HOW DOES THE 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 a few hours or a few days, 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 three-member 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.
This past week, PolitiFact Georgia and the AJC Truth-O-Meter tackled tough fact checks on taxes and the demographics of school suspensions. But we ended the week on a lighter note: strip clubs!
We researched the second part of a statement by Atlanta congressman and civil rights leader John Lewis, about whether black students were unfairly represented in the number of students being suspended or expelled from public schools. We also reviewed and compared Georgia’s tax data for a claim about the impact of shrinking the size of government. And though we didn’t take a field trip, we did conduct comprehensive research for a claim about violations at one of Atlanta’s most iconic strip clubs.
Abbreviated versions of our fact checks are below. Full versions can be found at: www.politifact.com/georgia/.
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U.S. Rep. John Lewis: “Black children constitute 18 percent of the nation’s public school population but 40 percent of the children who are suspended or expelled.”
This claim was the second part of a statement made by Lewis, one of Georgia’s Democratic congressmen from Atlanta, and a New York University professor. The two made the claim in an op-ed last month about their belief that African-Americans are being treated unfairly in the criminal justice system.
The men used U.S. Department of Education data on suspensions and expulsions, along with a Children’s Defense report, to make the claim. We found plenty of debate over the rationale for the higher percentage of black students suspended or expelled in the Education Department report.
But we were focused on whether the statistics used to make the claim were accurate. And our research found that the percentage of the U.S. student population cited in the statement was accurate, and the percentage of black students suspended or expelled was close to the mark.
We rated Lewis’ claim Mostly True.
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Georgia Sen. Jason Carter: “We (Georgia) collect fewer state taxes per capita than any other state … although state taxes are low, Georgia is the eighth-most-dependent state on the federal government.”
Sen. Carter, grandson of Georgia governor and former President Jimmy Carter, made this claim before a meeting of the Marietta Rotary Club last month.
Carter’s message was that continual shrinkage of the government — which has been a conservative standard — is hurting Georgia in the long run. He cited data from the Tax Foundation, a nonpartisan tax research group based in Washington.
Using that group’s data, along with census data, for fiscal 2011, Carter was correct on his tax collection claim. But in fiscal 2012, Georgia advanced to 49th in its collections.
On federal government dependence, analysis of census data shows that Georgia was the ninth-most-dependent state in fiscal 2011, instead of the eighth most dependent, as Carter claimed.
His overall point that Georgia is fostering a smaller state government but at the same time relying heavily on federal funds was correct. But his calculations were slightly off.
We rated Carter’s claim Mostly True.
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Attorneys: The Pink Pony club in DeKalb County has never been cited for any violation of an ordinance or state law.
DeKalb County’s Pink Pony strip club is many things, but a lawbreaker it’s not, said the club’s attorneys. The attorneys made this claim recently while in the midst of a legal dispute with the city of Brookhaven over an ordinance to regulate sexually oriented businesses.
The Pink Pony has been in operation for about 22 years, so researching the claim was quite comprehensive.
We came across some lawsuits between dancers and patrons, and a challenge to the 1997 Miss Nude World International pageant, but nothing involving the clubs or owners. We checked with several law enforcement agencies, including the county police, district attorney and code compliance departments. We also checked with the secretary of state’s office and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. In each case, no violations were found related to the club or its owners.
Again, we were focused on examining the claim that the club ownership — not individual dancers or staff — had not violated any laws or ordinances.
We rated the attorneys’ statement True.
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