Staff Reports
In the realm of political literature, a telling imbalance persists: an abundance of books focusing on Donald Trump and a conspicuous void regarding the Biden administration. Recent attempts to capture the glowing achievements of the current leadership, such as a biographical effort centered on Jill Biden, flopped miserably, moving only 250 copies in its first week. When gauging the fervor surrounding Trump, it is hard to overlook the stark indifference offered to Biden’s narrative—leaving one to wonder if the mainstream media’s proclaimed approval of the administration is merely vaporware.
With the 2024 elections looming, the release of a new book titled “Beyond The Big Lie” came as no surprise. This work, penned by Politifact founder Bill Adair, serves as yet another indictment of the Right, with a focus on Trump’s alleged propensity for lying. This rhetoric isn’t exactly novel—in fact, the entire premise echoes the media’s longstanding maneuver of painting conservative figures in a negative light while conveniently overlooking or downplaying the misdeeds of their favored political allies.
Adair’s book was strategically released to sway voters before the election, aiming to convince the public that the GOP is mired in a web of deception. In discussions surrounding the book, he expressed a belief that Republicans lie more egregiously than their Democratic counterparts. Of course, this so-called fact-checking is riddled with bias, relying heavily on what Adair and his allies choose—or choose not—to count as a lie. This method not only misleads the public but also enhances the perceived moral superiority of the media over Republican leaders.
While showcasing his supposed findings, Adair proudly noted over 800 instances of Trump “lying,” a claim echoed by various media personalities. In stark contrast, Kamala Harris received a free pass, with no documented falsehoods following her statements, despite many darkly comedic observations to the contrary. The selective enforcement of what counts as lying underlines a broader issue within the networks that claim to be arbiters of truth: their glaring partisanship serves to undermine the integrity of the entire fact-checking enterprise.
Politifact’s methodology, championed by Adair, is a blatant attempt to wield the power of their skewed truth ratings as weapons against Republicans. In his view, a politician’s score with fact-checkers should weigh just as heavily as their legislative actions, a bizarre notion considering how this skews responsibility toward one party while exonerating another. The irony is rich: a self-proclaimed guardian of factual integrity, Adair’s work actually fuels the misinformation usually attributed to political adversaries, proving that the “truth” they espouse is anything but impartial.
Politifact Figure Accidently Exposes His Bias in Fact-Checking; the Media's Fix Is Completely Laid Barehttps://t.co/eJQuqm59Td
— RedState (@RedState) December 5, 2024
Moreover, the media failings continue unabated, especially as the Biden administration successfully executed a stunning about-face on numerous pledges regarding family troubles. After adamantly denying the possibility of intervening in his son’s legal issues, Biden did just that—an inconsistency that the media, predictably, has either ignored or excused. The juxtaposition of this reality against the backdrop of incessant GOP bashing further illustrates a reluctance to hold any Democrat accountable.
So, while Adair prescribes a frivolous “truth pledge” for politicians, calling for more biased oversight of Republican candidates, the real need lies within the media ecosystem itself. With rampant misinformation on display surrounding critical issues—from the President’s cognitive abilities to fabrications about Trump—any hope of accountability falls astonishingly short. If anyone requires a truth remediation, it is the partisan press, which remains intent on casting the Right as the banner bearers of falsehood while shielding the Left from scrutiny.
