Happy Birthday to us! Between conventions, the coronavirus and everything else that’s happened this summer, Lucky 13 really snuck up on us.
We started PolitiFact back in 2007 as a way to help sort out fact from fiction in the 2008 presidential campaign. The original plan for PolitiFact only counted on the website lasting six months. Well, oops.
If you’re reading this story, I think you can agree that a fact-checking website like our is needed now more than ever.
This week is a perfect example.
In a near-empty arena on the river in his hometown, Joe Biden accepted the Democratic nomination for president Thursday night, promising hope over fear, fairness over privilege, love over hate.
And, he said, “Facts over fiction.”
Facts are an important part of the election season, and at PolitiFact, we’re committed to helping you understand the facts behind the most important issues of our time. On Thursday, we examined more than 12 different claims made by Biden.
We’ll give the Republicans and President Donald Trump the same treatment for their convention.
On top of that, we’re monitoring 18 congressional races that are considered toss-ups, we’re fighting against online misinformation through partnerships with TikTok and Facebook, and we launched a YouTube channel to help explain our work (Seth Meyers featured us on his show just last week).
Back in 2007, PolitiFact started with a staff of three. Today, there’s about 17 of us.
We’re tired, but it’s worth it. If you’re able, would you consider kicking in whatever you can to continue to support this vital work? If everyone who visited our website Thursday chipped in $2, we’d be able to fund our journalism for an entire year.
