Upon noticing an apparent error in a PolitiFact newsletter sent Sept. 15, 2022, Zebra Fact Check sent a correction/clarification request to PolitiFact that same day.
PolitiFact responded (unusual in our experience) the same day. PolitiFact Audience Director Josie Hollingsworth affirmed the presence of the error and committed to issuing a correction in the next edition of the newsletter.
Note: We detect no guidance for correcting a newsletter at the PolitiFact website.
Dear Truth-O-Meter,
You audience engagement newsletter sent out a couple of hours ago looks like it contains a false statement:
Prebunking is effective at fighting misinfo, MediaWise study finds. A study that dropped last month strongly suggests “prebunking” is an effective way to counter the propaganda techniques at the center of mis- and disinformation.
“MediaWise study finds.” I can’t find any evidence attaching the study to MediaWise. As a result I am not sure how you established a connection and urge you to double-check your work and correct/clarify as necessary (that is, in accord with PolitiFact’s policy on corrections).
If it turns out that I’m wrong, please alert me to the evidence that I overlooked. Thanks!
Hi Bryan,
Thanks for catching this. My mistake - I was conflating the prebunking study with MediaWise’s participation in a recent survey about media literacy and their course on prebunking. I’ll issue a correction in next week’s issue of the weekly newsletter.
Sincerely,
Josie
Thanks for the reply. 🙂
(Remember this is Bryan White, so handle with care.)
lmao
Your response is perfect, Josie, assuming the follow-through matches.
I do have a concern about correcting a newsletter mistake with an announcement in the following newsletter. I realize that’s current policy at Poynter. It just seems like there should be a better option. A lie can travel around the world before the truth can get its shoes on, it’s said, and in cases like this we make sure the lie gets an excellent head start. 😉