Latest Stories By Willoughby Mariano

Politicians, the Truth-O-Meter’s got your number. Or rather, numbers.

Georgia’s leaders use all kinds of statistics to shore up their stances. Some mean exactly what politicians claim. Others? Not so much.

Last week, we analyzed numbers on Snowpocalypse 2011, the safety of the nation’s food supply, immigration and health care.

For extra measure, we added up President Barack Obama’s batting average.

Join us on Twitter and Facebook to comment and read our latest updates.

Like the Truth-O-Meter? Then meet the Deal-O-Meter.

AJC PolitiFact Georgia's new gizmo detects whether our freshly minted governor, Nathan Deal, lives up to his campaign promises.

We rolled it out just in time for Inauguration Day on Monday. It has already ruled on promises Deal made on ethics, personal finances and a slew of other issues. 

Not that the Truth-O-Meter is idle. We sent it to south central Georgia to learn about wild hogs, then to D.C. for an item on the national debt.

Join us on Twitter and Facebook to comment and read our latest updates.

Last week, AJC PolitiFact Georgia's Truth-O-Meter emerged from its holiday slumber and rattled its saber.
 
First, it made quick work of claims on subjects including corporate tax rates, Atlanta's budget and whether DeKalb is the "greenest" county in America.

Then, in honor of the Civil War's sesquicentennial, it burned some britches for a group's claim that blacks fought in droves for the Confederacy.

The Truth-O-Meter takes no prisoners.

Join us on Twitter and Facebook to comment and read our latest updates.

The new year approaches, and your AJC PolitiFact Georgia team is growing misty-eyed. 

Although we launched only six months ago, we already have cherished memories of pants we've burned, or slightly singed.

As the AJC Truth-O-Meter winds down for the year, we thought we would share a few of those moments when we smelled flames.

Here, in chronological order, are the summaries of some of our favorite untruths and misrepresentations of 2010:

Folks must be feeling goodwill toward their fellow man this holiday season.

Last week, AJC PolitiFact Georgia experienced an outbreak of truthiness.

Washington lawmakers found some accurate things to say about federal programs on the homeless and President Barack Obama's proposed tax compromise that just worked its way through Congress.

We also uncovered some truths about Georgia public higher education and our beloved Atlanta Braves.

We're shocked. And relieved.

Happy Holidays. 

Join us on Twitter and Facebook to comment and read our latest updates.

Nothing beats a good, warm fire to brighten our lives during these frigid winter days.

So last week, AJC PolitiFact Georgia set two pairs of pants ablaze.

The first Pants On Fire ruling belonged to TV and radio host Glenn Beck, who compared a real Ohio town to fictional Bedford Falls of the classic holiday movie "It's a Wonderful Life."

The second belonged to AMC hit show "The Walking Dead," which blew up Atlanta's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as part of the Zombie Apocalypse.

Some pairs survived intact. President Barack Obama did OK and a crime ranking earned a Half True, but the britches of the National Football League Players Association got singed.

Join us on Twitter and Facebook to comment and read our latest updates.

No Pants caught On Fire last week, but AJC PolitiFact Georgia did flush a few claims down the toilet.

One claim was literally about commodes. A DeKalb County pol said low-flow versions can cost up to $1,000. Sometimes yes, often no, we found. Half True.

But after reading others on red-light cameras and unemployment benefits, we reached for the handle and flushed several times. 

Want to comment on our rulings? Join us on Twitter and Facebook.

You can also get our latest updates there.

Last week's themes were money and power.

AJC PolitiFact Georgia used the Truth-O-Meter on General Assembly Republicans, who stripped power from Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle and cheerily called it a "power-sharing agreement."

We tested former President George W. Bush on his record on the national debt.

And to mark the start of Atlanta's fledgling bid to bring back the Super Bowl, we looked at the last time the game came to town. The Atlanta Sports Council said its economic impact was $292 million. Was it really that much?

Join us on Twitter and Facebook for our latest updates.

Memories of the 2010 election may be fading, but the Truth-O-Meter abides.

Politicians take liberties with the truth in all seasons. Reporters at AJC PolitiFact Georgia will test their truthiness through the winter holidays and beyond.

Last week we paused to make room for other election coverage. This means today's roundup includes only three items.

Enjoy.

And join us on Twitter and Facebook for our latest updates.

Election Day is tomorrow. Don't panic. Your Truth-O-Meter is here to help.

It's been working hard all election season, which means that AJC PolitiFact Georgia can now present to you a roundup of some of our rulings on the governor's race.

Our findings aren't pretty. Experts told us the rivalry between Democrat Roy Barnes, a former governor, and Republican Nathan Deal, a former U.S. congressman, will go down as one of the ugliest in recent history.

The state's biggest congressional race, which is in a district that snakes through the center of the state, also took a stroll through the mud. And the Atlanta area's toughest General Assembly race is in flames.

Brace yourselves. And don't forget your Truth-O-Meter.

Join us on Twitter and Facebook for our latest updates.

We're in the election's final stretch, and politicians have dynamite in their hands.

As our sister site PolitiFact National noted in an analysis of this election season's claims, "campaigns often begin with a kernel of truth. But then they stretch it, twist it and blow it up."

In Georgia, politicians went nuclear with claims on jobs, legislation on child abuse and ethics violations.

This week's wreckage could have been far worse. We ruled Mostly True on a claim by Democratic candidate for governor Roy Barnes.

But our overall analysis of the gubernatorial campaign shows that if we had a Nastymeter, it would have spun like the Wheelie ride at Six Flags Over Georgia.

Don't try this on an empty stomach, ladies and gentlemen.

Follow us on Twitter and Facebook for our latest updates.

With only days to go until Election Day, candidates kept the Truth-O-Meter whirling last week.

Our trusty meter ventured overseas and back again for claims on Mexican workers, Chinese wind turbines and Washington health care.

Homegrown controversies over political TV ads on the rape shield law and education funding were also up for inspection. 

No one fared well. All our rulings were Half True or worse.

Election Day is Nov. 2.

Want to comment? Try us on Facebook or Twitter.