Bill Adair
PolitiFact
Washington, DC, United States
Contact Bill
Discover and connect with journalists and influencers around the world, save time on email research, monitor the news, and more.
| Recent: |
|
| Past: |
|
Past articles by Bill:
PolitiFact - 15 years later, we haven’t given up on facts; neither should you
When we launched PolitiFact in 2007, we were so unsure about its future that we had an escape hatch. If the fact-checkin → Read More
A lesson in automated journalism: Bring back the humans » Nieman Journalism Lab
"We’ve found that artificial Intelligence is smart, but it’s not yet smart enough to make final decisions or avoid the robotic repetition that is an unfortunate trait of, um, robots." → Read More
Another year fighting Trump’s falsehoods » Nieman Journalism Lab
"He's like an indestructible monster in a Godzilla movie. The authorities keep firing at him, but he just keeps walking through town, gaining power." → Read More
Congrats! Fellow fact-checkers Factcheck.org turns 15
When we launched PolitiFact in 2007, our biggest boost came from a competitor. Our traffic in the first few days was pitifully low. But then we got a wonderful welcome from Brooks Jackson, the director of FactCheck.org, who sent an email to his readers welcoming us to the world of fact-checking. Our traffic soared. It was a gracious gesture and a sign of the wonderful spirit of cooperation that… → Read More
The red couch experiments: Early lessons in pop-up fact-checking » Nieman Journalism Lab
"People have long mused about live fact-checking on television, but this marked the first in-depth study. It revealed our product could have tremendous appeal — but we need to explain it better to our users." → Read More
The year of the fact-checking bot » Nieman Journalism Lab
"The falsehoods will continue, but the bots will be a force multiplier to provide people with the truth." → Read More
Principles of PolitiFact and the Truth-O-Meter
Editor's Note: We've had some inquiries lately about how we select claims to check and make our rulings. So here's an overview of our procedures and the principles for Truth-O-Meter rulings. PolitiFact is a fact-checking website that rates the accuracy of claims by elected officials and others who speak up in American politics. PolitiFact National is run by editors and reporters from the Tampa… → Read More
Happy birthday to us! PolitiFact turns 9
Nine years ago today, the St. Petersburg Times launched an unusual effort to help voters find the truth in politics. There had been some excellent fact-checking before we came along — the pioneers at FactCheck.org launched in 2003 — but PolitiFact was different. We used Truth-O-Meter ratings to summarize our conclusions from True to Pants on Fire. And we presented our work as structured… → Read More
Happy birthday to us! PolitiFact turns 9
Nine years ago today, the St. Petersburg Times launched an unusual effort to help voters find the truth in politics. There had been some excellent fact-checking before we came along — the pioneers at FactCheck.org launched in 2003 — but PolitiFact was different. We used Truth-O-Meter ratings to summarize our conclusions from True to Pants on Fire. And we presented our work as structured… → Read More
Irresponsible claim (and wrong medical diagnosis)
During a campaign stop in Iowa on July 4, the six-term senator declared, → Read More
Many years of politics and advocacy
Sen. Hillary Clinton often boasts that she has a long resume — 35 years long, to be precise. → Read More
PolitiFact's guide to Obama's birth certificate
Originally published April 8, 2011 Nothing we've published in the four-year history of PolitiFact has generated as much interest as our coverage of President Barack Obama's birth certificate. New allegations from Donald Trump (new from Trump, at least; most of them have been explored by PolitiFact and other fact-checkers) have prompted fresh interest in the subject, so we thought we'd provide a… → Read More
Checking Patricia Smith's claims about Clinton and Benghazi
The opening night theme of the Republican National Convention was → Read More
She has experience, but maybe not at math
Sen. Hillary Clinton often boasts that she has a long resume. Asked during a Texas campaign event about the difference between her and Sen. Barack Obama, Clinton replied, → Read More
What happens when a 50-something journalist gets a week’s worth of news from Snapchat Discover? » Nieman Journalism Lab
The founder of PolitiFact finds distracting soundtracks and stale headlines, but also a fair amount of lively and effective content. → Read More
An accurate summary of economic stats
Corporate profits have been rising. The Commerce Department reported that corporate profits from current production increased 21.4 percent in 2006 and were up 12.5 percent in 2005. CEO pay has also gone up. A Forbes report in May 2007 said chief executives of the nation's 500 largest companies got a 38 percent raise in 2006, on top of a 6 percent hike in 2005 and a 54 percent raise in 2004. And… → Read More
Pants, burning » Nieman Journalism Lab
"Candidates will ignore a lot of the truth-squadding — except when they can use it to attack their opponents. (Politicians hate fact-checking, except when they love it!)" → Read More
The Principles of PolitiFact, PunditFact and the Truth-O-Meter
Editor’s note: We often get questions about how we select claims to check and how we make our rulings. So a couple of times a year, we publish this overview of our procedures and the principles for Truth-O-Meter rulings. PolitiFact is a fact-checking website that rates the accuracy of claims by elected officials and others who speak up in American politics. PolitiFact is run by editors and… → Read More
Donald Rumsfeld says Abraham Lincoln loved wrestling
Last week's recommendation by the International Olympic Committee executive board to drop wrestling from the 2020 summer games prompted an outcry from lovers of the sport, including former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. The IOC has been overcome by → Read More
PolitiFact - Irresponsible claim (and wrong medical diagnosis)
During a campaign stop in Iowa on July 4, the six-term senator declared, "This guy is brain-dead." It's an extreme charg → Read More