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 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.
PolitiFact Georgia kept the AJC Truth-O-Meter busy this week with checks of four claims about health care, crime and government regulations.
With school starting up for another year, we checked a claim about Georgia’s Education Department and changes made to its policies for accepting school credits. We investigated a statement about the impact of federal emissions regulations on the trucking industry. And we examined a claim about the number of Georgia veterans who may be denied health care coverage because of Georgia’s decision to opt out of the Medicaid expansion. We also revisited the national discussion on race in America, with a claim by Newt Gingrich.
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).
Newt Gingrich: “Gangs have increased by 40 percent since this president was elected.”
More than a week after the Zimmerman verdict, CNN’s “State of the Union” hosted a roundtable discussion of crime and race in America. Gingrich, the former Republican House speaker from Georgia, made this claim during the discussion.
Gingrich made the same point in a Chicago Tribune op-ed. He deserves credit for using statistics from a credible federal agency, but it’s important to note that methodological difficulties make it hard for anyone, even the FBI, to determine how many gang members there are in the country. Criminologists express skepticism about whether gang membership could have jumped 40 percent in just two years, saying that broader crime statistics don’t show any sign of it.
In addition, despite the Gingrich camp’s insistence that he did not mean to cast blame on President Barack Obama for the rise in gang membership, we think that a reasonable viewer of the discussion could have made such an inference.
We rated Gingrich’s claim Half True.
Michelle Nunn: By rejecting an expansion of Medicaid under the new law, Georgia was depriving 25,000 veterans of health care coverage.
Nunn, a Democrat and U.S. Senate candidate, made this claim last month in an exclusive interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, while announcing her candidacy.
Research showed that an estimated 650,000 Georgians would be eligible for Medicaid if the state agreed to expand coverage. States had the option of participating in the expansion, but Gov. Nathan Deal declined, citing concerns about the possible costs to the state if the federal government was unable to sustain the program.
Nunn’s claim about the number of veterans that would be denied health coverage because of Georgia’s decision was supported by a study completed by a Washington-based research center. That center’s work is the industry standard for this information, and is used by the Census Bureau. The center found that about 24,900 Georgia veterans fell within the Medicaid eligibility guidelines.
The research hasn’t been reviewed for a second opinion but appeared on target.
We rated Nunn’s claim True.
Nancy Gordeuk: “The Georgia Department of Education has implemented a new policy beginning in August that states that public schools will no longer accept credits from home school entities or nontraditional education centers.”
With school starting this month for most Georgia students, Gordeuk, founder of a nontraditional education academy, warned parents of changes to the state’s policies on accepting class credits.
Gordeuk made the claim in an online posting, and started a petition to repeal the changes, which she claimed would limit parents’ school choice options.
Our research found that in April, the state Education Department passed the authority for accepting credits along to local school districts. Those districts can determine which credits they will accept and from which education centers.
In Gwinnett County, where Gordeuk’s facility is located, students seeking transfer credits from these centers must first pass a county-issued test. And they will receive only a “Pass” instead of a letter or number grade on their report cards.
She is correct in noting that the transfer credit policy has changed, but the local school districts now have the decision-making power.
We rated Gordeuk’s claim Half True.
Mike Collins: Says federal regulations adopted in 2011 increased the cost of each vehicle for his business by $10,000.
The Gwinnett Daily Post ran an interview earlier this month with Collins, a congressional candidate, who made this claim about federal emissions standards. Collins, son of former U.S. House member Mac Collins, operates a trucking company with his family.
New federal emissions regulations took effect in August 2011, with goals of reducing carbon dioxide emissions by up to 20 percent, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Our research found that the Environmental Protection Agency anticipated such additional upfront costs, as Collins described. However, the EPA and trucking industry debate the cost benefit of the regulations. Anecdotal evidence and a 2012 truck dealers report suggests Collins may be right about the higher costs.
Still, the statement has to be viewed in the context of the overall fuel savings the new vehicles will accrue. That could be substantial and actually offset the higher costs in the long run.
We rated Collins’ claim Mostly True.
About the Author
