WaPo fact-checker introduces 'Bottomless Pinocchio' rating to call Trump on repeated false claims
Washington Post fact-checker introduces 'Bottomless Pinocchio' rating to call Trump on repeated false claims
BY AVERY ANAPOL - 12/10/18 07:19 AM EST
Washington Post fact-checker Glenn Kessler is introducing a new rating inspired by President Trump’s repetition of false claims.
In a column published Monday, Kessler announced “the Bottomless Pinocchio” to rate politicians “who repeat a false claim so many times that they are, in effect, engaging in campaigns of disinformation.”
“Trump’s willingness to constantly repeat false claims has posed a unique challenge to fact checkers,” Kessler writes. “Most politicians quickly drop a Four-Pinocchio claim, either out of a duty to be accurate or concern that spreading false information could be politically damaging.”
Kessler writes that in order to receive the “dubious distinction” of a Bottomless Pinocchio, a politician will have repeated a claim at least 20 times – the claim itself must also have been previously rated three or four Pinocchios.
Though the standard can apply to any politician, Kessler notes that, other than Trump, no other current elected official meets the standard – and 14 statements from Trump have already made the cut.
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https://thehill.com/homenews/media/420505-washington-post-fact-checker-introduces-bottomless-pinocchio-rating-to-call
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