St. Bonaventure University

St. Bonaventure University students are once again working with PolitiFact Chief Correspondent Louis Jacobson and Jandoli Institute Executive Director Richard Lee to check facts and write articles for PolitiFact.

Jacobson, based in Washington, D.C., spent two days on campus this week working with students in the 2026 PolitiFact Workshop.

“We are proud to welcome Lou back to the Jandoli School of Communication for this transformative experience for our students,” said Aaron Chimbel, dean of the Jandoli School at St. Bonaventure. “Holding public officials accountable through rigorous fact-checking is vital to our democracy, and PolitiFact is the model. Our students learn so much from this partnership.”

During Jacobson’s visit to campus, students completed their first articles in this year’s workshop. The students began training online in January and will continue to write stories throughout the semester.

“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.”

The workshop began in 2020 and is offered in spring semesters. Completed articles appear on PolitiFact and PolitiFact New York, the organization’s New York edition, which is a partnership with the Buffalo News. Since the inception of the program, PolitiFact has posted more than 50 articles written by St. Bonaventure students. The articles may be accessed at https://jandoli.net/politifact-workshop/.

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 PolitiFact.com 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.

The Jandoli Institute, part of the Jandoli School at St. Bonaventure, serves as a forum for academic research, creative ideas and discussion on the intersection between media and democracy.

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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).