Media Bias Fact Check: Incompetent or Dishonest?

…“independent media outlet” that claims to be “dedicated to educating the public on media bias and deceptive news practices.” In the opening paragraph of her review of Just Facts, Media… Continue reading →

Media Misinformation About Arming Teachers

…increase fatalities and generate opposition to reforms that can save lives. Despite these high stakes, a wide array of media outlets have spread fictions about violence, firearms, and armed security… Continue reading →

Media Hypocrisy on Inciting Violence

…is not referring to the entire news media. Instead, he applied this label to the “fake news media” and recently reinforced this by writing: “They asked my daughter Ivanka whether… Continue reading →

Media Repeatedly Deceives Public in Hobby Lobby Coverage

…but you can’t say that a certain battle began on a certain day if it did not.” Yet, the New York Times and other media outlets have repeatedly broadcast demonstrably… Continue reading →

Major Media Stories Ignore Immigration Status of High-Profile Murderer

By James D. Agresti May 7, 2019 Amidst an intense national debate over illegal immigration and crime, major media outlets are reporting on a grisly, high-profile murder while failing to… Continue reading →

Donald Trump and the Media Agree on Middle-Class Income, and They are Both Wrong

…Trump and these media outlets excludes 24% of household income. More comprehensive data recently published by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) reveals that median household income has climbed by $5,000… Continue reading →

Media Promotes Junk Science on Fetal Pain

…this occurs “by 20 weeks after fertilization, if not earlier.” Media outlets, however, are reporting otherwise. For example: “The question of whether fetuses feel pain at 20 weeks is controversial…. Continue reading →

Tax Fairness Question at GOP Debate Rooted in Falsehood Spread by Media

…wrong.” Left unsaid by Muir and all of the candidates is that the media has manipulated the vast majority of Americans to believe that the wealthy pay a lower tax… Continue reading →

Media and Politicians Twist Trump’s Words About Charlottesville

By James D. Agresti August 22, 2017 In the wake of President Trump’s comments about the killing and mass violence in Charlottesville, media outlets and politicians have alleged that Trump… Continue reading →

Support for “Soaking the Rich” Is Rooted in Media Misinformation

…been widely spread by the media, but data from the U.S. Treasury, the Congressional Budget Office, and the Tax Policy Center prove the exact opposite is true. Politico recently published… Continue reading →

The Real “Big Money” in Politics

…because they can generously finance candidates and purchase ads to voice their views. However, the biggest money in politics, by far, is wielded by media corporations and lawmakers. One Media… Continue reading →

New York Times Spreads Falsehood That Motivated Murders of Police

…and other media outlets have continued to spread this disinformation. Meanwhile, they claim that President Trump is responsible for placing them in danger when he criticizes the “fake news media.”… Continue reading →

Deadly Falsehoods About the Orlando Shooting and Gun Control

…implications. The facts below address some of the most pervasive ones. “Weapons of War” and “Assault Rifles” A number of prominent individuals and major media outlets have said that the… Continue reading →

2017: The Year in Facts and Falsehoods

…to the petty drama often reported in the news. are untrue but were widely spread by the media, politicians, or other major public figures. Facts Fact #1: About 11.5% of… Continue reading →

Rape Facts and Falsehoods

By James D. Agresti October 5, 2018 Abstract In this era of #MeToo and rampant sexual assault allegations, many media outlets, politicians, and scholars are misleading people about the prevalence… Continue reading →

Should the U.S. Adopt Australia’s Strict Gun Laws?

By James D. Agresti December 20, 2012 In the aftermath of the Dark Knight shooting in Aurora, Colorado, media outlets were awash with misleading claims about violence and firearms. Since… Continue reading →

Illegal Immigrants Are Far More Likely to Commit Serious Crimes Than the U.S. Public

…it’s not true. In response, the Associated Press published a “fact check“ claiming that illegal immigrants are more law-abiding than the general public. Various media outlets, such as the New… Continue reading →

Federal Fiscal Shortfall Surges Past $100 Trillion

…that today’s Americans are placing on future generations. Although the report discloses information of crucial import to U.S. citizens, Google News indicates that no media outlet has informed Americans about… Continue reading →

Leading Progressives Blame the Wrong Culprit for Rising College Costs

By James D. Agresti June 20, 2019 Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, and certain media outlets are blaming steep rises in college costs on reduced government funding for higher education. The… Continue reading →

Hurricanes, Rainfall, and Climate Change

…with a flood of global warming-related misinformation spread by the media and environmental groups. North Atlantic Storms and Hurricanes In the North Atlantic region, where hurricanes Harvey and Irma formed,… Continue reading →

