Faulty data from the Virginia Department of Education gives state public schools a black eye

Based on erroneous statistics from the state, conservative groups are saying  that teachers comprise only 35 percent of the employees in Virginia's public schools -- the lowest percentage in the nation.

By Nancy Madsen :: Published on Friday, April 5th, 2013 at 10:47 a.m.

It's hard to pin down Hollywood's benefit to Virginia

The governor estimates that a pilot TV drama set at the Norfolk Naval Station could generate $50 million for Hampton Roads should the show go into serial production. We can't verify that number.

By Sean Gorman :: Published on Monday, March 25th, 2013 at 11:48 a.m.

In Perspective: What Susan Stimpson said about reaching out to minorities

In listening to audios of the interview that have been posted to YouTube and the blog Not Larry Sabato, it becomes apparent that Stimpson's comments have been edited.

By Nancy Madsen :: Published on Thursday, March 21st, 2013 at 6:00 a.m.

On Cantor and World of Warcraft: Readers weigh in

Many readers agreed with our Pants on Fire rating to Majority Leader Eric Cantor's claim that the U.S. "spent  $1.2 million paying seniors to play World of Warcraft to study the impact it had on their brain." But some felt we were too tough on him, saying Cantor simply cited the wrong fantasy game and that the $1.2 million federal grant was still funding research involving seniors playing a video game.

By Sean Gorman :: Published on Wednesday, February 27th, 2013 at 1:54 p.m.

When it comes to voting, Virginia is early to rise and early to bed

Virginia polls open at 6 a.m. and close at 7 p.m.  The Old Dominion is among 20 states with a 13-hour voting window. Only seven state have a longer voting day.  

By Sean Gorman :: Published on Thursday, January 31st, 2013 at 10:37 a.m.

McDonnell didn't promise to win battles with the General Assembly

So far, we’ve assessed the governor’s follow through on 39 campaign pledges and have rated 18 of them as a Promise Kept. One reason for good marks is that McDonnell often qualified his promises that required cooperation from the General Assembly.

By Sean Gorman :: Published on Wednesday, January 16th, 2013 at 11:07 a.m.

Tracking McDonnell's campaign promises

The Bob-O-Meter tracks 48 promises that Gov. Bob McDonnell made during his 2009 gubernatorial campaign. Of the 38 that so far have been rated, we've found that nearly half -- 17 -- have been fulfilled and earned a Promise Kept. Three were judged to be a Promise Broken. The rest of the pledges have either resulted in Compromise, been Stalled by events or are rated In the Works as McDonnell begins his last year in office.

By Nancy Madsen :: Published on Wednesday, January 2nd, 2013 at 1:29 p.m.

Lie of the Year: the Romney campaign's ad on jeeps made in China

Mitt Romney's claim about Jeep moving production to China at the expense of American jobs was last-ditch effort to win the election, but it hit a roadblock: the facts. People often say that politicians don’t pay a price for deception, but this time was different: A flood of negative press coverage rained down on the Romney campaign, and he failed to turn the tide in Ohio, the most important state in the presidential election.

By Angie Drobnic Holan :: Published on Thursday, December 13th, 2012 at 1:48 p.m.

The value of fact-checking in the 2012 campaign

Critics harrumph that fact-checking doesn't work because politicians keep lying. But politicians aren't our audience. Voters are.

By Bill Adair :: Published on Friday, November 9th, 2012 at 11:07 a.m.

Ad Watch: The final salvos of the presidential race

President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney are filling in the blanks on each other's policies with some far-fetched claims.

By Nancy Madsen :: Published on Monday, November 5th, 2012 at 12:07 p.m.

Allen and Kaine have big differences on budget issues

Allen has signed a pledge not to vote for any tax increases and relies on spending cuts to slash deficits. Kaine says there must be a combination of tax hikes and spending cuts.

By Sean Gorman, Nancy Madsen :: Published on Friday, November 2nd, 2012 at 2:16 p.m.

Ad Watch: Allen and the GOP go after Kaine

Kaine, in his final budget, unsuccessfully proposed a 1 percent income tax increase. Many, but not all, individual earners at the $17,000 level would have seen their tax bill rise.

By Nancy Madsen :: Published on Friday, October 26th, 2012 at 6:00 a.m.

Ad Watch: Kaine attacks Allen on abortion and birth control

Allen’s campaign did not respond to a PolitiFact inquiry on whether he’s interested in overturning Roe v. Wade.

By Sean Gorman :: Published on Thursday, October 25th, 2012 at 6:00 a.m.

A quick look at the final Allen-Kaine debate

Tim Kaine and George Allen squared off for the fifth time Thursday night, reinforcing their positions on jobs, health care and the budget. Here's a review of some of their claims:

By Sean Gorman, Nancy Madsen :: Published on Friday, October 19th, 2012 at 9:17 a.m.

Not quite ready for the Truth-O-Meter

Sometimes we look into the statements and find that they don’t prove or disprove anything. So rather than put them to the Truth-O-Meter, we feel a quick explanation of our findings will suffice. Here are a few examples:

By Sean Gorman :: Published on Thursday, October 18th, 2012 at 4:35 p.m.