Does a composite image showing the Space Shuttle Challenger commander Francis Richard Scobee and the CEO of Cows and Trees, Richard Scobee, prove that the 1986 space shuttle disaster never happened and the astronauts did not die? No, that
Publication: Fact Check
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Majority of US COVID Deaths Among Vaccinated Is NOT Sign Vaccines Are Ineffective
Does data showing that vaccinated people now make up a majority of COVID deaths in the United States mean the vaccines are ineffective? No, that's not true: As of November 29, 2022, more than three-quarters of Americans had received at le
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Dual-Use COVID-19/Influenza A&B Test Does NOT Prove Coronavirus Is Flu
Does a dual-use COVID-19/influenza A&B test prove coronavirus is the flu? No, that's not true: While COVID and influenza are both respiratory ailments, they are caused by different viruses and require different tests. The antigen test
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Vaccines Do NOT Make Boys ‘Think They Should Be GIRLS’ And Do NOT Produce ‘Girls Thinking They Are Boys’
Do vaccines make people identify with a gender other than their gender assigned at birth by changing the composition of that person's DNA? No, that's not true: Vaccines do not change a person's DNA -- they provide immunity against disease
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Military Did NOT Arrest US Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona
Did the U.S. military arrest U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona to charge him with "treason and child endangerment"? No, that's not true: The Posse Comitatus Act of 1878 states that the U.S. military does not serve any roles in ci
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Woman In Social Media Photo Is NOT Balenciaga Stylist Lotta Volkova
Does a photo circulating on social media show Lotta Volkova, a stylist for Paris-based fashion house Balenciaga, which is facing condemnation after releasing an ad campaign featuring children holding stuffed animals in bondage gear? No, t
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Artemis I Orion Spacecraft Did NOT Miss Moon, This Does NOT Prove Earth Is Flat
Does a photo of the Artemis I mission launch show that the rocket missed its target, falling short of the moon -- perhaps dropping into the ocean? No, that's not true: The launch went as planned and the Orion spacecraft orbited Earth once
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: NO Evidence Illegal Immigrants Were Given Citizenship To Vote Democrat
Did the Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services give illegal immigrants citizenship in exchange for voting for Democrats for the rest of their lives? No, that's not true: A Homeland Security repre
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Trident Is NOT A Symbol of Nazism On The Ukrainian Flag
Does a trident superimposed on the gold and blue Ukrainian flag represent membership in, or support for, the Nazi political movement? No, that's not true: The trident is the national symbol of Ukraine that is often added to the country's
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: CNN Did NOT Say That ‘Elon Musk Could Threaten Free Speech On Twitter By Literally Allowing People To Speak Freely’
Did CNN publish an article or a news report stating that "Elon Musk could threaten free speech on Twitter by literally allowing people to speak freely"? No, that's not true: As of November 28, 2022, the CNN website had not published such
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Nigerian Natural ‘Healing Oil’ Does NOT Cure HIV/AIDS
Does a natural "healing oil" from Nigeria advertised on social media cure HIV/AIDS? No, that's not true: While natural treatments are a mainstay of many non-Western medical systems, scientists have not yet discovered any medicine that can
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Microwave Ovens Are NOT Harmful To Human Health
Do household microwave ovens emit levels of radiation high enough to harm human health? No, that's not true: Federal law in the United States obliges microwave oven makers to adhere to radiation emission standards that are too low to caus
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: 50 Million Doses Of Vaccines Were NOT Recalled, Did NOT Give People AIDS
Were 50 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines recalled after giving people AIDS? No, that's not true: These vaccines were from a trial in Australia, where a plan to manufacture 50 million doses was suspended in December 2020 after the vaccin
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: This Video Does NOT Show An Al Jazeera Report About ‘Nazi Ukrainians’ Being ‘Arrested In Qatar’
