Soon after positive omicron COVID-19 cases exploded across the U.S., hospitalizations followed. Many states are seeing their highest levels of COVID-19-related hospitalizations since the start of the pandemic nearly two years ago. […] The post
Publication: fact checking
Poynter→ New Jan. 6 revelations on Ray Epps, others undercut Tucker Carlson’s FBI conspiracy theory
The House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol dealt a fact-based blow to efforts to rebrand the insurrection as a false flag orchestrated by the FBI. The […] The post New Jan. 6 revelations on Ray Epps, others u
Poynter→ Fauci said all you have to do is ask for his financial disclosure. But it could take a while.
Critics of Dr. Anthony Fauci — the government’s top infectious-disease adviser — hint that he profited from the COVID-19 pandemic. Without evidence, they’ve raised questions about whether Fauci made any stock trades […] The post Fauci s
Poynter→ How will we know when the COVID-19 pandemic is over?
Fox News host Greg Gutfeld was riffing about a COVID-related standoff keeping Chicago teachers out of the classroom when he made a bold claim about the state of the COVID-19 […] The post How will we know when the COVID-19 pandemic is over? appear
Poynter→ Social media claims distort CDC director Rochelle Walensky’s comment about COVID-19 deaths and comorbidities
Dr. Rochelle Walensky, one of the nation’s top public-health officials, shared encouraging news in a TV interview about the effectiveness of vaccines in preventing COVID-19 deaths. But social media posts […] The post Social media claims distort
Poynter→ Is a cloth mask effective enough against the omicron variant?
The highly transmissible omicron variant is sweeping through the U.S., causing a huge spike in COVID-19 cases and overwhelming many hospital systems. Besides urging Americans to get vaccinated and boosted, […] The post Is a cloth mask effective e
Poynter→ Claims that Bob Saget died due to a COVID-19 vaccine booster are unfounded
Actor and comic Bob Saget was found dead on Jan. 9 in a hotel room in Orlando, a day after he had performed a set there. The county sheriff’s office tweeted that […] The post Claims that Bob Saget died due to a COVID-19 vaccine booster are un
Poynter→ Over 80 fact-checking organizations sign letter urging YouTube to address misinformation on its platform
Over 80 fact-checking organizations operating across more than 60 countries signed an open letter to YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki Wednesday, calling on the company to take stronger measures to fight […] The post Over 80 fact-checking organizations
Poynter→ An open letter to YouTube’s CEO from the world’s fact-checkers
Ms. Susan Wojcicki, It’s been almost two years since the COVID-19 pandemic started. The world has seen time and time again how destructive disinformation and misinformation can be for social […] The post An open letter to YouTube’s CEO from t
Poynter→ Dana Perino falsely claimed a Virginia law that restricts military-gear purchases hurt I-95 recovery efforts
Hundreds of motorists were left stranded in freezing temperatures on Interstate 95 in Virginia, some for more than 24 hours, after heavy snowfall led to multiple crashes and slowed emergency response. The […] The post Dana Perino falsely claime
Poynter→ Fact-checking Sonia Sotomayor’s figures on kids with severe COVID-19
Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor incorrectly cited statistics about serious cases of COVID-19 among children during oral arguments over the Biden administration’s efforts to mandate vaccines for certain Americans. “We […] The post Fa
Poynter→ No, Tylenol doesn’t ruin your ability to fight COVID-19
As the highly transmissible omicron variant fuels a surge of COVID-19 cases across the country, treatment advice has ramped up on social media. Some users are warning against the use […] The post No, Tylenol doesn’t ruin your ability to fight C
Poynter→ A year of false narratives about the Jan. 6 Capitol attack, summarized
On Jan. 6, 2021, PolitiFact journalists were waiting to fact-check comments from senators and House members as they counted electoral votes and certified Joe Biden as president. Instead we watched, […] The post A year of false narratives about th
Poynter→ The judge in the Ghislaine Maxwell trial did not seal ‘all evidence and proof’
