Tag Archive: PolitiFact

Complaint to the International Fact-Checking Network about PolitiFact, June 8, 2022

Bryan W. White June 8, 2022 2 Comments

A PolitiFact fact check got out ahead of the facts, evident after Uvalde, Texas law enforcement issued contradictory reports about events surrounding a shooting incident. PolitiFact obscured from readers that it issued apparent false reports while relying on official sources. Instead of admitting it changed its reporting, PolitiFact told readers it updated its story with new information that came out…
Read more

Resource pages

International Fact-Checking Network, PolitiFact

Correction request submitted to PolitiFact, June 1, 2022

Bryan W. White June 2, 2022 0 Comments

Zebra Fact Check discovered a major methodological error in PolitiFact’s May 24, 2022 fact check of a claim by Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.). Accordingly, we sent a correction request to [email protected]. We received PolitiFact’s standard acknowledgment form letter in reply.

Resource pages

correction requests, PolitiFact

Correction Request sent to PolitiFact, May 31, 2022

Bryan W. White June 2, 2022 0 Comments

When PolitiFact responded to our May 27, 2022 outreach by failing to disclose edits it made to a May 26, 2022 fact check, Zebra Fact Check sent another correction request to PolitiFact. We noted, among other things, that revising and eliding material does not count as an update according to PolitiFact’s statement of principles.

Resource pages

correction requests, PolitiFact

PolitiFact’s ‘great replacement’ smear of Tucker Carlson

Bryan W. White May 30, 2022 0 Comments

After PolitiFact published an article supposedly explaining “great replacement theory,” with Tucker Carlson as a key focus, PolitiFact published a preposterous piece on May 19, 2022 claiming Carlson feigned not knowing about “great replacement theory.” Fox News host Tucker Carlson falsely claimed he was unfamiliar with the racist and antisemitic “great replacement theory” cited by the mass shooter in Buffalo,…
Read more

Commentary, Zebra Fact Checks

Great Replacement Theory, PolitiFact, Tucker Carlson

Uvalde and PolitiFact, updates and corrections

Bryan W. White May 30, 2022 0 Comments

For years, we have scratched our heads over PolitiFact’s spotty compliance with its own policies. Zebra Fact Check has built a collection of correction requests where PolitiFact has either ignored the request or made a correction without following its policy on corrections. A PolitiFact Fact Check from May 26, 2022 introduces another stellar example of the fact checkers’ clay feet….
Read more

Commentary, Zebra Fact Checks

PolitiFact, Uvalde, Uvalde shooting

Email outreach/correction request submitted to PolitiFact, May 27, 2022

Bryan W. White May 30, 2022 0 Comments

Zebra Fact Check found PolitiFact had announced an “update” to an article where it had changed existing material as well as adding new material, all without following its own statement of principles for doing an update. Accordingly, we sent PolitiFact an email message to [email protected] asking PolitiFact to follow its policy regarding changes to its story.

Resource pages

correction request, email outreach, PolitiFact

Correction requests submitted to PolitiFact May 5 & 6, 2022

Bryan W. White May 20, 2022 0 Comments

Zebra Fact Check sent two correction requests to PolitiFact on May 5, 2022. The first of the two we documented here. We delayed documenting the second. We decided on the delay because PolitiFact made a change, albeit via stealth edit, after the first correction request but made no apparent change after the second correction request. Under the assumption that submitting…
Read more

Uncategorized

correction request, PolitiFact

Another correction request sent to PolitiFact, May 5, 2022

Bryan W. White May 9, 2022 0 Comments

Zebra Fact Check sent a second correction request to PolitiFact on May 5, 2022. PolitiFact misquoted Sean Hannity while fact-checking his opinion.

Resource pages

correction request, PolitiFact

Correction request sent to PolitiFact, May 5, 2022

Bryan W. White May 5, 2022 0 Comments

The first of two correction requests Zebra Fact Check sent to PolitiFact on this date concerned PolitiFact’s fact check of a movie trailer. In its criticism of the “2000 Mules” trailer, PolitiFact included a subheading that falsely described both the trailer and PolitiFact’s evaluation of the trailer. PolitiFact changed the offending line not long after we sent the correction request….
Read more

Resource pages

correction request, PolitiFact

PolitiFact does a correction–the wrong way

Bryan W. White May 5, 2022 0 Comments

On May 5, 2022 at around 8:00 a.m. EDT, Zebra Fact Check sent a pair of correction requests to PolitiFact. One of the correction requests concerned a false statement PolitiFact included as a subheading. PolitiFact claimed a trailer for a film about the 2020 presidential election, “2000 Mules,” based its case on “cell phone footage.” That claim contradicted the content…
Read more

Commentary, Zebra Fact Checks

PolitiFact