for virtually every person.” —PolitiFact, Oct. 17, 2013 Overview PolitiFact provides a sterling example of settling on an improbable interpretation of a politician’s statement. The Facts On Oct. 17, 2013, mainstream fact checker PolitiFact examined a statement from Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas): “President…
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“Myth #2: Premium Prices Will Increase Due To Health Care Law” —Media Matters for America, Oct. 1, 2013 Overview If saying it makes it true then Media Matters has a good argument. The Facts On Oct. 1, 2013, Media Matters for America published a list of what it calls “myths” about the health care law, commonly known as the ACA…
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A skeptical treatment of Nyhan and Reifler’s latest study Readers should be aware I’ve referred to Brendan Nyhan as a “truth-hustler” in earlier writings. The team of Brendan Nyhan and Jason Reifler created yet another stir recently with their latest study of media effects, “The Effects of Fact Checking Threat.” Brendan Nyhan holds a post at Dartmouth College as assistant…
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“The total cost of the Affordable Care Act to provide health insurance for every American out there at an affordable rate is costing about the same amount over the course of ten years as the cost of the prescription-drug bill that President Bush passed.” —President Barack Obama, Sept. 24, 2013 Overview The president simplifies a complicated picture in ways…
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“Not long ago, the GOP took the government to the brink of shutdown, trying to defund Planned Parenthood. And now they’re threatening to shut down the government if they can’t destroy Obamacare. “If they’re successful, it’s really bad for women and families. We’ll go back to a time when insurance didn’t have to fully cover birth control. When simply being…
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“As Winston Churchill reputedly said, ‘Americans always do the right thing eventually—after they’ve exhausted all other alternatives.’” —Robert Reich, Sept. 16, 2013 on “The Daily Show” Overview Churchill probably didn’t say it, but Reich uses an acceptable method for handling the uncertainty. The Facts A Facebook post led us to investigate Robert Reich’s recent appearance on “The Daily…
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“Clinton was right—63 percent of young Republicans, compared to only 45 percent of young Democrats had signed on to their parents’ plan, something they couldn’t have done without passage of Obama’s law.” —PolitiFact, Sept. 5, 2013 Overview PolitiFact grades the literal interpretation of a trivial claim “True,” and passes a stinker of an underlying argument off on its readers….
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