Who Fact-Checks the Fact-Checkers?

Commentary During a radio interview with 2GB on March 18, businessman Dick Smith said, “no country has ever been able to run entirely on renewables—that’s impossible.” He said this in the context of advocating for nuclear power to be added to Australia’s energy mix. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) RMIT Fact Check promptly investigated this and adjudged that “experts consulted by RMIT ABC Fact Check suggested Mr. Smith’s statement doesn’t hold up.” In a follow-up interview on 2GB on March 25, Mr. Smith told host Ben Fordham: “I’m angry. The whole document is full of misinformation and lies, it’s designed to discredit me. Absolutely disgusting.”...