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How does PolitiFact Georgia’s Truth-O-Meter work?
Our goal is to help you find the truth in American politics. Reporters from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution fact-check statements by local, state and national political leaders, including lobbyists and interest groups. We then rate them on the AJC Truth-O-Meter.
To fact-check a claim, reporters first contact the speaker to verify the statement. Next, the research begins. Reporters consult a variety of sources, including industry and academic experts. This research can take hours or a few days or even longer, depending on the claim. Reporters then compile the research into story form and include a recommended Truth-O-Meter ruling.
The fact check then moves on to a panel of veteran editors who debate the statement and the reporter’s recommended Truth-O-Meter ruling. The panel votes on a final ruling; majority prevails.
PolitiFact Georgia had the Truth-O-Meter working overtime last week checking claims by President Barack Obama on the state of America’s reputation in the world and by U.S.. Marco Rubio on business failures.
Closer to home we fact-checked a statement by DeKalb’s Lee May that the county’s back to meeting the goal of having money in reserves to cover one month’s worth of expenses. We also looked at a report that Georgia’s a magnet for lightning-related insurance claims.
Abbreviated versions of our fact checks are below.
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Full versions can be found at www.politifact.com/georgia/.
Lee May on Tuesday, June 2nd, 2015 in a press release
“Our reserves are now in much better shape than they were just a few years ago.”
When the Great Recession battered property values, counties across metro Atlanta responded to plunging revenues by raising tax rates. DeKalb County also relied on reserve funds to balance its budget and paid another price: it ended fiscal year 2011 without a cent in its rainy day fund.
So it made news when interim DeKalb CEO Lee May recently that property values had rebounded enough that, the county’s reserves or rainy day funds, taken together, now cover one month’s operating expense — as recommended by the state, as well as county policy.
“Our reserves are now in much better shape than they were just a few years ago,” May said.
Records show the reserves were -$4.5 million in 2010; $30 million in 2011; $41.5 million in 2012; $42 million in 2013; and $49 million in 2014; and $57.5 million for 2015.
We rated May’s claim True.
Marco Rubio on Tuesday, June 2nd, 2015 in a speech in Orlando, Fla.
“For the first time in 35 years, we have more businesses dying than we do starting.”
At the economic summit for Republican presidential candidates convened by Florida Gov. Rick Scott, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., expressed concern about entrepreneurialism in the United States.
“For the first time in 35 years, we have more businesses dying than we do starting,” Rubio said at the June 2, 2015, event.
We located a May 2014 report by the Brookings Institution, a Washington-based think tank, titled, “Declining Business Dynamism in the United States: A Look at States and Metros.”
In that report, coauthors Robert Litan and Ian Hathaway published data that supports Rubio’s claim.
They found that the rate of business failures held steady, except for an uptick during the Great Recession. But they also found that the entry rate of new firms declined by nearly half between 1978 and 2011.
The co-author of that report said he feels Rubio has stated the claim accurately.
We rated Rubio’s claim True.
Barack Obama on Monday, June 1st, 2015 in remarks at the White House
Today “the United States is the most respected country on Earth.”
President Barack Obama expressed pride in how the global image of the United States has improved on his watch during a White House event with fellows of the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative.
“People don’t remember — when I came into office, the United States in world opinion ranked below China and just barely above Russia,” Obama said. “And today, once again, the United States is the most respected country on Earth.”
But we found something of a mixed bag.
International polling by Gallup found that, in a reversal from the George W. Bush era, the United States now finishes first compared to a limited group of countries — Germany, China, Russia and the European Union. But a BBC poll that tested a broader group found the United States finishing in the middle of the pack, behind Germany, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Japan, the European Union and Brazil.
We rated Obama’s claim Half True.
State Farm Insurance on Friday, June 5th, 2015 in a televised story
Georgia residents file the most insurance claims for lightning strikes in the country.
Florida leads the nation in deaths from lightning strikes.
But State Farm, one of the nation’s major insurers, says it is Georgia residents who file the most claims for lightning strikes in the country, WSB-TV reported Friday, June 5.
PolitiFact Georgia was intrigued and decided to dig a little deeper.
Justin Tomczak, a State Farm spokesman, sent us data showing Georgia was No. 1 in 2014 for lightning-related claims both in number (3,709) and total dollar value ($16.3 million). Texas was second, Alabama at third, Louisiana at fourth and Illinois at fifth.
He said Georgia also had the most claims in 2013 and 2012.
The Insurance Information Institute also ranked Georgia as the state with the highest rate of lightning related claims from homeowners in 2013. The institute’s report for 2014 is due out any day.
We rated the statement by State Farm as True.
