Politifact: Fact-Checking U.S. Politics

The need for fact checking isn’t new, but that need has never been as urgent as it is today. In a world of digital media, misinformation can spread faster than ever before, and social media offers a platform for anyone to disseminate falsehoods. All too often, the people doing the disseminating — knowingly or not — are elected officials, pundits, and other kinds of influencers with the ability to reach thousands or even millions of people with ease. And most of the false information they put out goes uncorrected. A study by the American Press Institute found that “political misinformation on Twitter outnumbers the people trying to fight the misinformation 2.7 to 1” — meaning nearly three in every four falsehoods tweeted out go unchecked and unanswered.

PolitiFact is a fact-checking website that rates the accuracy of claims by elected officials at all levels of government and others in positions of power and influence. Run by editors and reporters from the Tampa Bay Times, the Pulitzer Prize-winning Politifact researches statements and rates their accuracy on the Truth-O-Meter, from True to False. The most ridiculous falsehoods get the lowest rating, Pants on Fire. They publish a list of sources with each item, and readers are encouraged to judge for themselves whether they agree with the ruling.

Politifact