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Press Release - January 11, 2013
Third-Party Dollars Spent on Deceptive Ads: Update Through 11/6/2012
Press Release - October 31, 2012
Press Release - October 24, 2012
Third-Party Dollars Spent on Deceptive Ads: Update Through 10/19/2012
Press Release - October 15, 2012
Third-Party Dollars Spent on Deceptive Ads: Update Through 10/9/2012
Press Release - September 27, 2012
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Mission Statement
FlackCheck.org is the political literacy companion site to the award-winning FactCheck.org. The site provides resources designed to help viewers recognize flaws in arguments in general and political ads in particular. Video resources point out deception and incivility in political rhetoric. A special section called Engage features a moderated, online discussion of civics-related current events.
FlackCheck in the News
- John Boehner’s F-Bomb at Harry Reid Plunges D.C. Civility to New Low (The Daily Beast, Jan. 3, 2013)
- Do super PACS have a right to lie? (Columbia Journalism Review, Dec. 17, 2012)
- Closer look at a cash cow (Columbia Journalism Review, Nov. 26, 2012)
- 2012 Election Day Live-Stream on Social Media + Politics (PBS MediaShift, Nov. 5, 2012)
- 20 Educational Web Tools For Young Voters (Edudemic, Nov. 4, 2012)
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Demeaning or Dismissive Language
- Gov. Sarah Palin: ‘Shuck and jive’
- Vice President Dick Cheney: ‘Go f- yourself’
- House Speaker John Boehner: ‘Go f- yourself’
- Sen. Harry Reid: ‘Dictatorship’
- Sen. David Vitter: ‘Idiot’
- Gov. Chris Christie: ‘Know-nothing,’ ‘disgruntled’
- Chris Matthews: ‘Pigs’
- Ann Coulter: ‘retard’
- Gov. Sarah Palin: ‘Shuck and jive’
- GOP Senate candidate Richard Mourdock: ‘Something God intended to happen’
- Gov. John Sununu: Obama ‘not that bright’
- Ron Reagan: ‘Giant crack pipe’
- Rep. Todd Akin: ‘Aggressive,’ ‘ladylike’
- Sen. Scott Brown Supporters: Tomahawk chops
- Gov. John Sununu: “Lazy…detached”
- Markos Moulitsas: ‘Unlikable buffoon’
- Lubbock County Commissioner Gilbert A. Flores: ’6-pack short of a 12-pack of beer’
- Piers Morgan: ‘Gutless little twerp’
- Rudy Giuliani: ‘A joke’
- Rudy Giuliani: ‘…Whether he really has the mental capacity…’
- Greg Gutfeld: ‘Diarrhea of the brain’
- Rep. Louie Gohmert: ‘Numb nuts’
- Lawrence O’Donnell: ‘Bat-crap crazy’
- Gov. John Sununu: ‘Learn how to be an American’
- Gov. John Sununu: ‘Smarmy’ and ‘smoking something’
- They did WHAT?!: ‘Fake Outhouse’
- Jorge Robles: ‘Take…out’ and ‘Hot mess’
- Eric Bolling: ‘Crack pipe’
- Jeff Barth: ‘Horses’ Asses’
- Rep. Paul Ryan: ‘Verbal tantrums’
- David Plouffe: ‘Clown show’
- Chris Matthews: ‘Balloon head’
- Bill Maher: ‘MILF’
- Bill Maher: ‘Boobs’
- Ed Schultz: ‘slut’
- Rep. Alan Grayson: ‘K Street whore’
- David Shuster: ‘pimped out’
- Sen. Harry Reid: ‘loser’
- Mark Halperin: ‘kind of a dick’
- Herman Cain: ‘Princess Nancy’
- Rush Limbaugh: ‘Slut,’ ‘Prostitute,’ ‘Femi-Nazis’
- Sen. Rick Santorum: “Snob”
- Rep. Ron Paul Said What?!: “Thugs”
- Episode #1 – Battle of the Scholars
- Epsiode #4 – Lu-Lu
Extreme attack on opposing position
- Rep. Allen West said WHAT?!: ‘Slave’
- Sen. Tom Coburn: ‘Sovietize’
- David Axelrod: ‘Reign Of Terror’
- Gov. Mitt Romney: ‘War on religion’
- President Obama: ‘Social Darwinism’
- Rep. Alan Grayson: ‘Die quickly’
- ‘War On Women’
- Gov. Rick Perry Said WHAT?!: “War”
- Speaker Newt Gingrich Said What?!: “Socialism”
- Sen. Rick Santorum: “Appeasement”
- Episode #3 – From the Floor
Extreme characterization of a person or group
- Rep. Nancy Pelosi: ‘E. Coli Club’
- Rep. Louie Gohmert: ‘Fools’
- Gov. Chris Christie: ‘Dr. Kevorkian of the numbers’
- David Axelrod: ‘Contract killers’
- EPA administrator Al Armendariz: ‘Crucify’
- Sen. Chuck Grassley: ‘Stupid’
- RNC Spokesperson Sean Spicer: ‘Unpatriotic’
- Harold Simmons: “socialist…dangerous”
- Joe Nocera: Tea Party ‘jihad’
- Rep. Eric Cantor: ‘Mobs’
- Sen. Rick Santorum: ‘Weak horse,’ ‘Appeaser in Chief,’ ‘Evil’
- Paul Krugman: ‘Fools and Clowns’
- Chris Matthews: ‘Wahhabis’
- Rep. Luis Gutierrez: “Burn the house down”
- Rep. Maxine Waters: “straight to hell!”
