More on Fact Checking

Media Bias Fact Check (MBFC) is a fact-checking page, which relies strictly on signatories of the International Fact Checking Network (IFCN) when evaluating the political/factual bias of 3,100+ media sources (left, center-left, least biased, center-right, right, pro-science, conspiracy and pseudo-science, questionable sources, and satire). It includes the methodology used to classify each source. Sources rated very high or high on factual reporting have proper sourcing and a clean fact check record. Here's their 2020 list of the best fact-checking websites, including all the ones below.

 

AP Fact Check  from one of Media Bias Fact Check's least-biased sources, focuses on fact checking political claims and publishes "Not Real News: A Look at What Didn't Happen This Week," which the Daily Mining Gazette has been printing. Associated Press is currently at the border of least-biased and left-biased but very high on factual accuracy. IFCN Signatory.

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OpenSecrets.Org is the Center for Responsive Politics' nonpartisan guide to money's influence on U.S. elections and public policy. MBFC rates it as dead-center least biased and very high on factual reporting, noting that it is a source for fact checkers.

 

Lead Stories  uses the Trendolizer to track story trends and debunk fake news before it becomes viral. They are often the first to debunk outrageous claims with "hoax alerts." Their clever tag line is "Just Because It's Trending Doesn't Mean It's True—Fact checking at the speed of likes since 2015." MBFC rates it as dead-center least biased and very high on factual reporting. IFCN signatory.

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Ballotpedia is a nonprofit and nonpartisan encyclopedia, sponsored by the Lucy Burns Institute, designed to connect people to politics utilizing a neutral point-of-view philosophy. We believe in the power of information to transform lives and politics, and we are committed to making the most knowledge available to the greatest number of people. MBFC rates it as dead-center least biased and very high on factual reporting.

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FactCheck.org from the University of Pennsylvania's Annenberg Public Policy Center is a nonpartisan, nonprofit "consumer advocate" for voters that aims to reduce the level of deception and confusion in U.S. politics. FactCheck monitors the factual accuracy of TV ads, debates, speeches, interviews and news releases. MBFC rates it as dead-center least biased and very high on factual reporting. IFCN signatory.

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sunlightfoundation.com has a Web Integrity Project that monitors changes to government websites: "making government transparent and accountable through data, tools, policy and journalism." MBFC rates it slightly left-center and high on factual accuracy.

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PolitiFact is a project of the St. Petersburg Times to help people find the truth in American politics, reported in the form of a Truth-O-Meter. It is among the least-biased IFCN sites but leans slightly left of center and ranks high on factual reporting of the accuracy of claims by elected officials and others who speak up in American politics. IFCN signatory.

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Check Your Fact  is owned by but operated independently of the Daily Caller. Media Bias Fact check rates Daily Caller an unreliable news source, but Check Your Fact is one of very few right-center IFCN fact-checkers with high factual accuracy. They focus primarily on hoaxes and political statements.

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Science Feedback  reviews climate-related and health and medical claims. Their fact-checkers are PhDs with recently published articles in top-tier peer-reviewed science journals, making this the best fact-checker for science-related claims, according to Media Bias Fact Check. IFCN

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While not on MBFC's 2020 list of top fact-checkers, Snopes, also known as the Urban Legends Reference Pages, was one of the first online fact-checking websites. Founded in 1994, it validates and debunks claims in American popular culture. Snopes ownership has said that the site receives more complaints of liberal bias than conservative bias but insists that the same debunking standards are applied to all political claims and urban legends. MBFC rates it highly factual and on the left side of Least Biased, based on infrequent stories that favor the left.

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League of Women Voters of Kittitas County Navigating Disinformation Page