FactCheck.org at Penn Stays Vigilant
After political debates, FactCheck.org tells the true story
During each presidential debate, the team at FactCheck.org watches and listens closely to verify statements made by candidates, and draws precise lines between fact, misleading information, and sometimes pure fiction
Established in 2003 by Kathleen Hall Jamieson, director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center, and journalist Brooks Jackson, FactCheck employs a small staff, currently seven full-time staffers, to write stories that monitor the accuracy in claims made by political officials, often debunking false claims entirely, for the benefit of voters and the population at large. (True: See the “Our Mission” page on the FactCheck website.) The objective is to provide a bipartisan resource to reduce the level of deception and confusion in U.S. politics.
“If our goal was to get politicians to stop making false or misleading claims,” explains Managing Editor Lori Robertson, “the work would not be satisfying. This work is for the public and the consumer.”