Fox News contributor: Journalists have ‘fallen into the trap’ of fact-checking

On a Wednesday edition of Fox News’ Outnumbered, the panel discussed the latest conservative hysteria over Google’s new fact-checking initiative, which many think is targeting conservative media outlets.

Starting out the segment, Fox co-host Marie Harf asked, “Can we all agree at least that fact-checking is a good thing?” But guest co-host Chris Stirewalt wasn’t onboard.

“Fact-checking is not journalism,” Stirwalt said.

“…we have fallen into the trap of fact-checking,” he continued, adding that fact-checking is “just as subjective as any other kind of journalism.”

He went on to explain that climate is a perfect example of the subjective nature of fact-checking.

“Global warming, man-made global warming, how much of a factor it is, is actually a subject of some disagreement,” Stirewalt said, seemingly unaware that other factual elements of history and science are subject to “disagreement” as long as people who spread disinformation exist.

“There is no substantive disagreement that there is climate change. How much man’s role goes into climate change is a matter of some dispute,” he said.

Again, Stirewalt is wrong. The theory that humans are responsible for global warming is endorsed by the Academies of Science representing 80 countries along with many scientific organizations. As Skeptical Science points out, around 95% of active climate researchers actively publishing climate papers agree that climate change is man-made.

Science-deniers who question man-made climate change do not make it a disputed subject.

“Google gets into saying you’re wronger than she is or he’s righter than you are, you’re 70 percent wronger than — Google is way out of its lane,” Stirewalt said. “That’s not the job — and I will just to make one more sniffy sniff about this, if I may sniff. I am tired of these companies telling me that they’re not content providers.”

You can watch a clip of the segment below via Media Matters.

Featured image via screen grab/YouTube

Sky Palma

Before launching DeadState back in 2012, Sky Palma has been blogging about politics, social issues and religion for over a decade. He lives in Los Angeles and also enjoys Brazilian jiu jitsu, chess, music and art.