Abstract:
Despite
unprecedented
access
to
information,
the
American
public
has
been
shown
to
have
difficulty
distinguishing
factually
correct
information
from
misinformation.
Misinformation
can,
and
does,
alter
voting
patterns
and
policy
preferences
which
impact
the
range
of
policy
solutions
available
to
policymakers.
In
recent
years,
media
organizations
have
begun
specialized
‘fact-‐checking’
operations
in
order
to
address
misinformation
in
American
politics
and
public
policy-‐
reviewing
claims
made
by
political
actors
in
order
to
separate
fact
from
fiction.
Using
data
from
the
2010
Congressional
Elections
and
the
fact-‐checking
organization
Politifact,
this
paper
looks
factors
affecting
the
accuracy
of
claims
made
by
persons
running
for
Congress
in
2010.
