FactCheck.org: the nonpartisan consumer advocate

Politicians have a tendency to stretch the truth. Some of them, some of the time, tell flat-out lies. That’s not new. But these days it’s hard to shake the feeling that we are plumbing new depths of dishonesty and manipulation, while the norms and institutions that traditionally hold public figures accountable for what they say no longer seem functional. Adding to the problem, social media allows falsehoods to flourish and spread like a virus, infecting the body politic, weakening bonds of trust – in politicians, in institutions, and in our fellow citizens. In place of knowledge and understanding we have ignorance and confusion; in place of trust, cynicism.

FactCheck.org is a nonpartisan, nonprofit “consumer advocate” for voters that aims to reduce the level of deception and confusion in U.S. politics. A project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania, the organization monitors the factual accuracy of what is said by major U.S. political players in the form of TV ads, debates, speeches, interviews and news releases, focusing mainly on major elections and the action in Congress. In recent years, they have expanded their remit to include false or misleading viral rumors and “fake news” relating to politics. FactCheck applies the standards and methods of journalism and scholarship, with the goal of increasing public knowledge and understanding.

FactCheck.org