3 ms·
After looking at many fact checkers and the job they do, I could not disagree more. People do not speak in simple statements that can be either scientifically
by FoxHound56 10y ago
After looking at many fact checkers and the job they do, I could not disagree more.
People do not speak in simple statements that can be either scientifically "verified" or "not verified". When talking, people often use hyperbole. They speak in approximate numbers (e.g. 20% instead of 17%, simply because it sounds better). Not to mention people often talk about socially complex subjects that cannot be, in ANY way, verified as simply "true" or "false" without interjecting the fact checkers own personal opinion into the mix.
Fact checkers have tried to solve these issues by having "truthiness" ratings. For example, Politifact has the ratings "True, Mostly True, Mostly False, False, Pants on Fire". However, this is obviously a scale that has no objective meaning. As a result, these ratings are applied inconsistently and with a heavy bias towards the fact-checkers own agenda (which, for Politifact, is heavily left-leaning).
How do you objectively decide whether a hyperbole is true or not? How do you objectively decide that numbers are too far off the actual scientific numbers? What rounding is too much? How do you objectively decide the truth of complex social issues and statements, and what data do you trust for determining these "objectively true answers"?
The answer is you can't, and you don't.
- JamesBarney 10y agoIt might be hard to determine a false statement from a pants on fire statement, but just because it's not purely objective doesn't mean its not useful. What would are some Politifacts that you think were wildly off base? Like statements that you believe to be true that are labeled "Pants on Fire".