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 and PolitiFact Georgia last week continued fact checks on the continuing political firestorm surrounding Obamacare.
We also put a statement by U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., on the job prospects of liberal arts school grads through the Truth-O-Meter, as well as a claim by the nonprofit Atlanta Police Foundation that crime is down 18 percent in the city since 2009.
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Abbreviated versions of our fact checks are below.
Full versions can be found at www.politifact.com/georgia/
Obama economic adviser Gene Sperling: There’s “no magic number” of people who will be signed up for health care by March under the Affordable Health Care Act.
About 2.1 million people have signed up for health insurance plans through the federal and state marketplaces. But is it enough to be on track to meet the goal of 7 million by March? That was the question posed by NBC’s “Meet the Press” host David Gregory during a discussion Sunday with Sperling.
“Well, first of all, there’s no magic number,” Sperling said in response to Gregory’s question.
PolitiFact wanted to know whether Sperling was trying to rewrite history given that federal officials, including Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, have referred to 7 million as the March target.
The number originated with the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, which analyzes the impact of legislation. In February, the CBO estimated 7 million people would sign up for coverage between the start of October and the end of March, the deadline to enroll and avoid a tax penalty. That was before healthcare.gov made its dysfunctional debut.
It’s clear the Obama administration has used a number — 7 million by the end of March — in the past. There’s no denying that.
We rated Sperling’s statement Mostly False.
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U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., at two appearances in Coweta County in December: 53 percent of liberal arts school graduates can’t find jobs.
“Career academies are the future, ” Isakson said at a Dec. 4 town hall meeting in Coweta County. “Fifty-three percent of graduates from liberal arts academies couldn’t find employment, but almost 89 percent who graduated from technical schools did so.”
Isakson drew from a 2012 study/report from The Associated Press that looked at bachelor’s degree holders under age 25 and found 53.6 percent were either jobless or underemployed. The study didn’t single out liberal arts school grads, and an Isakson spokeswoman said the senator’s “intent was to convey the general message of the AP study.”
We rated Isakson’s statement as False.
Atlanta Police Foundation: “Crime in Atlanta is down 18 percent since 2009.”
A flier from the foundation arrived in December at the home of its financial backers with this impressive headline: “Crime in Atlanta is down 18 percent since 2009.”
PolitiFact Georgia decided to look deeper into the foundation’s claim, especially given that, at several times during the year, residents have been rattled by — and outspoken about — high-profile neighborhood crimes. Plus, Atlanta’s crime rate is still considered among the nation’s highest.
The foundation compared crime data in the first 45 weeks of 2009 against data for the same 45 weeks in 2013. The foundation focused on what are known as Part 1, or major, crimes: murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny and auto thefts.
The foundation pulled straight from records of the Atlanta Police Department, and at least two outside experts consider the foundation claim fair and accurate.
We rated the foundation’s claim True.
Republican National Committee: “The latest Quinnipiac poll found that nearly six-in-ten Americans oppose ObamaCare — 30% support the law and 57% oppose it.”
At a reader’s request, we checked into a series of Facebook posts by the Republican National Committee themed to the “Twelve Days of Christmas.” The 12 days refer to aspects of President Barack Obama’s health care law that, according to Republicans, are having negative repercussions on the economy and health care system.
One of those posts claimed that “the latest Quinnipiac poll found that nearly six-in-ten
Americans oppose ObamaCare — 30% support the law and 57% oppose it.”
In the latest Quinnipiac poll, released on Dec. 11, respondents were asked, “Do
you support or oppose the health care law passed by Barack Obama and Congress
in 2010?” The poll results showed 57 percent in opposition to the law and 39 percent supportive of it.
A spokeswoman said it was a typo and fixed the posting.
We rated the original post a Half True.
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