Truth in Politics?
Posted by DDOCS in Politics, tags: debunking, Flim-flam, Gimmicks, Laws, Media, Politics, Television
Truth in politics. Sounds like an oxymoron, doesn’t it? Between scandals, broken promises, spin control, and general sliminess, politicians aren’t known for being trustworthy. And, mainstream news shows just seem to let them get away with it. For example, remember this:
…“Good Morning America,” endured criticism in January when Rudolph W. Giuliani, the former New York City mayor, said without being challenged that “we had no domestic attacks under Bush, we’ve had one under Obama.” Mr. Giuliani omitted the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The interviewer, George Stephanopoulos, admitted online later that he had made a mistake in not following up.
It seems like shows like The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and The Colbert Report are generally the only places you can hear politicians being called out on their BS.
One web site is trying to make a difference. The St. Petersburg Times has started a site called PolitiFact, where, “Reporters and editors from the Times fact-check statements by members of Congress, the White House, lobbyists and interest groups and rate them on our Truth-O-Meter.”
The Truth-O-Meter ranges from “True” to “False,” to my personal favorite, “Pants on Fire.”
The site won a 2009 Pulitzer Prize, just in case you’re taking notes. And, ABC’s Sunday morning political show “This Week,” is joining up with PolitiFact to check up on the rhetoric of the lawmakers interviewed. You would think more news shows and journalists would do this on their own (it’s common sense, right?), but they just don’t. David Gregory, who hosts NBC’s “Meet the Press,” said, “…people can fact check the program on their own online.” OK, thanks. Put the burden of truth on the viewer.
It’s good to see that at least some people care about the truth.
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