EXAMPLE Checked 2026-10-13
Crime trends
“Violent crime went down in 2024.”
Bottom line
Accurate. The FBI estimates national violent crime fell 4.5% from 2023 to 2024, and murder fell 14.9%. Note that the Brennan Center cites a 16% murder drop, which comes from a different estimate than the FBI’s 14.9%. Both outlets agree that crime fell; they disagree about why.
Left view
Brennan Center for Justice · left-leaning
Credits the decline to local, evidence-based prevention and argues against federal deployments.
“Since then, crime has fallen dramatically. Last year, the national murder rate fell by a record 16 percent, continuing a multiyear decline.”
What Actually Works to Fight Crime (Sept. 19, 2025)
Right view
Manhattan Institute · right-leaning
Credits the decline to renewed policing and enforcement.
“Murder spiked in 2020 because of anti-cop protests, which drove down police activity, and it’s declined since, because big-city leaders started using the criminal justice system again.”
The Murder Rate Is Plummeting. You’ll Never Guess Why. (Charles Fain Lehman, June 4, 2025)
Just the Facts
Primary / official data only
National violent crime fell an estimated 4.5% in 2024.
“National violent crime decreased an estimated 4.5% in 2024 compared to 2023 estimates”
FBI press release, “FBI Releases 2024 Reported Crimes in the Nation Statistics”Murder fell an estimated 14.9%.
“Murder and non-negligent manslaughter recorded a 2024 estimated nationwide decrease of 14.9% compared to the previous year.”
FBI press release (same)Reporting agencies covered about 95.6% of the U.S. population.
“covering a combined population of 95.6% United States population”
FBI press release (same)
Who’s the publisher?
Brennan Center for Justice
Who runs it: “The Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law is an independent, nonpartisan law and policy organization that works to reform, revitalize, and defend our country’s systems of democracy and justice.” About page
What data it collects (privacy policy):
- “Automatically Collected Data: We automatically collect and store IP addresses and domain names of computers from visitors to our website.”
- “Cookies; Tracking Mechanisms: The Brennan Center uses cookies to prepopulate forms for users, to auto-populate forms, and to track user patterns on the Site.”
Manhattan Institute
Who runs it: “The Institute is a public policy think tank, the publisher of City Journal, and a network of emerging leaders.” About page
“The Manhattan Institute is governed by an independent board of trustees.”
What data it collects (privacy policy):
- “It includes information such as your name, mailing address, Internet Protocol (IP) address, phone number or email address.”
- “This website utilizes technologies such as cookies and scripts to enable essential site functionality, as well as for analytics, personalization, and targeted advertising.”
Quotes are copied word for word from the linked pages as they read on 2026-10-13. Pages can change, so check the source.