FactCheck.org is a nonpartisan, nonprofit website, which "aims to reduce the level of deception and confusion in U.S. politics". It is run by the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania, and has received funding from the Annenberg Foundation.
Most of its content consists of rebuttals to inaccurate, misleading, or downright false claims by both Democrats and Republicans.
FactCheck.org became a focus of political commentary following the 2004 vice-presidential debate between Dick Cheney and John Edwards. Cheney cited the website, claiming that the independent site defended his actions while CEO of Halliburton. Although FactCheck.org did note that Cheney had not profited directly from Halliburton's Iraq contracts, the issue in question during the debate -- criminal investigations and fines levied against Halliburton -- was not addressed on the site until after the debate.
Cheney's reference created a some controversy because he incorrectly cited the web site's address as "FactCheck.com." At the time of the debate, factcheck.com was controlled by Name Administration Inc., who quickly redirected the address to point to an anti-Bush website owned by Bush critic George Soros. Also, at the time FactCheck.org was more critical of Cheney and the Bush campaign than it was of Edwards and John Kerry.
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