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.
U.S. Rep. Tom Price of Roswell, Donald Trump, Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton.
They all took a recent ride of the AJC Truth-O-Meter, courtesy of PolitiFact and PolitiFact Georgia.
Abbreviated versions of our fact checks are below.
Want to comment on our rulings or suggest one of your own? Just go to our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/politifact.georgia). You can also follow us on Twitter (http://twitter.com/politifactga).
Full versions can be found at www.politifact.com/georgia/.
Congressman Tom Price on Monday, March 28th, 2016 in a post on Medium:
Says the Congressional Budget Office “is expecting a protracted economic malaise for at least the next decade under current policies.”
Price, in the resolution his committee produced, wrote that the Congressional Budget Office “is expecting a protracted economic malaise for at least the next decade under current policies.”
Even granting Price some leeway for his use of the subjective term “protracted economic malaise,” he cherry-picks what CBO wrote, offering its negative interpretation without acknowledging its positive interpretation. The statement is partially accurate but leaves out important details.
We rated Price’s statement Half True.
Donald Trump on Monday, April 11th, 2016 in a rally in Rome, N.Y.:
“My numbers are better right now than Ronald Reagan’s numbers were with Jimmy Carter.”
Trump said, “My numbers are better right now than Ronald Reagan’s numbers were with Jimmy Carter. … Ronald Reagan had a 30 (percent) favorability and he was behind Jimmy Carter by so much everybody said, ‘Oh this is going to be a disaster.’ “
We found that Trump’s deficit against Clinton during March and April 2016 was twice the size of Reagan’s deficit against Carter in March and April 1980.
We also found that Trump’s favorable/unfavorable ratings are much worse than Reagan’s were during that same period.
We rated Trump’s claim False.
Bernie Sanders on Sunday, April 10th, 2016 in in an interview on NBC’s Meet the Press:
Says Hillary Clinton supported and continues to “support fracking.”
As secretary of state, Clinton supported and promoted fracking around the world. As a 2016 candidate, her support comes with conditions such as local choice, stronger environmental regulation and chemicals.
Sanders’ claim is accurate but needs additional information.
We rated it Mostly True.
Hillary Clinton on Monday, April 11th, 2016 in an event in Port Washington, N.Y.
“The state that has the highest per capita number of … guns that end up committing crimes in New York come from Vermont.”
Clinton’s specific statistical computation is accurate.
But beyond the numbers, Clinton’s claim is misleading for a varied number of reasons.
From a policy perspective, experts say raw numbers of gun flows are likely a better measure. And while the ATF data set is the best we have, Clinton’s bold comment glosses over some important caveats about the data, including whether the guns it captures are representative and whether they line up with “trafficking.” These caveats call into question whether Vermont’s gun policies are having the effect Clinton suggests.
The statement is partially accurate but leaves out important details and context.
We rated Clinton’s statement Half True.
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