Politifact Awards Glee ‘Pants On Fire’ For False Ricky Martin Claim About Americans Speaking Spanish

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by James Crugnale | 6:05 pm, February 14th, 2012

» 21 comments

Fact-checking website PolitiFact took Fox’s musical series Glee to task for offering an inaccurate citation of how many people will use Spanish as their first language in the year 2030. Pop star Rick Martin made a guest appearance as Spanish teacher David Martinez, and asked his classroom, “Did you know that the U.S. Census believes that, by 2030, the majority of Americans will use Spanish as their first language?” PolitiFact discovered that the writers of the show had invented the claim.

PolitiFact’s Amy Sherman, found that the figure was not only wrong but, in fact, “pants on fire” for the alleged figure. “The Census Bureau predicts that in 2030 about 23 percent of the U.S. population will be Hispanic — but all of those Hispanics in the future won’t speak Spanish as their first language,” Sherman explains.

Sherman said Martin’s erroneous citation flabbergasted the Census Bureau. “We don’t do projections of language spoken,” a census spokesman told Sherman. “That’s very strange someone would cite us.”

The U.S. Census does not ask citizens about languages spoken, so there would be no way to determine such a statistic.

Sherman explains further:

Two census researchers projected that somewhere between 13 and 15.3 percent of people in the U.S. will speak Spanish in 2020 — a far cry from the majority of Americans, and we don’t know how many of those will speak it as their first language. They said the numbers from 2030 would still be nowhere close to the 50-percent mark.

Ricky Martin may have looked good singing in his tight pants, but we’re going to light the show’s pants on fire anyway. Pants on fire! And though they don’t say it like this in Spanish: Pantalones en fuego!

Glee producers had no comment. Sherman told Mediaite that she had caught the error herself. “I watched the show and heard it,” she explains. “We often do fact checks based on suggestions/questions from our readers but in this case I came across it myself.”

Watch the segment that PolitiFact called “Pants on Fire”, below:

h/t PolitiFact

fox, Glee, pants on fire, Politifact, Ricky Martin, spanish

Anonymous

I think Michelle Bachmann just found a new advisor.
http://twitter.com/MarkH76248 Mark Hawkins

and your man is Mr. 57 states.
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_YCCUIOEO5JI5NKXFLDIRUF6X3U Phil

Wow. Did someone used to believe Glee was fact based? How many other fictional dramas and books will Politifact debunk? I think there may be some other-than-facts in those Twilight movies…
Anonymous

The difference is that Obama thought there were 57 states for exactly one second, whereas Bachmann still believes all her sh!t.

That seems to be a subtlety lost on your low information voters.
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_SMUGSPLRKQOJBS5T6I4S5H2YSE Andy-48

This skit belongs on the TV’s Bloopers & Practical Joke’s show that Dick Clark and Ed McMahon used to have.
Anonymous

I am really puzzled as to why Politifact felt compelled to fact-check “Glee”! This is insane!
http://twitter.com/VladiRad Tyler

In May of 2008, Barack Obama said he had been to 57 states when he meant 47 states and republicans are still running with it to this day. Amazing.
Adam Rubin

I looked into Glee’s statement that “Dolphins are really just gay sharks” and found that to be Pants on Fire as well.
Anonymous

its all they have, they must hang on to any thread they can. But end of the day, who cares! They are nuts, and we will win 2012 and revel in our victory!
Anonymous

seriously? who cares, is this what Politifact spending their time doing, when Fox and the GOP dropping “pants on fire” lies every day! GTFO! What a waste! and wtf, takes glee seriously, or uses them as a source of facts?
Anonymous

“I watched the show and heard it,” she explains. “We often do fact checks based on suggestions/questions from our readers but in this case I came across it myself.” Someone willingly watches that train wreck of a show? *vomit*
http://twitter.com/PaulAckerman Paul Ackerman

Clearly we’re not giving Politifact enough to do.
http://twitter.com/PaulAckerman Paul Ackerman

And is Brittney really building a time machine? The public needs to know.
http://twitter.com/PaulAckerman Paul Ackerman

And with 1 “pants on fire” under its belt, Glee is still many many dozens of them behind the score for Fox “News”.
http://profile.yahoo.com/565TCXMB2XP263LC6JONTU4N6A Kim

My friend just met a chocolate man on Blackwhitemeet.COMit’s where for men and women looking for interracial’ship for a fabulous lifestyle
It’s a nice place for black white sing’les, to interact with each other…no bounds or extremes in front of true love.
Anonymous

I’m surprized that Politifact hasn’t given a pants on fire to Star Trek for saying the transporter works.
http://twitter.com/tackjive Sam

Oh, that’s cute. I remember when I had never watched Glee before. Of course, that was 2010, and I wasn’t writing an article on it, but still. Welcome to Glee, first-timer.
Anonymous

You mean dolphins aren’t gay sharks?

Sad now.
Anonymous

Have they run out of documentaries and news shows to fact check, or do they think “Glee” is a reality show being filmed in Ohio? They had better fact check the ages of some of the students while they are at it!
Anonymous

But Brittany’s cat really does talk!
http://www.facebook.com/chasrmartin Charlie Martin

You know what? The Glee kids don’t actually break into spontaneous choreographed perfect dance routines without rehearsal, either.

PolitiFact, here’s something to look up: “fiction”.