Was the $209 billion Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) failure in March 2023 the "first massive bank collapse this century"? No, that's not true: "Washington Mutual is still larger, but SVB was the largest since the Great Recession," Julianne Bre
Publication: Fact Check
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Claim About Biden Having Spent 40 Percent Of His Presidency ‘On Vacation’ Is Missing Context
Is the claim that President Joe Biden has spent 40 percent of his presidency "on vacation" a straightforward statement? No, that's not true: It's missing context. The count includes days the president makes public appearances and days he
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: NO Evidence Copper Bracelets Reduce Blood Sugar, Treat Diabetes
Have copper bracelets made by "CopperHeal" been shown to "significantly reduce" blood sugar and treat diabetes? No, that's not true: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) confirmed to Lead Stories in an email that the agency had not
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Case Study Does NOT Prove Pfizer COVID Vaccine Linked To Fivefold Increase In Cancer Biomarker
Does a medical case study prove there's a link between the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine and a fivefold increase in a cancer biomarker? No, that's not true: The case report looks at one person, a 79-year-old woman with ovarian cancer. It doesn'
The Dispatch→ Fact Check: Does New Orleans Have Any Public Schools Left?
Students attend music class at the Encore Academy charter school in New Orleans. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images) A viral tweet claims “there are no more public schools in New Orleans.” It stems from the idea that charter schools are not public
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Article Does NOT Prove ‘Half-Human, Half-Pig Hybrid Enters World’
Does this article prove a piglet with human features was born between 2015 and March 10, 2023? No, that's not true. The article that reported it relied on the old photos of sculptures created by an Italian artist and provided no other evi
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Putin Did NOT Stop Adrenochrome Shipment Being Sent To U.S. — It’s A Fabricated Story
Did Russian President Vladimir Putin intercept an adrenochrome shipment that was in transit to the United States? No, that's not true: The claim contains a hodgepodge of conspiracy theories and it originated in an outlet known for publish
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Elon Musk Did NOT Endorse A Remedy Called Shilajit — Video Altered With Cloned Voice
Did Elon Musk endorse a remedy called shilajit? No, that's not true: This video clip of Musk speaking at the Ted2022 Conference has been dubbed with a sound-alike clone copy of Musk's voice to make it appear he was touting shilajit, when
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Patrick Mahomes Was NOT Suspended By The NFL — It’s A Fake Story That Leads To An Advertisement
Was Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes indefinitely suspended by the NFL? No, that's not true: The claim in a social media post has a "Learn more" link that goes to a fake ESPN page promoting an "off-market supplement." The fa
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: All Senior Citizens CANNOT Get Free $3,500 Grocery Card From Medicare In 2023
Can all senior citizens get a free $3,500 grocery card from Medicare in 2023? No, that's not true: Neither the government nor Medicare are offering a free grocery card valued at $3,500 to all senior citizens in the United States. The clos
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Caption NOT Correct: Video Shows NATO Equipment Being Shipped To US From Europe
Does the caption on a video on social media correctly state that the video shows NATO military equipment arriving in Europe? No, that's not true: These vehicles were preparing to leave Europe. The video shows U.S. Army vehicles from the 3
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Acupressure Massages Do NOT Relieve Asthma
Do acupressure massages on a person's hands and legs relieve their asthma? No, that's not true: The director of the Asthma and Allergy Clinic at the pediatric hospital Children's Wisconsin told Lead Stories, "Massage therapy has not been
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Lincoln Did NOT Say ‘The Best Way To Predict Your Future Is To Create It’
Did Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the U.S., advise the public on how to predict the future by suggesting that they should create it, instead? No, that's not true: The quote is not authentic, the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Libra
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Elon Musk Did NOT Tweet Bill Gates ‘Doesn’t Know How To Code’
Did tech entrepreneur Elon Musk "expose" the professional incompetency of Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates in a series of tweets on March 2, 2023? No, that's not true: An archived version of Musk's Twitter account does not contain any entr
