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Should I Use PolitiFact?

politifact.com·Analyzed 3 hours ago·Based on 14 sources

Fact-checking journalism with the Truth-O-Meter

Depends

Depends

Nothing to buy — PolitiFact is a free nonprofit news site, so use it any time you want a documented check on a US political claim.

Free, Pulitzer-winning US fact-checker. Worth reading, not gospel — ratings are opinions and bias complaints persist.

Confidence: Medium

Free

Price

Optional donation-based reader membership

2009

Pulitzer Prize

National reporting

Poynter Institute

Owner

Nonprofit; Poynter deal in 2018

2007

Founded

Guess: launched by St. Petersburg Times

Value for money5

Free to read; optional membership.

Ease of use4

Searchable site; ratings easy to grasp.

Feature depth3

Ratings plus promise trackers; no self-serve data.

Pros

  • Pulitzer Prize-winning fact-checking journalism (2009)²
  • Nonprofit-owned with published funding disclosures³
  • Signatory to the IFCN code of principles⁴
  • Published methodology for the Truth-O-Meter⁵
  • Tracks politicians' campaign promises over time

Cons

  • Persistent bias accusations from readers across the spectrum
  • Peer-reviewed studies critique its fact-checking⁸
  • Truth-O-Meter verdicts are subjective editorial judgments⁹
  • Polarized trust: some audiences dismiss it outright12

Gotchas

  • mediumLicensing and syndication access runs through partnerships, not self-serve⁶
  • mediumCiting it can trigger pushback; audiences dispute its neutrality11
  • lowFree to read, but membership signup includes a recurring fee agreement⁷

Best for

  • Voters checking US political claims
  • Journalists citing sourced fact-checks
  • Media-literacy classrooms
  • Researchers using claim-rating datasets

Not for

  • Anyone wanting an uncontested referee — bias complaints span the spectrum
  • Non-US politics; coverage centers on American politicians
  • Teams wanting self-serve API or data-feed access
  • Readers who treat any single fact-checker as gospel

Companies that use it

  • PBS News10

Pricing

Free reader

$0

  • Full fact-check archive
  • Truth-O-Meter ratings
  • Politician promise trackers

Reader membership

Donation-based; amount not published

  • Supports the newsroom
  • Fees apply per signup terms

Security

No known public vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.

What users say

Reader sentiment is polarized: many rely on it for political claims, while others — especially on the right — openly question its neutrality.

“Is Politifact truly neutral?”
— Reddit, r/NeutralPolitics
“Do you trust fact checking sites like politifact?”
— Reddit, r/AskTrumpSupporters
“Do you ever look at them?”
— Reddit, r/AskConservatives

Alternatives

Compare PolitiFact with each alternative.

Snopes

Broader scope: viral claims, not just politics.

Washington Post Fact Checker

Pinocchio ratings from a major newsroom.

AP Fact Check

Wire-service checks across US politics.

Full analysis

Based on 20+ public sources; many snippets were truncated, so user quotes are limited to thread titles.

Sources

  1. PolitiFactpolitifact.com
    official
  2. PolitiFact - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
    review
  3. Who Pays For PolitiFact?politifact.com
    official
  4. PolitiFact - IFCN Code of Principlesifcncodeofprinciples.poynter.org
    official
  5. The Principles of the Truth-O-Meterpolitifact.com
    official
  6. Join the PolitiFact Nationpolitifact.com
    official
  7. PolitiFact: Join (fundjournalism)politifact.fundjournalism.org
    official
  8. Checking PolitiFact's Fact-Checks (Taylor & Francis)tandfonline.com
    review
  9. Fact-checking fact checkers (Harvard Misinformation Review)misinforeview.hks.harvard.edu
    review
  10. PBS News and PolitiFact Partnershippbs.org
    news
  11. Is Politifact truly neutral? (Reddit)reddit.com
    review
  12. Do you trust fact checking sites like politifact? (Reddit)reddit.com
    review
  13. PolitiFact - Common Sense Mediacommonsensemedia.org
    review
  14. PolitiFact - RAND Truth Decayrand.org
    review

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