Every journalist has a job to tell the truth, but investigative reporters are held to an even higher standard.
On Tuesday, reporter Dave Umhoefer came to my Journalism 4953 class to speak about his work with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and PolitiFact.
Umhoefer’s job at Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s PolitiFact is to find statements made by politicians in speeches, political advertisements, etc. and conduct in-depth research to determine whether or not the statement is true.
“We scour the political universe for what we call statements or claims,” Umhoefer said. “We are always on the lookout for ridiculous or interesting claims.”
Depending on the validity of the statement, the politician will receive a rating between true and pants on fire. Each rating is backed by hard research including as much as 30 sources to give the reader proof about the truthfulness or falsity of a statement.
Umhoefer said that his work at Politifact completely changed his way of thinking. Now, he finds other investigative reporting to be too much of he said, she said and not enough hard facts. He explained how that reporting is “just not satisfying anymore.”
In a country where too many politicians lie it is nice to know that there is a place where the average citizen can investigate what is said and learn about the character of each politician. It forces politicians to be held accountable for the statements they make.
On Tuesday, reporter Dave Umhoefer came to my Journalism 4953 class to speak about his work with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and PolitiFact.
Umhoefer’s job at Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s PolitiFact is to find statements made by politicians in speeches, political advertisements, etc. and conduct in-depth research to determine whether or not the statement is true.
“We scour the political universe for what we call statements or claims,” Umhoefer said. “We are always on the lookout for ridiculous or interesting claims.”
Depending on the validity of the statement, the politician will receive a rating between true and pants on fire. Each rating is backed by hard research including as much as 30 sources to give the reader proof about the truthfulness or falsity of a statement.
Umhoefer said that his work at Politifact completely changed his way of thinking. Now, he finds other investigative reporting to be too much of he said, she said and not enough hard facts. He explained how that reporting is “just not satisfying anymore.”
In a country where too many politicians lie it is nice to know that there is a place where the average citizen can investigate what is said and learn about the character of each politician. It forces politicians to be held accountable for the statements they make.
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