PolitiFact.com is just about the niftiest thing since cupcakes, especially if you happen to be a political junkie. And even if you’re not, it’s still a nifty resource in this era of the Political Liars and Truth-Tellers, too.
What’s alarming – but at times almost comical – is the sheer extent some leaders go to when inventing lies, or playing utterly loose with information and facts. And that includes politicians of every party, every stripe.
PolitiFact is a fact-checking network headquartered at the independent Tampa Bay Times in Florida, with statewide news organizations all through the states and thousands of trained fact-checkers. What PolitiFact does is to check the accuracy of statements spoken by elected officials and politicians competing for office. It also checks the truthfulness (or lack thereof) of claims made by political parties, organizations, special-interest groups and websites ranging from far left to far right.
PolitiFact’s researchers and writers delve into all levels of claims made – local, state and national. Obviously, every statement everywhere can’t be checked. Thus, the compilers welcome requests and scrutinize sources far and wide to decide what to check into based on criteria such as: Is the statement misleading? Is the statement significant? Is it likely to be passed on and repeated by others?
PolitiFact rates each claim or statement using a Truth-O-Meter, like a cartoon parking meter with a needle pointing to one of six levels of truthfulness: True, Mostly True, Half True, Mostly False, False, (Liar, Liar) Pants on Fire. The latter category is sometimes unwittingly hilarious because the statements can be such outlandish, ludicrous whoppers.
Here’s a statement that was a popular blog: “Arizona, Missouri and Texas residents have a two-pet limit, so the public must ‘surrender their third pet to the Humane Society.’” The flaming Truth-O-Meter, reading Pants on Fire, says, Not a hare of truth (to it).
The biggest whoppers (some hilarious, some bigoted, others disgusting) are from blog sites on which bloggers can, like snipers shooting from bushes, tell lies to their hearts’ content with not so much as a scintilla of accountability. But, go figure, those are the very blog lies so many computer users pass on as holy truth.
If you click on any of the Truth-O-Meters, a page will open with the names and email addresses of the fact-checkers and writers for that particular meter rating. It will also show the background and context of when, who and how the statement was made.
If ratings mistakes are discovered, upon further investigation, they are meticulously corrected so the site’s visitors cannot miss them.
Not surprisingly, in the white-hot nasty heat of this presidential election season, the statements made by Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are constant fodder for fact-checking by PolitiFact. Both have long been scrutinized, and both have plenty of Pants on Fire ratings.
Here’s one of Clinton’s Pants on Fire whoppers:
(She) says, regarding the presence of classified information in her emails, FBI Director James “Comey said my answers were truthful, and what I’ve said is consistent with what I have told the American people.”
Pants on Fire: Cherry picking to the extreme.
Here’s one of Trump’s:
“As usual, Hillary and the Dems are trying to rig the debates so two are up against major NFL games.”
Pants on Fire: No one in Clinton’s campaign or the DNC had a say (as to when debates will occur).
PolitiFact scorecards have Trump a clear winner over Clinton in the Pants on Fire Truth-O-Meter ratings, with 19 of his statements having received that flaming rating while only nine (4 percent) of his statements were determined to be True, 25 (11 percent) to be Mostly True, 33 (15 percent) Half True, 34 (15 percent) Mostly False and 81 (36 percent) False.
Clinton’s scorecard is the following: 6 statements (2 percent) Pants on Fire, 53 (22 percent) True, 67 (28 percent) Mostly True, 53 (22 percent) Half True, 35 (15 percent) Mostly False and 27 (11 percent) False.
Does that mean Trump is a bigger liar than Clinton? Well, not necessarily. It might simply mean Trump shoots his brash, reckless mouth off more often and louder than Clinton does.
There is also a PolitiFacts ObamaMeter that tracks more than 500 promises the president made in his two political campaigns: Kept Promises, 240; Promises Compromised On, 132; Promises Broken, 117; Stalled Promises, 8; Promises in the Works, 34.
More people should start checking out PolitiFact.com. It’s a good voters’ resource for examining the truths and/or falsehoods spouted by candidates. It’s not comprehensive because there are many other factors to be considered in voting for this or that candidate. But PolitiFact is a fine way to cut through the bluster, distortions, exaggerations and – yes – lies spewed left and right. It’s also a good reminder some of these candidates do indeed tell the truth or mostly the truth quite often. Imagine that; there is some hope, after all.
