When 'Fact Checking' fails

'PolitiFact's 'Lie of the Year'

'Lie of the Year 2011: Readers' poll results'

'By Angie Drobnic Holan'
'Published on Tuesday, December 20th, 2011 at 12:03 a.m.'

'We received 9,214 votes in our readers' poll. Here are the results:'

'The economic stimulus created "zero jobs." -- The National Republican Senatorial Committee and other Republicans 24% '

'Abortion services are "well over 90 percent of what Planned Parenthood does."- Sen.  Jon Kyl, R-Ariz.   17%'

'"Republicans voted to end Medicare." -- The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and other Democrats 16% '
From : http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/article/2011/dec/20/lie-year-2011-readers-poll-results/

So the biggest lie was the 'Economic stimulus created 'zero jobs' @ 24% BUT PolitiFact instead decided to tout that 'Republicans voted to end Medicare' @ 16% as the 'Lie Of The Year : 2011'

From Steve Benen at Washington Monthly :

' In 2009, the Lie of the Year was a Republican lie. In 2010, the Lie of the Year was a different Republican lie. In 2011, a majority of the Lie of the Year nominees came from Republicans, and the top two vote-getters in its reader surveys were both Republican lies'.

'If PolitiFact had chosen another GOP falsehood for this year’s “award,” the website would have been condemned by the right for being partisan. So, coincidentally or not, PolitiFact avoided the conservative pushback by picking a Democratic argument'.
From : http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/political-animal/2011_12/stuffing_the_ballot_box_didnt034214.php