PolitiFact.com has made a name for itself by fact-checking politicians’ statements and promises, an extremely valuable service that earned the site a 2009 Pulitzer Prize. Now, the St. Petersburg Times reports, the site is taking on the truth-distorting pundits of TV and talk radio—and not just the Rush Limbaughs and Bill O’Reillys of the world; the site has also fact-checked statements made by lefty pundits Keith Olbermann and Rachel Maddow.

PolitiFact.com, which is a project of the St. Petersburg Times, rates the veracity of claims on its Truth-O-Meter—for example, Joe Scarborough’s recent statement that “President Obama has never received a paycheck from a profitmaking business in his entire life” landed firmly on the “false” end of the spectrum—and lists the arguments and sources involved in the researchers’ conclusions. 

The best part? Editors and reporters at the St. Petersburg Times do all this work so that you don’t have to. Just suggest a statement to check, and they’ll consider putting it to the Truth-O-Meter’s test.

(Thanks, Romenesko.)

Sources: PolitiFact.com, St. Petersburg Times

Image by futureatlas.com, licensed under Creative Commons.

How would you fill an empty lot? That’s what the Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts is asking. Their flickr site provides a template photo of an empty urban lot and invites people to fill it in with their own ideas. The resulting collection of images ranges from the environmentally practical to the downright whimsical, including this waterfall and a tightrope walker, all nested between two buildings. Governing reports that the project was intended to spark conversation about public spaces rather than actual plans for development. That’s probably good news, because in these tough economic times, who wants to fund a giant fish tank with car-sized fish?

Source: Governing

Image courtesy of John Ruppert

Concerned taxpayers might wonder how and where our money is being dispersed via the Obama stimulus package, especially considering that the Bush stimulus of last year seems to have evaporated into the ether with no accountability. Investigative journalism nonprofit ProPublica tracks the stimulus evolution in detail, focusing on Obama’s transparency pledge. 

In a recent report, Michael Grabell explores the myriad challenges facing Obama's promise, including who gets to spend the money and how it gets monitored. As an example, Grabell examines the ill-fated Xanadu project in New Jersey, a multi-million dollar entertainment complex that has been mired in delays due to increased costs and allegations of corruption. The same regional authority in charge of Xanadu will oversee another “shovel-ready” project under the Obama stimulus—a $9 billion rail tunnel under the Hudson River. Can the new Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board (“RAT” as some call it) prevent another debacle like Xanadu?

As money flows through the states, some of it will go to local and regional organizations that operate with little oversight. Additionally, the stimulus plan’s wide reach, which touches everything from public housing to space exploration, invites a certain amount of abuse as its sheer size increases opportunities for corruption.

ProPublica and its partner ShovelWatch will be an ongoing source for following stimulus spending. Its web space includes a regularly updated chart that tracks individual state transparency websites and a projects list released by state and federal agencies.

Source: ProPublica 

Finally, a social networking site aimed at the cranky old-school reporters who were forever bitching about “those Internets,” until they realized they were on the verge of losing their jobs to a bunch of 20-somethings with Facebook accounts who are willing to work for a Jimmy John’s sandwich and a free Internet connection. Ryan Sholin, of blogosphere renown, took pity on them and created Wired Journalists.com to help them learn about The Google. And judging from the turnout on the message board, it’s working. Onward, crusty journalists!

—Morgan Winters

Image by monoglot, licensed under Creative Commons.