When PolitiFact Editor Bill Adair went to Austin to train the people who would run PolitiFact Texas, the first state-level PolitiFact operation, he handed out the “Texas Truth-O-Meter Owner’s Manual.”
Inside were these “safety instructions”:
1. Make sure you’ve done enough reporting before operating your Truth-O-Meter.
2. Always call or e-mail the person or campaign that made the claim and ask them for the facts to back it up.
3. Seek independent sources to verify or debunk the claim.
4. Write clearly.
5. Don’t take politics too seriously.
6. Don’t take your Truth-O-Meter near water, and always unplug it during electrical storms.That’s a pretty good summary of how the PolitiFact team approaches its work. And as the Pulitzer-winning fact-checking operation seeks partners across the country, it shows the challenges of franchising a unique editorial approach. Read more.
