CHECK THE FACTS
Track Congress
Thomas. www.thomas.loc.gov/
The government’s website was launched in January of 1995, at the inception of the 104th Congress. The leadership of the 104th Congress directed the Library of Congress to make federal legislative information freely available to the public. Since that time THOMAS has expanded the scope of its offerings to include these features and content: Bills, Resolutions, Activity in Congress, Congressional Record, Schedules, calendars, Committee Information, Presidential Nominations, Treaties, Government Resources, For Teachers.
Open Congress. www.opencongress.org/
Track every bill in Congress, both houses on this site: free, open-source, not-for-profit, non-partisan web resource “with a mission to make Congress more transparent and to encourage civic engagement.” Track bills, issues, and votes on your personal profile, use social networking to share the best info about your interests, vote and comment on bills you support or oppose, contact your elected officials with your opinions, help build public knowledge about Congress.
Govtrack.us. www.govtrack.us/
An independent, free, nonpartisan website “to help the public research and track the activities in the U.S. Congress, promoting and innovating government transparency and civic education through novel uses of technology.” Has “a unique visitor Q&A system: ask a question about a bill and see if other visitors will provide an answer.” Our database also extends into the past. You can search and browse bills going back to the 103rd Congress (1993-94), though the text of legislation goes back only as far as the 106th Congress (1999-2000). Roll call votes are available back to 1990 for the House and 1989 for the Senate, which is as far back as you'll find this information available anywhere online.
Follow the Money
OpenSecrets.org http://www.opensecrets.org/
The website of The Center for Responsive Politics, “the nation’s premier research group tracking money (lobbying money and campaign contributions flowing to members of Congress) in U.S. politics and its effect on elections and public policy.” The mission of the non-partisan Center for more than 25 years has been to:
Inform citizens about how money in politics affects their lives Empower voters and activists by providing unbiased information Advocate for a transparent and responsive government
Party Time http://www.politicalpartytime.org/
The non-partisan website of the Sunlight Foundation that documents the political partying circuit. “It’s not all hearings, floor votes and constituent services for members of Congress. From the early morning hours until late at night, there are opportunities for members of Congress and congressional candidates to meet with supporters behind closed doors, press them for money, and party. Learn: “who is hosting these parties, how much money it costs to go, where and when the party is and what people are going to be doing there.” Money is used to gain influence. Citizens can use this information to “connect dots of the relationships between lobbyists, congressional candidates, issues being lobbied and campaign money received.”
Check the Facts
Factcheck.org www.factcheck.org/
The Annenberg Political Fact Check is a project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania. It is a nonpartisan, nonprofit, "consumer advocate" for voters that aims to reduce the level of deception and confusion in U.S. politics. It monitors “the factual accuracy of what is said by major U.S. political players in the form of TV ads, debates, speeches, interviews, and news releases.”
Snopes.com www.snopes.com/politics/
A website for validating or debunking urban legends, Internet rumor, e-mail hoaxes, and other such stories of uncertain or questionable origin. The site is organized by topic and includes a message board where questionable stories and pictures may be posted. It directs people to more information about various hoaxes.
Other useful sites:
http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/fightthesmearshome/
http://www.truthfightsback.com/
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/fact-checker/
http://urbanlegends.about.com/od/internet/a/current_netlore.htm
www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/
The Annenberg Political Fact Check is a project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania. It is a nonpartisan, nonprofit, "consumer advocate" for voters that aims to reduce the level of deception and confusion in U.S. politics. It monitors “the factual accuracy of what is said by major U.S. political players in the form of TV ads, debates, speeches, interviews, and news releases.”
A website for validating or debunking urban legends, Internet rumor, e-mail hoaxes, and other such stories of uncertain or questionable origin. The site is organized by topic and includes a message board where questionable stories and pictures may be posted. It directs people to more information about various hoaxes.
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/fact-checker/
The purpose of this fact-checking (not opinion-checking) website is to "truth squad" the national political debate in the period leading up to the 2008 presidential election. It focuses on the issues that are most important to the voters, on controversial claims and counter-claims.
http://urbanlegends.about.com/od/internet/a/current_netlore.htm
Covers Internet hoaxes, e-mail rumors and urban legends in a range of categories, including Petitions, Politics & Protest. • New / Updated: Check here for the latest Internet hoaxes & urban legends • The Top 25: Most popular topics of the past week • Definitions: Hoax, rumor, urban legend • How to Contribute: Submit a suspected hoax
www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/
PolitiFact is “A scorecard separating fact from fiction. A project of the St. Petersburg Times and Congressional Quarterly, it helps find the truth in the presidential campaign. Every day, reporters and researchers from the Times and CQ will analyze the candidates' speeches, TV ads and interviews and determine whether the claims are accurate.”
“This site claims to be an independent political site that culls and publishes the best commentary, news, polling data, and links to important resources.” Updated daily.
Columbia Journalism Review Campaign Desk fact checks the media. Its mission: “to encourage and stimulate excellence in journalism in the service of a free society. It is both a watchdog and a friend of the press in all its forms, from newspapers to magazines to radio, television, and the Web. CJR examines day-to-day press performance as well as the forces that affect that performance.
The site of The Center for Responsive Politics calls itself "Your Guide to the Money in U.S. elections." – the “guide to money’s influence on U.S. elections and public policy.”
Beverly Bandler put this list together for us.
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