Author: Amanda D’Amico
Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina – oh, my!
The Republican primary is heating up. The candidates in the Republican field have a lot to say, and it’s clear they’re each looking to differentiate themselves from each other. Their differences in opinion help voters choose, but their disagreements over basic facts are downright confusing.
But don’t worry – there’s a Penn program for that.
FactCheck.org, a project of Penn’s Annenberg Public Policy Center, is a non-partisan service that analyzes statements by political players – candidates, politicians, etc. – and separates fact from exaggeration. According to FactCheck.org‘s mission statement, the organization reviews “TV ads, debates, speeches, interviews and news releases” in an effort to “increase public knowledge and understanding.” I check the RSS feed from this site each day, and I find it particularly useful as the primary season kicks into full swing.
But I’m not the only one who loves this Penn program, as it was named one of the “25 Sites We Can’t Live Without” by Time magazine in 2006. Here are a few other accolades FactCheck.org has received:
- Named one of the 10 sites that “are changing the world” by World E-Gov Forum in 2006;
- Named one of the “20 Best Political Websites” by PC Magazine in 2008;
- Received a Clarion Award in the Online Media category from the Association for Women in Communications in 2009;
- Received the Sigma Delta Chi Award from the Society of Professional Journalists in 2010; and
- Won three Webby Awards for Best Politics Site from the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences in 2008, 2010 and 2011.
As the primary season moves forward and rolls into the general election, I hope more people will turn to Penn and FactCheck.org for accurate analyses of the race. I know I’ll be there.
These are only a handful of the interesting events planned for this weekend. For more information, please visit the 
Frankly Penn 