A conservative Super PAC's ad criticizing Senator Sherrod Brown's stance on transgender rights and women's sports has sparked controversy after a liberal local news analyst fact-checked the claims, labeling them "false." The Super PAC has accused the analyst of bias and called for a correction.
A Super PAC affiliated with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has come under fire for airing an ad that criticizes Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown for supporting President Biden's agenda, including alleged policies that would allow transgender athletes to participate in women's sports and provide puberty blockers and sex change surgeries to minors.
Fact-Checker's Bias Raises Concerns over Super PAC Ad
However, Stephanie Haney, a digital anchor and legal analyst for WKYC, a Cleveland-based NBC affiliate, has disputed the ad's claims, calling them "false." In a segment aired on the station, Haney analyzed the ad's assertions one by one.
Regarding the claim about transgender athletes, Haney pointed out that the ad cites an interview Brown gave in 2023 where he stated that "a child's health care decisions are between them, their parents, their families, their doctors, not politicians." Brown's campaign also provided a statement clarifying that his comments were not in support of puberty blockers or gender reassignment surgeries but rather a call to keep politicians out of family medical decisions.
Fact-Checker's Bias Raises Concerns over Super PAC Ad
As for the claim about women's sports, Haney stated that the Senate Leadership Fund ad refers to a 2021 Senate vote on an amendment that would have stripped federal funding from schools that allowed transgender individuals to participate in women's sports. Brown voted against the amendment, which Haney said was about funding and did not directly relate to allowing transgender athletes in women's sports.
The Senate Leadership Fund has disputed Haney's fact-check, claiming that she did not provide the Super PAC with an opportunity to comment before running the segment. The group also accused Haney of misleading viewers and demanded a correction, but Haney has defended her analysis, asserting that the ad's claims are inaccurate.
Fact-Checker's Bias Raises Concerns over Super PAC Ad
The dispute has raised concerns about the role of fact-checkers in today's media landscape and whether bias can influence their evaluations. Haney's social media history, which contains tweets expressing opposition to former President Trump and support for former President Obama, has been cited by the Senate Leadership Fund as evidence of her partisan leanings.
Meanwhile, WKYC has not indicated any intention to correct or update Haney's fact-check, despite the Super PAC's request.
Fact-Checker's Bias Raises Concerns over Super PAC Ad
Senator Brown's office has declined to comment on the matter. However, in the past, Brown has voted against legislation that would ban transgender individuals from participating in women's sports. He has also sponsored an LGBTQ Pride Month resolution that included language supporting transgender youth's access to sports and healthcare.
The controversy underscores the challenges and scrutiny surrounding the role of fact-checkers in the modern media environment, where biases and allegiances can be questioned and disputed by opposing parties seeking to promote their own narratives.
