Where in the WWW do I look for THAT?
Internet Resources for Savvy Citizens
(NOTE: An asterisk (*) denotes my personal favorites)
Tools that Fool – How political actors may make us think they are right and the other side is wrong
- *flackcheck.org – Non-profit political literacy website. From the website: The site provides resources designed to help viewers recognize flaws in arguments in general and political ads in particular.
- Here is an overview of their taxonomy of these “tools of deception”
Was that True? – Analyses that help point to what political actors said poorly, left unsaid, twisted, or downright lied about
- *factcheck.org (national politics)
- *politifact.com (national politics)
- politifact.com/texas/ (Texas politics)
- Uses the “Truth-o meter” to classify statements
What is the Hullabaloo All About? – Basic facts about hot political issues and unbiased summaries of the arguments on both sides of them
- *procon.org – From the website: Promoting critical thinking, education, and informed
citizenship by presenting controversial issues in a straightforward, nonpartisan, primarily pro-con format. ProCon.org is a nonpartisan, 501(c)(3) nonprofit public charity- This is their video about Critical Thinking and how their website can help that happen
- crowdpac.org – From the website: Crowdpac is the definitive resource for objective data on US political candidates. Our unique data model shows you where politicians stand on the issues, based on what they say, how they vote and who gives them money. Crowdpac’s mission is to help everyone participate more easily and effectively in the political process. Crowdpac is independent, non-partisan and for-profit. This is the new politics.
- justfacts.com – From the website: The mission of Just Facts is to research and publish verifiable facts about the leading public policy issues of our time. To accomplish this with impartiality and excellence, we abide by Standards of Credibility to determine what constitutes a credible fact and what does not. Our vision is to equip individuals throughout the world with facts that empower them to make truly informed decisions.
- *flackcheck.org’s Patterns of Deception – From the website: …the beta version of a new page designed to help viewers spot and debunk slippery moves in politics. Watch videos on the Climate Change Debate, the Sequester Debate, the Affordable Care Act Debate, the Gun Debate and the Immigration Debate to see patterns of deception in contemporary debates.
- Each of the specific policy issues above are addressed separately at the links provided, or you may use the “Patterns of Deception” drop-down menu at the top of the page to go directly to a policy issue.
Buying Political Influence, Purchasing Policy, and Funding Campaigns – How election campaign funding works, as well as who is donating, how much, when, and to whom
- *opensecrets.org
- *sunlightfoundation.com
- *http://www.allaregreen.us – “All Are Green” browser extension download. From the website: A free browser extension for Chrome, Safari, and Firefox that exposes the role money plays in Congress and highlights key election races. Displays on any web page detailed campaign contribution data for every Senator and Representative, including total amount received and breakdown by industry and by size of donation.
Independent Sources of Texas-Size Politics and Policy
- *texastribune.org
- texaspolicy.com – Texas Public Policy Foundation (conservative-leaning “think tank”)
- forabettertexas.org – Center for Public Policy Priorities (liberal-leaning “think tank”)
Independent Sources of National Political News & Commentary
- *politico.com – From the website: We break down the traditional journalistic conventions that make stories dull, predictable and often unreadable. Instead, while holding tightly to principles of fairness and accuracy, we have created a distinctive brand of journalism that drives the conversation—a conversation absolutely essential for readers and advertisers alike. We never lose sight of our most important audience—the political and government decision makers nationwide—and focus relentlessly on beating our competition to the big stories, emerging trends and sharpest analysis of Congress, the White House and public policy.
- realclearpolitics.com – From the website: Updated every morning and throughout the day, RCP culls and publishes the best commentary, news, polling data, and links to important resources from all points of the political compass and covering all the important issues of the day. RealClearPolitics has become a trusted filter for anyone interested in politics.
How is Political Science really pertinent to real life?
- *http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/monkey-cage/ – A blog of 5-minute articles written by real political scientists about real national and world events. From the website: L. Mencken said “Democracy is the art of running the circus from the monkey cage.” Here at The Monkey Cage, we talk about political science research and use it to make some sense of the circus that is politics. We were named 2010 Blog of the Year by The Week and a 2012 Best Blog by Time.