Dewhurst among un-thrilled with PolitiFact, NPR reports

NPR's report on PolitiFact Texas, which aired Thursday, generated wide reaction.

Some listeners agreed with Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst that we're not valuable, while others said PolitiFact gets to the essence of accountability journalism.

We peeled out some comments from the NPR site. Peruse the the rest — and hear Folkenflik’s report—here.

"Throughout history one truth remains the same – just as politicians play their cards to garner the most votes, media outlets put forth products that may draw the attention of the most followers. Yes, an outlet designed to check the facts of politicians may sound noble in cause, but then who in turn is checking the veracity of such media outlets?"

"I'm amazed that journalists consider that calling out politicians for telling lies and half-truths, or simple misstatements, might compromise their objectivity. This is one of the main complaints I have with American journos. They seem to think that all they should do is provide a forum for two opposing sides to duke it out and let the public make up their mind based thereon."

"I went to PolitiFact. It is the usual left-wing blog site that claims to be fair and unbiased. Even a casual reading of the website shows an overwhelming bias to the left."

"Despite obvious advantages of having correct information, scholars are suggesting that all of the debunking actually reinforces misinformation. In a political environment as polarized as the United States, research shows that debunking misinformation can reinforce the claim among agreeable partisans. This has some reporters questioning how much debunking is too much."

"I LOVE PolitiFact! I wish there were a branch for the Philadelphia market. We need shovels for the "false" and "pants on fire" statements from those politicians. Maybe this will get politicians to start laying off the rhetoric a bit. Or, at least start educating themselves a little."