An independent experimental fact-checking site, exploring and advocating ways to make fact-checking better.
On Feb. 26, 2019 Zebra Fact Check sent a message to the International Fact-Checking Network detailing PolitiFact’s failure to adhere to an open and honest policy on corrections. Our use of an apostrophe in the filename for our .pdf may have delayed IFCN’s receipt of the message, but it was eventually received (we resubmitted the file with a new name…
Read more
On Feb. 19, 2019 Zebra Fact Check sent an email to PolitiFact alerting it to a highly misleading paragraph in its article explaining Sen. Bernie Sanders’ Medicare For All proposal. The text of the message follows in .pdf format:
In January 2019 (likely Jan. 23, 2019 based on its edit history) we sent a complaint to the International Fact-Checking Network regarding PolitiFact’s failure to adhere to an open and honest corrections policy. The message detailed PolitiFact’s failure to support its conclusion that President Trump had contradicted himself on the subject of Mexico paying by check for the proposed U.S….
Read more
On Jan. 16, 2019, Zebra Fact Check sent an email to PolitiFact alerting the IFCN-certified fact checkers that their fact check of President Trump on Jan 10, 2019 (our email incorrectly says 2018) failed to produce adequate evidence of an alleged contradiction. As of Sept. 15, 2019 we could detect no action on PolitiFact’s part to explain or correct the…
Read more
On October 5, 2018 we submitted a complaint through the IFCN noting PolitiFact Missouri’s ruling on a claim from Republican Josh Hawley unduly ignored the precision of Hawley’s statement. This complaint differs from most of the others in that PolitiFact sent a response. It is worth noting that we specifically requested a response in this case. It is also worth…
Read more
On Nov. 14, 2018 we sent a message to PolitiFact regarding an omitted piece of evidence in its “PunditFact” fact check of a claim by Ken Blackwell. As of Sept. 15, 2019 we received no response from PolitiFact and have noted no corrective change to its Aug. 29, 2018 report, though the omitted evidence was reported in the Poynter-owned Tampa…
Read more
On September 20, 2018 we registered a complaint about PolitiFact through the International Fact-Checking Network. A .pdf image of that complaint follows:
On Sept. 3, 2018 we send notice to PolitiFact regarding a mistake in its Aug. 29, 2018 fact check of a claim by President Donald Trump. A .pdf image of that complaint follows. As of this date (Sept. 15, 2019) we have received no response or acknowledgment from PolitiFact and the fact checkers have not addressed the mistake.
On Sept. 25, 20198 (corrected Dec. 17, 2023) we submitted a complaint to the International Fact-Checking Network regarding PolitiFact’s failure to follow an open and honest corrections policy. A .pdf image of that complaint follows.
We emailed PolitiFact on April 25, 2019 to encourage corrections to PolitiFact Vermont’s April 24, 2019 fact check of Bernie Sanders. Sanders said Vermont’s constitution has always allowed everybody to vote, therefore jailed persons in Vermont can vote. PolitiFact rated the claim “True.” We pointed out a number of errors. We will update this item if we receive any relevant…
Read more