One of the sites I used as a reference source throughout the recent election was Factcheck.org. I appreciated their thoroughness in fully researching every political claim (from both sides), citing what was factual and what wasn't -- and provided the sources so I could check their work.
And their transparency didn't stop there. Shortly after the election was over, FactCheck published the results of their subscriber survey. The numbers were very instructive. 91.3% felt the site was free of bias, and 94.6% believed FactCheck.org to be reliable and accurate.
But then it got interesting. Of the respondents who said they were journalists, 58.3% said the site was useful in their work, but only 44.1% cited FacCheck.org -- no wonder they're not better known.
And of the campaign workers surveyed (both Republican and Democrat), while those agreeing that the site made their own candidates more careful about stating facts accurately, they felt that it had very little effect on getting the opposition candidate to do so!
Politics is perception -- which is why I'm thankful for FactCheck.org. It's a good way to keep my perceptions in perspective.
- Ralph
Day 159 of the WJMA Web Watch.
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