Fact Checking

Political candidates in 2015 have a much harder time getting away with the kind of half-truths and spin that are bread and butter for stump speeches and campaign ads. The last few presidential election cycles have seen the rise of Fact Checking as a hybrid of journalism and public service. On politifact.com you can read all about Republican candidate Donald Trump’s latest comment that "the Mexican government forces many bad people into our country," which the site gives a “pants on fire” rating – meaning it’s a lie. That statement earned Trump four Pinocchios (the maximum given to real whoppers) from the Washington Post’s popular Fact Checker column. Meanwhile, factcheck.org calls out Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton for making false blanket statements about where her Republican opponents stand on immigration. It’s a lot harder to twist the truth in politics these days. What’s behind this Fact Checking “movement” as some have called it? And where is it taking us? Jane Elizabeth shares her insights with us. She is the Senior Research Project Manager at the American Press Institute. She’s leading a project to improve and expand political fact-checking. She is the Washington Post's former deputy local editor, and teaches advanced journalism as a member of the adjunct faculty at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia.