Facts on Policy, a new public policy information program developed by the Hoover Institution and published on the Internet, launches October 10, 2006.

Facts on Policy highlights facts relevant to current issues of public interest, adding context to the world of opinion, commentary, and policy dialogue. Topics will include economics, health care, education, national security, social welfare, and government finance.

“The motivation for Facts on Policy is to stress the facts surrounding important public policy issues that surround the argumentative debate relating to prevailing commentary,” said Hoover director John Raisian. “There is almost a presumption in published opinions and editorials that factual content pertaining to the issues at hand are not only known, but are known with no underlying disagreement.

“I believe this to be a shortcoming if we are to fully inform the public about policy proposals and their impact,” he said. “Facts on Policy is an attempt to inform readers about factual content that is indisputable, hoping that the context of prevailing policy debates will become as important as the arguments that are put forth.”

The first two facts presented are education funding and personal saving at www.factsonpolicy.org.

The next release of Facts on Policy will be on October 24. Henceforth, Facts will be distributed twice a month, on the first and third Tuesdays, and will be of interest to a wide range of users from readers of op-ed pieces in major newspapers to the media and legislators and their staff members.

An archive of previous Facts on Policy will be accessible on the web site.