AP‘s Calvin Woodward
Why does AP still let Calvin Woodward “factcheck” political speeches? Does no one at the news service know what actual factchecking looks like? (If you’re coming in late, see FAIR Blog, 10/30/08, 2/25/09, 4/30/09, 1/28/10, 8/31/12.)
Woodward’s latest venture (1/29/14) into the factcheck genre, following President Barack Obama’s State of the Union speech, produced yet more illustrations of what not to do when gauging the accuracy of political speech. Take this item:
OBAMA: “We’ll need Congress to protect more than 3 million jobs by finishing transportation and waterways bills this summer. But I will act on my own to slash bureaucracy and streamline the permitting process for key projects, so we can get more construction workers on the job as fast as possible.”
THE FACTS: Cutting rules and regulations doesn’t address what’s holding up most transportation projects, which is lack of money. The federal Highway Trust Fund will run out of money in August without action.
In other words, “We’ll need Congress to protect more than 3 million jobs by finishing transportation and waterways bills this summer.”
Or try this one:
OBAMA: “Today, after four years of economic growth, corporate profits and stock prices have rarely been higher, and those at the top have never done better. But average wages have barely budged. Inequality has deepened. Upward mobility has stalled.”
THE FACTS: The most recent evidence suggests that mobility hasn’t worsened.
The difference between “upward mobility has stalled” and “mobility hasn’t worsened” is mainly Woodward’s attempt to put a positive spin on dismal numbers.
Obama said the Affordable Care Act was “adding years to Medicare’s finances.” Woodward’s response:
The degree to which the healthcare law improved Medicare finances is hotly debated. On paper, the program’s giant trust fund for inpatient care gained more than a decade of solvency because of cuts to service providers required under the health law. But in practice those savings cannot simultaneously be used to expand coverage for the uninsured and shore up Medicare.
Yes, actually, they can. The ACA was neutral in its impact on overall government spending: The increased spending on insurance subsidies and Medicaid expansion was offset by cuts in payments to Medicare providers. That necessarily means that the Medicare system is loaning money to other parts of the government, so that the Treasury owes money to the Medicare trust fund—such debt being the only way one can be “adding years to Medicare’s finances.” But there’s no contradiction between overall government spending staying the same and one part of the government increasing its debt to another part.
There is a contradiction, however, between publishing “factchecks” like these and maintaining that your goal is to make your readers better informed.
I’d gladly read a research paper on just when AP went off the derp end. They’ve been less than trustworthy for years.
Oh, and thanks for the heads up about the shenanigans concerning the SOTU and their writer’s less than stellar parsing.
Want to be badly informed?Listen to an Obama speech…..and believe some of it.He lies as soon as he opens his mouth.It stops when he walks away.I just heard Nancy Pelosi trying to explain some of the reasoning on Jon stewart.He actually laughed out loud in her face.I worked for Clinton.A place that drove me crazy with the lies that fell like rain.Culminating in the Lewinski scandal.But Im telling you…this guy makes the Clintons look like Pikers.
michael e: king of the red-herrings. Turning every article (no matter the topic) into an opportunity to bash Obama, Democrats and liberals.
Dude, you have allowed yourself to be manipulated into the quagmire of political divisiveness. Rise above the Dem/Rep, Con/Lib nonsense. It’s meaningless. See the bigger picture; the REAL conflict; a CLASS struggle; the wealthy versus the rest of us.
Tee jay I understand where you are coming from all things being equal.But its not.Equal that is.Every FAIR article is an attack of some sort against the right.Bar none.But yes I did jump the gun in this case.Just being disgusted I suppose.So many things going on that are such disasters and THIIR prints?But when I read that obamas healthcare was adding years to Medicare finances i flipped.Because what he always said was that Obamacare would lessen the amount of those going on Medicare.Now the clown is trying to prove that what Paul Ryan said would happen IS happening…and that it is a good thing.So yeah i lost it.Liars really freak me out.I have zero tolerance.
*…this is what FAIR prints? Sorry for that mistake
michael e, if liars freak you out then you should check the fact check sites where you will find that the right wingers out lie left wingers by three to one and when it comes to the most outrageous and ridiculous lying, the political right takes the trophy. You will of course continue to live in the alternative universe created by multi-millionaires and billionaires who don’t give a damn about you unless are you one of them.
Talkin about…You really believe that?I have worked for one side(Clinton).And I have backed tea party candidates.You may not agree with a tea party hard assed approach to the constitution.Thats fine.But my experience(and remember i know the game from the inside) is that they walk the walk.And talk the talk.I believe Bill Clinton had more grey matter than the next two presidents combined.But I learned he was a pathological liar.I believe Obama is ten times worse.Lets be real……he has everything about his life buttoned up tighter than an Amish wood joint.We now know that Obama knew that you could not keep your insurance,doctors etc.We have dates that his “experts” told him this.We have him the next day saying the exact opposite in speeches for political advantage.We have his “experts”telling him that the cost of Obama care would run a minimum of 4x the stated cost(as paul Ryan and Mitt said)His people told him that.Next day in a speech…..he said it would cost less than even he believed.I have actually heard libs falling back on the disastrous argument that ALL politicians lie.as if that answers for Obama.You say fact checking shows right wingers are more the liar’s.Ive seen those studies.It is better than the comic pages.They have uniformly been thrown down.Recently Glen Beck did 2 solid hours of obama lies.He had 5 hours in the can.But maybe you can do 2 hours on Mitt.Doubt it.Take his day before speech.I have listened to it.Everything he said would happen …hAS.Everything Bam said…has not.To the dime.So yeah Beck demolished him.And this from a man who was no fan of Bush(neither was I).Hilary……far worse than Bill in the lie dept.How about we make a deal.You dont vote for damnable liars (hilary)And I wont…(.Christy)I think the first vetting is a simple one from now on.When I ask you for your school records.You give them up.God knows if Im hiring someone to do surgery…I need that.I figure hold the keys to the nuke deserves as much.And if I catch you in one lie….ONE LIE….You step down.How about this one.Obama the week before the election when asked’what kind of relationship do you have with your uncle who is here illegally”?Obama……….I think I met him once.The truth…..He lived with him when he first went to Harvard!!!!!OUT.No excuses…No bullshit….OUT!!!!I will hold my people to the same standard.Wanna shake on it?
michael e, You would believe Glenn Beck over the fact check sites? Well, that explains it. Stay crazy my friend.