I’ve written more than 200 fact briefs for Wisconsin Watch since I began contributing in January 2023.
Searching for statements to fact-check in our 150-word briefs, we’ve discovered, can lead to in-depth stories.
I’ve focused a lot on what’s been said by, or about, members of Wisconsin’s congressional delegation. My thinking is that those statements are more likely to be on topics that affect more people.
That approach has produced fact briefs on hot-button national issues such as immigration and inflation — as well as on how many voters would be influenced by who Taylor Swift endorses.
The most-read brief, posted in July, asked whether the federal debt increased by $7.8 trillion during Donald Trump’s presidency. (Yes.)
Our fact briefs aim to be a quick way to settle questions that can be answered yes or no. But the work also has proved to be a way to dive deeper into contentious issues.
It was a claim about a hyper-local issue — on whether a court overturned an election result in tiny Presque Isle, Wisconsin — that produced a longer article: “A Wisconsin redo election signals growing ballot scrutiny in US.”
Rather than write a fact-check, we set out to learn what happened in Presque Isle and whether there were any national implications. It turns out there were.
A Vilas County judge ordered a redo election for town chair in Presque Isle because of voting irregularities. It was one of at least four cases in 2023 in which courts around the U.S. ordered a redo.
What we heard from experts is something to keep in mind as the 2024 election season unfolds: After a recount in a close election, the losing candidate is less likely to concede and more likely to challenge the result in court — potentially delaying the final result for months.
We’ll keep plugging away at our fact briefs. If occasionally they lead to bigger stories, all the better.
If you see something we should fact-check, let us know. Please include a link.
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