Does a viral video show Al Jazeera footage of "Nazi Ukrainians" "arrested in Qatar after they drew swastikas on football posters"? No, that's not true: The network denied that it had anything to do with the clip using its logo. More impor
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Apollo 11 Astronaut Buzz Aldrin Did NOT ‘Admit We Never Went To The Moon’
Did Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin "admit we never went to the moon"? No, that's not true: The 2015 video interview from which a clip was taken to support this claim actually showed Aldrin answering a different question. The claim reappe
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: NO Evidence That Russian Ex-President Medvedev Offered To Supply Poland With ‘The Best Air Defence Systems’ In November 2022
Did Russian ex-president and the deputy chair of Russia's Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev, tweet that Moscow "is ready to supply Poland with the best air defence systems to prevent further aggression from Ukraine"? No, that's not true:
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: New COVID Death Data Does NOT Prove Vaccines Are ‘Experimental Toxin’ Causing ‘A Majority Of COVID Deaths’
Does a newly released dataset show that COVID-19 is a deadly "experimental toxin"? And does Dr. Anthony Fauci's resignation have anything to do with it? No, neither are true: the claims recycle old falsehoods based on a distortion of publ
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: COVID-19 Vaccines, PCR Tests Do NOT Make People ‘Magnetic’
Do COVID-19 vaccines or PCR tests make people "magnetic"? No, that's not true. There is no evidence that either of them can increase what is perceived as "magnetism." But theatrical glue, oily skin or body cream can do the trick of making
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: FDA Did NOT Say Using Anything From Nature Is Illegal
Did the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) report that "it is illegal to use anything from nature that is not tested for efficacy and safety"? No, that's not true: The FDA regards herbal supplements as foods, not drugs. Therefore, they ar
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Before-And-After Photos From Ukraine Do NOT Show Evidence Of Propaganda Fakery Or ‘Magically Restored’ Destruction
Is a video montage showing before and after photos of Ukrainian buildings damaged by war -- but restored to their original appearance -- an example of propagandists manipulating photos? No, that's not true: Basic image searching independe
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: US Government Is NOT Giving Away $1,700 Per Week To Stay Home, Stop Monkeypox Spread
Beginning on November 19, 2022, were all U.S. citizens entitled to $1,700 per week if they mitigated the spread of monkeypox by staying home? No, that's not true: No such compensation program is in place and the claim is a set-up for a jo
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: 12-Year-Old Girl’s Grandmother Did NOT Kidnap The Child From Hospital At Gunpoint To Prevent Transgender Surgery
Did a 12-year-old girl's grandmother kidnap her from the hospital at gunpoint to prevent transgender surgery? No, that's not true: The grandmother's attorney told Lead Stories the claim was completely false. The woman was arrested and ple
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: COVID-19 Nasal Test Swabs Do NOT Contain DARPA Hydrogel That Causes Recipients To Be Remotely Controlled
Do COVID-19 nasal test swabs contain both lithium and DARPA hydrogel that allow recipients to be remotely controlled? No, that's not true: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) told Lead Stories that nasal swabs used to test for COVID do
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Lawyer Who Supported COVID Vaccination Did NOT Die From COVID Vaccination
Did Yemi Getachew, an immigration lawyer who posted in support of COVID-19 vaccination, subsequently die from COVID-19 vaccination? No, that's not true: Getachew was diagnosed with cancer and was admitted to hospice care shortly before he
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Four-Year-Olds Are NOT Prescribed Puberty Blockers
Are 4-year-old children prescribed puberty blockers as part of gender-affirming care? No, that's not true: The American Academy of Pediatrics told Lead Stories this claim is "not accurate." Puberty blockers are only prescribed once an ind
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Movie ‘Died Suddenly’ Does NOT Demonstrate That COVID-19 Vaccines Cause Sudden Death
Does the movie "Died Suddenly" demonstrate that COVID-19 vaccinations cause widespread sudden death or severe medical outcomes? No, that's not true: The film recycles previously debunked claims that the vaccine is lethal or dangerous for
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Image Does NOT Show Virginia Man Arrested For Minecraft Military Bases — It’s A Digitally Altered Meme