In America, Women and Men Earn Equal Pay for Equal Work

…deception, many media outlets are serving as mouthpieces to amplify it. Stirring Up Racial Strife The same reporters and media outlets are also echoing the rhetoric of the National Committee… Continue reading →

Substantial Numbers of Non-Citizens Vote Illegally in U.S. Elections

The Washington Post’s Slander on Hurricanes and Climate Change

…Cyclone and Hurricane Trends Contrary to the Post and other media outlets, cyclones and hurricanes have not become more common or intense. As the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)… Continue reading →

Public School Teachers Are Paid Far More Than Commonly Reported

By James D. Agresti April 17, 2018 During recent teacher walkouts in Oklahoma that captured national attention, many major media outlets reported misleadingly small figures for teacher pay. By failing… Continue reading →

Fetal Pain Facts and Falsehoods

…collectively show that by 20 weeks, humans have pain receptors, consciousness, and physical responses to painful events. Nevertheless, many media outlets have recently reported that humans cannot feel pain by… Continue reading →

Virginia Governor Issues False Statement Defending Late-Term Abortions

…media outlets, and activists continue to repeat it. The salient facts of this matter are documented in Just Facts’ comprehensive research on abortion and summarized below. Before partial-birth abortions were… Continue reading →

Climate Change Fears of Teen Activist Are Empirically Baseless

…generations are betraying younger ones by not doing enough to stop climate change. The media has amplified these allegations by giving her speech broad, glowing coverage, but the fears she… Continue reading →

Five Fallacies About Guns and Violence

By James D. Agresti July 31, 2012 In the wake of the Dark Knight massacre in Aurora, Colorado, major media outlets and public figures have been making statements about guns… Continue reading →

Are the Oceans Plagued by Plastic?

By James D. Agresti February 28, 2015 Based upon two new papers in academic journals, media outlets have been reporting that the world’s oceans are overwhelmed with plastic waste. However,… Continue reading →

About

…Just Facts has been widely cited by a diverse array of academic publishers, educational institutions, government entities, think tanks, and media outlets from across the political spectrum. On our main… Continue reading →

Five Vital Facts About Obama’s Contraception Compromise

By James D. Agresti February 13, 2012 After the president’s Friday press conference regarding his contraception mandate, a number of major media outlets ran headlines such as, “Obama Retreats on… Continue reading →

Are Incandescent Light Bulbs Being Banned?

…high-efficiency incandescents cannot currently meet, thus making the mercury-filled compact florescent lights (CFLs) the presumptive standard. Media coverage has been virtually devoid of this fact. The following lays out the… Continue reading →

The Term “Carbon Pollution” Is Unscientific and Misleading

…not cause cancer, affect development or suppress the immune system in humans. Fueling the deceitful impression advanced by Obama and others, major media outlets, such as Politico, NBC News, and… Continue reading →

Has Global Warming Turned the North Pole Into a Lake?

…Washington, DC and Brunswick, Maine. Along with FtF, a number of media outlets have promoted this story or published others in the same vein: • Huffington Post: “North Pole Melting… Continue reading →

Lack of Assimilation is Economically Harming Latino Immigrants and Society

…“should work harder at assimilation” and shouldn’t isolate themselves “in their communities.” NBC condemned his comments as “inaccurate and inappropriate,” media outlets ran articles and editorials calling them racist and… Continue reading →

Widely Touted Study on State and Local Taxes is a Sham

…the media coverage is how this study uses the same type of deceitful methodology behind claims that the middle class pays a higher federal tax rate than the top 1%… Continue reading →

Poll: Public Broadly Unaware that “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot” was Disproved by Obama Administration

…to what they had told the media. The Department of Justice also found that: Brown attacked Wilson in his police car, as proven by the fact that Brown’s DNA was… Continue reading →

What the $20 Trillion National Debt Means to You

…shelter, clothing, education, and health.” Contrary to what many journalists and pundits have alleged, there is a strong association between government debt and poor economic progress. Numerous media outlets have… Continue reading →

Is President Trump’s Border Wall an Outdated, Ineffective Strategy?

…[Israeli territory] to carry out suicide bombing attacks….” The direct nature of this evidence leaves virtually no doubt that this border barrier has been effective. Flawed Analyses Several media outlets… Continue reading →

Is Ocean Life on the Brink of Mass Extinction?

…of ecologists and biologists who concluded that mankind is headed towards causing “a major extinction” of marine animals. This paper was greeted with extensive media coverage warning of a looming… Continue reading →

How Hard and Effectively do Americans Work?

