The Truth Squad will call “fouls” on politicians and political speech, just as referees call fouls in basketball:
Flagrant foul:
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A statement that distorts or incorrectly states a fact. It’s one thing to point out differences between records. It’s another for a public official to present false information or to inaccurately portray his or her own political record.
Technical foul:
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A statement that implies something that isn’t quite true and deserves additional explanation, or that is entirely false.
Regular foul:
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A statement that distorts or incorrectly states a fact involving policy. We’ll provide the sources for our assessments, and let you decide whether we’re making the right call.
Warning:
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A statement that could easily be misconstrued, but is generally truthful.
No foul:
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Not all tough political speech is a foul. Sometimes the Truth Squad will review material that it is, indeed, totally accurate, even if it is not nice.
We’ll keep tabs on each politician, and we’ll make sure you know how many fouls, if any, are called on each.
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