Summary Now that President Donald Trump has been in office for one day shy of a full year, it’s time to take a look at how well his boasts — and his critics’ complaints — stack up against hard data. Here we offer key measures
Search Results (749) for: poll
FactCheck.org→ Trump Tweets Faulty Black Approval Claim
President Donald Trump’s approval ratings among African Americans have declined, not “doubled,” as the president claimed in a recent tweet. The source of Trump’s boast appears to be a misreading of data from the online polling firm SurveyMonkey
FactCheck.org→ Trump’s Phony ‘Fake News’ Claims
President Donald Trump often dismisses news stories or media outlets that he doesn’t like as “fake news.” How often? A database of his public remarks contains 320 references last year to “fake news.” Usually, it’s a
FactCheck.org→ FactChecking Science Claims in 2017
In our roundup of 2016 claims, we hypothesized that SciCheck would have no dearth of false and misleading claims to cover in 2017. That proved true. From President Donald Trump’s decision to exit the Paris Agreement to Environmental Protection A
FactCheck.org→ FactChecking Science Claims in 2017
In our roundup of 2016 claims, we hypothesized that SciCheck would have no dearth of false and misleading claims to cover in 2017. That proved true. From President Donald Trump’s decision to exit the Paris Agreement to Environmental Protection A
FactCheck.org→ More Claims of Alabama Voter Fraud
Q: Were illegal voters bused in to Alabama to swing the election to Doug Jones? Were thousands of fraudulent votes recorded for him? A: Those claims were made by self-described “satirical” websites. The Alabama Secretary of State says ther
FactCheck.org→ More Claims of Alabama Voter Fraud
Q: Were illegal voters bused in to Alabama to swing the election to Doug Jones? Were thousands of fraudulent votes recorded for him? A: Those claims were made by self-described “satirical” websites. The Alabama Secretary of State says ther
Climate Feedback→ Breitbart article on California fires misleads by omitting explanation of climate’s influence
SCIENTISTS’ FEEDBACK SUMMARY This article in Breitbart criticizes a statement by California Governor Jerry Brown, who said that the recent dangerous fires are “the new normal” for the area. The article correctly lists a number of factors t
FactCheck.org→ Trump’s Claims Don’t Add Up
Summary In touting Republican tax bills, President Donald Trump made several claims that don’t add up. The nation’s real gross domestic product grew 4.6 percent and 5.2 percent in the third and fourth quarters of 2014, respectively. But T
Climate Feedback→ Grist article on an “Ice Apocalypse” mostly accurate, but doesn’t make the likelihood of that apocalypse clear enough to readers
SCIENTISTS’ FEEDBACK SUMMARY This article at Grist by Eric Holthaus examines the risk of greater sea level rise caused by a more rapid loss of glacial ice. It focuses on a process recently added to one ice sheet model (ice cliff instability),
Snopes→ Keystone Pipeline Leaks 210,000 Gallons of Oil in South Dakota
TransCanada Corp.’s Keystone pipeline leaked oil onto agricultural land in northeastern South Dakota, but state officials don’t believe the leak polluted any surface water bodies or drinking water systems
FactCheck.org→ Tax Cut Ad Lacks Context
A TV ad by a coalition of liberal groups leaves the false impression that 47 million “middle-class” households would be “stuck with the tab” for Republican tax cuts that benefit the wealthy. The 47 million figure refers to all h
Snopes→ Sydney Ferry Christened ‘Ferry McFerryface’ After ‘Boaty McBoatface’ Overruled
New South Wales officials rejected voters' first choice in a public poll.
Politifact National→ Explaining the Virginia election results: The White House curse
As late as a few hours before the polls closed on Tuesday night, pundits were thinking Republican Ed Gillespie could pull off an upset in Virginia’s open-seat gubernatorial race. When the votes were tallied, however, they showed that Gillespie&rs
FactCheck.org→ Senator Misleads on ‘Absurd’ Science
Sen. Rand Paul misrepresented two studies supported by federal grants, while advocating legislation he introduced to change the federal grant funding process. In both cases, Paul, a 2016 presidential candidate and Republican from Kentucky, confused the
Climate Feedback→ The Independent makes a giant leap in stating that modern global warming could be “worse than thought” based on a single study
SCIENTISTS’ FEEDBACK SUMMARY This article in The Independent describes a study examining one type of “proxy” record for past global temperatures the geologic record. The study found a potential problem with temperature estimates for time p
Climate Feedback→ Commentary in The Australian ignores evidence and misrepresents research while falsely claiming humans are not responsible for climate change
SCIENTISTS’ FEEDBACK SUMMARY This opinion in The Australian by Ian Plimer repeats a number of false but common claims to support an argument that human activities are not responsible for climate change, and that renewables like wind and solar
FactCheck.org→ A Tax Hike or Benefit for the ‘Middle Class’?
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi claimed that the Republican tax cut plan “raises taxes on [the] middle class,” while President Donald Trump claimed that “everybody’s gonna benefit” from a plan that “is for the middle
FactCheck.org→ Obama’s Final Numbers
Summary The numbers are nearly all in now. What they show about what really happened during the eight years that Barack Obama was president is sometimes different from what politicians claimed. The economy gained a net 11.5 million jobs. The unemploym
FactCheck.org→ What ‘China’ Ads in Virginia Race Omit
Television ads in the Virginia governor’s race criticize Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam for his role on a state economic development board. But there is less here than meets the eye: The ads say Northam missed 58 percent of the Virginia Economic Devel
FactCheck.org→ Did Air Quality Improve Under Obama?