Despite the fact that Ghislaine Maxwell’s trial was conducted in public and open to the media, and Maxwell was convicted on federal sex trafficking charges, false claims persist that a coverup is afoot. In one viral […] The post The judge
Poynter→ Claims that six-month Pfizer data show its COVID-19 vaccine causes more illness than it prevents are false
A headline widely shared on Facebook alleges that Pfizer’s own data show that the company’s COVID-19 vaccine causes more harm than good. “Alarming Six Month Pfizer Data Show COVID Vaccine […] The post Claims that six-month Pfizer data s
Poynter→ No, public health officials aren’t passing off the common cold as the omicron variant
In February 2020, as the earliest COVID-19 cases cropped up in the U.S., the late conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh told his listeners there was no need to worry. “The […] The post No, public health officials aren’t passing off the co
Poynter→ These 6 tips will help you spot misinformation online
I’ll never forget the moment the mob breached the walls of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. As a senior multimedia reporter with MediaWise, I was tracking misinformation about the […] The post These 6 tips will help you spot misinformation online ap
Poynter→ A BBC reporting error is not proof the network was part of an ‘inside job’ on 9/11
A longstanding conspiracy theory about the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks has resurfaced on social media. A widely shared Instagram post claims that a video from British public broadcaster BBC shows that the network […] The post A BBC repo
Poynter→ An anti-vaccine website is misusing VAERS data to spread fears about vaccine’s impact on fetal health
An article from an anti-vaccine website claims that thousands of fetuses died after their mothers were administered the COVID-19 vaccine during pregnancy. “2,809 Dead Babies in VAERS Following COVID Shots […] The post An anti-vaccine websit
Poynter→ PolitiFact’s 2021 Lie of the Year: Lies about the Jan. 6 Capitol attack and its significance
Shortly after 2 p.m. on Jan. 6, supporters of President Donald J. Trump breached the U.S. Capitol, turning the seat of American democracy into the scene of an unforgettable crime. […] The post PolitiFact’s 2021 Lie of the Year: Lies about t
Poynter→ Fauci did not say he wants Americans to get 4 COVID-19 vaccine doses each year
Amid conversations and speculation about how many COVID-19 vaccine shots may ultimately be necessary to ward off the virus and its variants, some people are sharing a headline about Dr. […] The post Fauci did not say he wants Americans to get 4 C
Poynter→ Fact-checking Glenn Beck’s claim that the US government ‘co-owns’ the COVID-19 vaccine
In an episode of Glenn Beck’s Blaze TV program that has been clipped and widely shared on Facebook and TikTok, Beck holds up a stack of papers for the camera. “This is […] The post Fact-checking Glenn Beck’s claim that the US governme
Poynter→ Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said the COVID-19 vaccine is the ‘deadliest vaccine ever made.’ That’s not true.
COVID-19 ushered in the biggest vaccination campaign in history. And a relentless disinformation campaign about vaccines quickly followed. One of the latest controversial statements about the vaccines came from Robert […] The post Robert F. Kenne
Poynter→ No, Beyonce and Kanye West aren’t Ghislaine Maxwell’s co-defendants in her human trafficking trial
A court document circulating on social media is being shared out of context and misleading some people to believe that Ghislaine Maxwell, the socialite accused of trafficking girls to have […] The post No, Beyonce and Kanye West aren’t Ghislain
Poynter→ Many reporters are covering the Ghislaine Maxwell trial, despite claims otherwise
Since Ghislaine Maxwell’s trial started on Nov. 29, misinformation has spread about how the sex trafficking case is playing out in the courtroom. We’ve already debunked claims that a late […] The post Many reporters are covering the Ghislaine
Poynter→ That viral Christmas card of former President Donald Trump isn’t really his card
People are decking their social media feeds with a viral Christmas card of former President Donald Trump. The card, shared in a Facebook post, shows an image of Trump dressed in […] The post That viral Christmas card of former President Donald T
Poynter→ Is it time to change the definition of ‘fully vaccinated’ to include boosters?
