Politi-Score: Lots in Translation

One of the reasons PolitiFact (PF) may have settled on the scoring method it uses in the Truth Index is that it shows a greater range of variation. This may have prompted me, as well, to switch from a student grade type scoring to what I called for a while the “Wide Measure” Politi-Score, back in 2010 when I first started quantifying the Truth-o-Meter. For PolitiFact, the large total range between True and Pants on Fire of 250 points makes for greater "average" variances, especially when calculating them day to day. Although in general I agree with my conservative counterpart’s view of this daily Truth Index reporting as somewhat “nonsensical” based on the fact PF is using only a select number of statements for review and ruling in calculating it, and  certainly don’t reflect all statements made. So as a measure of daily or weekly “truthiness” it is somewhat questionable.

On a month-to-month basis (which, with more rulings in a more meaningful period of time, may be more telling), here is the Politi-Score since January, compared to the Truth Index. While a monthly comparison really smooths out the scores, it is a little too smooth for the Politi-Score at the top, while the Truth Index at the bottom shows clear ups and downs, although not anywhere nearly like the daily scoring of a weeks’ worth of rulings displayed on the mobile app.



The trend is down for the year 2011, but the "bumps" are more evident on the Truth Index.
NOTE:  The number in parentheses (after the month) is the total number of rulings.

Most of us have learned the formula for changing Fahrenheit to Celsius temperatures and vice versa, and translating the Politi-Score to the Truth Index is very similar. To convert my Politi-Score to its equivalent Truth Index, you double it, then subtract 100. To convert the Truth Index to the Politi-Score, you add 100 to it, then divide the result in half. Although it appears that eventually I’m going to have to retire the Politi-Score in favor of the Truth Index, as it becomes the Truth-o-Meter standard for its mathematical interpretation.