Dispelling Mysteries Around Washington Myths

 

The above on-line banner is the 'Official Affordable Healthcare' banner page that was displayed to expose the myths spread by others about the Obamacare Program. It has become more of a warning sign that shows what myths by the President himself that have been spread during the rollouts. 

“No matter how we reform health care,” Obama said, “we will keep this promise: if you like your doctor, you will be able to keep your doctor. Period.” Obama's healthcare statement was rated as a Four Pinocchios 'Whopper'. This was reported as the 'biggest lie of the year' which was repeatedly made by President Barrack Obama. There have been no requests for any fact reviews, so the rating stands as final.

Now here is the story behind this well publicized 'Four Pinocchios' rating system. Although subjective, it offers anyone the opportunity to refute or challenge the Washington Post's dubious honor.   

The Washington Post's famous 'Honesty Ratings' is scored from one to four Pinocchios. From an award-winning journalism career that has spanned over more than three decades, Glenn Kessler in his role as the Post's fact checker has covered foreign policy, economic policy, the White House, Congress, politics, airline safety and Wall Street.  

The Pinocchio Test

Where possible, the Washington Post adopts the following standard in fact-checking the claims of a politician, political candidate, diplomat or interest group.

 One Pinocchio

Some shading of the facts. Selective telling of the truth. Some omissions and exaggerations, but no outright falsehoods.

 Two Pinocchios

Significant omissions and/or exaggerations. Some factual error may be involved but not necessarily. A politician can create a false, misleading impression by playing with words and using legalistic language that means little to ordinary people.

Three Pinocchios

Significant factual error and/or obvious contradictions.

 Four Pinocchios

Whoppers.

 The Geppetto Checkmark

Statements and claims that contain “the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth” will be recognized with the Washington Post's prized Geppetto checkmark.

 

An Upside-Down Pinocchio

A statement that represents a clear but unacknowledged “flip-flop” from a previously-held position.

 

Withholding Judgment

There will be many occasions when it is impossible to render a snap judgment because the issue is very complex or there are good arguments on both sides. In this case, we will withhold our judgment until we can gather more facts. We will use this website to shed as much light as possible on factual controversies that are not easily resolved.

*** The Washington Post's Pinocchio Policy ***

All judgments are subject to debate and criticism from Washington Post readers and interested parties, and can be revised if fresh evidence emerges. The Post invites anyone to join the discussion on their pages and contact the Fact Checker directly with tips, suggestions, and complaints. If you feel that the Post are being too harsh on one candidate and too soft on another, there is a simple remedy: let the Post know about misstatements and factual errors the Post may have overlooked.