A year and half ago, we launched this blog with a simple goal: Hold people publicly accountable to the claims they make while trying to influence life in San Diego.
The blog was inspired by PolitiFact, a highly successful website run by the St. Petersburg Times in Florida that primarily focuses on national politics. We adapted the idea to local issues, and it’s become one of the most popular features among our readers. (The people we Fact Check don’t always like it.)
But we realize there’s always room for improvement. It’s been a new endeavor for us, and we’re learning a lot about what works and what doesn’t. We know there are flaws in our six ratings and it’s been very difficult at times to make all statements fit within those defined boundaries.
PolitiFact, for example, changed the name of a rating this week from Barely True to Mostly False after years of reader complaints. It polled readers before making the change and found that more than 95 percent supported it.
So what do you think? Should we also change our Barely True rating to Mostly False? And what else do readers want us to change about the San Diego Fact Check? It’s been a year and a half since we launched this blog. How can we get better?
Next week, we’ll be discussing those questions at VOSD and would love to hear your ideas and feedback. Please share your thoughts in the comments section below or contact us by email, Twitter or Facebook.
Keegan Kyle is a news reporter for voiceofsandiego.org. He writes about public safety and handles the Fact Check Blog. What should he write about next?
Please contact him directly at keegan.kyle@voiceofsandiego.org or 619.550.5668 and follow him on Twitter: twitter.com/keegankyle.