PolitiFact Fraud - Projo Changes Its Truth-O-Meter Score on 38 Studios

PolitiFact Fraud - Projo Changes Its Truth-O-Meter Score on 38 Studios

At the height of the debate about the viability of the proposed $75 million funding package to support Curt Schilling's 38 Studios, the Providence Journal's PolitiFact ranked the claims of Keith Stokes as true—barely. Specifically, the self-anointed keepers of truth reviewed a critical aspect of Stokes' argument that the gaming industry (including 38 Studios) was a growth industry and issued the true ranking on August 25, 2010.

For the record, PolitiFact is executed locally by Providence Journal reporters, but it is a project of the Tampa Bay Times intended to help readers find the truth in American politics. Reporters and Editors from the Times fact-check statements by members of Congress, the White House, lobbyists and interest groups and rate them on our Truth-O-Meter. 

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The Providence Journal fact finders, as noted in a WPRI.com column by Ted Nesi, flagged the Projo's ranking - "PolitiFact says the statement is “barely true.” The PolitiFact reviewers gave guidance to Stokes and the other 38 Studios lobbyists, "Stokes could have said that the overall trend in the video gaming business has been strongly upward despite a downturn or two." The designation of the "true" ranking helped to support the RIEDC's claim that the company was in a growth industry.

Amazingly, since the issuance of the true ranking, no new facts were introduced and no new Truth-O-Meter was released, but the score was changed sometime later to a "mostly False."

Efforts to reach Providence Journal PolitiFact writers and editors were unsuccessful. There is no explanation for the change from a "true" ranking to the current "false" ranking. The original Truth-o-Meter was written and researched by C. Eugene Emery Jr., and edited by Tim Murphy. It is unknown who changed the ranking or why.

 

Editor's Note: In July 2010, PolitiFact changed its "Barely True" ranking to "Mostly False" as a result of reader feedback. All "Barely True" rankings around the country have been changed to "Mostly False."