Everybody can simply see that the so-called “unbiased fact-checkers” work hand in glove with the so-called “mainstream media” in concentrating on Republicans because the folks nobody ought to belief in positions of energy. Each teams preposterously declare that they’re “fact-based” retailers that maintain all sides accountable.
On New 12 months’s Eve, PolitiFact Govt Editor Katie Sanders appeared on the PBS Information Hour. The PBS-PolitiFact partnership underlines our level about their mutual targets. When PBS interviewer Lisa Desjardins requested Sanders about allegations of bias, she denied that was a reality.
However a NewsBusters evaluation of all of the “Fact-O-Meter” rankings of elected or appointed officers in 2025 confirmed a dramatic tilt, as we have reported all yr. From January 1 via December 31, Republicans had been deemed “Principally False” or worse in 124 of 146 reality checks (84.9 %). The Democrats had been tagged as “Principally False” or worse in simply 17 of 49 checks (34.6 %).
So should you examine the numbers of “False” warnings, the occasion breakdown is 124 to 17, or 7.3 to 1. The variety of checks are roughly 3 to 1.
However discover who PBS cites because the supply of bias allegations: not the general public, not conservatives usually, however Trump himself, as a result of they imagine Trump is the least credible critic of media bias, since he’s their Public Enemy No. 1:
LISA DESJARDINS: Now, you’re conscious that there’s a dialog coming from President Trump about whether or not there may be media bias in opposition to him. He says that there’s.
And most of your claims right here that you’ve checked out or that you simply say are lies or falsehoods are from the Trump administration and others in energy. How do you gut-check your self to just be sure you’re not biased otherwise you’re not being fed a story that you simply’re following?
KATIE SANDERS: We examine ourselves a number of methods. We examine either side of the political debate. There have been examples of Democratic officers, Hakeem Jeffries, Governor J.B. Pritzker in Illinois, who had been on our readers selection poll for saying some issues that had been clearly false. So we name it each methods.
They did put claims from the left on their listing — 4 of the 12 choices — and all 4 got here on the underside of the readers’ ballot. The readers are overwhelmingly liberal: they selected Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu denying there’s hunger in Gaza because the number-one lie, adopted by seven checks on Republicans.
Sanders additionally tried to assert they present restraint in checking Trump (since their liberal readers inundate them with pitches):
SANDERS: And I might simply say, because the editor of PolitiFact, we obtain plenty of pitches from what the Trump administration is saying each day. And we’re very selective in what we select to pursue. We won’t get to all the things.
However Trump drew 63 reality checks in 2025, and 58 of them had been “Principally False” or worse (92 %). The opposite 5 had been “Half True” rankings, which means he was rated “True” or “Principally True” on precisely zero events.
Even vice presidents show the lean. Vice President J.D. Vance was pinned as “Principally False” or worse 89 % of the time (eight out of 9), whereas Vice President Kamala Harris in her first yr was solely 50/50 (two of 4).
Sanders will admit between the strains that there is an imbalance right here in quantity, however believes it is totally justified:
SANDERS: And so I feel there’s a critical quantity distinction coming from the White Home and different locations, however we have now been protecting President Trump as a candidate or an official for a decade. And in order that’s not very totally different from our expertise.
This is the reason they determined to name 2025 the “12 months of the Lies” as a substitute of providing their conventional number of “Lie of the 12 months.” They’re mourning Trump’s return to energy with that criticism.
