PolitiFact’s “Lie of the Year” announcement for 2023 has landed with a thud, drawing widespread criticism for its selection and the murky logic behind it. The organization’s choice? Claims made by President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance about Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, allegedly eating domestic animals like dogs and cats. While PolitiFact frames this as the “most egregious falsehood” of the year, the backlash raises questions about their methods and motivations.
A lie marked a town and its residents in the name of campaign rage. It was absurd. It was consequential. Our Lie of the Year goes to Donald Trump and JD Vance for false claims that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, were eating pet dogs and cats. https://t.co/tNXV83hk3T
— PolitiFact (@PolitiFact) December 17, 2024
The controversy began with remarks from Springfield residents themselves. At an August city council meeting, one individual claimed to have seen Haitians in a park “grabbing ducks, cutting the heads off, and eating them.” This anecdote sparked local chatter, which Trump and Vance later referenced during campaign events. PolitiFact pounced, labeling these comments a deliberate fabrication. Yet critics note a glaring flaw: PolitiFact offers no hard evidence to disprove the original claims, nor do they substantiate their own conclusions.
"Haitians are in the park grabbing ducks, cutting the heads off, and eating them"
Springfield resident to City Council: pic.twitter.com/aZLsOT8v2b
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) September 8, 2024
This lack of definitive proof is a key point for PolitiFact’s detractors. How can one conclusively fact-check anecdotal reports of behavior occurring in small community settings? By declaring the matter settled, PolitiFact appears to lean more on political preferences than investigative rigor—a charge that has dogged the outlet before.
I'd have gone with "Joe Biden is perfectly fine and fit to serve as president again" as my "Lie of the Year," but that's just me. https://t.co/awuOxIkStA
— Chuck Ross (@ChuckRossDC) December 17, 2024
Online reactions have been swift and biting. Many have suggested more fitting contenders for “Lie of the Year,” with recurring themes centering on President Joe Biden. Suggestions included his broken promise not to pardon his son, Hunter Biden, and the Democratic Party’s insistence that Biden is “sharp as a tack” and fully capable of serving a second term. These alternatives highlight the partisan lens through which PolitiFact’s decision is being viewed.
Actually, the lie of the year was Biden saying he wouldn't pardon Hunter and then pardoning Hunter. https://t.co/Znkeijmcoz
— RBe (@RBPundit) December 17, 2024
Critics like Chuck Ross from The Washington Free Beacon took aim at the Biden administration’s narrative. “I’d have gone with ‘Joe Biden is perfectly fine and fit to serve as president again’ as my ‘Lie of the Year,’ but that’s just me,” Ross quipped. Another commentator pointed to the Hunter Biden saga: “Actually, the lie of the year was Biden saying he wouldn’t pardon Hunter and then pardoning Hunter.”