PolitiFact Florida, the fact-checking reports from the Tampa Bay Times, will now be in Halifax Media Group newspapers around the state, under a new agreement announced today.
Florida Truth-O-Meter rulings, which appear in the Tampa Bay Times, The Miami Herald and online at politifact.com/florida are now available to readers in other Florida cities. In a statement issued Tuesday, the agreement will bring the feature to readers of the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, The Daytona Beach News-Journal, The Lakeland Ledger, the Winter Haven News Chief, The Gainesville Sun, the Ocala Star-Banner, the Panama City News Herald, the Northwest Florida Daily News of Fort Walton Beach and the Leesburg Daily Commercial.
“We are excited to broaden our reach so that more newspaper readers will be able to sort out the truth in politics,” said Times Editor Neil Brown. “With statewide elections set for November, we are anticipating an even larger audience our award-winning fact checking.”
PolitiFact Florida, launched in 2010 by the Tampa Bay Times in partnership with The Miami Herald, gives readers a way to sort out the truth in state politics. The fact-checking reports hold politicians and candidates accountable for their comments and political advertising. PolitiFact Florida is fact-checking the Florida governor’s race, the state’s congressional delegation in Washington and potential 2016 presidential candidates from Florida, among other topics.
The PolitiFact team also fact-checks statements made about popular issues, such as education, immigration and the economy. It is part of a national network of affiliate sites of PolitiFact.com, launched in 2007 to fact-check national politics. PolitiFact has received numerous awards, including the 2009 Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting.
