Politifact belongs to the non -profit Poynter Institute for Media Studies, and the editor -in -chief and managing director of Politifact is subordinate to the President of Poynter. Politifact was owned by the Tampa Bay Times, but in 2018 the direct property of Politifact was transferred from Times to Poynter, the parent company of the newspaper. The step enables Politifact to function completely as a non -profit national news organization.
The connections between the Poynter Institute and the Tampa Bay Times decades back. The long -time owner of Times was Nelson Poynter, whose father bought the newspaper in 1912. Poynter campaigned for independent journalism and wanted to make sure that the newspaper remains in local possession and remains protected from possession of the chain. Therefore, after his death in 1978, he did not leave his heirs, but the journalist school, which today bears its name.
Nelson Poynter was also the founder of Congressional Quarterly, a news organization that is about the congress in Washington, D.C. reported and belonged to the Poynter Institute until 2009. Politifact is now continuing the historical connection of the Poynter Institute to political journalism in Washington.