Live, “this just in” fact-checking is on the rise, and my Duke colleague Bill Adair, the founder of PolitiFact, makes a strong argument for even more of it.
But what do viewers, listeners and readers think when a daily journalist or TV host spot-checks a statement in a breaking news story or a live interview?
Twitter provided a slew of real-time examples Monday evening in the moments after CNN’s Brianna Keilar live fact-checked a surrogate for Donald Trump’s campaign.
The surrogate, former Republican Congressman Jack Kingston of Georgia, repeated Trump’s claim that he publicly opposed the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 from the get-go. FactCheck.org (“no evidence that we could find”), PolitiFact (“still wrong”) and the Washington Post (falsely claimed “for the umpteenth time”), among others, have challenged versions of that statement multiple times over the past year.
Keilar, who was guest hosting that day’s “Situation Room,” immediately pressed the point. She repeatedly asked Kingston to reconcile his and the candidate’s version of events with some of Trump’s far more equivocal quotes from 2003.
The reaction was as quick as the fact check. While the interview was airing and in the minutes that followed, more than 50 people responded, mentioning Keilar either by name or her Twitter handle
.@brikeilarcnn making Jack Kingston wish Wolf wasn't on vacation pic.twitter.com/2HB0MmKs5d
— Adam Tiouririne (@Tiouririne) August 15, 2016
Almost all of these tweets were partisan. And most of the comments were positive — though clearly not all.
In fact, the mix of instant reactions to Keilar’s instant fact-checking fell into several categories that would be familiar to any journalist who has ever verified the accuracy of a politician’s statement — from substantive objections and cheering to ad hominem attacks on both the fact-checker and the fact-checkee.
Bash the lying speaker
#Trump surrogates always bypass the facts to state their obvious delusions@JackKingston Keep him honest @brikeilarcnn great job..
— JohnGMartin (@JohnGMartin61) August 15, 2016
"Trump was a private citizen who wasnt briefed so he is allowed to make stupid comments" basically, @JackKingston to @brikeilarcnn
— Brandon Patterson (@Patterson_B) August 15, 2016
And in reply to @brikeilarcnn facts, he said #trump was "private citizen" without knowledge of Clinton. So he didn't read news?
— Matthew Boedy (@MatthewBoedy) August 15, 2016
I'm ashamed 2 say Jack Kingston is from my state of Georgia. He's a disgrace. Brianna Keilar nailed him lying 4 abt Trump's position on Iraq
— Island Girl – 100% Pro-Choice, Vote Blue in 2022 (@bluepolitics_) August 15, 2016
@brikeilarcnn
Call trump people out on when the say he was a private citizen , he cannot get a free pass every Time he says foolish things— RBfinearts L.L.C (@Hadeetweetdy) August 15, 2016
Bash the biased journalist
@JackKingston @brikeilarcnn @cnn President married to HRC former DepSec Tom Nides! US Mosques reports of Complaining https://t.co/182M8dGvGE
— Helen4 Great America (@GrandmaStine66) August 15, 2016
(A quick mini-fact check here: CNN’s Virginia Moseley is VP and deputy DC bureau chief — not president. Her husband was deputy Secretary of State. He’s now a Wall Street exec and informal Clinton adviser.)
@brikeilarcnn Why does @CNN invite @realDonaldTrump Staff on; if your just BIAS with your ?. Gotcha ? They should stop coming in.
— Essence Prince (@prince_essence) August 15, 2016
https://twitter.com/DcLarson_/status/765313611745013760
https://twitter.com/jacob00001/status/765314774271787008
What about the other side?
https://twitter.com/notbuyingthat54/status/765310440842952705
https://twitter.com/notbuyingthat54/status/765311036794736640
https://twitter.com/DRedwingsfan40/status/765311444741136384
https://twitter.com/cshoremuscle/status/765312324316061696
https://twitter.com/political6820/status/765312917646422016
@brikeilarcnn Would love to see u badger hrc surrogate about real lies she's told to the country, not ambiguous statement from 12 yrs ago
— Mark Gilligan (@Gilligan123Mark) August 15, 2016
https://twitter.com/Fiercely_/status/765314059788963840
Way to be aggressive
Petition to replace @wolfblitzer with @brikeilarcnn for these one on one interviews. She actually pushes these people and calls them on lies
— Nicholas Bohac (@nicholasbohac) August 15, 2016
@brikeilarcnn Wow! Thoroughly impressed by Brianna Keller on @CNN taking no prisoners with the Trump surrogate, Jack Kingston.
