Disclosures

The truthorfiction.com website is wholly owned and operated by What’s True Incorporated, a Delaware C Corporation (WT).  TruthOrFiction.com was founded in 1999 by Rich Buhler, a broadcaster, speaker, author, broadcast journalist, and producer who researched and wrote about rumors and urban legends for more than 30 years.  He operated truthorfiction through Branches Communications a California Radio-Television-Film production company.

Rich operated TruthOrFiction.com until his death from pancreatic cancer in May of 2012.  His family operated the site until late 2018 and are still owners of the site.

WT was founded by Dwayne Lafleur as an attempt to combat the misinformation that is widespread in today’s online world.  Dwayne is an engineer by trade and is passionate about using accurate data to make decisions.  Dwayne became interested in fact-checking while watching misinformation spread wildly on social media.  Seeing the dysfunction at other fact-checking organizations, Dwayne set out to create an environment in which true fact checkers can do their important work without interference or influence.  Dwayne has never been a member of a political party nor has he ever been involved with politics in any way – his sole focus is on the dissemination of free, accurate information.    In 2018, WT acquired 85% ownership in truthorfiction.com.  Dwayne is not involved in the day-to-day operation of truthorfiction.com.  At WT, not a single article or fact-check has been edited by anyone other than our expert editorial staff.  This, sadly, is not the case at other organizations.

Funding

  • We are almost entirely funded through programmatic digital advertising sales.  We have no direct advertising relationships.
  • Advertisers have no contact with any staff member.
  • We do not accept political advertising, nor do we accept any funding from political parties, activists, campaigns, governments, lobbyists or political action committees.
  • We do accept contributions directly from our readers.
  • Any contribution we receive exceeding $1,000 will be disclosed to the public.

Expenses

In 2018 through June 2019, cashflow from operations was used in the following way:

  • 79% Editorial Staff
  • 10% Payment towards purchase of truthorfiction.com
  • 11% Servers / Hosting / Software
  • NO payments to management or owners

In 2018/2019 we received $200,000 in financing from shareholders to fund operations.[vc_row][vc_column]

Our Process & Goal

Our mission is to provide an academic level of fact-checking to combat the critical issue of disinformation and propaganda that has flooded the national and international discourse since at least 2015. We offer a facts-only approach to topics, but we also try to place current events and reportage in their proper contexts so that people can understand who may be lying or misinformed, and why.  No story is too frivolous, because we have seen even the most trite urban legend twisted in new ways to serve a narrative.