What is the least left leaning fact checker?

The least left-leaning fact-checking website is probably the centrist FactCheck, Party Lines Archives - FactCheck.org but at the end of the day it doesn’t matter and I say this as somebody who is center-right.

I am also going to go out on a limb and tell you why these fact checking sites are actually useful for Classic Liberals and Conservatives.

This picture of migrant children in cages was taken in 2014. It was wrongly attributed to attack Donald Trump in 2018 . Here is the AP Fact Check. AP FACT CHECK: 2014 photo wrongly used to hit Trump policies

But before we get there. Try this experiment yourself.

Pick twenty stories on Snopes or Politifact Or FactCheck and predict before looking at their evaluation whether the story is correct or not. If you are the type of person who samples news from across the political spectrum, have a well honed BS detector and an eye for the hyperbole I can guarantee that at the very least you will be able to knock almost ninety percent of these right out of the park.

To assist here are a few simple heuristics that could help you.

1. If a story seems way-over-the top it is most likely false
2. Claims of the best, greatest, strongest and highest are almost always false
3. Conspiracies are generally incorrect or unsubstantiated
4. Politicians on all sides of the aisle regularly bungle statistics
5. The same politicians are even worse with the details of history (even if they get the general idea correct).

Fact Checking sites build their reputation by debunking this low hanging fruit and in this respect I give them credit. They basically save you time for what you could do yourself. This is far and away the vast majority of material on their sites. Good riddance…we don’t need nonsense clouding our analysis.

Source: Presidential Fact Check Cartoon - Chip Bok's Bokbluster

But what about the left wing bias? Isn’t this a concern?

Oddly enough not really as much as you would think. You see in order for Fact Checkers to have credibility (and if they don’t they won’t last long) they have to at the very least get the facts straight and contrary to the oft repeat cliche here on Quora - Facts do not have a left wing bias. Hell they have no bias. They are what they are. Which means that ultimately there is a constraint factor that restricts the spin within the fact check medium.

Check these out

Ocasio-Cortez wrong on several counts about unemployment

Gillibrand's claim on stock trade tax isn't the whole story

Kamala Harris' False claim on auto industry jobs

Barack Obama wrong on limits of US gun laws

Clinton on the hot seat with Wisconsin voter claim

Video: Harris, Warren on Michael Brown Shooting - FactCheck.org

I am not sure if you noticed but many of these checks center around strong Progressive talking points (the wage economy, taxes, job growth, gun laws, voter suppression and race crimes). They are not the meaningless softballs referred to earlier.

All of these checks actually support conservative positions on these key issues. If one is true to the facts these ought to be welcomed, especially as Bubble Progressives with almost no exception treat these Fact Checkers as hooray voices for their ideological position. They would be wise to dig deeper. All too often this is not the case.

You see you can’t have it both ways. If you use the fact checkers to justify your ideology then you have to be intellectual honest and not ignore the many times that the fact checker flips your well held belief on its head. Swords can cut in many directions. Conservatives need to make Progressives live by their own book of rules here (paraphrasing the radical Saul Alinsky).

Source: How to fact-check | Africa Check

Would the same criticism not apply to Conservatives?

It would be for conservatives who are wedded to doctrine that requires a certain purity. All ideologues are susceptible to this. However Conservatism is more of an attitude than an ideology.See Gavin Kanowitz's answer to In what way do conservatives think differently than other ideologies?

The attitude encompasses a strong empiricist focus. Conservatives ought not to let this go. This is its big advantage over Progressivism.

Consequently it is critical for Conservatives to reflect on one’s assumption and rework them if the evidence supports it. This does not mean that one should forego skepticism but an above board analysis that pokes holes in what one believes to be true can if treated correctly actually solidify the pragmatic stance that many conservatives take.

So how should one approach a Fact Checking Site?

1. Focus on the numbers and the hard facts rather than the opinions. Politifact and AP Fact Checker often weaken their analysis by delving into the latter. This is where the left wing bias comes in.
2. Check numerous sources when reaching a particular claim. If a Fact Checkers provides a link to a primary source go there yourself
3. Don’t live or die by the Fact Checker. They are not gospel and appear to have a selection bias with respect to which claims/stories they wish to fact check. Keep this in mind. They also err and at times can be shoddy with their research. Check this out The ‘Fact-Checkers’ Do Not Check Facts | National Review
4. Remember as well that there is no substitute for a thorough self directed investigation.

Fact Checkers are at the very best the Cliff Notes for any topic. Within the very narrow specific fact mandate they can have credibility. Beyond that they appear to be on far more shaky ground.