FactCheck
Encyclopedia
FactCheck.org is a non-partisan, nonprofit website
that describes itself as a consumer advocate' for voters that aims to reduce the level of deception and confusion in U.S. politics
." It is a project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center
of the Annenberg School for Communication
at the University of Pennsylvania
, and is funded primarily by the Annenberg Foundation
. FactCheck has won three Webby Awards in the Politics category, in 2008, 2010 and 2011.
Most of its content consists of rebuttals to what it considers inaccurate, misleading, or false claims by politicians. FactCheck has also targeted misleading claims from various partisan groups.
Besides maintaining a website, FactCheck.org distributes audio stories by podcast
and iTunes
Radio.
and John Edwards
. Cheney cited the website, claiming that the independent site defended his actions while CEO of Halliburton
. Cheney's claim is disputed by FactCheck.org as wrong, saying that "Edwards was mostly right" when talking about "Cheney's responsibility for earlier Halliburton troubles".
Cheney's reference created some controversy because he incorrectly cited the web site's address as "FactCheck.com." At the time of the debate, factcheck.com was controlled by Frank Schilling's
company Name Administration Inc., who quickly redirected the address to point to an anti-Bush website owned by Bush critic George Soros
.
Website
A website, also written as Web site, web site, or simply site, is a collection of related web pages containing images, videos or other digital assets. A website is hosted on at least one web server, accessible via a network such as the Internet or a private local area network through an Internet...
that describes itself as a consumer advocate' for voters that aims to reduce the level of deception and confusion in U.S. politics
Politics of the United States
The United States is a federal constitutional republic, in which the President of the United States , Congress, and judiciary share powers reserved to the national government, and the federal government shares sovereignty with the state governments.The executive branch is headed by the President...
." It is a project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center
Annenberg Public Policy Center
The Annenberg Public Policy Center is a center for the study of public policy at the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania. It has offices in Washington, D.C...
of the Annenberg School for Communication
Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania
The Annenberg School for Communication is the communications school at the University of Pennsylvania. The school was established in 1958 by Wharton School's alum Walter Annenberg as "The Annenberg School of Communications." The name was changed to its current title in the late 1980's.Walter...
at the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
, and is funded primarily by the Annenberg Foundation
Annenberg Foundation
The Annenberg Foundation is a private foundation that provides funding and support to non-profit organizations in the United States and around the world...
. FactCheck has won three Webby Awards in the Politics category, in 2008, 2010 and 2011.
Most of its content consists of rebuttals to what it considers inaccurate, misleading, or false claims by politicians. FactCheck has also targeted misleading claims from various partisan groups.
Besides maintaining a website, FactCheck.org distributes audio stories by podcast
Podcast
A podcast is a series of digital media files that are released episodically and often downloaded through web syndication...
and iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
Radio.
Topic in the 2004 Vice-presidential debate
FactCheck.org became a focus of political commentary following the 2004 vice-presidential debate between Dick CheneyDick Cheney
Richard Bruce "Dick" Cheney served as the 46th Vice President of the United States , under George W. Bush....
and John Edwards
John Edwards
Johnny Reid "John" Edwards is an American politician, who served as a U.S. Senator from North Carolina. He was the Democratic nominee for Vice President in 2004, and was a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2004 and 2008.He defeated incumbent Republican Lauch Faircloth in...
. Cheney cited the website, claiming that the independent site defended his actions while CEO of Halliburton
Halliburton
Halliburton is the world's second largest oilfield services corporation with operations in more than 70 countries. It has hundreds of subsidiaries, affiliates, branches, brands and divisions worldwide and employs over 50,000 people....
. Cheney's claim is disputed by FactCheck.org as wrong, saying that "Edwards was mostly right" when talking about "Cheney's responsibility for earlier Halliburton troubles".
