Settle It — Get the Last Word In a Political Fight
Are you arguing with someone who has their political facts all wrong? Don’t punch them out — use an app to settle the fight once and for all.
The election is coming up and debates are as heated as ever. With campaigns so relentlessly negative and memes flying out over Twitter and Facebook, misinformation can easily spread to escalate arguments over what’s fact and what’s not. PolitiFact’s “Settle It” promises to help clear the air.
What’s the App?
Settle It, available for free for iOS and Android, is a free app offered by PolitiFact.com, the fact-checking website associated with the Tampa Bay Times. PolitiFact has racked up prizes, including a coveted Pulitzer, for its commitment to rooting out falsehoods and clarifying inflammatory “facts” bandied about by both sides of the political aisle.
Reporters and editors from the Times fact-check statements by Congress members, the White House, lobbyists and interest groups and rate them on their “Truth-O-Meter,” which rates statements by politicians and pundits as true, half true, mostly true, mostly false, false and “pants of fire.”
The app draws upon the site’s prize-winning work, allowing you to look up Truth-O-Meter fact-checks from the site, searchable by name, keyword and subject. You can also browse Truth-O-Meter ratings by person and subject, or bone up on your own knowledge by taking the quiz, which tests your own ability to discern true or false. A Trending section offers a nice snapshot of what new statement has social media fired up that day. It’s all presented in a professional, straightforward package that is easy to navigate.
If you’ve ever found yourself at a dinner party or a bar arguing over politics with someone who seems to be relying on misinformation to fuel their argument, the app can put the so-called facts to the test and back you up when you cry out “Liar, liar, pants on fire!”
You’ll Want It If…
You’re an avid watcher of politics, but find that it’s become a part-time job to sort through outrageous claims and wild accusations for the real facts. The connection to PolitiFact is a major plus — the coverage of current issues and political debates is even-handed.
It’s Not My Thing — What Else Ya Got?
Settle It manages to be informative and even fun, and there’s no doubt anyone with a modicum of reason and common sense can learn a lot from it, no matter where they sit on the issues. But reason and common sense don’t often sit well with passion and opinion, so partisans might want to steer clear: the app tackles misleading and hyperbolic statements from both ends of the political spectrum and you may not like what you hear, judging from the outraged — and amusingly partisan — reviews of the app.
Besides, often humor is a better way to defuse arguments. The “Election 2012: Gangnam Candidate” offers hilarious animations of both Obama and Romney doing the worldwide hit dance with Secret Service agents as back-up crew. Who cares about debates? Let’s have a dance-off instead! Gangnam style: building bridges, and making the world go round.