Famous fact-checker admits famous lie

Appearing on the podcast On the Media on November 15, Bill Adair, the founder of PolitiFact, told this amusing anecdote:

“In 2012, I was on C-SPAN, national television, live, taking calls. And Brian from Michigan calls in. And Brian says, Mr. Adair, I read in The Nation that when you add up the fact checks, that Republicans lie more and they lie worse.

“And I answer Brian and I lie: You know, I can honestly say I don’t keep score.

“Well, we did keep score. We kept score by person. We didn’t reveal the party total. But I knew that Brian was right. And instead, I gave him this dodge that I always gave people when they asked this.

“I said, Asking me that question is sort of like asking an umpire who’s out at home more, you know, the Yankees or the Red Sox. I don’t know. I look at every play independently. And I think it’s important that we do that.

“I want to find Brian so that I can apologize to him, because Brian was right then, and Brian is even more right now. But I was trying to show that I was impartial.”

PolitiFact‘s worries about the appearance of impartiality, when they know Republicans lie their asses off, is why PolitiFact and all the other big-time fact-checking operations are useless to anyone interested in facts.

Their mantra is still, basically and often, “Both sides lie.” Like, a Republican says trans people are trying to convince girls to become boys and boys to become girls, and a Democrat says 1.5% of Americans identify as transgender when it’s actually 1.1%.

See? Both sides lie!

#471
Nov. 25, 2024

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The word “stops” seems overly optimistic, but “wakes up and smells the shit” is a step in the right direction.

Republican senator introduces bill to legally erase transgender people

News outlets ‘recalibrate’ coverage as they navigate threats of president-elect and interests faced by corporate owners

Not to overdose on pessimism, but with the election of Trump, the disinterest of Democrats, the ongoing dismantling of public education, and the cooperation of media, it feels like there’s no turning back from the fascism.

Best we can do is carry a picket sign once in a while, hope it won’t get you arrested, and enjoy the endtimes as entertainment.

Trump supporters review-bomb Canadian floral shop by mistake

“I was hoping this would blow over but since the death threats have started I have decided to address it.”

Climate protesters stop coal boats

Criminal Texas AG declares war on advertisers who snub Musk’s ExTwitter

Alabama’s $5+-billion boondoggle freeway just keeps rollin’ along

How to survive the broligarchy:
20 lessons for the post-truth world
by Carole Cadwalladr

Jason Kelce’s wife announces she is pregnant with the couple’s fourth child

Who on earth is Jason Kelce? Clicking the article answers that question quickly, but what’s unexplained is why anyone not in Kelce’s family gives a rip about their pregnancy, and why this is headline news via Associated Press and my local paper, the Seattle Times.

Swiss church installs AI-powered Jesus

The AI reporter that took my old job just got fired

Ignoring the climate emergency

Dead people

11/25/2024

Logo illustration by Jeff Meyer. Tip ‘o the hat to the Anderson Valley Advertiser, Bleepity-Bleep, Ensalada de lengua de pajaritos, Voenix Rising, and anywhere else I’ve stolen links, illustrations, or inspiration.

Special thanks to Linden Arden, Becky Jo, Wynn Bruce, Joey Jo Jo emeritus, Jeff Meyer, John the Basket, Dave S, Name Withheld, and always extra special thanks to my lovely late Stephanie, who gave me 21 years and proved that the world isn’t always shitty.

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4 responses to “Famous fact-checker admits famous lie”

  1. granville Avatar
    granville

    Rather remarkable, this shift that can only be called a “consolidation” behind Trump. Theres’s another BBC doc series that you’ve probably seen, they aired it on PBS all the time called “The Nazis: A Warning From History.” The first episode traces their crawl to power and how often Hitler was assisted by friends, allies and total strangers. I’m not one for jumping into Third Reich metaphors but it’s pretty amazing to watch the last 15 minutes or so, in which interviews with witnesses are edited to color films of the Nazi’s torchlight marches through Berlin the night Hitler was named chancellor.

    There’s one old man who is ID’d as a former Social Democrat member of the Reichstag, I think, and says through subtitles, “We really thought that once he got in we’d be able to control and stifle him through parliament.” Then he lifts his hands around his head as if it’s radiating waves of pain. “Madness!” he says. “Madness!”

    Another man who was the son of a Jewish revolutionary executed after the Bavarian Soviet Republic was crushed says in British-accented English that many Jewish people pointed out that many stormtroopers had Jewish girlfriends. That it wouldn’t be so bad, because these people had Jewish girlfriends. “Oh it’s heartbreaking,” he says.

    It’s incredible to watch that once a criminal seizes power, everything will fall in line around it, and we shouldn’t really believe they’re going to do what they are repeatedly saying they’re going to do. They just need to win the popular vote, I guess.

    They want to dispatch the military to round up people. They SAY this. The milquetoast officials say, “Well, that’s illegal tho.”

    Madness! Madness!

    1. Doug Holland Avatar

      I watched that PBS show, maybe twice. It’s been years, but it’s what informs my expectations now.

      “Well, that’s illegal, tho.” Ha! It’s like that video Zeke recommended a few days ago, and so much commentary I’m seeing from the “pundit class.” All the points are rational and reasonable, but based on the rules, the law, the tradition, the constitution, and hello? Those things are gone baby gone.

      The constitution won’t protect us, the Democrats are irrelevant, the media is owned by the oligarchy. Seems to me there’s exactly one hope of making it through this with some semblance of the America we’ve lived in all our lives — that Trump doesn’t really mean it, won’t really try it.

      That’s a mighty thin hope, because anything he tries will not be denied him. But it’s the only hope we have.

      Relax, we’ll be fine, if Trump is all bluster. But I don’t think he’s all bluster. I think he means it.

      We’ll find out on 1/20/25.

  2. eel paradise Avatar
    eel paradise

    well, it’s time for breakfast, which means it’s time to watch something funny on Netflix (i’m a new recruit to the cult) and laugh!
    hope you’re getting some laughs…

    1. Doug Holland Avatar

      What’s good on Netflix these days?

      It was a marvel and I was a member, back when they were mailing DVDs without due dates, and later, when they had low-price streaming with a fairly wide selection.

      The price went up and the selection narrowed, so these days I sail the high seas, argh and argh…

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