Melissa Goldin

The headline was not intended to imply that either side shut down the government, but to address the falsehood in its entirety. I can see how it might be read as you interpreted it though.

Thanks for the kind words, they mean a lot!

FACT FOCUS: Democrats did not shut down the government to give health care to 'illegal immigrants' President Donald Trump and other high-ranking Republicans claim Democrats forced the government shutdown fight because they want to give free health care to immigrants in the U.S. illegally.

Republicans are claiming that Democrats shut down the government because they want to give free health care to "illegal immigrants." That's not true. Read more: apnews.com/article/fact...

FACT FOCUS: Alleged FBI documents do not prove federal agents incited Jan. 6 Capitol attack This is false. The alleged FBI documents to which Trump is referring state on page 46 that 274 agents from the FBI's Washington Field Office “responded to” to the U.S.

No, alleged FBI documents do not prove that 274 bureau agents acted as "agitators and insurrectionists" during the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. Read more: apnews.com/article/fact...

Thank you to @kellyruthk.bsky.social for inviting me to speak about misinfo reporting with her class @cuny.edu’s Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism last night! I really enjoyed answering all of her students’ stellar questions.

Thanks for checking!

See this press release from the Utah County Sheriff's Office: sheriff.utahcounty.gov/media/sherif...

Yes, I think that you're right that we're going off of different definitions of the word "wrong." I focus on whether a claim has a factual basis. As a journalist, it is not my place to determine whether politicians meet a certain moral standard, which is of course a matter of opinion.

Thanks for flagging this. We've updated the article to address the issue.

Thanks for flagging this. We've updated the article to address the issue.

Thanks for flagging this. We've updated the article to address the issue.

FACT FOCUS: Assassination of Charlie Kirk prompts flood of false and misleading claims online This is false. Utah records say Robinson was registered as a voter, but not affiliated with either political party.

A flood of false and misleading claims has filled social media since Charlie Kirk's assassination on Wednesday. Here are the facts: apnews.com/article/fact...

FACT FOCUS: A look at false and misleading claims made by RFK Jr. during Senate hearing Kennedy was answering a question from Sen. Maggie Hassan on whether COVID-19 vaccines have saved millions of American lives.

The facts on RFK Jr.'s contentious Senate hearing: apnews.com/article/fact...

Trump suggests more US cities need National Guard but crime stats tell a different story

Trump has threatened to deploy the National Guard in cities he says have unchecked crime. Here are the facts: apnews.com/article/trum...

YouTube video by Associated Press LIVE: Trump announces Space Command is moving from Colorado to Alabama

Trump has confirmed that claims he's dead are "fake news." Just FYI. www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8Dn...

CBS News' Mark Knoller, veteran White House correspondent, dies at 73 Mark Knoller, a longtime White House correspondent for CBS News, has died at 73. He was known for prolific reporting across eight presidential administrations, including his encyclopedic knowledge of ...

“Mark represented the best of the White House press corps." - AP Executive Editor Julie Pace apnews.com/article/mark...

FACT FOCUS: Posts overestimate number of noncitizens living in US by tens of millions The Trump administration's decision to review the visas of more than 55 million people is leading to false reports on social media for the number of noncitizens living in the U.S., with claims as high...

No, there are not 70 million to 100 million noncitizens living in the U.S. Read more: apnews.com/article/fact...

FACT FOCUS: A look at RFK Jr.'s misleading claims on US dietary guidelines and Froot Loops The Trump administration is preparing to release new federal dietary guidelines, as is done every five years.

RFK Jr. has been off the mark in his comments on U.S. dietary guidelines and Froot Loops. Read more: apnews.com/article/fact...

FACT FOCUS: Trump says he has ended seven wars. That's not accurate

The reality behind Trump's claim that he's ended 7 wars: apnews.com/article/trum...

FACT FOCUS: No, taxpayers will not receive new stimulus checks this summer Rumors spreading on social media claim the U.S. government will soon be issuing stimulus checks to taxpayers in certain income brackets.

Don't splurge just yet. apnews.com/article/fact...

Trump seeks to change how census collects data and wants to exclude immigrants in US illegally President Donald Trump has instructed the Commerce Department to change how the Census Bureau collects data, seeking to exclude immigrants in the United States illegally.

Experts say it's unclear what exactly Trump is calling for. Changes to the 2030 census? A mid-decade census? If the latter, will it be used for a mid-decade change in the divvying up of congressional seats based on the population count? apnews.com/article/trum...

Thank you, glad you think so!

FACT FOCUS: RFK Jr.'s reasons for cutting mRNA vaccine not supported by evidence His claim is contradicted by scientific evidence. Countless studies show that vaccinated individuals fare far better against COVID-19 infections than those who are unvaccinated, while others have esti...

RFK Jr. claimed that mRNA vaccines are ineffective against "viruses that infect the upper respiratory tract." Scientific evidence says otherwise. Read more: apnews.com/article/fact...

Spotting the harmful needles in the haystack: How fact-checkers select what to check - Poynter From person-to-person coaching and intensive hands-on seminars to interactive online courses and media reporting, Poynter helps journalists sharpen skills and elevate storytelling throughout their car...

How do fact-checkers select the claims to check? How should we develop a 'harms-based' approach and defend freedom of speech?

Great to work with friend & colleague @mrdudders.bsky.social on this piece for @poynterinstitute.bsky.social

Feedback welcome
www.poynter.org/ifcn/2025/sp...

Photo by: Laura Siņutkina

Photo by: Laura Siņutkina

Thank you to JEF Latvia for inviting me to speak about misinformation and media literacy at the Mediawise conference in Riga last week! It was a joy to meet so many passionate young folks and learn all about Latvia.

Thank you, that's the plan!

FACT FOCUS: Trump says he's cut drug prices by up to 1,500%. That's not possible Days after he sent letters instructing top pharmaceutical manufacturers to use a “most favored nation” pricing model for prescription drugs, President Donald Trump told reporters Sunday that he had cu...

Trump claimed he's cut drug prices by more than 100%. But that would theoretically mean that people are being paid to take medications. Read more: apnews.com/article/fact...

Thanks for the kind words!

That's the plan!

Hahaha I agree!