Spell Check Is So Last Year, Get Ready For Truth Check

I think this is awesome. Apparently an MIT graduate student is working on software that highlights suspicious factual statements and links to a data base that essentially fact checks it. Read the link to get details on how it works, but suffice to say, with the 2012 presidential campaign already in full swing, this is a product that couldn’t be any more timely. I wonder if it would work with my opponents’ briefs. I also wonder, assuming the product actually works, if it will create a new “standard of care” for media outlets. In defamation suits involving private parties, the media is liable if it is “negligent” in reporting the news. So, if a media outlet doesn’t adopt this technology would that in itself be evidence of negligence? That’s a question that’s a little ways off, but it’s food for thought. And speaking of food, I hope all of my readers have a great Thanksgiving. It’s my favorite holiday.