The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel announced a partnership with Wisconsin Watch, a radical left-wing group that has taken more than $1 million from far-left billionaire George Soros.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and Wisconsin Watch announced an expanded collaboration Tuesday to ramp up fact-checking efforts in the lead-up to the 2026 midterm elections. The partnership aims to produce more “Fact Briefs” – concise, yes/no answers to common claims on voting, policy, and candidates, but conservative critics have raised concern that Wisconsin Watch is an overtly partisan left-wing organization that has taken more than $1 million to groups funded by radical liberal billionaire George Soros.
The Journal Sentinel and Wisconsin Watch said in a joint statement that the partnership will enhance public access to verified information, with Fact Briefs distributed across platforms to reach broader audiences in Wisconsin’s fact-desert areas where local news has declined.
Facts matter,” said Journal Sentinel Executive Editor Greg Borowski. “They matter to us in the news business, of course. We spend our days seeking out information, verifying it and then presenting it with context and clarity to our readers.
“We know facts matter to you, too. With that in mind, and with another high-stakes election year upon us, we are launching a powerful new partnership that will provide more independent information on key issues to voters in the form of simple, bite-sized fact-checks on issues that are in the news.”
The new partnership replaces a 15-year relationship the Journal Sentinel had with Politifact.
Wisconsin Watch, which is based at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a member of the Institute for Nonprofit News, has faced scrutiny over its obvious political leanings.
Media bias rater AllSides classifies it as “Leans Left,” while InfluenceWatch labels it as “left-of-center.” allsides.com. A 2020 report from Wisconsin Right Now revealed that Wisconsin Watch received over $1 million from groups tied to billionaire George Soros, who recently gave $2 million to the Democratic Party of Wisconsin during the 2025 Supreme Court election.
