As we told you earlier, the Associated Press got majorly busted for their fact-check — aka “straight regime propaganda” — when it comes to the matter of Target selling “tuck-friendly” swimsuits for kids.
The Associated Press is straight regime propaganda, all day, every day https://t.co/DZQPaqDjEy
— Mollie (@MZHemingway) May 24, 2023
According to the AP’s rigorous fact-checking criteria, the fact that they found a Target store in Brooklyn selling a kid’s swimsuit with a tag marked “Thoughtfully Fit on Multiple Body Types and Gender Expressions” doesn’t mean that Target has been marketing to trans or nonbinary kids, assuming such kids even genuinely exist. And the fact that Target does sell other Pride- and trans-themed kids’ apparel shouldn’t be an issue, either, for that matter!
Anyway, the AP says this particular fact-check “is part of AP’s effort to address widely shared misinformation, including work with outside companies and organizations to add factual context to misleading content that is circulating online.” But it’s pretty clear that their fact-checking technique could use quite a bit of work. Maybe they should take a page from PolitiFact’s playbook, because after all, PolitiFact has been in the fact-checking game for a long time and knows what it means to fact-check and diligently pursues the truth, even if it makes the Left look bad.
We kid, of course. PolitiFact is a complete and utter joke, and it wouldn’t surprise us in the least to learn that the AP’s fact-check on the Target thing was actually inspired by the one from PolitiFact (although, according to PolitiFact’s sources list for this fact-check, this time, it was actually the other way around):
There's been a lot of misinformation going around about the "tuck-friendly" swimsuits in Target's LGBTQ+ Pride collection. These swimsuits are available in adult sizes only.
Read more in my fact-check for @PolitiFact ⤵️https://t.co/H54kDuxKYG
— Sara Swann 🦢 (@saramswann) May 23, 2023
It’s worth noting that Sarah Swann limited replies to her tweets. Almost as if she was expecting people to call her out.
"Target’s Pride collection does include swimwear for children, Target’s spokesperson said, but the products are different from the adult swimwear and do not include 'tuck-friendly construction.'" https://t.co/1c76EUnM2V
— Bethany S. Mandel (@bethanyshondark) May 23, 2023
So, just as was the case with the AP, Swann is trying to play a semantics game, as if Pride-themed apparel geared toward kids and promising suitability for “multiple body types and gender expressions” is somehow totally innocent and not at all on the same level as saying kid’s bathing suit is “tuck-friendly.”
Misleading posts about Target’s Pride swimwear have also circulated on Twitter. Conservative accounts, such as Libs of TikTok and Gays Against Groomers, claimed the retailer was selling “tuck-friendly” bathing suits for children.
For what it’s worth, Gays Against Groomers have a pretty solid case that Target’s selling inappropriate kids’ clothes:
Our member Becky has some choice words for @Target and their incessant desire to push Alphabet propaganda on children and babies 🤣
You can follow Becky on IG @/becky_weiss_#GaysAgainstGroomers pic.twitter.com/26mBn3YRUf
— Gays Against Groomers (@againstgrmrs) May 12, 2023
But Target’s “tuck-friendly” swimwear is available only in adult sizes, a Target spokesperson told PolitiFact.
Presumably this Target spokesperson also sees nothing wrong with selling Pride-themed baby clothes, so we’re not quite sure what said spokesperson’s word is really worth. But it’s good enough for Swann and PolitiFact to render their final verdict:
We rate the claim that “tuck-friendly” bathing suits at Target “are available in kids’ sizes” False.
Naturally.
This is always an interesting “fact-check” tactic—
Fact-check one narrow claim as a straw man to try and paint the entire conversation as misinformation.
“The tuck friendly” swimsuits might not be for kids but the @Target swim skirts for “multiple gender expressions” are. https://t.co/65qykC20ga
— Matt Whitlock (@mattdizwhitlock) May 24, 2023
The quickest way to determine that this is a lie is by checking Sara’s profile and seeing that she works for @PolitiFact https://t.co/mlggjeHiv7
— Tehol Beddict (@TeholBeddict_) May 24, 2023
It’s easy to rate claims as False when you ignore all the facts and evidence that contradict your narrative.
And it’s easy for us to rate PolitiFact as Untrustworthy, Dishonest, and Completely Full of It. Because the fact is that that’s exactly what they are.
Sounds like a job for @CommunityNotes to correct Politi“fact”’s lies. https://t.co/8dgzfiLHEC
— Adam Ξ/ξ Bohn (@BadtotheBohn) May 24, 2023
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