We enjoyed Jon Stewart's reference to Sen. Harry Reid as a member of the "Mormon Blabbernacle Choir" last night (so did Jon, since he trademarked it on the air) but now as the criticism of Reid's claims about Romney not paying any taxes reaches a fever pitch at least one leading media writer has argued for moderation. After PolitiFact tagged Reid with its dreaded "Pants on Fire" judgment, indicating a massive lie, Time's James Poniewozik wrote this thoughtful column simply asking: How does that fact-checking know that Reid's statements add up to a lie? They can't possibly know--just as Reid can't know for sure that his information from one source is accurate. PolitiFact needs "to improve their rating system, to address the irresponsible, the unprovable, the dubious. Otherwise, they’re doing exactly what they were founded to stop: using language to spread false impressions."
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