Tag Archive: IFCN Complaints

Complaint about PolitiFact sent to the International Fact-Checking Network, Jan. 26, 2018 (Update: oops, duplicate)

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We’ve been slow (Editor’s note 12/28/2023: Not as slow as we thought! We already posted this documentation in Oct. 2023) to document our first complaint submitted to the International Fact-Checking Network regarding PolitiFact. That’s partly because we tried to ensure that IFCN figures were clear that our emails were seeking publishable responses. It’s acceptable in journalism to publish anything received…
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The battle to nudge the International Fact-Checking Network toward transparency and accountability

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As we have noted in past posts, Zebra Fact Check has moved to focus more on fact-checking accountability than on doing our own program of fact-checking. Of course this altered focus affords many opportunities to check facts. As it stands, there exists no entity dedicated to holding fact-checkers accountable. The International Fact-Checking Network advertises itself in that role, but that…
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Complaint about PolitiFact submitted to the International Fact-Checking Network, Nov. 28, 2022

complaint to the international fact-checking network about PolitiFact

When PolitiFact failed to respond to our correction/revision request by clarifying, correcting or revising its supposedly unbiased yet apparently unsupported claim that Donald Trump counts as the least accurate politician it has ever covered, Zebra Fact Check submitted a formal complaint to the International Fact-Checking Network.

Complaint sent to the International Fact-Checking Network about Reuters Fact Check, Aug. 11, 2022

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Is abortion ever medically necessary? Reuters Fact Check addressed that question back in late 2021 but committed a fallacy of equivocation in its fact check (documented here in detail). On July 30, 2022, Zebra Fact Check asked Reuters Fact Check for a correction of its fallacious reasoning. After over a week of apparent inaction from Reuters Fact Check, Zebra Fact…
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Complaint sent to the International Fact-Checking Network about Lead Stories, Aug. 9, 2022

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Meta/Facebook fact-checking partner Lead Stories committed essentially the same fallacy of equivocation other fact-checkers committed with the issue of whether abortion is ever medically necessary. We sent a correction request to Lead Stories on July 23, 2022. Lead Stories made no apparent attempt to correct its error through Aug. 9, 2022. Lead Stories’ failure to fix a documented error duly…
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Complaint sent to the International Fact-Checking Network about AFP Fact Check, Aug. 5, 2022

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AFP Fact Check committed the same equivocation error other fact-checking organizations have committed while attempting to answer whether (elective) abortion can sometimes prove medically necessary. The failure either of AFP Fact Check’s correction request interface or else its desire to correct error count as a failure to scrupulously adhere to an open and honest corrections policy, hence our complaint submitted…
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Complaint sent to the International Fact-Checking Network about FactCheck.org, Aug. 4, 2022

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Annenberg Fact Check, also known as FactCheck.org, published an abortion fact check basing its conclusion on a fallacy of equivocation. Zebra Fact Check submitted a correction request to FactCheck.org on July 15, 2022. FactCheck.org made no apparent effort to fix its mistake and no apparent attempt to explain away the mistake. Zebra Fact Check reported the case to the International…
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