Hate crimes, homelessness, taxes, housing and energy were among the topics fact-checked by St. Bonaventure University students during a PolitiFact Workshop conducted during the spring 2026 semester.

“Holding public officials accountable through rigorous fact-checking is vital to our democracy, and PolitiFact is the model,” said Aaron Chimbel, dean of the university’s Jandoli School of Communication. “Our students learn so much from this partnership.”

Nine students took part in the spring workshop and produced 11 stories that were published by PolitiFact, one of the nation’s leading fact-checking organizations. Four stories also were published in The Buffalo News, and several others were highlighted in PolitiFact newsletters. In addition, two students were credited for contributing to a fact-check by PolitiFact reporter Jill Terreri Ramos.

“Our students interact with local, state and national figures, as well as public policy experts, to research and write their stories,” said Dr. Richard Lee, a professor in the Jandoli School.

Lee and PolitiFact Senior Correspondent Lou Jacobson conduct the workshop during spring semesters at SBU. They meet with the students regularly on Zoom. Jacobson, who is based in Washington, D.C., also spends a few days on campus each year to work in-person with the students.

“I always enjoy the opportunity to come to the St. Bonaventure campus to meet the students in our seminar one on one,” Jacobson said. “Being here in person allows us to sit down and work through the reporting, writing and editing together and build a rapport.”

Although the semester has ended, four students have voluntarily chosen to continue the program and fact-check stories during the summer. 

Since the inception of the workshop in 2020, PolitiFact has posted more than 68 articles written by St. Bonaventure students.

Founded in 2007, PolitiFact uses traditional journalism techniques to investigate the accuracy of claims in politics, then provides an overall “Truth-O-Meter” rating ranging from True to Pants on Fire. Articles appear on its PolitiFact.com website and are reprinted by its media partners across the country. PolitiFact is owned by the nonprofit Poynter Institute for Media Studies and employs reporters and editors in St. Petersburg, Florida, Washington, D.C., and half a dozen other cities.

PolitiFact Workshop Spring 2026 Articles

Do New Yorkers consume cannabis and coffee at equal rates?
By Mary McNaughton (June 5, 2026)

Are President Trump’s tariffs costing New York households an estimated $4,200 annually?
By Austin Townley (May 21, 2026)

No, New York City’s homeless children do not outnumber Yankee Stadium seats
By Andrew McGurl (May 12, 2026)

Have IRS refunds increased by 11 percent?
By Holden Turek (May 11, 2026)

Proposed data centers in New York would use significant energy, but not double households’ use
By Conor Amendola and Ryan Lombardi (May 5, 2026)

Did hate crimes increase by 152 percent in New York City?
By Emma Gavazzi (May 5, 2026)

Nassau tops ‘safest county’ rankings, but Blakeman’s claim is misleading
By Jill Terreri Ramos (with contributions from St. Bonaventure University students Conor Amendola and Ryan Lombardi)

Does New York lead the US in population loss?
By Holden Turek (April 1, 2026)

Does milk cost less than it did in the 1980s?
By Emma Gavazzi and Mary McNaughton (March 31, 2026)

Are investors buying more than a quarter of U.S. single-family homes?
By Chris Doody and Holden Turek (Feb. 25, 2026)

How much more do New Yorkers pay for electricity than the average US consumer?
By Brooke Johnpier (Feb. 13, 2026)

Fact-checking Rep. Claudia Tenney on efforts to build Micron’s big semiconductor facility in NY
By Andrew McGurl (Feb. 13, 2026)

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About the University: The nation’s first Franciscan university, St. Bonaventure is a community committed to transforming the lives of its students inside and outside the classroom, inspiring in them a commitment to academic excellence and lifelong civic engagement. Out of 167 regional universities in the North, St. Bonaventure was ranked #8 for value and #19 overall by U.S. News and World Report (2025).