An independent experimental fact-checking site, exploring and advocating ways to make fact-checking better.
Occasionally the mainstream fact checker PolitiFact will publish an article giving an overview of a fact check topic. But two recent fact checks of political attack ads point to the need for one PolitiFact has yet to publish: the relevance of the source of political campaign cash. On March 27, 2014, PolitiFact published a fact check of an ad by…
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“Survey: Republicans Like Obamacare a Lot More if You Call It by a Different Name” –Headline of a Jonathan Cohn article in The New Republic, Sept. 15, 2014 Overview The survey doesn’t say what Jonathan Cohn and The New Republic say it does. The Facts On Sept. 15, 2014 the left-leaning magazine The New Republic published a story by…
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Los Angeles Times columnist Michael Hiltzik blasted PolitiFact Oregon, among other PolitiFacts, with a Sept. 10, 2014 column titled “Another ‘fact-checker’ gets Social Security wrong.” We have complaints about the PolitiFact Oregon item, also. But Hiltzik’s demagogy takes precedence. This paragraph encapsulates Hiltzik’s most objectionable points: The money accounted for in the trust fund was borrowed by the federal government…
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Zebra Fact Check isn’t likely to publish any new fact check material for about three weeks. We’re getting caught up on some neglected projects and exploring ways to increase our impact. We believe as strongly as ever it will benefit the American media landscape greatly to have a reliable fact-check source that isn’t blind to the conservative viewpoint. If you…
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PolitiFact published a brief guide to its fact check process recently on Aug. 20, 2014. It wasn’t bad at all. PolitiFact’s PunditFact published a fact check of former Texas congressman Tom DeLay on Aug. 31, 2014. It was pretty bad. How does this happen? How does a solid outline for fact checking claims turn into amateurish and ridiculous fact checks?…
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“(Sen. Bernie) Sanders said, ‘In 1952, the corporate income tax accounted for 33 percent of all federal tax revenue. Today, despite record-breaking profits, corporate taxes bring in less than 9 percent.’” … we rate his claim Mostly True.” —PolitiFact, from an Aug. 28, 2014 fact check of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) Overview PolitiFact concocts a “Mostly True” rating for…
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“Myth: The United States can’t stay economically competitive if we address climate change.” —The Democratic National Committee, Nov. 27 from its “Your Republican Uncle” website Overview Cutting carbon emissions carries a cost, and the cost tends to make the United States less competitive. The DNC’s rosy picture of the benefits of climate change mitigation ignores many complications. The Facts…
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“Virginia Democrats believe they have found evidence showing states that expand their Medicaid rolls are better off than those that reject expansion. … “Barker said hospitals in states with Medicaid expansion have already benefited from a 30 percent drop in uncompensated care. … “The statement is True.” —PolitiFact Virginia, in an Aug. 10, 2014 fact check of Virginia state senator…
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“Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more; Or close the wall up with our English dead.” Henry V, from Shakespeare’s “Henry V” Mainstream media fact checkers have done a lousy job of alerting their readers to Democrats’ deceptive gender pay gap claims. We’ll review the fact checks of the pay gap issue from FactCheck.org, the Washington Post…
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“Myth: Humans can’t do anything to combat rising CO2 levels.” —The Democratic National Committee, Nov. 27, 2014 on its “My Republican Uncle” website Overview We’re not convinced this is something a Republican uncle is likely to say. The Facts The DNC created its “Your Republican Uncle” website to give Democrats the perfect answer to the Republican at holiday family…
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