PolitiFact's Selective Fact-Checking in Conservative Media

PolitiFact has noticeably reduced its scrutiny of cable news personalities, particularly conservative figures, but it recently targeted Scott Jennings, a conservative analyst on CNN. During a broadcast on July 1, Jennings stated that around five million able-bodied individuals on Medicaid opt not to work and instead spend their time socializing and watching television. This comment drew immediate questioning from CNN's Abby Phillip, who challenged the source of Jennings' numbers.

Interestingly, there appears to be a lack of comprehensive fact-checking on liberal commentators within PolitiFact. For example, there is no record on PolitiFact for Abby Phillip herself, who has previously hosted a guest, Tiffany Cross from MSNBC, who made explosive claims about U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement without facing the same scrutiny. Despite attempts from critics like New York Post's Kelly Jane Torrance to contest Cross's inflammatory language, there was no intervention from Phillip.

In their criticism of Jennings, PolitiFact’s Loreben Tuquero referenced a variety of liberal experts to dispute his claims about Medicaid beneficiaries, while Jennings had cited data from the conservative American Enterprise Institute. The arguments focused on the interpretation of data regarding those on Medicaid and their employment choices, with Tuquero noting that many nonworking Medicaid recipients are women with limited education. Critics argue that this selective fact-checking illustrates a bias, as it highlights an apparent effort by PolitiFact to undermine conservative viewpoints while not holding liberal perspectives to the same standard.

Ultimately, the piece contends that PolitiFact and similar outlets function less as impartial fact-checkers and more as entities that defend established liberal narratives. The broader implication is that the discourse around work requirements and the perceived laziness of some Medicaid recipients is unfairly stifled by these organizations.