Newsy partners with PolitiFact to help viewers fact-check politicians and news

News provided by

May 04, 2018, 11:30 ET

CINCINNATI, May 4, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Newsy, the next-generation national news network, has partnered with PolitiFact to help Americans sort out confusing claims surfacing across politics and media with its new Sunday morning program, "What The Fact."

In each episode, hosts Aaron Sharockman and Katie Sanders of PolitiFact, the nation's largest fact-checking journalism website, help viewers sort through what's real and what's not as they fact-check recent statements about topics in the news using PolitiFact's Truth-O-Meter™ rating system.

A Pew Research study from 2016 found that 64 percent of U.S. adults say made-up news has caused confusion about the basic facts of current events. Together, PolitiFact and Newsy seek to cut through the confusion by providing viewers objectivity with transparent and independent reporting. View the show trailer here.

"There's a lot of hand-wringing about facts and truth, particularly on TV. With 'What the Fact,' Newsy and PolitiFact are doing something about it," said Christina Hartman, Newsy's vice president of news and programming. "'What the Fact' is about much more than deeming claims true or not. It's about important context, delivered in a decidedly non-confrontational way. And — thanks to Aaron and Katie — the facts are just fun to watch."

The show marks PolitiFact's first entry into cable news programming.

"If you're looking for talking heads opining on the news of the day, 'What the Fact' isn't for you," said Sharockman. "And we wouldn't have it any other way. 'What the Fact' appeals to viewers, as crazy as this sounds, because it's just about facts."

Since its founding in 2007, PolitiFact has fact-checked more than 15,000 specific statements made by politicians and pundits and rated them for accuracy. In 2009, PolitiFact became the first website to win a Pulitzer Prize.

"What the Fact" airs Sundays at 10 a.m. Eastern on Newsy's pay-TV channel, available across the leading cable providers and over-the-top platforms including YouTube TV and Sling TV. Viewers can enter their zip code here to find out where Newsy is available in their area.

Newsy is the leading cable and over-the-top news network for millennials. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of The E.W. Scripps Company (NYSE: SSP).

About Newsy
Newsy is the next-generation national news network that provides "news with the why," built to inform and engage by delivering the top stories across every platform. Its content is available on cable; on over-the-top services including Hulu, Roku, Apple TV, Sling TV, Pluto TV, Amazon Fire TV and Google Chromecast; and on connected television including Xumo, Samsung, VIZIO and LG. Newsy is also available via its mobile apps and at newsy.com.

About PolitiFact
PolitiFact is the nation's largest fact-checking journalism website. Its team of reporters and editors are independent, nonpartisan journalists. PolitiFact had been owned by the Tampa Bay Times, which started the website as an election-year project in 2007. But in 2018, direct ownership of PolitiFact was transferred from the Times to Poynter, which is the newspaper's parent company. The move allows PolitiFact to function fully as not-for-profit national news organization. Since its founding in 2007, PolitiFact has fact-checked more than 15,000 specific statements made by politicians and pundits and rated them for accuracy. In 2009, PolitiFact became the first website to win a Pulitzer Prize.

SOURCE The E.W. Scripps Company