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 the 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 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 last week pivoted between politics and sports, which in Georgia can often seem like the same thing.
We looked at a claim by an Atlanta Braves official about the uniqueness of their new stadium project. We also checked out claims by a long-shot office-seeker, who contends he can run for Congress in multiple states at the same time. And we took a look at U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss’ claims on military spending.
Abbreviated versions of our fact checks are below.
Full versions can be found at: www.politifact.com/georgia/.
To comment on our rulings or suggest one of your own, go to our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/politifact.georgia).
You can also find us on Twitter (http://twitter.com/politifactga).
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Atlanta Braves Executive Vice President Mike Plant: “No one in the country has ever built a brand-new sports facility and created this kind of development at the same time.”
When the Atlanta Braves unveiled renderings of the proposed $1 billion stadium and entertainment complex in Cobb County, one team official boasted that no one has embarked on such an ambitious plan.
“No one in the country has ever built a brand-new sports facility and created this kind of development at the same time,” Plant said in a recent interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
The team made the same claim to Channel 2 Action News.
Technically, he’s correct that no one has currently constructed a project with the type of retail, residential, restaurants and other proposed elements simultaneously.
Other sports facilities have been planned along with development projects. For example, a new pro basketball arena in Brooklyn, N.Y., was constructed as part of an ongoing $5 billion office and residential project.
PolitiFact Georgia believes there is some context necessary to fully understand Plant’s statement.
We rate his claim Mostly True.
U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss: The U.S. Department of Defense spends $80 million a year on prostate cancer research, $25 million a year on ovarian cancer research and $150 million a year on breast cancer research.
Chambliss, R-Ga., recently said the medical research may not be the best use of Defense Department resources.
“What I don’t understand is why the … military is spending $80 million a year on prostate cancer research, why we’re spending $25 million a year on ovarian cancer research and $150 million on breast cancer research. We’re also doing lung cancer research,” Chambliss said during a Nov. 7 meeting of the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Chambliss wants additional money for the Defense Department, but he says it should be spent wisely.
The senator is correct that there is such a program. The numbers are slightly off for two of the three forms of research. Chambliss used numbers three years older than the most recent material.
We rate his claim Mostly True.
Allan Levene: Says there’s no language in the U.S. Constitution that prevents someone from running for Congress simultaneously in multiple states.
Crazy.
That’s how one constitutional expert described Cobb County resident Levene’s plan to simultaneously run for the U.S. Congress in Georgia and three other states.
“I may be crazy like a fox,” Levene, a Republican, told us by telephone.
Levene, who lives in Kennesaw, recently posted an article on his campaign website claiming the U.S. Constitution does not prevent him from campaigning in multiple states. His plan is to run in Hawaii, Michigan and Minnesota.
He says he can run in numerous state primaries without living in those states. Levene said he only has to establish residency if he wins a primary and wants to be on the ballot for the general election.
Several constitutional scholars agreed with his assessment.
Levene might have uphill political battles ahead, but on his constitutional point, he’s a winner.
Our rating: True.
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