Bill McCarthy

Staff writer

148 Stories Published

353 Fact-Checks Published

Bill McCarthy is a staff writer covering misinformation, the media and politics for PolitiFact. He leads PolitiFact’s fact-checking of political pundits for PunditFact. Previously, he worked as a reporter for PolitiFact North Carolina via the Raleigh News & Observer. He graduated cum laude from Duke University, where he studied public policy and journalism.

Areas of Expertise

Abortion 2 Ad Watch 4 Afghanistan 1 Animals 1 Arizona 2 Ask PolitiFact 5 California 3 Civil Rights 3 Climate Change 1 Colorado 1 Congress 8 Constitutional Amendments 1 Coronavirus 31 Corporations 1 Corrections and Updates 6 Crime 15 Criminal Justice 12 Economy 4 Elections 30 Energy 2 Ethics 1 Facebook Fact-checks 20 Fake news 4 Federal Budget 1 Financial Regulation 1 Florida 2 Food 1 Foreign Policy 5 Georgia 1 Guns 2 Health Care 2 History 7 Homeland Security 2 Human Rights 1 Immigration 2 Impeachment 2 Infrastructure 2 Jan. 6 17 Legal Issues 6 Michigan 2 Military 5 Missouri 2 MovieFact 1 National 90 Nevada 2 New York 2 North Carolina 5 Pennsylvania 2 Polls and Public Opinion 1 Pop Culture 2 Public Health 23 Public Safety 1 PunditFact 42 Pundits 26 Race and Ethnicity 12 Religion 1 Russia 4 Science 1 Sports 2 States 1 Supreme Court 2 Technology 5 Terrorism 3 Texas 1 Tourism 1 Trade 2 Transparency 1 Ukraine 4 Uncategorized 2 Weather 1

Latest Fact-Checks by Bill McCarthy

Viral TikTok shares doctored photo of Marjorie Taylor Greene with figurine of Trump on a cross July 21, 2022
No, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez did not ‘fake’ her arrest outside the Supreme Court July 20, 2022
No, video of rioters discussing Capitol ‘floor plan’ doesn’t prove Jan. 6 was antifa setup July 19, 2022
Image of ‘Trump Train’ truck crashed into bridge is digitally edited July 15, 2022
No proof Tom Holland died, despite viral internet rumor July 14, 2022
No, viral images don’t show Joe Biden naked with a young girl July 13, 2022
No evidence Shinzo Abe was assassinated over his response to COVID-19 July 11, 2022
No, Boris Johnson didn’t go swimming after his resignation. This viral image is outdated July 8, 2022
Trump was in SUV after Jan. 6 rally, not presidential limousine July 8, 2022
No, Fox News did not offer Chris Wallace’s old Sunday show to Candace Owens July 7, 2022

Latest Stories by Bill McCarthy

Fact-check: Is replacing Joe Biden on the ticket ‘unlawful’? Election law experts say it’s not July 22, 2024
United Facts of America: Experts say facts alone won’t bridge the partisan divide September 27, 2022
Would Tom Hanks have qualified for a coronavirus test in the US? March 12, 2020
Fact-checking Donald Trump’s 2020 State of the Union address February 5, 2020
What we know about Shadow, Acronym and the Iowa caucuses February 4, 2020
A new look for the PolitiFact website February 2, 2020
PolitiFact answers the Senate’s impeachment questions January 31, 2020
‘A call to action’: Jan. 6 hearing shows Trump’s sway on rioters with words, tweets July 13, 2022
Fact-checking conspiracy theories about the death of Michael Stenger, former Senate sergeant-at-arms June 29, 2022
What is Jan. 6 witness Cassidy Hutchinson’s background? June 28, 2022
Fox News carries third Jan. 6 committee hearing as testimony features its hosts and guests June 17, 2022
In Jan. 6 hearing, former AG Bill Barr discredits ‘2,000 Mules’ voter fraud film June 13, 2022
As America watched Jan. 6 hearing, Fox viewers heard Tucker Carlson’s alternate reality June 10, 2022
How ‘stop the steal’ Republicans seeking office hope to restrict voting June 7, 2022
A coalition of ‘stop the steal’ Republicans aims to take control of US elections. QAnon is helping June 7, 2022
Here’s how to avoid misinformation as you read about Uvalde and other mass shootings May 25, 2022
Tucker Carlson feigned ignorance over ‘great replacement theory,’ despite talking about it often May 19, 2022