Kalev Leetaru uses a Real Clear Politics column to compare media coverage of false statements from President Trump and potential Democratic challenger Joe Biden.

When a politician stretches the truth, did he “misspeak” or did he “lie”? The way in which fact-checkers frame the hyperbole and falsehoods that typically define the political sphere tells us a lot about the fractured state of society, but the narrative of Donald Trump as an unparalleled serial liar appears at odds with actual fact-checking verdicts.

CNN summarized the partisan divide best when it argued this week that “[Joe] Biden’s misspeaks, misrememberings and other gaffes are not the same as Trump’s purposeful daily assaults on the truth” and that voters must distinguish between “Biden’s slips” and Trump’s “cavalcade of lies.”

Fact-checkers have often adopted a similar distinction in their editorialized headlines, labeling Trump’s errors as “bizarre,” “baffling,” “bungles” and “whoppers” whereas his predecessor Barack Obama’s were merely “misleading” or “cherry-picked.” …

… Looking at the eight fact-checked claims in the RealClear Fact Check Review attributed directly to Joe Biden over the last four months (not including ones from his campaign or surrogates), three were given the verdict of “False,” two were “Mostly False (Misleading),” and there was one each of “Distorts the Facts (Misleading),” “Not What Plan Says,” and “Three Pinocchios.” …

… While it is difficult to directly compare such a wide range of verdicts — and Trump’s number of fact checks far exceeds Biden’s — it is worth noting that both candidates had 38% of their claims labeled “False”; 46% of Trump’s statements were merely “misleading” in the view of the fact-checker (rather than false) compared with 38% of Biden’s. And 8% of Trump’s statements were judged to be true versus none of Biden’s.