In a world where so much misinformation is spread through sloppy, poorly-researched, or sometimes just plain mendacious claims, it's good to know that there are people out there checking facts and taking the perpetrators to task for their failings. Indeed, that is something I often try to do in this blog, in my own small way.
Whether it be the occasional investigations of the BBC's Reality Check (which springs to life during campaigns like elections, the current Brexit vote, etc), or more permanent impartial political fact-checking operations like FullFact, PolitiFact, FactCheck, Fact Checker, FactsCan, etc.
The Washington Post's Fact Checker recently analyzed Donald Trump's claims during his current presidential campaign. Amazingly, fully 70% of Trump's claims merited FactChecker's "4 Pinocchios" rating, the worst rating available.
What's rather depressing, though, is that facts don't always make much difference to voters' preferences, and Trump's campaign is just such an example.
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