Recent stories from Jim Denery

U.S. Rep. Ron Paul remix

(Editor’s note: With the Iowa caucuses only two months away, PolitiFact Georgia will dedicate this week to summaries of key fact-checks on the leading GOP candidates as well as President Barack Obama’s performance on his 500 campaign promises. Today we look at Ron Paul.) Want to comment on our findings? Visit us on Facebook. Every month since 9/11, there have been as many suicide attacks against the United States and its allies as there were in all the years leading up to 9/11. Paul made this remark Sept. 30 at a forum in Manchester, N.H., to criticize the U.S. for playing "policeman of the world." Whether Paul meant al-Qaida suicide attacks only or all groups who have executed suicide campaigns against the U.S. and its allies was unclear. Either way, the number of suicide attacks against the U.S. and its allies since 9/11 is not "equivalent" to the total before 9/11. The average number each month is actually greater than the total number that predated that day, so Paul is actually understating the magnitude. And the data support his underlying point that the number of attacks since Sept. 11, 2001, has grown. We rate Paul's claim Mostly True.

Truth-O-Meter gets tuneup

The Truth-O-Meter endures. But we occasionally give it a tuneup. Due to overwhelming response from our readers, we’re making a slight tweak to our ratings. We are changing our Barely True to Mostly False. Many readers complained the Barely True rating put too much emphasis on "true" when the rating actually describes something without much truth. The definition will remain the same -- "The statement contains an element of truth but ignores critical facts that would give a different impression." Sadly, last week, politicians did not give us the chance to shift the Truth-O-Meter to Mostly False mode. They earned two False ratings one Pants on Fire, and a single True. There’s always next week. To comment on our findings, hit the "like" button on our Facebook page. You can also follow us on Twitter.  

Meters tackle history, landfill waste

Trust your Truth-O-Meter and Deal-O-Meter to master topics as different as fiscal responsibility, President Ronald Reagan and landfill waste. Last week, the Truth-O-Meter examined an attack that blamed two Democratic congressmen from Georgia for the nation’s fiscal problems.   It also performed a second check of former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich’s knowledge of Reagan history. The Republican presidential candidate keeps name-dropping the conservative hero. Now, he’s comparing himself to him. To top it off, the Deal-O-Meter rated a promise by Gov. Nathan Deal that he will reduce landfill waste.   Watch out. PolitiFact Georgia’s a quick study. To comment on our findings, hit the "like" button on our Facebook page. You can also follow us on Twitter.

Truth-O-Meter patrols the border

PolitiFact Georgia has you covered on homeland security. The Obama administration trumpeted its reputation on border security recently, so last week, we checked claims about Transportation and Security Administration pat-downs and the border fence. We also switched on our Deal-O-Meter to check whether Gov. Nathan Deal’s signature on Arizona-style immigration enforcement legislation means he kept a campaign promise. For variety, we checked Deal on a claim about the cost of childhood obesity and presidential prospect Newt Gingrich on President Barack Obama and food stamps. Want to comment on our findings? Hit the "like" button on our Facebook page to join the discussion. You can also follow us on Twitter.

Call the doctor! Truthiness in critical condition

Truthiness was in critical condition at PolitiFact Georgia last week. Our team published three fact checks in a row on health care. The first from presidential hopeful Herman Cain on CT scans flat-lined. One by U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss of Georgia on Internal Revenue Service agents and the health care overhaul was DOA. Another by U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius about hospital care survived and is in good condition. Even on issues outside of health care, truthiness looked at least a little bit puny. A claim by Donald Trump that the U.S. no longer builds bridges needed major surgery, as did a statement by MARTA’s chairman that the transit system is getting safer. Want to comment on our findings? Hit the "like" button on our Facebook page to join the discussion. You can also follow us on Twitter.

PolitiFact checks run gamut

Last week, the trusty Truth-O-Meter took on everyone from President Barack Obama to a metro Atlanta Republican flirting with a presidential run to a University of Georgia student activist. And we threw in the governor for good measure. You can find our fearless engine of truthiness Sunday through Friday in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and online. Want to comment on our findings? Find our Facebook page and hit the "like" button to join the discussion. You can also follow us on Twitter.

It's getting hot in here!

Things got hot at PolitiFact Georgia, thanks to Josef Stalin, an aging stripper and a Cobb County school board member. Some days, there was nary a whiff of burning pants in the newsroom air. Atlanta Police Chief George Turner and U.S. Rep. Tom Graves earned Trues on crime statistics and taxes, respectively. It all changed when U.S. Rep. Paul Broun cranked up the heat with a False claim about President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Stalin. A Cobb County school board member made a weak claim about the school calendar.    Democrats earned a Pants on Fire for an ad that claimed seniors might have to find work mowing lawns or running lemonade stands to pay for Medicare because of Republicans. In one scenario, an elderly man resorted to stripping. Hot! Want to comment on our findings? Go to our Facebook page and hit the "like" button to join the discussion. You can also follow us on Twitter.

Losing sleep? Think of the Truth-O-Meter as a night light

Between the national debt, the nuclear crisis in Japan, labor unrest and U.S. intervention in Libya, current events give us plenty of reasons to lose sleep. Rest assured. Like the trustiest of night lights, the Truth-O-Meter is here to comfort you. Last week, it sussed out the truth on statements about all those subjects. And if you’re losing sleep over lost sleep -- well, knock it off. The Truth-O-Meter found that lost sleep can be hazardous to your health. Want to comment on our findings? Go to our Facebook page and hit the "like" button to join the discussion. You can also follow us on Twitter.

From booze to schools, Truth-O-Meter does it all

From Sunday booze to overpriced oil, from streetcars to schools, PolitiFact Georgia’s Truth-O-Meter covered it all last week. Were you curious whether loosening restrictions on Sunday alcohol sales would lead to more drunken driving? Did Gov. Nathan Deal’s changes to the popular HOPE scholarship make Georgia stingy on education?  Is President Barack Obama doing enough to keep oil prices down? Is there anything the Truth-O-Meter can’t do? Want to comment on our findings? Just go to our Facebook page and hit the "like" button to join in the discussion. You can also follow us on Twitter.

PolitiFact checks out toll roads, chickens

Last week, PolitiFact Georgia did its fair share of cluck-clucking. Claims about a proposed immigration measure, a reading of the U.S. Constitution by the backer of a "birther" bill and a take on federal law about the U.S. Supreme Court all ruffled the Truth-O-Meter’s feathers. We also updated the progress Gov. Nathan Deal made on his promise to end the Ga. 400 tolls and discerned whether a candidate for Gwinnett County chairman was a faux chicken farmer -- the accuser laid an egg on that one.   Have something to say about our rulings? Squawk away on our Facebook page or tweet our successes or failings on Twitter.