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PolitiFact is factual and also quite slanted.

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After reading a recent PolitiFact article published in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel  (“Trump, Musk claim ‘fraud’, show no proof”, Feb. 16, 2025), I was reminded of the sometimes blurry line between news reporting and editorial work.  

A review of the so-called Truth-O-Meter ratings found at politifact.com/wisconsin reveals a disturbing pattern.  

Note: I have no issue with the information that the PolitiFact contributors presented as factual.  My concerns are about selection bias as evidenced by the subjects chosen for published scrutiny.  Consider the two most dubious labels that PolitiFact uses to rank questionable public assertions: “Pants on Fire” and “False”.

Last year, PolitiFact Wisconsin allocated six out of its six 'fire pants' rankings to Republican office holders or Conservative commentators and zero such rankings to Democrat office holders or Progressive commentators.  A tally of their false rating was also lopsided.  Out of 27 recipients with a false ranking, PolitiFact Wisconsin featured Republicans or Conservative commentators 19 times and Dems or Progressive commentators just 6 times.  (The remaining 2 recipients are relatively neutral parties).  Former Senate candidate Eric Hovde, for example, was singled out 6 times for alleged falsehoods, while his election opponent Sen. Tammy Baldwin, was not selected once. 

Taken as a whole, PolitiFact Wisconsin choose to identify Conservatives for abject falsehoods, 25 out of 33 times that they published rankings using 2024 public statements.  Reasonable people believe that neither political party has a monopoly on the truth; so why do editors use PolitiFact Wisconsin to disproportionately target Conservatives?

SOCIAL MEDIA POST

 

11/24/2024

 

GOP/Conservative

 

PANTS ON FIRE

SOCIAL MEDIA POST

11/5/2024

GOP/Conservative

PANTS ON FIRE

Juneau County Republicans

6/25/2024

GOP/Conservative

PANTS ON FIRE

Donald Trump

6/18/2024

GOP/Conservative

PANTS ON FIRE

Donald Trump

4/1/2024

GOP/Conservative

PANTS ON FIRE

Donald Trump

1/2/2024

GOP/Conservative

PANTS ON FIRE

Jon Stewart

7/16/2024

DEM/Progressive

FALSE

Wisco Project

9/16/2024

DEM/Progressive

FALSE

Tim Walz

9/14/2024

DEM/Progressive

FALSE

Joe Biden

1/25/2024

DEM/Progressive

FALSE

Kamala Harris

1/22/2024

DEM/Progressive

FALSE

Ron Johnson

11/17/2024

GOP/Conservative

FALSE

SOCIAL MEDIA POST

12/17/2024

GOP/Conservative

FALSE

Donald Trump

10/6/2024

GOP/Conservative

FALSE

Eric Hovde

11/12/2024

GOP/Conservative

FALSE

Robin Vos

11/6/2024

GOP/Conservative

FALSE

Eric Hovde

10/18/2024

GOP/Conservative

FALSE

Eric Hovde

9/5/2024

GOP/Conservative

FALSE

Eric Hovde

10/3/2024

GOP/Conservative

FALSE

Eric Hovde

9/16/2024

GOP/Conservative

FALSE

Eric Hovde

8/13/2024

GOP/Conservative

FALSE

SOCIAL MEDIA POST

7/8/2024

GOP/Conservative

FALSE

SOCIAL MEDIA POST

6/18/2024

GOP/Conservative

FALSE

SOCIAL MEDIA POST

5/6/2024

GOP/Conservative

FALSE

Ron Johnson

4/15/2024

GOP/Conservative

FALSE

American Fuel & Petrochemical

4/2/2024

GOP/Conservative

FALSE

National Center for Public Policy

4/5/2024

GOP/Conservative

FALSE

Derek Van Orden

3/30/2024

GOP/Conservative

FALSE

Derek Van Orden

4/1/2024

GOP/Conservative

FALSE

Amanda Nedweski

1/22/2024

GOP/Conservative

FALSE

SOCIAL MEDIA POST

12/15/2024

NEUTRAL

FALSE

SOCIAL MEDIA POST

12/17/2024

NEUTRAL

FALSE

 

 

 

 




I hope others will review PolitiFact histories for their states and longer timelines using the Progressive-Conservative lens described in this post.  If you do; please share your results with me: maddente@yahoo.com

 

 

 








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