There’s a new blog, “PolitiFact Bias,” which is fact checking the fact checkers, PolitiFact. The site appears to have only been active since January, but it already has 35 posts. The blog, which appears to focus just on watchdogging PolitiFact, joins in the ranks of NYTPicker, which watches the New York Times and Newshounds, which watches Fox News, among others.
In a recent post, PolitiFact Bias redirected to Media Trackers’ fact checking of PolitiFact.
Media Trackers, a Wisconsin media watchdog group, criticized the state fact checking organization PolitiFact Wisconsin for being “in nitpick mode” in its fact checking of a statement made by Wisconsin governor Scott Walker, according to PolitiFact Bias.
Walker had stated Feb. 21 and on other instances, according to PolitiFact Wisconsin, that “Wisconsin is broke.” PolitiFact rated Walker’s statement “false” because “experts agree” that “the state isn’t broke” since its government is still paying bills and employees through “a variety of tools” like taxes and spending cuts. PolitiFact Wisconsin provided definitions of the word “broke” and interviewed a “few local experts” if “broke” is accurate regarding Wisconsin.
MediaTrackers responded to the ruling and labeled it “this battle is one of semantics.” According to MediaTrackers, “In trying to paint a picture of the fiscal crisis in Wisconsin Gov. Walker is using terms and ideas that the average person understands. When we hear someone or something is broke we immediately understand that there is no money to pay the bills. And that is the case in Wisconsin. There is no money to pay the bills, if no actions are taken.”
See Media Trackers’ blog post here. See PolitiFact Wisconsin’s ruling here.
CLARIFICATION - March 8, 2011 12:20 AM
Clarified this sentence: Media Trackers, a Wisconsin media watchdog group, criticized the state fact checking organization PolitiFact Wisconsin for being “in nitpick mode” in its fact checking of a statement made by Wisconsin governor Scott Walker, according to PolitiFact Bias.