…debt can harm economic growth, and contrary to what some journalists and pundits have alleged, the connection between government debt and economic growth is robust and compelling. Media outlets have… Continue reading →

The Nation of Kiribati Is Growing, Not Sinking

…impediment to planning for that eventuality. In this regard, too, Kiribati is a microcosm of the world’s unwillingness to face the reality of the future. This episode highlights the media’s… Continue reading →

Washington Post Misportrays the Death of Michael Brown

…not witness the shooting,” in contradiction to what they had told the media. The Post’s standards and ethics state that “reporters and editors of the Post are committed to fairness,”… Continue reading →

False Arguments Against Evidence of Vote Fraud

…study is based on a straightforward application of survey data—and these same organizations along with every major media outlet routinely cite similar figures without calling them “extrapolations.” Because it is… Continue reading →

Effects of Immigration From Impoverished Nations

By James D. Agresti January 30, 2018 Correction appended Throughout the extensive media coverage of President Trump allegedly calling Haiti, El Salvador, and nations of Africa “s—hole countries,” most journalists… Continue reading →

Clinton and Obama’s Brazen Lie About the Iraq Withdrawal

…has made the same claim, and many media outlets have published stories saying he is correct, such as the Washington Post, Salon, FactCheck.org, and PolitiFact, the last two of which… Continue reading →

Federal Government’s 2017 Fiscal Shortfall Is 74% Worse Than Reported Budget Deficit

…vitally impacts U.S. citizens, but a search of Google News shows that no media outlet has reported on it, even though it was published more than two weeks ago. “A… Continue reading →

Washington Post Publishes Historian’s False Racism Accusation Against Trump

…his words, and Trump responded, “No, no.” Nonetheless, a wide range of media outlets, politicians, and activists falsely portrayed Trump as lauding the white supremacists. The full transcript and video… Continue reading →

White House Pledge on Deportations Belied by Official Data and Actions

…and “will be returned” to their homelands. Earnest’s statement led to series of major media headlines, such as “White House Says ‘Most’ Children At The Border Will Be Sent Home”… Continue reading →

Roe v. Wade Allows Abortions for All 9 Months of Pregnancy, Not Just the First 3

By James D. Agresti January 18, 2013 With the 40-year anniversary of the Supreme Court’s ruling in Roe v. Wade just days away, media outlets are trumpeting a Pew Research… Continue reading →

Will Global Warming Flood the Coasts of the United States?

…Major media outlets—and in some ways the studies themselves—have painted a distorted picture of past, current, and future sea levels. In fact, the studies actually conflict with each other, a… Continue reading →

Vital Facts About Covid-19

…the media’s coverage of this issue. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention emphasizes that “this is an emerging, rapidly evolving situation,” and as such, this article will be… Continue reading →

Visa Overstays Don’t Negate the Benefits of Border Barriers

…when their visas expire. No matter how strong or tall a wall may be, it cannot stop this activity. Those who make that claim—including many media outlets and “fact checkers”—are… Continue reading →

Smearing the South With False Charges of Racism

…in 2001. Beyond claims that specific individuals are “racist,” certain media outlets, activists, and politicians have leveled this charge at broad groups of Americans. For example: The New York Times… Continue reading →

Vital Context on Obama’s Missile Defense Disclosure

…not be as concerned with the political consequences of any actions he will take after the election. Many media outlets are reporting on this incident without offering significant context about… Continue reading →

Activists and Journalists Mislead the Public About Carbon Pollution

…in humans.” Activists often lump CO2 with highly toxic pollutants (like carbon monoxide and black carbon) by using the catch-all phrase, “carbon pollution.” Media heavyweights, including the New York Times,… Continue reading →

How Biofuel Profiteers Fleece Average Americans

…and media outlets that syndicate articles from Just Facts. One of these is ITO, which soon received an email from Eric McAfee, the Founder, Chairman and CEO of Aemetis, a… Continue reading →

Bill Nye’s Unscientific Tirade on Abortion

…released during an ongoing battle in Congress over sending taxpayers’ money to Planned Parenthood, the nation’s largest abortion provider. Several large media outlets have glowingly covered the video, including the… Continue reading →

The Birthright Citizenship Debate

…of granting citizenship to the children of illegal immigrants “is an absurdity—historically, constitutionally, philosophically and practically.” A number of media outlets have published fiery rebuttals declaring that Anton is dead… Continue reading →

Widespread Poverty Stats Greatly Overstate the Number of Americans Who Are Destitute

…population. This represents merely one of the widely different ways of measuring poverty, but it is the federal government’s official measure, and the media follows suit. As stated in a… Continue reading →

Poll Reveals Voters are Uninformed About Major Issues

…and income, unlike the incomplete and misleading tax rates often reported by media outlets and politicians. Correct answer given by 15% of all voters, 6% of Democratic voters, 23% of… Continue reading →

Does the Social Security Trust Fund Really Exist?

