Fact-challenged journo-tool Ezra Klein touts effectiveness of fact checkers
Ezra Klein a fact checker for MSNBC? That's like asking the mouse to do a report on the cat.
— Kevin Graham (@imurhuklbry) August 30, 2012
Ezra Klein is (or was) a “fact checker” for MSNBC. Like most fact checkers, he is liberal. (Klein used to work for The American Prospect.) He also has been known to play fast and loose with facts:
- In an attempt to blunt attacks on President Obama, he misstated about the timing of the Janesville, Wis., GM auto plant closure.
- He apparently lied about liberal media listserv JournoList, which he founded.
- He falsely stated that U.C. Santa Cruz anti-military protesters “frantically called on [Twitchy CEO Michelle] Malkin to remove their [phone] numbers” from a blog post. The numbers came from a press release issued by the students themselves. None of the students ever contacted Malkin. Seven and a half years later, Klein still hasn’t acknowledged or corrected the error.
- He falsely claimed that 2012 Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney canceled an ABBA gig because the band’s music is so angry.
Now Klein is touting research showing that the mere existence of awesome fact checkers like himself makes politicians less likely to lie:
Just knowing about fact-checkers makes politicians less likely to lie http://t.co/OV3GktEx66
— Ezra Klein (@ezraklein) October 13, 2013
That’s great, but who will ensure that the “fact checkers” themselves don’t lie?
Previous Post: The Power and Terror of Claire Underwood’s Hair
Next Post: Ill Just Wait Here