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Hi ,
Every year, Poynter’s PolitiFact debunks hundreds of misleading claims made by the country’s top public figures. The nonprofit’s Pulitzer Prize winner caps off months of fact-checking and analyses with an annual tradition to bestow the infamous Lie of the Year title.
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The PolitiFact team examined the most significant falsehoods and exaggerations of 2021. Each contender proved to undermine an accurate narrative that stoked fear and violence. Lies about COVID-19, vaccinations, elections, climate change and war rose to the top of the list.
But none came as close to demolishing the highest ideals of American democracy like this year’s “winner ([link removed]) .”
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The 2021 Lie of the Year ([link removed]) title goes to the collective attempts to downplay and deny the Jan. 6 insurrection, the most serious attack on representative democracy in modern times.
A mob of insurrectionists stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.
Outside, they waved flags, broke down barricades, shattered windows and scaled walls. They stripped police of their weapons, dragged them to the ground, sprayed them with chemical irritants, beat them, bludgeoned them, or tased them.
Inside, elected representatives and congressional staff took cover while rioters forced their way into offices and the floor of the Senate chamber.
We, the American people, were there, too. We watched the attack unfold in shock, horror and disbelief for hours during the live broadcast and asked, “Do you believe this?”
Today, there are people — our neighbors, friends and perhaps even family members — who still do not believe this.
To say that Jan. 6 was an antifa operation, a tourist visit, a false flag, or an uneventful day to forget are all political lies.
But in today’s age of bad information, people will vigorously attempt to reframe history, even events as well documented as Jan. 6.
Let’s #GetToThePoynt. Honest, independent reporting will ensure communities across the country have the facts to govern themselves and hold people accountable for their words and actions.
Now is the time to support our work ([link removed]) empowering journalists — and people like you — with the resources we all need to do our part in elevating the truth.
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Sincerely,
Angie Drobnic Holan
Editor-in-chief
PolitiFact
P.S. PolitiFact is preparing now to leverage its fact-checking power before you head to the polls for next year’s midterms. Subscribe ([link removed]) to my weekly newsletter for the latest election coverage.

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