- Rep. Allen West: ‘Vile’ ‘Despicable’
- Dee Dee Myers: Speaker Newt Gingrich is a “political sociopath”
- David Axelrod: Gov. Romney “strip mining” companies
- Speaker Newt Gingrich: “Looting a business”
- Episode #5 – Mystery Phrase
- Vice President Joe Biden: “Keeping the Barbarians from the Gate”
Extreme characterization of an agency/institution
- Gov. Paul LePage: ‘New gestapo’
- Rep. Clyburn: ‘Raping Companies’
- They Said WHAT?!: ‘Demagogic’
- Sen. Rick Santorum: ‘Favor pornographers over children and families’
- Gov. Jon Huntsman: ‘Reign of terror’
- Rep. Jeff Landry: ‘Gestapo’
- Sen. Rick Santorum: Schools are ‘factories’
- Rep. Ron Paul Said What?!: “Thugs”
- Speaker Newt Gingrich said WHAT?!: “reactionary socialist institution”
Impugning Motives or Integrity
- Gov. Ted Strickland: ‘Tries to fake compassion’
- Michelle Malkin: “lying liars…crap weasels”
- President Obama: ‘That’s a bulls–’
- Jason Thompson: Send Obama ‘to Kenya’
- Sen. John McCain: ‘Maybe Sen. Reid doesn’t care about Christopher Stevens’
- Rep. Todd Akin: ‘Doesn’t like America’
- Gov. Mike Huckabee: ‘Human life…disposable…expendable’
- Rep. Ben Quayle: ‘Professional liar’
- Touré: ‘Niggerization’
- Reince Priebus: ‘Stole…blood on their hands’
- Gov. Romney: ‘Smash America apart’
- RNC Chair Reince Priebus: ‘Dirty liar’
- Sen. Harry Reid: ‘First-class rat’ and ‘liar’
- Rush Limbaugh: Obama “hates this country”
- Sen. Harry Reid: ‘…put arsenic and mercury in water’
- When Silence Isn’t Golden
- They Said WHAT?!: ‘Treason’
- Gov. Mitch Daniels: ‘Duplicitous’
- Rep. Paul Ryan: Not ‘True Advice’
- Speaker Newt Gingrich: ‘Liar’
- Sen. Rick Santorum: ‘Lying’
- Sen. Harry Reid: “liar”
- Rep. Michele Bachmann: Obama ‘stole’
- Grover Norquist: ‘Stealing’
- Prof. Paul Krugman: Romney “oozes insincerity”
- Speaker Gingrich Said: “Put Dodd and Frank in Jail”
- Episode #2 – Companions
- President Barack Obama: “Congress couldn’t Understand”
Inappropriate Comparison
- Progress Kentucky Said What?!
- Graeme Zielinski: ‘Jeffrey Dahmer’
- Tim Eyman and Councilman Mike Fagan: ‘Lying …’
- Bill Maher: ‘Orangutan’
- Pat Buchanan: ‘Drug dealer of welfare’
- Dick Harpootlian: ‘Eva Braun’
- John Burton: ‘Goebbels’
- Rep. Todd Akin: ‘Legitimate rape’
- Vice President Biden: ‘Put y’all back in chains’
- Gary Boisclair: ‘Criminal syndicate’
- Rep. Mike Kelly: ‘Pearl Harbor…9/11′
- Rush Limbaugh: ‘Indian squaw’
- Michael Musto: ‘Jewish Nazis’
- Sen. Arlen Specter: ‘Pornographic movie queen’
- Hank Williams Jr.: ‘Hitler’
- Rep. Steve Cohen: ‘just like Goebbels’
- Ann Coulter, Nigel Innis, Americans for Herman Cain PAC: ‘High-Tech Lynching’
- Rep. Allen West: ‘Goebbels’
- Va. Delegate Bob Marshall: Insurance mandate is ‘rape’
- Robert F. Kennedy Jr.: ‘Call girl’
- Martin Bashir: Santorum and Stalin
- RNC Chairman Reince Priebus: Obama and Capt. Schettino
- Don Imus: Speaker Newt Gingrich is a “pig”
Language of Violence
- Tagg Romney: ‘Take a swing at’ Obama
- Vice President Biden: “Bullets are aimed at you”
- GOP strategist Roger Stone: ‘Republican blood will run’
- Karl Rove: ‘Sink…murdered’
- Judge Tom Head said WHAT?!: ‘civil war…get rid of the dictator’
- A Democratic strategist: ‘Kill Romney’
- They did WHAT?!: ‘Fake Outhouse’
- Rudy Giuliani: ‘It was a shot in the ???’
- Ron Gould: ‘Straight shooter’
- Jorge Robles: ‘Take…out’ and ‘Hot mess’
- Grover Norquist: ‘You walk down that alley, you don’t come out’
- Jay Townsend: ‘Hurl some acid’
- Foster Friess: ‘Bulletproof’
- James P. Hoffa: ‘take these S.O.B.s out’







