Politifact’s stated mission is to gather facts and correctly present them. They are spectacular failures.
Most outlets have been busy compiling their annual summations as we approach the deadline to replace our desk blotter. Top-10s and “Best of” lists will be predominant all the way through New Year’s, and over at Politifact, they follow suit, issuing what that outlet has declared to be its Lie of the Year – 2021. We are at the edge of our seats. It’s an exciting moment. Which team will prevail?!
CNN lying to Biden that Trump did not give him a vaccine? Perhaps 60 Minutes had its fake expose on Ron DeSantis debunked long before the broadcast. Rolling Stone claims that Hospitals had been overrun with Ivermectin poisonings. What about the bogus ICE agents beating migrants at the border? Wait, certainly, it will be Chris Cuomo repeatedly lying about his involvement with his brother’s sex scandal, right?!
Oh please…
We are being infested by fact-checkers, an offshoot from journalism. More news outlets are introducing their own version of the fact-checker reportorial style, forcing questions to be raised. If the news media outlet does its job well and reports only facts, then why would there be a separate reporting office?
This division is a serious business. These people treat reports they produce as the final word on a subject (despite numerous corrections that defy them), manipulate data by applying sliding scale measures or their interpretations to contexts and are much more likely to target Republicans than critics of Democrats. The last instance we saw was the following: Politifact did fact-check Townhall for posting a Joe Biden video of a speech, with no other commentary; it was just Joe’s own words.
Well, now, Politifact joins all the other news outlets running end-of-year special reports, theirs signifying what they declare to be the Lie of the Year, and what is amazing here is – they lie throughout its presentation. Here is the grand announcement.
Democracy was still in place by the night of January 6. The manipulation of the story was underway. PolitiFact’s 2021 Lie of the Year? These lies about the January 6 Capitol attack, and their significance. 🧵https://t.co/BriwueYTfi pic.twitter.com/WEGJGv0Gs8
— PolitiFact (@PolitiFact) December 15, 2021
This selection isn’t surprising. They showed restraint, and they did NotThe Big Lie is their selection. But they did not pick a solitary example as their “winner” — it was awarded to the overall January 6 coverage, and here is where the viscounts of vérité, went off the reservation. The outlet listed numerous examples of what they declared to be errant coverage about the Capitol riot, and in so doing they dispatched their very mission statement – they butchered the facts.
Politifact made the pick of highlighting those who were “It is important to not minimize the significance and reality of the Capitol Insurrection.” The site gave a lengthy Twitter thread laying out their case, and in it you see them departing from their one job, which is getting the facts correct. The first problem is that they declare that anyone who was not bleating hysterical claims about the riot was “downplaying the realities” of the attack. A judge called this the “worst attack on Capitol Hill since 1812,” they even quoted. Politifact does not care about the attacks on Capitol Hill in the 70s nor the killing of five Congressmen by Puerto Rican extremists.
The hyperbolic description of someone is not true. They are correct. You should not say things like We have witnessed worse attacksIf you downplay the hysteria of others, then you’re a liar. You can also accurately reference historical facts. FACTSyou could get called a lying liar. It’s a handy little trick.
The site also offers a handy dodge. Politifact calls the Capitol Riot an insurrection throughout their explanation. Politifact discredits this claim with the use of FACTS. First of all, the overthrow attempt was not real. Yes, the protestors stormed Capitol to oppose the confirmation vote. But it was not right to do that. It was not a coup attempt, however desperate they may want it to be.
Nearly 700 individuals were arrested in connection with the attack on January 6. Only a few of these people are being charged with weapons offenses, which means that this attack was not an attempt to armed takeover. The FBI declared that there was not an organized plot to attack the building. Even the Jan.6 Commission has released text messages this week showing GOP players wanting to stop the attack as it was taking place – the opposite behavior of those staging a coup.
It is wrong to label this act of violence as an insurrection. This is because it does not support the facts. If you look at the 700 inmates facing criminal penalties, there is one consistent feature: Not a single detainee has been accused of insurrection / treasonous behavior. That is a significant departure from the claims being made…by these FACT checkers.
One of the comments on the website states that:A year and a half later, no evidence exists to support the claim that Jan. 6, was antifa, a tourist trip, a false flag or an unremarkable day.It should not be forgotten. However, I don’t know anyone who would suggest it. It is not clear that this was an insurrection planned, but it does not stop the investigators. FACTCheckers did not claim that this was true.
This division of journalism is, as we have grown to believe, a manipulation tool that manipulates facts to create a narrative. It is amazing that they declare what they believe to be The Lie of the Year and then lie repeatedly to prove their point.
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