Fact-checking the fact-checkers


Full story

The idea behind fact checks is to keep the media and elected officials accountable. Today, fact-checking has become a serious business for the fact-checkers.

Over the last several years, fact-checking has grown into its own industry with the power to not only to sway news coverage, elections, and policy debates, but also to impact a company’s financial well-being.

With the growth of these fact-checking outlets have come accusations of bias and instances of infamous failures.

No one will forget when PolitiFact repeatedly defended President Barack Obama’s claim that people who liked their health plans would get to keep their health plans, only to later designate the statement as its “lie of the year.”

Hillary Clinton claimed to have never sent material marked “classified” from her private email account. Fact-checkers jumped to her defense, but later recanted and called her claims “false.”

And early reports of the coronavirus lab-leak theory were dinged by fact-checkers, who later had to admit that the theory was viable.

Many of these same fact-checkers now have deals with social media companies that allow them to severely limit and even halt the reach and monetization of people and businesses they might ideologically oppose.

People want to know: Who checks the fact checkers?

Welcome to Fact Check Check™.

Full story

The idea behind fact checks is to keep the media and elected officials accountable. Today, fact-checking has become a serious business for the fact-checkers.

Over the last several years, fact-checking has grown into its own industry with the power to not only to sway news coverage, elections, and policy debates, but also to impact a company’s financial well-being.

With the growth of these fact-checking outlets have come accusations of bias and instances of infamous failures.

No one will forget when PolitiFact repeatedly defended President Barack Obama’s claim that people who liked their health plans would get to keep their health plans, only to later designate the statement as its “lie of the year.”

Hillary Clinton claimed to have never sent material marked “classified” from her private email account. Fact-checkers jumped to her defense, but later recanted and called her claims “false.”

And early reports of the coronavirus lab-leak theory were dinged by fact-checkers, who later had to admit that the theory was viable.

Many of these same fact-checkers now have deals with social media companies that allow them to severely limit and even halt the reach and monetization of people and businesses they might ideologically oppose.

People want to know: Who checks the fact checkers?

Welcome to Fact Check Check™.