…ability to pay its obligations.” Beyond such explicit statements, numerous budget figures cited by the White House, other federal agencies, and virtually all media outlets are based on this accounting… Continue reading →

The Washington Post Grossly Understates the Crime Rate of Illegal Immigrants

…is diametrically opposed to reality. Other media outlets have published articles that suffer from similar flaws. These include but are not limited to: misrepresenting association as causation. cherry-picking timeframes that… Continue reading →

Think Progress Exaggerates Child Hunger by 8,000%

…party lines, age, race, gender, income, and geographical areas.” However, instead of reporting the facts of this important issue, a number of influential media sources are greatly exaggerating the problem…. Continue reading →

Did Bush Lie About Weapons of Mass Destruction?

…tons of media to grow biological agents; large quantities of anthrax and other biological agents.” – William Cohen, Bill Clinton’s Secretary of Defense, February 18, l998 Democrats made many other… Continue reading →

Wash Post Repeatedly Botches Fact Check of Trump’s State of the Union Address

…southern border apprehensions.” That argument is often used by activists and the media, but it is a classic half-truth. This is because it ignores the crucial fact that visa entrants… Continue reading →

The School Funding Inequity Farce

By James D. Agresti November 25, 2019 Leading presidential candidates and major media outlets are claiming that school districts with high concentrations of minorities and poor children generally receive less… Continue reading →

Bans on Plastic Bags Harm the Environment

…the median is 314 times, and it is more than 170 times for all but one of the 9 impact categories. For example, a shopper would need to reuse the… Continue reading →

AOC’s Baseless Accusation That the U.S. Is a “Brutal, Barbarian Society”

…money but how it is spent. In spite of these facts, media outlets have published headlines like these: “The Shocking Number of Americans Who Can’t Cover a $400 Expense” –… Continue reading →

Is the Earth Warming Catastrophically Fast?

…the media reports as “science” is actually partisan propaganda that is refuted by science. The issue of global warming is rife with this, and Nye’s statements epitomize the junk science… Continue reading →

Government Spending on Higher Education Reaches an All-Time High

By Stuart Shepard and James D. Agresti February 12, 2018 It’s a common theme in the news media: Education needs more money. Always. In keeping with that storyline, a recent… Continue reading →

The “Monkey This Up” Libel

…not running against a black man for governor. It isn’t whether he intended that to be racist. It was racist.” Major media outlets have amplified such claims by spreading them… Continue reading →

Fetal Pain: Response to the Journal of the American Medical Association

…promptly to minimize harmful effects from misleading publications.” Major media outlets are repeatedly citing this 2005 JAMA paper as evidence that fetal pain is unlikely before 29 weeks, and this… Continue reading →

Treasury Report: Federal Fiscal Shortfall is $603,000 per Household

…of benefits.” Since an obligation does exist, failing to account for it “impairs the usefulness and integrity” of financial statements. Nevertheless, the media and politicians constantly cite the federal budget,… Continue reading →

Economy Declined as Government Spending Rose

By James D. Agresti February 4, 2013 In the wake of stunning news that the U.S. economy shrunk by 0.1% in the last quarter of 2012, prominent media outlets and… Continue reading →

The U.S. is a Democratic Constitutional Republic, and Yes, It Matters

…and relegated to an optional example. This was a general layout change that involved numerous issues, including many conservative ones. Yet instead of correcting Bridge, other media outlets like the… Continue reading →

Syndication

– Articles from Just Facts Daily have been republished by numerous media outlets and organizations, such as the Wall Street Journal, CNS News, the Foundation for Economic Education, Yahoo News,… Continue reading →

The School Segregation Farce

By James D. Agresti July 12, 2019 A new frequent allegation of progressive politicians and media outlets is that America’s schools are becoming more racially segregated. They then argue that… Continue reading →

Can We Prevent a Debt-Driven Economic Collapse Without Reforming Entitlements?

…are not indexed for real income growth, and some are not indexed for inflation.” As an example, the typical married couple with two children earning the median income of $96,200… Continue reading →

New Treasury Data Shows Federal Shortfall of $670,000 Per U.S. Household

…Congressional Budget Office projections of publicly held debt, which is which is a partial measure of the national debt that is often cited by government agencies and media outlets. In… Continue reading →

Associated Press Twists the Facts About Democrats’ Impeachment of Trump

…political opponents would mischaracterize the phone call, which is exactly what Schiff did just one day after the transcript release. The AP also ignores the fact that media outlets had… Continue reading →