Topic: NewsBusters
A Dec. 20 NewsBusters post by Noel Sheppard criticized PolitiFact for naming Sarah Palin's claim about "death panels" in the health care reform bill as its "lie of the year" by attacking the purported bias of PolitiFact. Sheppard complained that PolitiFact's list of "Pants on Fire" lies are "all by Conservatives " and even regurgitates Matthew Vadum's similar bias attack on PolitiFact.
What you won't find: any refutation of the claim that "death panels" are a lie.
Sheppard followed up with a Dec. 23 post that called the "lie of the year" award a "dubious honor" -- despite not offering any evidence to counter PolitiFact's claim. Instead, Sheppard reposts Palin's statement from her Facebook page responding to it "with skill and aplomb." Palin, it seems, is now trying to change the subject by saying that "death panels" was merely a "metaphor" and offers no evidence that the alleged "rationing" she speaks of is in any way a "death panel."
Of course, Sheppard gives Palin a pass (indeed, he seems creepily obsessed with her). He concludes by stating "The clock is now ticking as we await the inevitably dishonest fact-checking of Palin's response." Again, Sheppard offers no evidence that the initial fact-checking of Palin was "dishonest."
