The Washington Post is bidding farewell to a longstanding figure in its roster. Glenn Kessler, the creator of the well-known “Pinocchio” fact-checking system, is departing after nearly three decades of service. His decision to leave comes as he takes a buyout, a choice influenced by financial necessities.
Kessler has been a fixture at the Post for 27 years, managing the fact-checking section for 15 of those years. In a LinkedIn post, he reflected on his time at the paper, noting the widespread readership of his fact checks. Despite attracting criticism from both political sides, his work was appreciated by many who sought clarity in political discourse.
However, some, including myself, criticized Kessler’s perceived bias. During my tenure at the Daily Caller, I observed discrepancies in how the Post rated statements from Republicans versus Democrats. A glaring example was the different treatment of misstatements in the “Big, Beautiful Bill,” where Trump’s errors were branded as “false,” in contrast to Democrats’ “exaggerations.”
Kessler’s publication record this year includes 55 fact checks, with a notable focus on Republican claims. Only four of these addressed issues beyond Republican assertions or the Trump administration. This pattern highlights a perceived imbalance in his fact-checking efforts.
A significant point of contention was Kessler’s handling of fact-checking during Trump’s and Biden’s presidencies. The Post had a dedicated section for “Trump’s lies,” but no similar database existed for Biden. It took a week after Biden’s inauguration for Kessler to publish a fact check, which required corrections due to initial inaccuracies.
Toward the end of Biden’s presidency, Kessler supported the White House’s narrative on misleading videos of Biden. He incorrectly suggested that Biden needed congressional action to effectively secure the border, a statement he later retracted. Such instances fuel skepticism about his impartiality.
My primary issue with Kessler’s approach was the inflated count of “Trump’s lies.” In 2019, I analyzed his figures and found significant discrepancies. A review of Trump’s statements, labeled as “false,” revealed miscounting in hundreds, raising questions about Kessler’s methodology.
Kessler often categorized repeated statements by Trump as separate falsehoods, inflating the total count. For example, seven statements I identified as “true” or “unsubstantiated” led to 554 alleged “falsehoods” by Kessler’s count. This approach skewed the perception of Trump’s truthfulness.
As Kessler steps down, the Post has not announced plans to replace him. This decision could signal a shift in the paper’s approach to fact-checking. It remains to be seen how this will impact the publication’s handling of political discourse.
Meanwhile, other conservative outlets continue to highlight issues that merit attention. For instance, Trump recently called out London’s mayor in a direct confrontation with Keir Starmer. Additionally, a Maine resort town’s residents are upset over potential changes to labor laws affecting their access to affordable workers.
Furthermore, Judicial Watch’s Chris Nelson criticized the Colorado attorney general’s lawsuit against a deputy for cooperating with federal immigration enforcement. These stories underscore ongoing debates about policy and governance.
Conservative news sources like Fox News and the New York Post continue to provide alternative perspectives. They challenge mainstream narratives and highlight stories often overlooked by left-leaning media. This diversity of viewpoints is crucial for a balanced understanding of current events.
As the media landscape evolves, the role of fact-checking remains vital. It is essential to scrutinize claims from all political sides with equal rigor. Only then can the public form informed opinions based on accurate information.
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