Did a "local man" singlehandedly shoot down "in an EXTRAORDINARY act of vigilantism" the "Chinese spy balloon" recently flying over the continental United States? No, that's not true: The meme that makes this vigilante claim shows a comed
Publication: Fact Check
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Video Does NOT Show 2023 Southern Turkey Earthquake — It’s 2021 Condo Collapse In Surfside, Florida
Does video footage posted on social media show a tall apartment building in southern Turkey collapsing from the 7.8 magnitude earthquake on February 6, 2023? No, that's not true: This footage is not recent and is not from Turkey. It shows
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: NO Evidence ‘DoctorTruth Batana Oil’ Reverses Hair Loss
Does "DoctorTruth batana oil" reverse hair loss and potentially stimulate hair growth? No, that's not true: A board-certified dermatologist said he does not recommend it, and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) told Lead Stories batana
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: This Video Does NOT Show President Biden Making Transphobic Remarks — Audio Is Digitally Manipulated
Did President Joe Biden go on a transphobic rant live on national television? No, that's not true: A viral video mimicking his manner of speech had the authentic sound replaced with a made-up voice-over, probably utilizing a deep fake tec
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: BMJ Paper Does NOT Show COVID Vaccine Causes 5x More Myocarditis Than Virus, 10X More In Youths
Does a new paper published in BMJ Medicine show that the COVID vaccine causes five times more myocarditis than the COVID virus and 10 times more in young people? No, that's not true: One of the study's authors told Lead Stories in a Febru
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Letter Demanding Ukraine Refugee Info From Hosts Did NOT Come From UK Government Department — It’s A Fake
Did a British government department ask families hosting Ukrainian refugees to report adult males to the Ukrainian embassy in January 2023? No, that's not true. A spokesperson for the UK Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communitie
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Reflexology Does NOT Improve Kidney Function
Does the reflexology practice of interlocking and tugging the little fingers improve kidney function? No, that's not true. No authoritative sources suggest that reflexology is an effective tool for enhancing kidney function. The claim app
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Pandemics Do NOT Happen Every 100 Years
Do pandemics happen every 100 years? No, that's not true: A post making the claim cherry-picks disease outbreaks, excluding obvious examples. It also misrepresents basic facts about the pandemics it does list, including the years in which
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Elon Musk Did NOT Threaten To Block DirecTV’s Satellites — It’s Satire
Did Elon Musk threaten in a series of tweets to block DirecTV's satellite dishes after the TV provider banned NewsMax from their channel lineup? No, that's not true: The story is labeled satire on the website that published it. SpaceXMani
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Chicken Egg Yolk Antibodies (IgYs) Research Is NOT Connected To Farm Fires — Study Was About Eggs From Hens Immunized For Testing
Does a 2020 study published before the approval of any COVID-19 vaccine prove the existence of a conspiracy to burn chicken farms to prevent populations from getting access to eggs that allegedly can protect from COVID? No, that's not tru
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Study Provides NO Conclusive Evidence Vitamin D Protects Against COVID-19
Does a study released in early 2023 provide conclusive proof that vitamin D greatly reduces the risk of being admitted to a hospital's intensive care unit due to COVID-19? No, that's not true: While vitamin D is known to have a role in th
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Elon Musk NOT Endorsing Quantum Ai Crypto Platform Despite Falsified CBC Report
Did business mogul Elon Musk and Canadian celebrities endorse the "new" cryptocurrency platform Quantum Ai, according to a video supposedly from the CBC? No, that's not true: CBC News told Lead Stories that they did not publish the video
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Walmart Is NOT Giving $500 To Customers For Selling ‘Contaminated Water’
Is Walmart giving $500 to shoppers because the retailer sold "contaminated" water last year? No, that's not true: There is no evidence that Walmart has sold contaminated water or that they're compensating their customers. Walmart's corpor
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: RNA Technology Is NOT Causing Chickens To Have Fertility Problems, Eggs NOT Unsafe For Human Consumption
Is the same RNA technology found in COVID-19 shots now being added to chicken feed, causing the poultry that eats it to have fertility problems? No, that's not true: "Commercial feed manufacturers are not adding RNA to chicken feed," a sp
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: ‘Safe Blood Donation’ Blood Bank Is NOT Open in 16 Countries, Does NOT Offer Unvaccinated ‘Pure Blood’
Has an international blood bank called Safe Blood Donation been opened in at least 16 countries to offer "pure blood," free of COVID-19 vaccines? No, that's not true: A disclaimer on the company's website says the Safe Blood Donation bloo
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Sarah Palin Did NOT Endorse ‘Dental Giveback’ Program For Seniors
Did U.S. politician Sarah Palin endorse a "dental giveback" program for seniors? No, that's not true: The video of the former governor of Alaska is an edited version of a Cameo video she had previously recorded for a different purpose. Th
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: NO Evidence A ‘Tractor Trailer Worth’ Of Classified Biden Documents Found At University Of Delaware — Collection Is Closed
Has a "tractor trailer worth" of classified documents from President Joe Biden been found at the University of Delaware? No, there's no evidence that's true: Although the school has a vast collection of Biden's papers from his 36 years in
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Starch Does NOT Cause Calcium Carbonate Buildup
Is "Dr." Sebi correct that eating starch causes a buildup of calcium carbonate in the body? No, that's not true: Two registered dietician nutritionists told Lead Stories that starch does not have this effect. Calcium carbonate is a natura
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: British Museums Have NOT Banned The Word ‘Mummy’ As Of February 2, 2023
Was the word "mummy" banned in British museums to avoid "dehumanising" the remains? No, that's not true: As of this writing, The British Museum still used the word to describe exhibits. Yet at least two other U.K. museums decided to adjus
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: BMC Study Did NOT Prove 217,000 (or 278,000) Americans Died From COVID Vaccines
Did a peer-reviewed study find that at least 217,000 Americans have died after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine? No, that's not true: A published study that suggested "the total number of fatalities due to COVID-19 inoculation may be as high
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Robin Roberts Of ‘Good Morning America’ Did NOT Die As Of February 1, 2023 — Post Is A Bait And Switch
Did Robin Roberts, the longtime co-host of ABC Television's "Good Morning America" (GMA) die on January 30, 2023? No, that's not true: As of February 1, 2023, Roberts remained alive and well, and actively posting on Instagram from New Zea
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Damar Hamlin Did NOT Die On Field, NFL NOT Covering It Up
Did football player Damar Hamlin die on the field in early January 2023 and is the NFL covering it up? No, that's not true: Hamlin, a safety for the Buffalo Bills, did collapse in a game against the Cincinnati Bengals but was revived by m
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Celebrities Did NOT Call For ‘Total Hollywood Strike’ Until Everyone Is Vaccinated
Did celebrities call for a "total Hollywood strike" until everyone is vaccinated against COVID-19? No, that's not true: The claim, posted by a prolific publisher of fake news, is based on a fake tweet purportedly from the Academy of Motio
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Medicare Does NOT Offer Recipients A $2,888 Benefit Card For Food
Are seniors on Medicare eligible for a benefits card that provides $2,888 in food assistance? No, that's not true: Medicare, the federal health insurance program for senior Americans, does not offer food benefit cards. The claim is a ruse
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: NO Evidence Linking Bill Gates To Egg Shortage In US
Did Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates or any of the business entities affiliated with him cause an egg shortage in the U.S.? No, that's not true: There is no evidence to support this theory. The claim appeared in a video on Instagram on Jan
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Hellmann’s Mayonnaise NOT Being Discontinued In The United States, Canada And Most Other Countries
Is Hellmann's mayonnaise being discontinued in the United States, Canada and other countries around the globe? No, that's not true: Hellmann's will not be available for sale in South Africa, but there is no change in any other country, a
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: NO Evidence That Black Seed Powder, Organic Honey And Lemon Cures Cancer
Do the ingredients black seed powder, organic honey and organic lemon cure any cancer? No, that's not true: A clinical dietician told Lead Stories that none of these foods are a cure for cancer. A Food and Drug Administration (FDA) spokes
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Disney Does NOT Give Away $1 Tickets For ‘Women Born Before 1980’
Is Disney giving away $1 tickets for "women born before 1980"? No, that's not true: The company's website contains no mentions of this alleged promo campaign. The claim appears to be a bait likely aimed at making users share their persona
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: US Government Did NOT Say 5G Causes COVID-19 — Link To Retracted Paper Is NO Endorsement
Did the U.S. government say that 5G causes COVID-19? No, that's not true: The study cited by the article making the claim was retracted several years earlier. The Journal of Biological Regulators and Homeostatic Agents made the retraction
The Dispatch→ Fact Check: Are ‘White Women’ the Greatest Threat to World Peace?
