Lie of the Year Award: Nominations Are Open

I just found a fabulous site, PolitiFact, the fact-checking arm of the St Petersburg Times, one of the few bright lights of my sentence to the hellhole that is central Florida. PolitiFact was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting in 2009 for its fact-checking initiative during the 2008 presidential campaign.

It has just announced the 'Lie of the Year'.

Of all the falsehoods and distortions in the political discourse this year, one stood out from the rest.

"Death panels."

The claim set political debate afire when it was made in August, raising issues from the role of government in health care to the bounds of acceptable political discussion. In a nod to the way technology has transformed politics, the statement wasn't made in an interview or a television ad. Sarah Palin posted it on her Facebook page.

And it was a runaway winner, too.

PolitiFact readers overwhelmingly supported the decision. Nearly 5,000 voted in a national poll to name the biggest lie, and 61 percent chose "death panels" from a field of eight finalists.

And check out its Pants-on-Fire section.

So, it being 'end-of-the-year' list time, let's have some nominations for the 'Canadian Lie of the Year'.

2009 was a very good year for Canadian lies so this may be tough. Me, I gotta think on it some more.

Fire away in the comments.

ADDED: Courtesy of Dr Pale.



Thanks, Doc.