Cheney's reference created some controversy because he incorrectly cited the web site's address as "FactCheck.com." At the time of the debate, factcheck.com was controlled by Frank Schilling's
Frank Schilling
Frank Schilling is a Cayman Islands based 'Internet Investor' whose portfolio of domain names is one of the largest privately owned, and estimated to be valued in the vicinity of $500 million dollars.-Early Years:...
company Name Administration Inc., who quickly redirected the address to point to an anti-Bush website owned by Bush critic George Soros
George Soros
George Soros is a Hungarian-American business magnate, investor, philosopher, and philanthropist. He is the chairman of Soros Fund Management. Soros supports progressive-liberal causes...
.
Spin-offs and other fact-checkers
- FactCheckEd.org: An educational resource for high school teachers and students. Sister site to FactCheck.org and a project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania. Created September 2005
- PolitiFact.comPolitiFact.comPolitiFact.com is a project that is operated by the St. Petersburg Times, a project in which its reporters and editors "fact-check statements by members of Congress, the White House, lobbyists and interest groups...." They publish original statements and their evaluations on the PolitiFact.com...
: A service of the St. Petersburg TimesSt. Petersburg TimesThe St. Petersburg Times is a United States newspaper. It is one of two major publications serving the Tampa Bay Area, the other being The Tampa Tribune, which the Times tops in both circulation and readership. Based in St...
- Created August 2007, uses the "Truth-o-Meter" to rank the amount of truth in public persons' statements. 2009 Pulitzer PrizePulitzer PrizeThe Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
Winner. - WashingtonPost.com/factchecker: A project of The Washington PostThe Washington PostThe Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
, known for grading politicians on the factual accuracy of their statements with one to four "Pinocchios." Created September 2007 by Post diplomatic writer Michael DobbsMichael Dobbs (US author)Michael Dobbs is an Anglo-American non-fiction author. He was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and educated at the University of York, graduating in 1972 with a BA in Economic & Social History, with fellowships at Princeton and Harvard. He worked as a reporter for The Washington Post, since...
specifically for the 2008 presidential campaign. Shutdown Nov 4, 2008. Relaunched with a broader focus on Jan. 11, 2011 with veteran Washington Post diplomatic correspondent Glenn Kessler at the helm. - Bama Fact Check: An Alabama-based, statewide partnership of newsgathering organizations which checks factual claims by politicians and public figures in Alabama. Partners in the project include The Anniston StarThe Anniston StarThe Anniston Star is the daily newspaper serving Anniston, Alabama, and the surrounding six-county region. Average Sunday circulation in September 2004 was 26,747. The newspaper is locally-owned by Consolidated Publishing Company, which is controlled by the descendants of Col. Harry M. Ayers, one...
, The Decatur DailyThe Decatur DailyThe Decatur Daily is a daily newspaper serving Decatur and the Tennessee Valley in North Alabama, United States. As of September 30, 2006, it had an average daily circulation of 20,824 and a Sunday circulation of 23,840...
, The Dothan Eagle, The Florence TimesDaily, The Opelika-Auburn News, The Tuscaloosa NewsThe Tuscaloosa NewsThe Tuscaloosa News is a daily newspaper serving Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA, and the surrounding area in west central Alabama.The newspaper is a member of the New York Times Regional Media Group, a subsidiary of the New York Times Company, through the corporate entity of NYT Holdings, Inc., an...
and WVTM-TVWVTM-TVWVTM-TV, channel 13, is the NBC-affiliated television station in the Birmingham-Anniston-Tuscaloosa-Gadsden, Alabama television market. The station is owned by Media General...
in Birmingham.
See also
- Snopes.com
- The Straight Dope
- The Skeptic's Dictionary
- MythBustersMythBustersMythBusters is a science entertainment TV program created and produced by Beyond Television Productions for the Discovery Channel. The series is screened by numerous international broadcasters, including Discovery Channel Australia, Discovery Channel Latin America, Discovery Channel Canada, Quest...
- Fact checkerFact checkerA fact checker is the person who checks factual assertions in non-fictional text, usually intended for publication in a periodical, to determine their veracity and correctness...
- List of common misconceptions