As more indoor venues require proof of vaccination for entrance and with winter — as well as omicron, a new COVID-19 variant — looming, scientists and public health officials are debating […] The post Is it time to change the definition of â
Poynter→ COVID-19 vaccines are not gene therapy and a Forbes article doesn’t say they are
After an opinion column was published by Forbes, glee emanated from people who believed it to prove an often-disproven claim: that COVID-19 vaccines are actually gene therapy. “Pretty sure I […] The post COVID-19 vaccines are not gene thera
Poynter→ Hannity falsely claimed the US ‘didn’t import a single barrel’ of Saudi oil pre-pandemic under Trump
Rattling off a list of praises for former President Donald Trump during an interview with Donald Trump Jr., Fox News host Sean Hannity falsely claimed that under Trump, the U.S. completely scrapped […] The post Hannity falsely claimed the US â€
Poynter→ Many news outlets, not just Reuters, reported on the mild symptoms of omicron infections in South Africa
Amid fears about the new omicron coronavirus variant, a claim is being shared on social media that news outlets are failing to report that, in fact, a doctor who discovered […] The post Many news outlets, not just Reuters, reported on the mild sy
Poynter→ The omicron variant’s name comes from the Greek alphabet and is not evidence of a COVID-19 hoax
On Nov. 26, the World Health Organization classified a new coronavirus variant as a variant of concern. It’s called omicron, following a decision that the WHO announced in May to […] The post The omicron variant’s name comes from the Greek al
Poynter→ Kyle Rittenhouse didn’t sue ‘The View’ hosts Joy Behar and Whoopi Goldberg
Since Kyle Rittenhouse was acquitted of all criminal charges in the fatal 2020 shooting in Kenosha, Wis., some pundits have speculated that he has grounds to sue some news organizations for […] The post Kyle Rittenhouse didn’t sue ‘The V
Poynter→ Kyle Rittenhouse didn’t sue ‘The View’ hosts Joy Behar and Whoopi Goldberg
Since Kyle Rittenhouse was acquitted of all criminal charges in the fatal 2020 shooting in Kenosha, Wis., some pundits have speculated that he has grounds to sue some news organizations for […] The post Kyle Rittenhouse didn’t sue ‘The V
Poynter→ Kyle Rittenhouse didn’t sue ‘The View’ hosts Joy Behar and Whoopi Goldberg
Since Kyle Rittenhouse was acquitted of all criminal charges in the fatal 2020 shooting in Kenosha, Wis., some pundits have speculated that he has grounds to sue some news organizations for […] The post Kyle Rittenhouse didn’t sue ‘The V
Poynter→ Kyle Rittenhouse didn’t sue ‘The View’ hosts Joy Behar and Whoopi Goldberg
Since Kyle Rittenhouse was acquitted of all criminal charges in the fatal 2020 shooting in Kenosha, Wis., some pundits have speculated that he has grounds to sue some news organizations for […] The post Kyle Rittenhouse didn’t sue ‘The V
Poynter→ Anthony Fauci did not ‘admit’ that COVID-19 vaccines aren’t working
On Nov. 19, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration expanded eligibility for COVID-19 booster shots to all adults. The plan to offer a third dose of the […] The post Anthony Fauci did not ‘adm
Poynter→ A guide to commonly misunderstood vaccine terms, and how to talk about them
In 2020, words like lockdown, quarantine and herd immunity entered the world lexicon. The massive rollout of COVID-19 vaccines in 2021 ushered in a new set of buzzwords that are often misunderstood or willfully misinterpreted. As families convene for t
Poynter→ How high are today’s gas prices compared with recent history?
With overall inflation now reaching a three-decade high, Americans are worried. