Minutes of the September 14, 2017 Meeting
The Rotary Club of Mobile
Call to Order: The meeting was called to order by John Dukes at 12:15 PM. Bruner Binion offered the invocation and Tom Martenstein welcomed members’ guests and visiting Rotarians. Tommy Blankenship led the club in song and the reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance.
Announcements: John Dukes made the following announcements:
• Mark your calendar for the annual Rotary Gala to be held on Wednesday, October 11 at the Southern National, a new Dauphin Street restaurant. There will not be a luncheon meeting on October 12.
• A board meeting will take place next week on September 21.
• John wished members well on their up-coming birthdays.
Program: Angie Holan: Editor of Poitifact
Tom McGehee introduced Angie Holan who is based in Washington, D.C where she is the editor of Politifact, the politics fact-checking website. She explained that the ultimate role of the site is to improve the public’s trust in the media as they pursue a mission to sort out the truth in statements made by local and national politicians.
Politifact investigates statements and rates them on a scale ranging from “True” down to “Pants on Fire,” she explained. They refuse to use anonymous sources in their research but she noted that both the New York Times and Washington Post rely heavily on such sources.
Ms. Holan said that Politifact has received a grant to explore issues in Mobile, Tulsa, OK and Charleston, WV which were all cities which strongly supported Donald Trump in the presidential election.
After a lengthy and active question and answer session, Angie was thanked by John Dukes who said that in her honor a donation has been made to the Rotary Children’s Foundation.
Adjournment: The meeting adjourned at 12:50 PM.
Tom McGehee