CRAAP Test for justfacts.com

Currency

The information on justfacts.com is published to reflect the release of new research. For example, the first article that appears on the website’s homepage under “Latest Research,” was published in January of this year and revised in April. Moreover, the website has a functional link to its own “Just Facts Daily.” Here, researches can find information that was published as recently as a week ago. According to the website, it has been in operation since 1997.

Relevance

The information found on justfacts.com when researching the “causes of global warming” is relevant. However, the breadth and detail of such a narrowed down topic is lacking. The links within the page only take the researcher around within the walled garden of the site. A good, solid fact might be found here, but otherwise the information is uninspiring for a researcher. It would only serve the researcher to look here if they know exactly what they want to look up. The information is presented in such a way that only an expert researcher would be able to sift through all of the hard, dry facts in order to find a lead to continue on with.

Authority

The producers of justfacts.com are named and their credentials are listed. For example, James D. Agresti is the president and primary researcher of the website. His credentials include a degree in Mechanical Engineering; professional experience in jet design, sales, and helicopter firm chief engineer; and a book on the factual evidence of the Bible. His contact information is not provided, but he can supposedly be reached via the website’s email operation. The site is a 501(c)3 organization run by a group claiming to be conservative/libertarian in nature but dedicated to providing all facts without bias. They ask for donations to support their site but do not provide information on where past funding has come from. The URL does match what the site claims to be.

Accuracy (see A Comparison in Accuracy under CRAAP Test for factcheck.org)

Purpose

According to justfacts.com, their purpose is “to research and publish verifiable facts about the leading public policy issues of our time,” according to their own standards of credibility. While there is no traditional advertising on the site, a list of educational and public-good companies is listed on the homepage. A skeptic might determine that this supposed list of customers is in fact the sponsor list. However, since most of these are known, reputable sources, if the list is accurate it is more likely that they are indeed customers or users of the site.

CRAAP Test for factcheck.org

Currency

Factcheck.org appears to have been an operational website since 2004. Articles were posted as recently as a couple of days ago. Even so, I did not see any updates on the articles I encountered while exploring the site. The links I encountered, however, were functional.

Relevance

The information on factcheck.org when researching the causes of global warming is mixed with relevant and unnecessary details. For instance, most of the articles on the topic are in response to a politician’s claims. The articles then lead the reader through the facts and details of the topic that was spoken about correctly or incorrectly. Therefore, there is breadth and depth regarding the topic, but perhaps unneeded media coverage on politician’s claims. The information encompasses the necessary information at the heart of the matter. In addition, it is presented in a format that is easily accessible to the college student’s level of understanding.

Authority

The site originally intended to publish information by a community of scholars within the University of Pennsylvania. The directors’, editors’, and writers’ credentials are listed on the site. To specify, many of the contributors have a degree in journalism, and have professional experience beyond the University of Pennsylvania. This small detour from their original founding mission actually portrays them as open minded, and thus, reliable. On the contrary, the only way to contact anyone from the site it through the website’s email option. A financial disclosure appears to develop trust with the reader and prove that they have been dependable for others who have contributed in the past. The largest donation comes from the Annenberg Foundation, a family organization that has been operational since 1989 and is dedicated to “worldwide community through its grantmaking, technical assistance and direct charitable activities” (Anneberg Foundation). Factcheck.org claims to refuse funds from corporations, unions, partisan organizations, and advocacy groups. The URL of the site matches what the site claims to be.

Accuracy (see A Comparison in Accuracy under CRAAP Test for factcheck.org)

Purpose

The producers of factcheck.org claim that they are “a nonpartisan, nonprofit ““consumer advocate”” for voters that aims to reduce the level of deception and confusion in U.S. politics.” They try to determine whether political claims are accurate in order to provide public knowledge and improve understanding. Advertising does not appear on the website and therefore is not the main objective of its presence.

A Comparison in Accuracy

Researching the causes of the global warming on both sites returns very different presentations of information. Factcheck.org focuses on determining the accuracy of statements made by known persons of influence such as Sarah Palin and Jeb Bush in an article. The website authors conclude that global warming is likely to be caused from human activity and cites an IPPC report. On the other hand, justfacts.com presents its findings in bulleted points. They too quote an IPPC report. However, justfacts.com does not directly relate their findings to claims made by particular persons. On the whole, both provide similar factual information, but in very different ways.