Super Bowl legends explored and exposed

We've all heard the myths about Super Bowl Sunday. Half-time flushes disable sewage plants. It's the worst day of the year for domestic violence. It's the best day of the year for pizza and beer sales. Because Super Bowl mania has swept New England, we decided to take a closer look at some of the claims. Turns out, most are out of bounds.    

By Alex Kuffner :: Published on Sunday, February 5th, 2012 at 12:01 a.m.

PolitiFact's guide to Thanksgiving dinner

Find yourself sitting beside a relative who has sent you lots of chain e-mails? Here's our guide on what to say. Stash it under the green bean casserole until you need it.

By Bill Adair :: Published on Wednesday, November 23rd, 2011 at 9:12 a.m.

The Rhode Island pension debate: Truth is in short supply

As the debate over Rhode Island’s pension crisis intensified in recent months, PolitiFact Rhode Island was paying close attention to what public figures were saying about it. More often than not, we found misstatements, misinterpretations and outright falsehoods. We examined 11 statements related to pensions, dating to August 2010. The Truth-O-Meter scorecard: one True, one Mostly True, two Half True, three Mostly Falses and four Falses. As a service for readers –– and the legislators who will vote on the pension overhaul legislation Thursday –– we’ve assembled all our pension-related rulings. Here’s what you need to know about COLAs, hybrid plans, annuity charts, life expectancy and more.

By Tim Murphy :: Published on Thursday, November 17th, 2011 at 12:01 a.m.

Mailbag: 'Change your name to PolitiOpinion'

Readers had plenty to say about our item about an Occupy Providence protest sign. Let's just say on this ruling, we were the 1 percent and the readers were the 99 percent.

By Tim Murphy :: Published on Tuesday, November 8th, 2011 at 12:00 a.m.

A change in the meter: Barely True is now Mostly False

After an overwhelming response from readers, we're changing the Truth-O-Meter. Barely True will now be called Mostly False.

By Bill Adair :: Published on Wednesday, July 27th, 2011 at 8:00 a.m.

Happy birthday to us!

It's been one year since we joined the growing PolitiFact family. Since then, we've revved up the Truth-O-Meter 121 times. But the fibs, half truths, exaggerations and, yes,  the ridiculous Pants on Fire claims keep coming.

By Tim Murphy :: Published on Sunday, June 26th, 2011 at 12:02 a.m.

Film tax credit controversy rises again

Is the state's film tax credit worth the cost to the state? There was plenty of debate in the House Finance Committee over the question Thursday in the wake of Gov. Chafee's proposal to eliminate it. The Chafee administration says the money could produce 100 times more economic activity if it were spent elsewhere. Supporters say the film tax credit is a good investment and has already created over 4,000 jobs. When we looked at the controversy last December, we found that different reports gave very different analyses. The matter is so contentious, we were unable to apply the Truth-O-Meter. But you can get a sense of the debate and follow the links to the reports -- and their varying conclusions -- by clicking on our analysis here.

By C. Eugene Emery Jr. :: Published on Friday, March 25th, 2011 at 1:28 p.m.

Readers tell us what they really think

We've covered a lot of topics since last November's elections, from estate taxes to immigration to sex offenders to welfare. Despite predictions that we might struggle in the post-election lull, we knew that in Rhode Island, we'd never have a shortage of claims to run through the Truth-O-Meter. We've told you what we think. Now it's time to share what readers think of our work. (Hint: Not all of them agreed with our rulings.)

By Tim Murphy :: Published on Monday, March 14th, 2011 at 12:00 a.m.

Tracking Governor Chafee's promises

Every politician makes dozens of promises throughout a campaign and Lincoln Chafee is no exception. From the day he announced his candidacy in January, Chafee made promises to voters on issues as diverse as illegal immigration and state pension plans. But will he keep them? Today, PolitiFact Rhode Island launches a new feature designed to answer that question.

By Tim Murphy :: Published on Saturday, January 1st, 2011 at 9:30 p.m.

The Ocean State's Top Ten

Since we launched PolitiFact Rhode Island June 25, we've powered up the Truth-O-Meter 74 times, fact-checking statements from politicians, party bosses, bloggers, talk radio hosts, interest groups and anonymous chain e-mailers. As we close 2010 after six months with the growing national PolitiFact team, we thought we"d look back on the items that were most popular with our readers, based on our daily Web traffic reports.

By Tim Murphy :: Published on Thursday, December 30th, 2010 at 12:00 a.m.

Reports offer multiple takes on the benefit of film tax credits like Rhode Island's

Earlier this month, when Rhode Island officials were celebrating the filming of the ABC-TV series "Body of Proof" in the Ocean State, there was a lot of talk about how much the production -- and earlier productions -- have helped the local economy. Senate President Teresa Paiva Weed cited a specific number during the Dec. 3 State House reception when she said the state's tax credit for television and movie production was generating $8 for every $1 it costs the state to extend the credit. Is the benefit really that high? She was citing a URI study released in the spring that looked at both the direct and indirect economic impacts, along with the projected long-term benefit to the Rhode Island economy. But we found that when other states have evaluated the value of such credits, the immediate fiscal benefits are judged to be much lower than the URI estimate. We'll explain why.

By C. Eugene Emery Jr. :: Published on Sunday, December 19th, 2010 at 12:01 a.m.

Readers talk back to the Truth-O-Meter

Now that the campaign signs are coming down, the TV attack ads are fading into memory and the victors are enjoying their brief political honeymoons, we thought we'd share what some PolitiFact Rhode Island readers had to say about our work during the 2010 general election campaign. Judging by the volume, our readers are really passionate about two topics: Social Security and global warming. Our rulings on those issues drew far more comments, pro or con, than anything we've ever done. But we figure if the Truth-O-Meter can dish it out, it has to be able to take it. So here's a roundup from our mailbag:

By Tim Murphy :: Published on Sunday, November 7th, 2010 at 12:01 a.m.

The R.I. Voter Guide: What they said, how we ruled

Is it just us or has this seemed like a really long campaign? Maybe it's because the first candidate to announce a run for governor did so in May. Of 2009. Or maybe it's because there have been so many forums and debates -- more than 40 for the governor contenders alone -- that they've all blurred together. We've tried to keep up with all the charges, countercharges and promises, fact-checking the most interesting, provocative and outrageous. Here's a look back at Campaign 2010. We hope you find it useful as you make your choices.

By Tim Murphy :: Published on Sunday, October 31st, 2010 at 12:01 a.m.

Website ignores key facts in bid to tie Lincoln Chafee to organized crime in Ukraine

Given Lincoln Chafee's record of being willing to buck the system and the Chafee family's reputation, Rhode Islanders were jarred to hear the independent gubernatorial candidate being accused of consorting with someone who might have ties to organized crime. But that's what happened earlier this month when a local news website reported on Chafee's work at a foundation established by a Ukrainian billionaire. We explored Chafee's role there, and got different opinions on the politics and intrigue swirling around the effort to set up a think tank in one of the world's fledgling democracies.

By C. Eugene Emery Jr. :: Published on Saturday, October 23rd, 2010 at 12:01 a.m.

What's in a name?

We've examined two claims made recently by gubernatorial candidates Frank Caprio and Lincoln Chafee. Caprio attacked Chafee for his handling of a 1990s teachers' dispute in Warwick.  We ruled Caprio's claim Half True. Chafee said changing Rhode Island's official name would require amending the U.S. Constitution. We couldn't rule definitively on that, but decided to share our research anyway.

By Cynthia Needham :: Published on Friday, October 15th, 2010 at 12:01 a.m.