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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,…
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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….
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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.
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…
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Zebra Fact Check sent a second correction request to PolitiFact on May 5, 2022. PolitiFact misquoted Sean Hannity while fact-checking his opinion.
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….
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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…
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A PolitiFact fact check published April 5, 2022 resulted in justified pushback on social media. Zebra Fact Check summarized the objections in the form of a correction request, submitted on April 11, 2022. On April 12, 2022 we followed up our first email with one correcting a mistake in our correction request. We will update this item if and when…
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A PolitiFact fact check from April 8, 2022 made an ambiguous and misleading claim comparing costs of insulin in the United States to elsewhere. Accordingly, we asked PolitiFact for a correction. We will update this post when and if we note PolitiFact has either corrected the item or otherwise responded to the complaint. Update/Correction note: We changed the background description…
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On April 7, 2022 PolitiFact published a fact check concerning Colorado’s new abortion law. PolitiFact drew immediate criticism on social media for failing to support its conclusion. Colorado law and late term abortion After a Facebook post said Colorado’s law codifying state abortion rights made abortion legal up until delivery, PolitiFact stepped in to fact check. PolitiFact’s fact check, by…
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