# PolitiFact API

> PolitiFact provides fact checks and Truth-O-Meter ratings as a workflow and API.

PolitiFact’s Search fact checks method returns matching fact checks and ratings, using a required claim, topic, or person as input.

- Page: https://fous.com/workflows/politifact
- Handle: `@politifact`
- Category: [News](https://fous.com/workflows/category/news)
- Source website: https://politifact.com
- Last verified: Sep 29, 2026
- Fous is not affiliated with PolitiFact.

## Methods

### Search fact checks

Operation `search_fact_checks`, version 1. 1 credit per call.

Find PolitiFact fact checks matching a claim, topic, or person, newest first. For an exact person match, returns checks of that person’s statements; otherwise searches fact-check text. Topic ratings are filtered from matching search pages.

**Input**

| Field | Type | Required | Example | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| `query` | string | yes | `"Joe Biden"` | Claim, topic, or person to find, for example gas prices or Joe Biden. |
| `rating` | string | no | `"false"` | Truth-O-Meter rating, for example mostly_false; any includes all ratings. |
| `max_results` | integer | no | `5` | Most fact checks to return, for example 20. |

**Input schema**

```json
{
  "type": "object",
  "required": [
    "query"
  ],
  "properties": {
    "query": {
      "type": "string",
      "minLength": 1,
      "description": "Claim, topic, or person to find, for example gas prices or Joe Biden.",
      "examples": [
        "Joe Biden",
        "gas prices",
        "zzzzunrealword273718"
      ]
    },
    "rating": {
      "enum": [
        "any",
        "true",
        "mostly_true",
        "half_true",
        "mostly_false",
        "false",
        "pants_on_fire"
      ],
      "type": "string",
      "default": "any",
      "description": "Truth-O-Meter rating, for example mostly_false; any includes all ratings.",
      "examples": [
        "false",
        "any",
        "mostly_false"
      ]
    },
    "max_results": {
      "type": "integer",
      "default": 20,
      "maximum": 100,
      "minimum": 1,
      "description": "Most fact checks to return, for example 20.",
      "x-fous-developer": true,
      "examples": [
        5,
        25,
        3
      ]
    }
  },
  "additionalProperties": false,
  "examples": [
    {
      "query": "Joe Biden",
      "rating": "false",
      "max_results": 5
    },
    {
      "query": "gas prices",
      "rating": "any",
      "max_results": 25
    },
    {
      "query": "zzzzunrealword273718"
    }
  ]
}
```

**Output**

| Field | Type | Example | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| `fact_checks` | array |  | Matching fact checks, newest first. |
| `fact_checks[].rating` | string or null | `"False"` | Truth-O-Meter rating label. |
| `fact_checks[].said_at` | string or null | `"stated on January 17, 2025 in a statement:"` | Where and when the claim was stated, as shown by PolitiFact. |
| `fact_checks[].speaker` | string or null | `"Joe Biden"` | Person or group credited with the claim. |
| `fact_checks[].statement` | string | `"“The Equal Rights Amendment has become part of our Constitution.”"` | Statement checked. |
| `fact_checks[].fact_checker` | string or null | `"Caleb McCullough"` | Name of the fact checker. |
| `fact_checks[].fact_check_url` | string | `"https://politifact.com/factchecks/2025/jan/22/joe-biden/bidens-false-claim-that-the-equal-rights-amendment/"` | Link to the fact-check page. |
| `fact_checks[].published_date` | string or null | `"2025-01-22"` | Date the fact check was published. |
| `fact_checks[].rating_image_url` | string or null | `"https://politifact.com/wp-content/themes/politifact-wp/assets/img/meter-false.jpg"` | Link to the rating image. |

