A story shared on Facebook tells of CNN’s so-called “ratings disaster” — but it only uses select ratings information.
Story Cherry-Picks in Assessing CNN Ratings
Misleading Border Crime Statistic
U.S. Border Patrol encountered 6,259 immigrants with criminal convictions, many of them for illegal entry charges, in fiscal 2018, according to the most recent statistics. Yet, White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney misleadingly claimed authorities “had arrested 17,000 criminals at the southern border.”
RNC Misleads on ‘Immoral’ Democratic Bill
The RNC attacks a “Pelosi plan” as “immoral” because it “would spend $54 billion taxpayer dollars on foreign countries” but not address “the border crisis.” Yet that’s the same amount that Republican-controlled appropriations committees approved in June for the State Department’s operations, which includes foreign aid.
Democratic Spin on Border Security Funds
Democrats say the Trump administration is asking for more money for a border wall even though it has spent only 6 percent of the funds that Congress has appropriated for border security over the past two years. That’s misleading. About 60 percent has been awarded to contracts.
Social Security Falsehood Circulates Again
Social media posts wrongly claim Democrats voted against the Social Security cost-of-living increase for 2019. Adjustments to Social Security benefits are not decided by lawmakers.
False Claim of Immigrant Children Deaths Under Obama
Q: Is it accurate that “18 children died while in custody of Border Patrol” during the Obama administration?
A: No. Prior to two children’s deaths in December, it had been more than a decade since a child died while in the custody of U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Mailbag: 2018 Whoppers, Vaccine Additives
This week, readers sent us comments about our story on the whoppers of 2018, and on vaccine safety and additives.
Trump’s Border Blunders
On the day he met with congressional leaders to discuss the budget stalemate, President Donald Trump repeated several false and misleading claims about the Southwest border and the wall he wants to build.
Trump Administration Distorts the Facts On Climate Report
The Trump administration has inaccurately attacked the National Climate Assessment for lacking transparency and factual basis, and for focusing on an “extreme” climate scenario.
Rep.-elect Green Wrong About Vaccines, CDC Fraud
At a town hall event on Dec. 11, Rep.-elect Mark Green of Tennessee inaccurately claimed that vaccine preservatives might cause autism. He also repeated an unsubstantiated claim that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention “fraudulently managed” data that showed a link between vaccinations and autism.