— Bruce Gamsey (@BruceGamsey) August 15, 2016
@CNNPolitics Can @brikeilarcnn conduct every interview from now on? Finally, someone interrupts when she hears an idiocy or lie.
— Maria Alex Beech 🇻🇪 (@alexbeech) August 15, 2016
https://twitter.com/Are2row/status/765311494632251392
@brikeilarcnn way to keep pushing the FACT the Trump was for the war on the Howard Stern show. His surrogates and himself constantly lie!
— Richard (@Astrosfollower) August 15, 2016
@brikeilarcnn hell, yea! We need more reporters like you who don't let people off the hook when they lie, misrepresent the truth or
— Michael Kohler (@michaelkohler03) August 15, 2016
https://twitter.com/sunnyinsfla/status/765311687834632192
@brikeilarcnn What an awesome interview Brianne, Congressman Kingston didn't know what hit him, Trump was for the Iraq war on record, thanks
— Logic Prevails (@logicalwaysgood) August 15, 2016
So rude!
https://twitter.com/DRedwingsfan40/status/765310597663690752
https://twitter.com/GoatellaHooker/status/765311122505211904
@brikeilarcnn please shut up, stop interrupting guests and we dont care about your BIASE AGAINST @realDonaldTrump. Brianna = IMPARTIAL scum!
— Schminga (@Schminga) August 15, 2016
https://twitter.com/VibeCole/status/765313419771772929
Yay, fact-checking and journalism (finally!)
Very good live fact-checking of Trump adviser by @brikeilarcnn
— Maxwell (@mdd3222) August 15, 2016
@brikeilarcnn Way to go! Great job fact-checking Jack Kingston! #cognitivedissonance
— Fifty Shades of Khaki (@DuffySavoy) August 15, 2016
https://twitter.com/JackTarClay/status/765310901939412993
.@brikeilarcnn is one of the few reporters that have pushed back on the Orange One's claim of being against Iraq. @JackKingston 2007? LOL
— ❄ Parody Account (@SputnikAZ) August 15, 2016
BRAVA BIRANNA! @brikeilarcnn @cnnbrk @CNNPolitics standing strong, correcting team #Trump lies as they are told. Great journalism.
— StillLes4Blue 🌊🌊🌊 (@StillLes4Hill) August 15, 2016
@brikeilarcnn needs her own show! She's 1 of the few who will call BS when interviewing Trump surrogates!!
— Kori Gonzalez (@korig12) August 15, 2016
https://twitter.com/DuffySavoy/status/765311505222950913
@brikeilarcnn Thank you 4 fact-checked truth about Trump's changing positions on Iraq war. Private citizen or not, he's making point of it.
— The Randy Report 🇺🇸 🏳️🌈🇺🇦 (@randyslovacek) August 15, 2016
Hope @brikeilarcnn replaces @wolfblitzer when he retires. LOVE how she fact checks/rebukes lies/gives follow up questions ON THE SPOT 😜🗯🙎-🙅💯
— 𝓙𝓪𝓶𝓮𝓼 𝓦𝓪𝓵𝓴𝓮𝓻 𝓘𝓘 (@JWalkerII) August 15, 2016
@brikeilarcnn is doing what we want all MSM to do.
Stand up to interviewee especially when they lie or divert.
That's what we do!@CNN— Texstrong (@rcontry) August 15, 2016
https://twitter.com/johnshewchuk/status/765312694438154240
https://twitter.com/Merlin333/status/765313299529379840
Your facts are wrong
https://twitter.com/Nomedialies/status/765310727674556417
@brikeilarcnn trump wasn't 4 Iraq war. On Stern, wasn't a war hawk. Equivocal @ best. Wish u went after Hillary like this @JackKingston @cnn
— bdevil89 (@TJWarrior45) August 15, 2016
@brikeilarcnn @JackKingston "Eh, I guess so" to Howard Stern means he was for Iraq War? That WAS opposition in 2003, era of "freedom fries."
— Karen Santal (@KSantal) August 15, 2016
https://twitter.com/political6820/status/765312691174907904
The highly partisan reactions cited here do not mean that instant fact-checking is just another part of the political noise machine. Like umpires and referees, most fact-checkers are used to crowds booing and cheering their work. We still have to call the plays as we seem them, even when some reactions are far from civil.
