Political Truth-o-Meter

By: Callie McBroom

I have just discovered a cool site that seems to do the impossible: look at both sides of politics with an unbiased eye. PolitiFact.com looks at both Republican and Democratic party comments. It even addresses rumor emails directed towards a certain politician.

The St. Petersburg Times of Florida and Congressional Quarterly of Washington, D.C. team up everyday to check out speeches, TV ads, interviews, and other campaign communications for not-so-honest claims. The goal is to help voters navigate the fine line between true and false.

Some of the features provided include the Attack File, the Truth-o-Meter, and the Flip-o-Meter. Each claim is labeled as True, Mostly True, Half True, Barely True or False. A special category entitled, "Pants on Fire" is reserved for the worse offenders.

As a voter who is concerned about making the right decision in November, I find the site to be useful. As a person tired of political attack ads and speeches that exaggerate claims, I find the site to be refreshing. I know that this will become a valuable source for me in the next two months.