Superman was pretty quick -- faster than a speeding bullet, according to legend and DC Comics.

But even the Man of Steel's speed would seem sluglike when compared to the warp speed with which rumors, hearsay, distortion, lies and sometimes the truth can be launched into cyberspace in this election season.

Little wonder Democrat Barrack Obama's campaign said has it launched a Web site, www.fightthesmears.com, to debunk rumors about him and his wife. We wouldn't be surprised if Republican presidential hopeful John McCain's campaign started its own "fact-finding" Web site.

But just because both sides in a campaign do it doesn't make it right or relieve a voter of the responsibility to search for the truth and facts. Check campaign sites with an open mind and sometimes with a healthy grain of skepticism since they're self-serving by definition.

E-mails, particularly chain letters, also feed urban myths. E-mails about Obama rank No. 2 on the list of "Hottest Urban Legends" on snopes.com, a popular Internet rumor-debunking site.

What's a voter to do to become informed? Try looking for neutral sources that weigh the validity of claims of both candidates and all sides of issues, particularly in the upcoming presidential campaign. Rather than look for a site that preaches to your choir, do your own research, especially when one candidate wants to tell you what the other is really up to.

One such site that seeks to sort things out is
www.factcheck.org, which bills itself as "a nonpartisan, nonprofit, 'consumer advocate' for voters that monitors the factual accuracy of what is said by major U.S. political players in the form of TV ads, debates, speeches, interviews, and news releases."

The site is a project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania. The center was established by publisher and philanthropist Walter Annenberg in 1994. No money is accepted from corporations, labor unions, political parties, lobbying organizations or individuals. It is funded primarily by the Annenberg Foundation.

The Annenberg people suggest that a couple of other possible fact-checkers are the Washington Post's FactChecker Blog, and Politifact.com.

Such services can be helpful in sorting through distortions. Sometimes campaign claims aren't untrue -- they're just not the whole truth.

But they will be of limited, if any, value on the local and state levels for the many campaigns. That will require particular attention to detail and a questioning mind on the part of voters.

One we checked out on our own is a sad-sounding radio ad now circulating in the Washington gubernatorial campaign that pulls up a bit short in portraying the whole picture:

In 2005, Governor Gregoire signed the largest gas tax increase in state history, squeezing small businesses in Eastern Washington, hurting rural communities and threatening our way of life.

It's true, she did sign the gas tax increase legislation. What the ad doesn't tell you, though, is that she signed a bill that had been approved by both houses of the state Legislature and sent to her for action -- to sign or veto.

The ad also doesn't mention that the phased-in gas-tax increases were challenged in November 2005 and voters opted to approve them in a statewide vote by defeating Initiative 912, which would have repealed them. The gas tax increase was far from a one-woman show on the governor's part, as the ad implies.

Northwest Public Radio went on to report that while the ad is not endorsed by any candidate, it is paid for by Time for a Change and that the top contributor is Change PAC. So who's behind Change PAC? The largest cash contributor is the Building Industry Association of Washington, which is a steadfast supporter of Gregoire's opponent in the 2008 race for the governor's mansion, Republican Dino Rossi.

Be leery and check for more context -- and facts -- when you run into such simplistic presentations of complex issues. And remember, both parties do it and it's up to the wary voter to sort things out and cast an informed ballot.

Fact-checking sites can be helpful, especially in national campaigns. But the best method will always be for voters to become fully informed and then make their own decisions.

* Members of the Yakima Herald-Republic editorial board are Michael Shepard, Sarah Jenkins, Bill Lee and Karen Troianello.