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: TikTok Video Is NOT Real Bill Gates TV Interview – It’s Deepfake Of Australian Show
Did Sarah Ferguson, the host of the Australian daily current affairs news program "7.30," pose several testy and loaded questions to Bill Gates when she interviewed him, resulting in Gates finally declaring, "OK that's enough. This interv
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Hungary Is NOT Preparing To Prosecute ‘Lifelong Nazi’ George Soros
Is Hungary preparing to prosecute "lifelong Nazi" George Soros? No, that's not true: The claim, posted by a prolific publisher of fake news, is based on a single anonymous source. It repeats the oft-debunked claim that financier and phila
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Elon Musk Did NOT Ban Greta Thunberg From Twitter — It’s Satirical Story
Did Elon Musk ban activist Greta Thunberg from Twitter? No, that's not true: Thunberg's Twitter account is still active. The claim appears in a publication with a disclaimer that its satirical articles are "not meant to be taken seriously
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: It’s NOT Unnatural For Humans To Get Sick, Thoughts Do NOT Cure All Sickness
Are humans never supposed to get sick and does the power of the human mind heal all sickness? No, that's not true: Medical experts have identified several causes of diseases other than human thoughts that affect the human body. The claim
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: X-Rated Mickey Mouse Video NOT ‘Old @Disney Reel’ – It’s Forged Version Of ‘Steamboat Willie’
Is Mickey Mouse "clearly massaging his massive erection" in a video described on social media as an "old @Disney reel"? No, that's not true: A former Disney animator called the short clip a "forgery." The NSFW video takes isolated charact
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: NO Evidence Jacob Chansley, The ‘QAnon Shaman,’ Was Led Through Capitol By Police Entire Time He Was In Building On Jan. 6, 2021
Was Jacob Chansley, aka the "QAnon Shaman," led through the Capitol by police the entire time he was in the building on January 6, 2021? No, there's no evidence that's true: Chansley broke into the building, where he ignored repeated requ
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Plane Crash Victims Were NOT Headed To East Palestine, Ohio, To Investigate Train Derailment
Were the victims of an Arkansas plane crash on their way to East Palestine, Ohio, to test the water, soil and air after a train carrying toxic chemicals derailed there? No, that's not true: The five victims, employees of CTEH -- an enviro
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: NO Record Einstein Said ‘I Fear The Day That Technology Will Surpass Our Human Interaction’
Did Albert Einstein say, "I fear the day that technology will surpass our human interaction. The world will have a generation of idiots"? No, that's not true: Archival experts told Lead Stories that there is "no evidence" of such a quote
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Transgender Identity And Gender Diversity Are NOT Exclusively Modern Western Phenomena
Are transgender people and gender fluidity "products" of modern Western civilization? No, that's not true: Non-binary gender expression in many communities across the globe throughout history has been documented and researched. Professor
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: ‘Sandy UFO’ Was NOT Caught On Camera — It’s Special Effects From Movie ‘Nope’
Was a massive "sandy UFO" caught on camera? No, that's not true: This footage is not real; it's special effects graphics in the 2022 sci-fi horror movie "Nope," directed by Jordan Peele. A short video clip was published on Instagram by @y
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Moon Is NOT Inhabited By 250 Million ‘Humanoid Aliens’
Did a "confidential source" find more than 250 million "humanoid aliens" living on the moon? No, that's not true: NASA told Lead Stories they have not yet found any sound evidence of extraterrestrial life. The key word "humanoid" implies
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Sandford Police NOT Looking For Red Car Driver In Motorcycle Accident Involving Three-Legged Dog
Are the "Sandford Police" in the U.K. looking for information on the identity of the driver of a red car allegedly committing a "Dangerous Driving offence" by stopping for a three-legged dog crossing the street and having a motorcycle sma
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Black Sesame Seeds CANNOT Heal ‘All Chronic Illnesses After 100 Days’
Can taking black sesame seeds heal "all chronic illnesses after 100 days"? No, that's not true: There are no cures for many chronic illnesses, from heart disease to cancer to diabetes, and the simple treatment of eating black sesame seeds
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: ‘Vitamin’ B17 Was NOT Banned For Its ‘Cancer-Killing Properties’ — Substance Doesn’t Have Any But Is Highly Toxic
Was "vitamin" B17 prohibited for its "cancer-killing properties"? No, that's not true: The only thing it is known for is its ability to cause cyanide poisoning, not to treat cancer. Also, what social media refers to as a "vitamin" is not
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Children’s Hospital Of Philadelphia Does NOT Offer ‘Gender Affirming’ Care Directly To 3-Year-Olds — Only To Parents
Does Children's Hospital of Philadelphia offer "gender-affirming" support, including surgical or hormonal procedures, directly to children as young as 3 years old? No, that's not true: The hospital's Gender and Sexuality Development Progr
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Study Did NOT Find Dangerous Levels Of Heavy Metals In Pink Himalayan Salt
Did a 2020 Australian study find dangerous levels of heavy metals in pink Himalayan salt? No, that's not true: Although the study found metal contaminants, all pink salt samples in the study -- with the exception of one, from Peru -- were
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Posts On These Pages Are NOT Helping To Rescue Missing Migrants — They Are Used To Fleece Their Families
Is Migrante rescatado en Frontera N.A. a Facebook page to help search for missing migrants? No, that's not true: The page with over 8,000 followers claims to help families find their missing loved ones on the U.S.-Mexico border. But exper
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: NO Evidence New Zealand’s ‘Biggest Increase In Registered Deaths In 100 Years’ Related To COVID Vaccine
Is the "biggest increase in registered deaths in 100 years" in New Zealand due to the nation's high vaccination rate? No, that's not true: "There is absolutely no evidence that the increase in mortality in 2022 is related to Covid-19 vacc
The Dispatch→ Fact Check: Did Zelensky Attend a 1999 Pride Parade in New York?
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (Photo by Genya Savilov/AFP/Getty Images.) A photograph circulating online purports to show Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his former adviser Oleksiy Arestovych at a New York pride parade. The image ha
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: NO Evidence Ukrainian Children Are Being Punished For Questioning Zelenskyy
Is there evidence that children in Ukraine are being punished for questioning Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy? No, that's not true: Lead Stories found no information that supported this statement. Additionally, an image used to su
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: NO ‘Premeditated Murder’ Arrest Warrant Issued For Bill Gates In Philippines COVID Vaccine Rollout — ‘Heinous Crimes Court’ Does Not Exist
Was an arrest warrant for Bill Gates issued by the "Heinous Crimes Court" in the Philippines for "premeditated murder" linked to vaccine roll out? No, that's not true: A legal expert told Lead Stories, "Philippine courts do not have the a
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: NO Evidence Putin ‘Ordered The Destruction Of All Covid-19 Vaccine Stockpiles On Russian Soil’
Did Russian President Vladimir Putin order the destruction of all COVID-19 vaccine supplies in Russia? No, that's not true. The claim originated from a website known for spreading false claims, and no other independent credible source has
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: COVID-19 Vaccine Is NOT Linked To ‘Nearly Doubled’ Stillbirths In Singapore — Law Changed How Stillbirths Are Registered
Did COVID-19 vaccines lead to the number of stillbirths being "nearly doubled" in Singapore? No, that's not true: The former journalist who posted the claim retracted it on his blog, noting that he missed the fact a law change in Singapor
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Video Does NOT Show China Has Cloned Dinosaurs — These Are Animatronic Theme-Park Attractions
Does a video on social media show that China has successfully cloned several species of dinosaurs? No, that's not true: The video's clips, shot at different locations, show Jurassic-Park-themed animatronics and puppetry. The dinosaurs are
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Stray Dog Was NOT Found By Police And Up For Adoption — Post Is A Real Estate Scam
Did police in Charlottesville, Virginia pick up a homeless dogcalled Chloe and offer her for adoption when the owner refused to take her back? No, that's not true: The post that makes this claim is deceptively using a picture of a Texas a
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: ‘Bombshell New Study’ Does NOT Prove That mRNA ‘Jabs’ Have Caused ‘Tens Of Millions Of Serious New Health Problems Worldwide’
Did a "bombshell new study" prove that mRNA "jabs" have "caused tens of millions of serious new health problems worldwide," including a condition known as postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS)? No, that's not true: The 2022 stu