Anti-spin: using Internet resources to unwind political claims.

THE RECENT ELECTION broke records in many areas--most first-time voters, most people voting for a winning candidate, most people voting for a losing candidate, probably most money every spent per candidate, etc. This election also enjoyed the participation of millions of citizen contributors drawn into the campaigns by a variety of ambitious Internet sites that continually motivated, activated and informed their members with all the tools available and some invented just for the purpose. As a result of this phenomenal mobilization, practically every word uttered in print or on the air about either candidate immediately triggered web searches and blog updates as people tried to guess the "truth" about the claims they heard. Several of the sites below grew up specifically to meet the needs of election "truth-seekers" while others have longer histories. All do something to provide background or evidence to fill in the holes in our daily information puzzle.

If you consult any of these sites, consult more than one. After all, quis custodiet ipsos custodes? (Who will protect us from the protectors?) The authors of these sites face the same verbal and mental challenges we all do.

Fact Check: http://www.factcheck.org/

The most famous of the many organizations that attempt to align claims made by or on behalf of political candidates with underlying facts, Fact Check draws on as many sources as possible to provide perspective on claims that sound like facts but don't measure up.

"We are a nonpartisan, nonprofit, 'consumer advocate' for voters that aims to reduce the level of deception and confusion in U.S. politics. We monitor the factual accuracy of what is said by major U.S. political players in the form of TV ads, debates, speeches, interviews, and news releases. Our goal is to apply the best practices of both journalism and scholarship, and to increase public knowledge and understanding.

"The Annenberg Political Fact Check is a project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania. The APPC was established by publisher and philanthropist Walter Annenberg in 1994 to create a community of scholars within the University of Pennsylvania that would address public policy issues at the local, state, and federal levels."

Black Box Voting: http://blackboxvoting.org

This site started in response to the 2000 election, the passage of the "Help America Vote Act" and growing concern about the issue of electronic voting.

The site defines black box voting as "Any voting system in which the mechanism for recording and/or tabulating the vote is hidden from the voter, and/or the mechanism lacks a tangible record of the vote cast."

History News Network: http://hnn.us/

If you think history only applies to the past, you need to visit this site.

"Even those who profess utter indifference to history are beholden to it. History is inescapable. Who we are and how we react to events depends, to a great extent, on our past. As Eugene O'Neill has a character in Long Day's Journey into Night exclaim, at a critical juncture, 'The past is the present, isn't it? It's the future, too. We all try to lie out of that but life won't let us.'"

Snopes: http://snopes.com/politics/politics.asp

The Politics page on Snopes.com contains fairly well-researched assessments of claims that made the rounds during the campaign, and some that date from before the most recent election period. From their site: "Named by Time magazine in March 2002 and again in June 2003 as one of the 50 Best Web Sites, snopes.com contains thousands of articles about urban legends, Internet lore, odd news stories, strange facts, common misconceptions, superstitions, unusual word origins, and little-known yet fascinating tidbits of history."

Theocracy Watch: http://www.theocracywatch.org/

"Theocracy Watch is a project of the Center for Religion, Ethics and Social Policy (CRESP) at Cornell University. CRESP is a nonsectarian, action-based educational organization with its roots in religious dialogue, human rights advocacy, and ethical thought.

"Theocracy Watch raises awareness about the pervasive role of the Religious Right in the U.S. government. It disseminates information through its speakers bureau, powerpoint presentations, CDs--both audio and powerpoint--and a DVD. It also conducts interviews with the media."

Disinformation: http://www.disinfo.com/site/

"Launched on September 13, 1996, Disinformation was designed to be the search service of choice for individuals looking for information on current affairs, politics, new science and the 'hidden information' that seldom [sic] seems to slip through the cracks of the corporate-owned media conglomerates. Ironically, it was funded by one of the largest media companies in the world (TeleCommunications, Inc. (TCI), now part of Comcast), who paid for placement on Netscape's then ubiquitous search page."

Alliance for Better Campaigns: http://www.bettercampaigns.org/

"The Alliance for Better Campaigns is a public interest group that seeks to improve elections by promoting campaigns in which the most useful information reaches the greatest number of citizens in the most engaging ways.

"We advocate for reforms that reduce the cost and increase the flow of political communication; that open up the political process to more competition; and that facilitate and encourage voter participation. We believe that broad-casters can and must use the publicly-owned airwaves to revitalize our democracy and are working to put meaning back into broadcasters' statutory obligation to serve the public interest."

Center for Public Integrity: http://www.publicintegrity.org/default.aspx

"The Center for Public Integrity is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, tax-exempt organization that conducts investigative research and reporting on public policy issues in the United States and around the world."

On the Issues: http://www.issues2000.org/default.htm

This site provides voting records and direct quotes from candidates in national, state, and local elections.

"Our mission is to provide non-partisan information for voters in the Presidential election, so that votes can be based on issues rather than on personalities and popularity.

"We get our information daily from newspapers, speeches, press releases, and the Internet--it is a labor-intensive process that requires countless volunteer hours."

Project Vote Smart: http://www.vote-smart.org/index.htm

"A knowledgeable electorate is the strongest component of a functioning democracy. Information about elected officials and candidates is crucial to maintaining the defense of one's rights and privileges guaranteed in the Constitution. In that spirit, Project Vote Smart (PVS) provides a comprehensive data-base about thousands of candidates and elected officials for President, Congress, Governors and State Legislators. Less detailed information is available at the county and local level for each state."

Open Secrets: http://www.opensecrets.org/

OpenSecrets offers a single-source location for publically available information about campaign financing. All candidates for office at most levels of government have to report this information several times during their campaigns. OpenSecrets compiles the information and provides several useful options for searching their database for specific candidates, donors or regions. They also provide background information for major legislation, with data on the financial interests of participating Congressional members and lobbying organizations.

"The Center for Responsive Politics is a non-partisan, non-profit research group based in Washington, D.C. that tracks money in politics, and its effect on elections and public policy. The Center conducts computer-based research on campaign finance issues for the news media, academics, activists, and the public at large. The Center's work is aimed at creating a more educated voter, an involved citizenry, and a more responsive government."