Facebook Twitter Tumblr Close Skip to main content
A Project of The Annenberg Public Policy Center

Food-Aid Foolery

Food-Aid Foolery

To learn a bit about how partisans create false political propaganda, take a few moments to study what’s behind this headline: “More People Getting Government Food than Actually Working.”

The Immigration Bill’s ‘$6.3 Trillion Price Tag’

The Immigration Bill’s ‘$6.3 Trillion Price Tag’

Critics of a bipartisan Senate bill to overhaul the nation’s immigration system falsely claim that it will cost an additional $6.3 trillion, citing a study by a conservative group that opposes the bill.

IRS Officials Misled Congress, Public

IRS officials gave false or misleading information on numerous occasions regarding its now discredited practice of targeting conservative groups that sought nonprofit status.

Benghazi Attack, Revisited

Benghazi Attack, Revisited

President Obama says the May 8 House hearing on Benghazi and subsequent reporting about it produced no new information. That’s largely the case, but the president misrepresented some facts at his May 13 press conference in dismissing the House investigation as a “political circus.”

Rand Paul’s Bin Laden Claim Is ‘Urban Myth’

Rand Paul’s Bin Laden Claim Is ‘Urban Myth’

In two recent statements, Sen. Rand Paul made the unsubstantiated claim that the U.S. government once “armed” and “funded” Osama bin Laden. The CIA and several of its top officials deny that the U.S. ever recruited, trained, armed or funded bin Laden during the Afghan war over Soviet occupation in the 1980s. Bin Laden himself has denied it. …

Viral Spiral 2012

Viral Spiral 2012

We’ve long warned our readers to make good use of the delete key when emails spreading sketchy claims pop up in their inboxes. But we’ve found that old viral emails, unfortunately, never die — and new ones spread like a highly contagious disease. These overwhelmingly anonymous messages are, by and large, bogus.

Gun Rhetoric vs. Gun Facts

Gun Rhetoric vs. Gun Facts

The mass shooting in Newtown, Conn., has reignited a national debate on gun control. As elected leaders begin the dialogue, some facts are clear — there has been a massive increase in gun sales. Some things are not so clear — such as whether there is causation between more guns and more violent crimes. And some …