Fact-checking the fact checkers
By Taskr36
@Taskr36 (13963)
United States
November 16, 2009 12:12pm CST
I was actually going to start a thread the other day asking "Since when did they start fact checking politician's books?" since the AP decided to spend their time and money fact checking everything they could in Sarah Palin's new book. It seems that anything which doesn't support Obama must be fact-checked by now, with even a satirical show like Saturday Night Live having a skit mocking Obama being fact-checked.
I read the fact-check and thought it was a stretch and a bit pathetic the way they would admit she was telling the truth, but still try and argue it in several sections. Well now Conservatives 4 Palin are fact checking the fact checkers.
What are your opinions? Can we even trust some of these fact checkers when the supposed fact checking is politically motivated and actively targets opponents of the president?
: http://www.conservatives4palin.com/2009/11/fact-checking-fact-checkers.html
: http://www.google.com/url?q=http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_palin_book_fact_check&ei=15UBS9CgIpKonQef2KAQ&sa=X&oi=spellmeleon_result&resnum=1&ct=result&ved=0CAcQhgIwAA&usg=AFQjCNGFF4VvLuJfAscDwoPLdN4Fpeez9g
1 person likes this
4 responses
@MJay101 (710)
•
17 Nov 09
My opinion is that "fact-checking" appears to be a more left-leaning (or: Democratic) pursuit, and to therefore have a political bias, only because it is usually right-whingers who promote dodgy journalism. For example, Fox News was recently exposed as having doctored footage of protestors supposedly demonstrating against Obama's health reforms, grossly over-representing the numbers present.
These lunatics will try anything to put their point of view across - including outright deception and fraud.
It is the same in the UK: right-wing papers and media providers are notoriously lax when it comes to editorial integrity, so naturally, it falls to left-wing bloggers do all that they can to expose such nonsense.
@matersfish (6306)
• United States
18 Nov 09
So the left has to "fact check" because the right lies?
And people wonder how personality cults form. 
@MJay101 (710)
•
18 Nov 09
Taskr36 - I did not mean to suggest that "outright deception and fraud" was specific to Fox News or to right-wingers. Of course I understand that this is largely a function of the meshing together of politics and the media; hence, the allegations against Obama TV.
I can only speak from my experience in the UK - where, in my opinion, the vast majority of the 'free press' is owned by right-wingers (as you might expect); and what isn't (the BBC) is so petrified of appearing to show bias that it all-but ignores informed comment entirely.
In the UK, The Daily Mail and The Sun are, by any objective measure, the most blatant 'manipulators of truth' (to put it mildly); it is no accident that they pursue a very right-wing agenda.
matersfish - I don't really understand what you're saying - sorry.
@Rollo1 (16679)
• Boston, Massachusetts
16 Nov 09
What they are calling "fact-checking" is really a predatory hunt. They went over the book with a fine-toothed comb, hoping to find at least a few nits to pick and nits is about all they got. It's pathetic that they would assign 11 reporters to such a task and if the author were anyone but Palin they would have assigned none.
I would suggest we fact-check the president, but he's signed executive orders to prevent that ever happening. Everything he says and does is so vague as to be meaningless anyway.
@debrakcarey (19887)
• United States
17 Nov 09
I think they are upset that the people who fact checked Obama's two books came up with hundreds of lies...and verified them as lies with out much trouble. Knowthelies.com will fill you in.
Conservatives4Palin...does a good job of reporting the ACTUAL FACTS of what these idiots supposedly found in Going Rouge. Did anyone mention, they obtained a copy before it was released? How odd....
@whiteheather39 (24403)
• United States
16 Nov 09
No I do not trust the fact checkers to give me real facts. They still give their biases slant to any facts they find. I prefer to do my own search for facts on any iffy statements. It is quite rewarding to see how my old Investigator training helps me dig and dig until I am personally satisfied.
@TheDogTreatJar (9)
• United States
17 Nov 09
Umm, that is what politics is all about. Check out politico - that is a major part of their company. Good luck :)
