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January 17, 2011
Washington Post re-launches Fact Checker column; CJR says every reporter should evaluate truth; what about KPMG's report to the ESDC?
Atlantic Yards Report
The Washington Post has re-launched its Fact Checker column that previously concentrated on the presidential campaigns and "will focus on any statements by political figures and government officials--in the United States and abroad--that cry out for fact-checking."
Writes Glenn Kessler:
But we will not be limited to political charges or countercharges. We will seek to explain difficult issues, provide missing context and provide analysis and explanation of various "code words" used by politicians, diplomats and others to obscure or shade the truth.
The Post will use the Pinocchio Test, which includes:
- One Pinocchio: shading of the facts, but no outright falsehoods
- Two Pinocchios: significant omissions and/or exaggerations, without necessarily a formal error
- Three Pinocchios: significant factual errors and/or obvious contradictions
- Four Pinocchios: whoppers
Unalloyed truths--they will get "our prized Geppetto checkmark."
And in New York?
There's a crying need for such a service in the New York media; to my knowledge, fact-checking has been deployed mainly when checking claims in political advertising.
But what if the media decide to check, say, KPMG's report to the Empire State Development Corporation on the condo market? I give it four Pinocchios.
NoLandGrab: We prefer to call our Pinocchios "Yormarks."
Posted by eric at January 17, 2011 11:06 AM