**Example input**

```json
{
  "query": "Joe Biden",
  "rating": "false",
  "max_results": 5
}
```

**Example output**

```json
{
  "fact_checks": [
    {
      "rating": "False",
      "said_at": "stated on January 17, 2025 in a statement:",
      "speaker": "Joe Biden",
      "statement": "“The Equal Rights Amendment has become part of our Constitution.”",
      "fact_checker": "Caleb McCullough",
      "fact_check_url": "https://politifact.com/factchecks/2025/jan/22/joe-biden/bidens-false-claim-that-the-equal-rights-amendment/",
      "published_date": "2025-01-22",
      "rating_image_url": "https://politifact.com/wp-content/themes/politifact-wp/assets/img/meter-false.jpg"
    },
    {
      "rating": "False",
      "said_at": "stated on July 13, 2024 in a statement to the media:",
      "speaker": "Joe Biden",
      "statement": "“The idea that there’s political violence or violence in America like this is just unheard of.”",
      "fact_checker": "Amy Sherman,",
      "fact_check_url": "https://politifact.com/factchecks/2024/jul/15/joe-biden/is-political-violence-unheard-of-the-long-history/",
      "published_date": "2024-07-15",
      "rating_image_url": "https://politifact.com/wp-content/themes/politifact-wp/assets/img/meter-false.jpg"
    },
    {
      "rating": "False",
      "said_at": "stated on May 14, 2024 in an interview with Yahoo Finance:",
      "speaker": "Joe Biden",
      "statement": "Inflation “was 9% when I came to office.”",
      "fact_checker": "Louis Jacobson",
      "fact_check_url": "https://politifact.com/factchecks/2024/may/15/joe-biden/joe-biden-wrong-that-he-inherited-9-inflatio/",
      "published_date": "2024-05-15",
      "rating_image_url": "https://politifact.com/wp-content/themes/politifact-wp/assets/img/meter-false.jpg"
    }
  ]
}
```

## Quick start

Call the API with a Fous API key (`FOUS_API_KEY`). To create one, turn on Developer mode in Fous Studio, then open Keys & connections → API keys (https://app.fous.com/keys).

```bash
# First set your key: export FOUS_API_KEY='YOUR_FOUS_API_KEY'
: "${FOUS_API_KEY:?Set FOUS_API_KEY before running this example}"

curl 'https://api.fous.com/v1/query' \
  --fail-with-body --silent --show-error --max-time 120 \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $FOUS_API_KEY" \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  --data-raw '{
  "api": "@politifact",
  "visibility": "public",
  "operation": "search_fact_checks",
  "version": 1,
  "input": {
    "query": "Joe Biden",
    "rating": "false",
    "max_results": 5
  },
  "response": {
    "format": "json"
  }
}'
```

```python
# Save as fous.py and run with python3 fous.py. No packages needed.
# First set your key: export FOUS_API_KEY='YOUR_FOUS_API_KEY'
import json
import os
import urllib.error
import urllib.request

api_key = os.environ.get("FOUS_API_KEY")
if not api_key:
    raise RuntimeError("Set FOUS_API_KEY before running this example")

body = json.loads("{\n  \"api\": \"@politifact\",\n  \"visibility\": \"public\",\n  \"operation\": \"search_fact_checks\",\n  \"version\": 1,\n  \"input\": {\n    \"query\": \"Joe Biden\",\n    \"rating\": \"false\",\n    \"max_results\": 5\n  },\n  \"response\": {\n    \"format\": \"json\"\n  }\n}")
request = urllib.request.Request(
    "https://api.fous.com/v1/query",
    data=json.dumps(body).encode("utf-8"),
    headers={
        "Authorization": f"Bearer {api_key}",
        "Content-Type": "application/json",
    },
    method="POST",
)
try:
    with urllib.request.urlopen(request, timeout=120) as response:
        result = json.load(response)
except urllib.error.HTTPError as error:
    raise RuntimeError(f"HTTP {error.code}: {error.read().decode('utf-8', errors='replace')}") from error
if result.get("success") is False:
    raise RuntimeError(result.get("error", {}).get("message", "Request failed"))
print(json.dumps(result["data"]["output"], indent=2))
```

```typescript
// Save as fous.mts and run with npx tsx fous.mts.
// First set your key: export FOUS_API_KEY='YOUR_FOUS_API_KEY'
const apiKey = process.env.FOUS_API_KEY;
if (!apiKey) throw new Error("Set FOUS_API_KEY before running this example");

const response = await fetch("https://api.fous.com/v1/query", {
  method: "POST",
  headers: {
    "Authorization": `Bearer ${apiKey}`,
    "Content-Type": "application/json",
  },
  signal: AbortSignal.timeout(120_000),
  body: JSON.stringify({
  "api": "@politifact",
  "visibility": "public",
  "operation": "search_fact_checks",
  "version": 1,
  "input": {
    "query": "Joe Biden",
    "rating": "false",
    "max_results": 5
  },
  "response": {
    "format": "json"
  }
}),
});
type ApiResult = { success: boolean; data?: { output: unknown }; error?: { message: string } };
const result: ApiResult = await response.json();
if (!response.ok || result.success === false) {
  throw new Error(result.error?.message ?? `HTTP ${response.status}`);
}
if (!result.data) throw new Error("Missing API response data");
console.log(result.data.output);
```

