I've never paid much attention to the fact-checking websites but, with this election and the hype around the sites, it looked to be a good time to dig into some facts.
Although many people don't seem to care much whether a particular Facebook entry or tweet is accurate, they should, and maybe the following will change a few minds.
There are several non-partisan as well as partisan websites that check facts, especially during voting season. What are the pros and cons of these sites and is one more useful than another? All judgments are my own - yours may differ.
There are four popular and widely read non-partisan websites:
- Factcheck.org - a project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania; nonpartisan, nonprofit “consumer advocate” for voters.
- Snopes.com - presented by David Mikkelso, a professional researcher and writer.
- Washingtonpost.com/news/fact-checker - hosted by the Washington Post but independently authored by Glenn Kessler, an award-winning journalist with a career spanning nearly three decades.
- Politifact.com - presented by the Tampa Bay Times, an independent newspaper.
Factcheck.org
Pros: provides a longer summary of topic statement than other sites
cites where information comes from
generally lengthy discussion of topic
some tags are listed at end of topic
allows reader to ask questions of Factcheck
archives set up by person or topic
Cons: have to click on summary to see full item discussion
does not state on summary page what is fact or not
does not provide a ranking system of truthfulness of topic
no advanced search for topic, author, etc - only word or phrase search
does not discuss methodology of fact-finding
Snopes.com
Pros: presents both "news" and "fact check"
cites sources
tags are listed
archives arranged by topic
Cons: shorter summary of topic statement than Factcheck.org
have to click on summary to see full item discussion
does not state on summary page what is fact or not
does not provide a ranking system of truthfulness of topic
no advanced search for topic, author, etc - only word or phrase search
no methodology discussion
Washingtonpost.com/news/fact-checker
Pros: provides some newspaper sources
provides a ranking system for truthfulness of topic on summary page
discusses methodology for determining truthfulness of topic
Cons: shortest summary of each topic statement
have to click on summary to see full item discussion
light on source material
no listing of tags
no advanced search for topic, author, etc - only word or phrase search
archives set up by month/year - more limited than other websites
Politifact.com
Pros: provides extensive list of sources
provides a ranking system for truthfulness of topic on summary page
discusses methodology for determining truthfulness of topic
good information on person doing analysis and tags
Cons: moderate length summary of each topic statement
no archives
no advanced search for topic, author, etc - only word or phrase search
In addition, there are several popular partisan websites that focus on news and some fact checking:
Right Side of Political Spectrum
newsbusters.org
This website is "a project of the Media Research Center (MRC), America’s leading media watchdog in documenting, exposing and neutralizing liberal media bias".
realclearpolitics.com
This website deserves mention because it presents news items from all parts of the political spectrum with no fact checking objective. It is a news aggregator, not a news maker or commenter. As such, it contains political news items from sources of all types., although it tends to lean right and give more visibility to conservative views.
Left Side of Political Spectrum
mediamatters.org
"Media Matters for America . . . systematically monitor[s] a cross section of print, broadcast, cable, radio, and Internet media outlets for conservative misinformation - news or commentary that is not accurate, reliable, or credible and that forwards the conservative agenda - every day, in real time".
It "works daily to notify activists, journalists, pundits, and the general public about instances of misinformation, providing them with the resources to rebut false claims and to take direct action against offending media institutions".
None of the non-partisan sites is perfect in my view but I like the combination of Politifact and FactCheck to get a comprehensive analysis of any questionable news item.
