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 and the AJC Truth-O-Meter had a busy week of fact checks that focused on traditional political and governmental topics: taxes, education and foreign relations.
As the civil war in Syria expanded, our national team researched a claim by a Georgia senator about U.S. intervention to prevent mass killings. Locally, we checked a claim about the controversial Common Core education standards and whether they include a data-collection component. We also analyzed the U.S. Senate’s track record for a claim about the chamber’s productivity. And we went back in time a bit to compare tax-holiday initiatives sponsored by previous U.S. presidents for a claim about the country’s business climate.
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 (
). You can also find us on Twitter (
).
—————-
Angela Bean: A data system that goes along with Common Core is designed to collect up to 400 data points on each child, which can include personally identifiable data.
Bean, a self-described citizen activist in metro Atlanta, has been one of the most vocal opponents of the Common Core state education standards. She has traveled throughout the area denouncing the standards that have been adopted by most states, including Georgia.
Bean made this claim earlier this month in a newspaper article about Common Core.
Our research found that Bean’s claim incorrectly combined Common Core with a data-collection system. The education standards do not include a data-collection component. On the other hand, Georgia’s Education Department does collect student data as part of a separate annual collection cycle, then provides the information in a digital format for teachers and school officials to use. And some of that data, as Bean claimed, is personally identifiable.
Bean’s statement contained an element of truth but left out critical facts about the separation of Common Core and data collection.
We rated Bean’s claim Mostly False.
————————
U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson: Corporate tax holidays pushed by Presidents John F. Kennedy and George W. Bush brought “billions” of dollars back into the United States.
Isakson made this claim during a Bloomberg Radio interview last month about high corporate tax rates. He was asked whether there should be a corporate tax holiday on off-shore profits.
Absolutely, the Republican senator from Georgia said and pointed to tax initiatives by Kennedy and Bush as examples of past successes.
We found that Isakson’s comments were accurate about the Bush tax holiday, which brought $362 billion back into the U.S. But there is disagreement about its long-term effectiveness.
There is even more disagreement about whether it’s correct to describe what Kennedy did — he helped create the Investment Tax Credit and prevented U.S.-controlled foreign companies from deferring taxes on income — as a corporate tax holiday. Economists and historians say Kennedy wanted these changes because he was concerned about the flow of money out of the United States and its impact on the gold standard.
We rated Isakson’s claim Half True.
——————-
U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss: “The United States has never stood by and seen innocent people slaughtered to the extent that’s happening in Syria.”
Our national PolitiFact reporters checked out this claim made by Chambliss last week during an interview on CNN’s “The Situation Room.”
The United States last week announced that it was convinced that the Syrian regime had used chemical weapons, thus crossing a line set by President Barack Obama that would trigger U.S. involvement.
An office of the United Nations reported this month that the death toll in Syria reached at least 93,000 by the end of April. A spokeswoman for Chambliss said the senator was referring to “tragedies like Bosnia, where the United States had full knowledge of the abuses occurring, and had the ability and resources to intervene.
Our research found that Chambliss’ claim was undercut by myriad examples — for example, in Cambodia, Darfur, Ethiopia and Rwanda — in which more than 100,000 civilians were killed yet the United States did not take direct and significant action.
We rated Chambliss’ claim Pants On Fire.
————————-
U.S. Rep. Jack Kingston: “In the past four years (the U.S. Senate) has only passed nine out of 48 appropriations bills.”
Kingston, one of four major GOP hopefuls for retiring U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss’ seat, made this claim last month during a speech announcing his candidacy in which he criticized the work by the current Senate.
Data from the Library of Congress, which tracks bill histories, show that his statement was correct.
But digging a bit deeper into his claim — and into history — shows that this congressional stalemate that lingers over federal spending is not new.
Also, while the Senate may not have passed its portion of bills, there are lawmakers on both sides of the aisle who have prevented real progress on solutions to reduce the national debt and grow the economy.
We rated Kingston’s claim Mostly True.
About the Author