Environmental Protection Agency head Scott Pruitt criticized former President Barack Obama for leaving 40 percent of Americans with air quality that doesn’t meet EPA standards. By some measures, this is true. But a report Pruitt’s office cited
FactCheck.org→ Video: Stats Not Voter Fraud ‘Proof’
This week’s fact-checking video from CNN’s Jake Tapper and FactCheck.org shows why Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach does not have “proof” of widespread voter fraud in New Hampshire that could have helped Democrats win a clo
FactCheck.org→ Kobach’s Bogus ‘Proof’ of Voter Fraud
Kris Kobach, vice chairman of the Presidential Commission on Election Integrity, claims to have “proof” of voter fraud in New Hampshire that’s widespread enough to have swung a U.S. Senate election in favor of the Democrats. He doesn&
Snopes→ Trump Setting Records for Low Presidential Approval
Donald Trump came into office as the most unpopular new president in the history of modern polling. Things have not improved.
FactCheck.org→ Trump’s Phoenix Fiction
Summary President Donald Trump delivered a raucous, error-filled speech in Arizona on Aug. 22, just days after he was uniformly criticized for blaming “both sides” for the deadly violence at a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Vir
FactCheck.org→ CO2: Friend or Foe to Agriculture?
Rep. Lamar Smith said climate change “alarmists” ignore the “positive impacts” of more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, such as increased food production and quality. But the impact of increased CO2 levels on agricultur
FactCheck.org→ 25 Million Clinton Votes Weren’t Fake
Q: Did NPR report that a study found “over 25 million Hillary Clinton votes were completely fraudulent,” and that she “actually lost the popular vote”? A: No. That claim was made in a story that conflates a 2012 article about inaccurac
Politifact Truth-O-Meter→ Donald Trump – Donald Trump says 'business spirit' is highest it's ever been, but proof is lacking
The Truth-o-Meter says: Mostly False | Donald Trump says 'business spirit' is highest it's ever been, but proof is lacking Right after swearing in his new chief of staff, President Donald Trump once again touted some of the economic accomplishments
FactCheck.org→ FactChecking Trump’s Rally in Ohio
President Donald Trump’s latest campaign-style rally was in Youngstown, Ohio, where the president made some false and misleading claims about military spending, immigrants and job creation: Trump claimed to have “achieved a historic increa
Snopes→ Moon Landing Urban Legends
A collection of urban legends about the 20 July 1969 Apollo 11 moon landing.
Snopes→ Moon Landing Urban Legends
A collection of urban legends about the 20 July 1969 Apollo 11 moon landing.
FactCheck.org→ Is Bacon Better for You Than Tilapia?
Q: Is bacon better for you than tilapia? Does tilapia cause cancer and/or Alzheimer’s disease? A: No. These false claims, spread by multiple websites, are not supported by solid scientific evidence. FULL QUESTION What is the truth about wa
Politifact Truth-O-Meter→ Donald Trump – Trump’s False claim that his presidential approval rating is ‘not bad’
The Truth-o-Meter says: False | Trump’s False claim that his presidential approval rating is ‘not bad’ Six months into his presidency, Donald Trump is putting a positive spin on the latest round of public polling on his job performance. "
Climate Feedback→ Scientists explain what New York Magazine article on “The Uninhabitable Earth” gets wrong
SCIENTISTS’ FEEDBACK SUMMARY New York Magazine published an article by David Wallace-Wells detailing the potential impacts of climate change if no action is taken to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Much of the article explores “worst case
FactCheck.org→ No Obama $1 Bill
Q: Is the Federal Reserve putting former President Barack Obama on the $1 bill? A: No. That claim comes from a recycled fake news story. FULL QUESTION Is the Federal Reserve really considering putting Obama on the $1 bill in 2017? I thought persons
FactCheck.org→ Trump Official Wrong About Warming, Again
In an interview on CNBC, Energy Secretary Rick Perry said carbon dioxide is not “the primary control knob” for the Earth’s temperature and climate. But scientists say it’s “extremely likely” that human activity &
Snopes→ Summer Vacation: Never Mind the Hike. Where’s the Hammock?
A new poll about summer travel finds that the top thing Americans want to do on vacation is ... nothing.
Climate Feedback→ Breitbart misrepresents research from 58 scientific papers to falsely claim that they disprove human-caused global warming
SCIENTISTS’ FEEDBACK SUMMARY In an article for Breitbart, author James Delingpole claims to provide 58 scientific papers published in 2017 that show global warming to be “a myth”. This claim is sourced entirely from a list on a blog called
Snopes→ The Latest: Elmo Costume Photobombs Theresa May’s Picture
Theresa May leaves after voting in the general election as a person wearing a costume of TV character Elmo waves at polling station in Maidenhead, England.
Climate Feedback→ Playing semantics, misleading Breitbart article downplays US contribution to climate change
SCIENTISTS’ FEEDBACK SUMMARY This article at Breitbart argues that World Health Organization rankings of particulate matter air quality show that the United States is not one of the biggest polluters in the context of the Paris Agreement. Scie