Tim MurphyEditor
Tim Murphy, PolitiFact Rhode Island editor, has worked as a reporter and editor at newspapers in Connecticut and Rhode Island for 36 years. He started at The Journal as a reporter in 1983 and has held several positions, including Sunday editor, city editor and, most recently, assistant managing editor for public policy.
A graduate of the University of Connecticut, Murphy has three sons and lives in Wakefield, R.I., with his wife, Nancy.
The latest Truth-O-Meter items from Tim Murphy
"Over the past five years the federal government has paid out $601 million in retirement and disability benefits to deceased former federal employees."
"Jimmy Langevin is having a fundraiser . . . to retire the debt from his campaign for secretary of state, which was 12 years ago."
Gas prices have gone up 99 percent since Obama became president, "the highest gas price increase since Carter."
President Obama gave Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood one and a half billion dollars.
"The number of new businesses started per year has dropped by 100,000 during this president’s term."
"Only 14 percent of Catholics agree with the Vatican's position that abortion should be illegal."
"Rhode Island’s exports have increased by 53 percent in the last two years."
The "Buffett rule" "raises virtually no money, maybe a day and a half of our borrowing per year."
President Obama's refusal to grant permits for offshore drilling is one reason gasoline prices are soaring.
Says his reform efforts improved performance at all 10 low-performing schools in Palm Beach, Florida.
Recent stories from Tim Murphy
The 38 Studios controversy: Of software sales and film creditsCurt Schilling's 38 Studios and his deal with the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation are in the news amid questions about whether the fledgling software company is in financial trouble. One option the company is reportedly seeking is taking advantage of the state's tax credit system for movie, television and video game productions. PolitiFact Rhode Island has examined claims made about the EDC deal and film tax credits in the past. In light of the debate, we thought it might be useful to remind readers what we found.
Super Bowl legends explored and exposedWe'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.
The Rhode Island pension debate: Truth is in short supplyAs 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.
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.
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.
Film tax credit controversy rises againIs 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.
Readers tell us what they really thinkWe'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.)
Tracking Governor Chafee's promisesEvery 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.
The Ocean State's Top TenSince 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.
Readers talk back to the Truth-O-MeterNow 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:
We want to hear your suggestions and comments. Email the Rhode Island Truth-O-Meter with feedback and with claims you'd like to see checked. If you send us a comment, we'll assume you don't mind us publishing it unless you tell us otherwise.
