Truth be told: Don’t be fooled, validate political claims
Mark Lindsay
Sunday, September 26, 2026

According to a recent television advertisement released by the Bush-Cheney campaign, Sen. John Kerry has cast 98 votes for tax increases.

At the Democratic National Convention July 29, Kerry said the jobs being created in the rebounding Bush economy pay $9,000 less than the ones they’re replacing.

Not so fast. The Web site www.FactCheck.org says neither of those claims is true.

The site pointed out 43 of Kerry’s votes were on budget measures that set targets for but did not legislate tax increases. Also, the site said the 98-vote figure included several instances where multiple votes on a single tax bill were counted separately.

Kerry’s claim about new jobs paying $9,000 less than the ones they’re replacing is based on “disputed analysis from a liberal think tank,” the site states. Bureau of Labor Statistics show higher-paying jobs within industries are actually growing faster than lower-paying jobs.

So how does a voter wade through the sea of falsehoods to make their choice for president? FactCheck.org does the work for you, dissecting several campaign claims every month.

FactCheck.org describes itself as a “non-partisan, non profit ‘consumer advocate’ for voters,” and is a project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania. The site monitors the “factual accuracies” of statements made by U.S. politicians, particularly the presidential candidates.

Dr. Sean Q Kelly, associate professor of political science at Niagara University, thinks the Web site has taken on a task that is no longer performed by most of the traditional media.

“They’re trying to fill a hole that has traditionally gone to (print and television media),” Kelly said.

Much of the media, Kelly said, has “abdicated” its role as a consumer advocate.

FactCheck.org director Brooks Jackson wants people to know what to expect when they watch a campaign ad or listen to a candidate stump on the campaign trail.

“They’re not out to inform you, they’re out to persuade you,” Jackson said.

Though there are false advertising laws on the books for consumer products, it is generally not against the law for a candidate to lie to voters in campaign ads. And Jackson doesn’t think there should be, either.

“It would be so comforting if some all-wise government agency was policing political advertising,” said Jackson, a veteran reporter.

There is an obvious clash when it comes to the First Amendment, though, Jackson said.

“I don’t see how you do it under the Constitution,” he said.

As for the Internet’s influence on politics, Jackson thinks the results are a mixed bag.

“For those who want to inform themselves, it’s a wonderful tool,” he said. But the Web has also had an “atomizing effect” and, in many cases, allows people to become more entrenched in their own “fantasy lands,” he added.

Kelly thinks sites like FactCheck.org are fantastic sites if you haven’t made up your mind already. But, he says, “there are relatively few people ... who are out there looking for (unbiased) information.”

Jackson does have advice for those out there who haven’t made up their minds.

“Pay attention, listen to the debates. But don’t take what they say at face value,” he said. “They don’t always stick to the facts. It’s not easy but it really is up to us.”
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