On May 10, 2019 Zebra Fact Check sent a complaint to the International Fact-Checking Network offering evidence PolitiFact fails to scrupulously adhere to an honest and open corrections policy.
That complaint follows in .pdf format.
No Correction and No Consistent Standard on the Renewable Portfolio Standard
PolitiFact tracks the keeping of campaign promises for some officeholders, including president of the United States. PolitiFact dubs its tracking of President Obama’s promises the “Obameter.”
PolitiFact tracked two of Mr. Obama’s promises relating to a Renewable Portfolio Standard. Proposed national guidelines under that standard would set minimum levels of energy from renewable sources. One promise set a goal for 2012 and the other set a goal for 2025.
The Obama administration never succeeded in pushing through legislation or rulemaking establishing a Renewable Portfolio Standard. One of PolitiFact’s ratings recognizes that as a fact. But the other does not, and falsely claims that Mr. Obama fulfilled his promise to establish a Renewable Portfolio Standard requiring 10 percent of U.S. energy to come from renewable sources by 2012.
PolitiFact justified the “Promise Kept” rating by noting that the ARRA (stimulus bill) encouraged the production of energy from renewable sources. But encouraging the use of renewables and setting a statutory minimum standard are clearly two separate things. Neither promise to require minimum standards was kept.
I contacted PolitiFact about this problem via email to truthometer@politifact.com on May 3, 2019. I received no confirmation that the message was received, no reply and, most importantly, no change has occurred in PolitiFact’s judgment of Mr. Obama’s pledge to establish a required minimum standard for renewables for 2012.
Thanks for taking the time to review my complaint.
Sincerely,
Bryan W. White
Editor, Zebra Fact Check