A digitally altered image based on a Fox News graphic. A screenshot of a Fox News graphic circulating online has been digitally altered. The image purports to show a poll conducted in Germany by data analytics firm YouGov that asked respondents for the
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Costco Is NOT Giving Away $500 To Female Victims Of Gender Discrimination
Did a court rule that all female victims of gender discrimination by Costco can receive a $500 grocery credit from the membership warehouse club? No, that's not true: There is no evidence that Costco is giving out $500 credits to anyone.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Black Americans Are NOT Descendants Of North America’s Original Indigenous Inhabitants
Are Black Americans descended from the original indigenous inhabitants of North America and not from enslaved persons taken from Africa? No, that's not true: This notion descends from the Moorish Science Temple, a pseudoscience organizati
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: John F. Kennedy’s Secret Service Driver Did NOT Kill Former President
Did the driver for John F. Kennedy, Secret Service Agent William Greer, turn around and shoot the former president when JFK was assassinated in Dallas in November 1963? No, that's not true: A video posted on social media that makes this c
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: US Marines And FBI Did NOT ‘Clash’ At Camp Pendleton, California
Did FBI agents "clash" with U.S. Marine Corps guards at Camp Pendleton in California? No, that's not true: There is no evidence that such a "clash" happened. Real Raw News, which originated the claim, has a history of writing false storie
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Giant Snake Wrapped Around Iveco Van Is NOT Real — Prop Python Is Chinese Installation
Is a video showing two people trying to help a man break free from the grasp of a giant python that has swallowed his entire head real? No, that's not true: This giant snake wrapped around a white Iveco van is not real, but a novelty prop
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: NO Evidence Drinking Coffee Causes Cancer, Experts Say
Does regularly consuming a cup of java increase the odds of developing cancer thanks to the chemical acrylamide in the brew? No, that's not true: Repeated medical studies have found no link between acrylamide and cancer, the National Canc
The Dispatch→ Fact Checking a Map That Depicts Part of Ukraine as Polish Territory
This map shows an accurate depiction of Poland and Ukrainian territory. (Photo from Getty Images.) An image circulating online purports to show a weather map that depicts Polish territory extending well into Western Ukraine. The image is fake. A hi
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Videos Do NOT Show People ‘Dropping Suddenly’ Because Of The COVID Vaccine
Does a collection of video clips show people "dropping suddenly" because of the COVID vaccine? No, that's not true: Almost all of the clips in a post making that implication predate the vaccine, meaning there is no way the people seen stu
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Fluoride In Drinking Water Is NOT Unsafe, NOT Ineffective In Preventing Tooth Decay
Is fluoride a toxic chemical that is neither safe or effective at preventing tooth decay? No, that's not true: In the right concentrations fluoride is a safe and effective tool for preventing tooth decay, although overexposure to high lev
The Dispatch→ Is Harvard Medical School Teaching Students to Treat ‘LGBTQIA+’ Infants?
Harvard Medical School. (Photo by: Sergi Reboredo/VW Pics/Universal Images Group /Getty Images.)The treatments in question are only for intersex babies. The post Is Harvard Medical School Teaching Students to Treat ‘LGBTQIA+’ Infants? appeared fi