Author Archive: Bryan W. White

Email to the International Fact-Checking Network about its review of Science Feedback’s 2019 fact check of Lila Rose, Oct. 1, 2019

Bryan W. White July 8, 2022 0 Comments

Before Zebra Fact Check submitted its lone 2019 complaint about Science Feedback to the International Fact-Checking Network, we sent an email to the IFCN suggesting that its review of the fact check, intended to settle a dispute between Young America’s Foundation and Science Feedback, incorrectly judged the fact check solid aside from the involvement of biased doctors.

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International Fact-Checking Network, Science Feedback

Correction/clarification request send to PolitiFact, July 5, 2022

Bryan W. White July 5, 2022 0 Comments

Zebra Fact Check requested correction or clarification regarding a claim of fact PolitiFact included in its March 22, 2022 article titled “‘Don’t say gay’ vs. ‘parental rights’: Fact-checking claims about Florida’s HB 1557.” Sometimes PolitiFact answers email with a standardized response. In this instance we did not receive any response. We sent a second version of the correction/clarification request minus…
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Correction request sent to PolitiFact, July 1, 2022

Bryan W. White July 4, 2022 0 Comments

Upon noticing that PolitiFact fact check had failed to properly contextualize a claim from Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.), Zebra Fact Check sent a correction request to PolitiFact on July 1, 2022. PolitiFact acknowledged its receipt of the correction request with a form email.

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correction requests, PolitiFact

Correction requests submitted to PolitiFact, June 27, 2022

Bryan W. White June 28, 2022 0 Comments

On June 27, 2022, Zebra Fact Check sent a correction request to PolitiFact via [email protected]. PolitiFact issued a “Mostly True” rating for President Biden’s claim that the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision made the United States “an outlier among developed nations in the world.” We explained to PolitiFact it used an unrealistic approach to defining “developed nations” that was inconsistent with…
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correction request, PolitiFact

Complaint to the International Fact-Checking Network about PolitiFact, June 16, 2022

Bryan W. White June 16, 2022 0 Comments

On June 16, 2022, Zebra Fact Check sent a complaint about PolitiFact to the International Fact-Checking Network.

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IFCN Complaints, PolitiFact

Complaint to the International Fact-Checking Network about PolitiFact, June 8, 2022

Bryan W. White June 8, 2022 2 Comments

A PolitiFact fact check got out ahead of the facts, evident after Uvalde, Texas law enforcement issued contradictory reports about events surrounding a shooting incident. PolitiFact obscured from readers that it issued apparent false reports while relying on official sources. Instead of admitting it changed its reporting, PolitiFact told readers it updated its story with new information that came out…
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International Fact-Checking Network, PolitiFact

Correction request submitted to PolitiFact, June 1, 2022

Bryan W. White June 2, 2022 0 Comments

Zebra Fact Check discovered a major methodological error in PolitiFact’s May 24, 2022 fact check of a claim by Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.). Accordingly, we sent a correction request to [email protected]. We received PolitiFact’s standard acknowledgment form letter in reply.

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correction requests, PolitiFact

Correction Request sent to PolitiFact, May 31, 2022

Bryan W. White June 2, 2022 0 Comments

When PolitiFact responded to our May 27, 2022 outreach by failing to disclose edits it made to a May 26, 2022 fact check, Zebra Fact Check sent another correction request to PolitiFact. We noted, among other things, that revising and eliding material does not count as an update according to PolitiFact’s statement of principles.

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correction requests, PolitiFact

PolitiFact’s ‘great replacement’ smear of Tucker Carlson

Bryan W. White May 30, 2022 0 Comments

After PolitiFact published an article supposedly explaining “great replacement theory,” with Tucker Carlson as a key focus, PolitiFact published a preposterous piece on May 19, 2022 claiming Carlson feigned not knowing about “great replacement theory.” Fox News host Tucker Carlson falsely claimed he was unfamiliar with the racist and antisemitic “great replacement theory” cited by the mass shooter in Buffalo,…
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Commentary, Zebra Fact Checks

Great Replacement Theory, PolitiFact, Tucker Carlson

Second Email outreach to Ferdi Ferhat Özsoy of the International Fact-Checking Network, May 26, 2022

Bryan W. White May 30, 2022 0 Comments

Having received no apparent acknowledgment of our May 16, 2022 inquiry about the International Fact-Checking Network’s complaints process, we sent the same inquiry again on May 26, 2022 with a new subject line. The IFCN busies itself with an annual fact-checking convention this time of year, so that may help explain a slow response.

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email outreach, International Fact-Checking Network