Q&A about our new network scorecards

Since we launched our network scorecards, you’ve asked plenty of questions. We thought we’d share some of the most common -- along with our answers.

If you have additional questions, send them to [email protected].

Q: What fact-checks are included in your tallies for each network?

A: We include any fact-check of content that appeared on that network where the speaker was a pundit or paid on-air talent.

Q: What fact-checks are not included  in your tallies for each network?

A: We do not include fact-checks from politicians or official spokespeople for politicians or the government.

Q: If Chuck Todd, who works for MSNBC, makes a claim while speaking on CNN, which scorecard would his fact-check count toward?

A: CNN. We group the fact-checks by the network in which they aired, not by the person who made the statement.

Q: Do you subdivide each network by claims made by conservatives and liberals?

A: No. The network scorecards were designed to provide you a way to measure the relative truth of statements made on a particular network.

Q: Why do you group NBC and MSNBC together?

A: At this point, we group both NBC and MSNBC together, as we group together Fox and Fox News Channel.

Q: Why don’t you include NPR and PBS and other networks in your scorecards?

A: That’s currently not an option in our website design. It may become available in the future, and if it does, it’s something we might consider.

Q: What network makes the most False statements?

A: We avoid comparisons between the networks. We do not check every statement made on every network, so true comparisons would be difficult. We use our news judgment to decide what we want to fact-check. Also, the networks don’t carry the same amount of political or news programming. CBS, for instance, does not have a 24-hour cable news partner, while Fox and NBC do.