Does an image widely circulated on social media accurately depict an Anchorage Daily News article about a Virginia man who was arrested for having created "exact replicas of classified US military bases" in the Minecraft video game? No, t
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Trump Did NOT Say He Will Go Back On Twitter When Elon Musk Calls Him Daddy
Did former President Donald Trump say in a post on Truth Social, his social media platform, that he will return to Twitter when Elon Musk, the social media platform's new owner and CEO, calls him "daddy"? No, that's not true: Trump has no
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Doctors ARE Taught About Vaccines In Medical School
Do medical schools neglect to teach future doctors about vaccines, how they're made and their potential dangers? No, that's not true: Vaccine education is a typical part of the training in schools of medicine. Representatives of multiple
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Canadian Doctors Group Did NOT ‘Mandate Psychiatric Medication’ For Unvaccinated
Did Canada or the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario -- a Canadian professional medical association -- "mandate psychiatric medication for those that refuse mRNA injections or any kind of vaccination"? No, that's not true: The
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Donald Trump Did NOT Tweet On November 19, 2022
Did former President Donald Trump tweet on November 19, 2022, for the first time since having his Twitter account reinstated? No, that's not true: He has not tweeted since January 8, 2021. The claim appeared in an Instagram post on Novemb
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: There Is NO Serial Killer Of Girls In Eureka, California, As Of Late November 2022
Did a serial killer murder a half dozen girls in Eureka, California, in the first two weeks of November 2022? No, that's not true: Lead Stories searched Eureka area news sites and found no crime reports or news alerts about this. "This is
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Apple Did NOT Just Delete All Its Tweets
Did Apple delete all its tweets? No, that's not true: While Apple's official Twitter account @Apple is devoid of tweets, it's not because they were deleted. The tech giant doesn't typically tweet, but it does maintain other official Twitt
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Pope Francis Did NOT Write ‘Rivers Do Not Drink Their Own Water’ Quote
Did Pope Francis write an inspirational quote that begins, "Rivers do not drink their own water"? No, that's not true: A Vatican spokeswoman told Lead Stories the quote was not authentic. The same quote is attributed to other spiritual le
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Video Does NOT Show Arizona Ballots Spilling From Trash Cans — Scene Was In Australia Two Months Before US Midterm Elections
Does a video show Arizona ballots falling out of trash can on an escalator, implying possible election fraud? No, that's not true: The footage, taken in Australia, was uploaded two months before the November 2022 Arizona mid-term election
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Seed Oils Are NOT To ‘Blame’ For Being The Primary Risk Factor For Skin Cancers
Do seed oils, not the sun, increase the risks of skin cancer? Was skin cancer "basically non-existent before seed oils"? No, that's not true: Ultraviolet exposure is one of the major factors that may lead to skin cancers, as well as genet
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: McDonald’s Does NOT Use Human Flesh For Hamburgers, Sausages — Video Shows Lamb Roasting
Does a viral image prove that McDonald's uses human flesh for making "hamburgers and sasuages" "worldwide"? No, that's not true: The video screenshot, accompanied by misleading and unrelated hashtags, only shows a lamb being prepared on a
The Dispatch→ Has Iran Executed 15,000 Protesters?
Viral social media posts claim that the government of Iran has sentenced 15,000 protesters to death. The Iranian government has officially confirmed only one execution related to the recent protests in Iran. Human rights activists estima
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: US Navy Did NOT Hang Moderna CEO
Did the U.S. Navy hang Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel at Guantanamo Bay? No, that's not true: This claim comes from a website that identifies itself as a satirical source and regularly publishes fake news. No serious news sites have carried
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Seedless Fruits Do NOT ‘Sterilize’ Humans — NO ‘Terminator Gene’ Removes Seed From Fruits
Does a "terminator gene" exist that creates seedless fruits that "sterilize" or cause infertility in humans who consume these fruits? No, that's not true: Multiple professors who study plant genetics told Lead Stories that these claims ar