PolitiFact uses the word 'lie' only once a year. Here's a look back at all the Lie of the Year awardees going back to 2009.
The word "lie," by definition, suggests an intent to deceive. And while we at PolitiFact sort through a lot of false and misleading statements, our work as fact-checkers cares less about intent than it does about facts.
The Lie of the Year is different. We apply that title to the statement or collection of falsehoods that played the most significant role in undermining the truth over the previous 12 calendar months., including those he told to justify the invasion and harmful lies about the atrocities that have been committed since.
In previous years, the Lie of the Year has ranged from specific false claims to whole storms of deceptive political rhetoric. Here’s a look back at the past 12 years of winning whoppers.On Jan. 6, 2021, following the defeat of then-U.S. President Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election, a mob of his supporters attacked the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. Live news footage and videos from participants provided inescapable evidence of what happened. But claims that Jan.