Have you ever found yourself lost in the controversies surrounding comments made daily by politicians? Ever wondered if the facts you have been retold by friends or family by politicians are truth or alternative? Never fret! There a site that you can turn to that does the fact-checking for you.
Politifact is a website “that rates the accuracy of claims by elected officials […] who speak up in American politics,” and rates then on a spectrum between “True” and “Pants on Fire!” Run by editors and reporters from the independent Tampa Bay Times, Politifact chooses claims that could potentially be influential or misleading, and whose facts can be verified.
For every individual that has been fact-checked by Politifact, there is a profile which provides a description of the person, and a statistical overview of the level of truth in all the statements verified by the site.
In this fast-paced political landscape, it can be difficult to do firsthand validation of statements and quotes thrown around in the media. Whether you lean conservative or liberal, Politifact attempts to provide concrete sources in their determination of facts with links to sources that are freely available (although some may require a subscription) so that you may have knowledge and confidence in the political statements you wish to discuss.
Still have questions about fake news? Check out our Fake News Libguide for more sources.
Today’s post was written by Librarian-in-Residence, Javier Garibay.
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