Or describe the data in plain language: send `{"api":"@politifact","prompt":"Describe the data you need, with every detail"}` to the same URL. Fous fills in the input, runs the method that fits and returns only the fields you asked for; `data.route.calls[].request` is the exact call it made. Routing is free; the run costs the same.

## Use cases

- Research fact checks about a claim, topic, or person
- Review Truth-O-Meter ratings for matching claims
- Track statements credited to a person or group
- Find publication dates for relevant fact checks

## FAQ

### Is Fous affiliated with PolitiFact?

No. Fous is not affiliated with PolitiFact. This workflow reads the public politifact.com website and returns its data.

### How much does it cost?

Each run costs 1 credit. With pay-as-you-go, a credit costs 1¢; monthly plans cost less per credit.

### Do I need a PolitiFact account?

No. You only need a Fous account.

### How current is the data?

Fous gets the data from politifact.com when you run it; repeating the same request within a day may return the saved result. Fous checks this workflow automatically; it last passed a check on Sep 29, 2026.

### What has PolitiFact checked about a topic?

Search fact checks returns matching checks, newest first, for a claim, topic, or person.

### What rating did a claim receive?

Search fact checks returns the Truth-O-Meter rating for each matching fact check.

### Who made a checked statement?

Search fact checks returns the person or group credited with each matching claim.

## Related

- [Snopes API](https://fous.com/workflows/snopes.md): Snopes provides fact checks of rumors, claims, and misinformation, including relevant search results and the newest checks overall or by topic.
- [Fox News API](https://fous.com/workflows/fox-news.md): Fox News returns section-page headlines, keyword-matched articles among up to 100 available results, and readable article text, including the latest live-blog updates.
- [Polymarket API](https://fous.com/workflows/polymarket.md): Polymarket shows searchable markets with search-time odds and sometimes-unavailable 24-hour volume, ranks open markets by trading, and tracks chances over time, sometimes without recent points.
- [FEC API](https://fous.com/workflows/fec.md): FEC provides federal campaign finance data, including candidate fundraising and spending for a two-year period and candidate totals from the latest available filings.
- [NPR API](https://fous.com/workflows/npr.md): NPR returns displayed section headlines, searchable articles with summaries and publication details, and available article text; date-filtered searches may miss older stories edited much later.
- [AP News API](https://fous.com/workflows/ap-news.md): AP News provides reporting, up to 50 public-page headlines, searchable articles visible in its search, and full text when accessible.
- [Ballotpedia API](https://fous.com/workflows/ballotpedia.md): Ballotpedia provides state and local election information, ballot measure coverage, statewide measure details and results by year, and candidate and officeholder profiles with available background and election results.
- [Federal Register API](https://fous.com/workflows/federal-register.md): Search United States federal rules, proposed rules, notices, and presidential documents.
- [All News workflows](https://fous.com/workflows/category/news)