2026-04-07 Did Russian President Vladimir Putin say "Don't dare to touch the Strait of Hormuz" on April 1, 2026? No, that's not true: The posts attributing those words to him originated from self-described satire and parody accounts. The fake story Go to site post…»

2026-04-06 Does a video show American F-15 pilot Col. David Eberly after he was captured by Iran in April 2026? No, that's not true: The video shared on social media in the days after an American F-15 fighter jet was shot down during a mission over Go to site post…»

2026-04-03 Does a viral image actually show a U.S. Army helicopter that crashed in Iran on April 3, 2026? No, that's not true: The picture was online more than a year earlier. It was published in Honduras in March 2025. The claim appeared in a post Go to site post…»

2026-04-02 We agree with some very prominent people. Here's our proposal... Fact Checking Day on April 2, 2026 marks almost a year since Lead Stories published our last fact check as part of Meta's Third-Party Fact Checking Partnership. Since that d Go to site post…»

2026-04-01 Oh, joy! It is the most wonderful day of the year (if you are a fact checker)... April Fool's Day is upon us, that day when every outlet, brand, influencer and Internet jokester under the sun tries to come up with something original to fo Go to site post…»

2026-03-30 Does a viral post prove that participants of the "No Kings" rallies in March 2026 were paid hourly to protest? No, that's not true: The claim purporting to show the first-person statement of a real protester was first posted by an account Go to site post…»

2026-03-27 Does a video of a burning ship actually show an oil tanker hit in the Strait of Hormuz on March 27, 2026? No, that's not true: No credible news organizations reported an oil tanker being hit in the Strait of Hormuz on that day. The video Go to site post…»

2026-03-20 Did Chuck Norris die on March 19, 2026? Yes, that's true: His family released the statement cited by multiple credible media organizations. Previously, the actor had been the subject of multiple death hoaxes. The news was reported in an a Go to site post…»

2026-03-17 Do social media posts prove that the Israeli Prime Minister's office reused a photo originally published on Feb. 4, 2026? No, that's not true: The claim appears to have been based on a known Google image search glitch, not evidence of pho Go to site post…»

2026-03-16 Does the screen of the coffee shop register in a video recently shared by Benjamin Netanyahu show a date stamp from 2024? No, that's not true: Lead Stories examined the highest resolution version of Netanyahu's video. The date stamp visib Go to site post…»

2026-03-16 Does a viral image show Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shaking hands with Israeli Defense Forces soldiers in March 2026 amid rumors of his death? No, that's not true: The photo has been online since 2018. As of this writing, no Go to site post…»

2026-03-09 Does a viral clip show the house fire that killed Iddo Netanyahu, brother of the Israeli prime minister? No, that's not true: That footage was uploaded online weeks before the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28, 2026. The clip revie Go to site post…»

2026-03-04 Does a viral video show a real-life scene from Tel Aviv when the city was hit with Iranian missiles in March 2026? No, that's not true: The clip originated from an account that disclosed the video was generated by AI. Both online AI detec Go to site post…»

2026-03-03 Does a viral video show soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo leaving a resort in Dubai after an Iranian missile hit his car in March 2026? No, that's not true: The clip predates the most recent escalation in the Middle East. The original video Go to site post…»

2026-03-02 Is a video of coffins arriving in the US showing soldiers that were killed in an attack in Kuwait in March 2026 during the U.S. attack on Iran? No, that's not true: The video is from December 2025. It shows the dignified transfer of two N Go to site post…»

2026-03-02 Does a video show women in Iran removing burqas and then burning pictures of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei after he died in U.S.-Israeli strikes in February 2026? No, that's not true: The clip being shared does not show people in Go to site post…»

2026-02-28 Does a video of a fire recorded from a balcony in Tel Aviv show the aftermath of a missile attack on Israel on February 28, 2026? No, that's not true: The video was shared on social media on October 26, 2024, and there was no claim that a Go to site post…»

2026-02-28 Were there any official reports about former National Security Advisor John Bolton dying in the wake of airstrikes on Iran late February 2026? No, that's not true: The claim was only made in a likely satirical social media post. There wer Go to site post…»

2026-02-25 Did Devarjaye "DJ" Daniel, the brain cancer survivor whom President Trump made an honorary Secret Service agent, die on February 23, 2026? No, that's not true: As of Feb. 25, 2026, there was no evidence that DJ had died. Following similar Go to site post…»

2026-02-25 Does a viral image of Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi wearing "Don't ban insider trading" lapel sticker show what she wore to the 2026 State of the Union speech by President Donald Trump? No, that's not true: A picture of her was digitally edi Go to site post…»

2026-02-13 Does a viral video show real reactions of the people who watched Bad Bunny's 2026 Super Bowl halftime show in the stadium? No, that's not true: The clip was marked as containing AI generated media. The video showed characteristic, AI-asso Go to site post…»

2026-02-12 Did the website pizzaamorestthomas.com that is mentioned in a 2015 email in the Epstein files look in February 2026 as it did in 2015 when the email was sent? No, that's not true: A prankster re-registered the expired domain name in 2026 Go to site post…»

2026-02-05 Did the Epstein files contain an email discussing the beginning of World War III, scheduled to start on Feb. 8, 2026, as a viral image implied? No, that's not true: No email with the phrases "ww3" and "investmentt opp (nuclear)" could be Go to site post…»

2026-02-03 Does a viral image on social media prove that Justice Department files show Jeffrey Epstein once wrote that Donald Trump calls "black girls" "boogers"? No, that's not true: Multiple searches across the Department of Justice website did no Go to site post…»

2026-01-31 Was there an email thread with Elon Musk and Jeffrey Epstein discussing an "epic island vacation" included in the latest release from the "Epstein Files" as implied by a viral image? No, that's not true: No email with the phrase "epic isl Go to site post…»

2026-01-19 Is a video of Erika Kirk jumping on stage at the Rolling Loud Orlando 2026 event using a power boosted lift real? No, that's not true: The video is an AI-generated compilation using footage from South Korean rapper Psy's publicly availabl Go to site post…»

2026-01-02 Does a video show Iran's crown prince-in-exile Reza Pahlavi being cheered in Cairo, Egypt, as protests in Iran intensified in January 2026? No, that's not true: The video shows Pahlavi being cheered in Oxford, England in February 2023. A Go to site post…»

2026-01-02 Did BMW launch a motorized unicycle at the 2026 Tech Expo? No, that's not true: The AI-generated video was published by a channel with a disclaimer that they "explore the future of technology, artificial intelligence, and robotics." This Go to site post…»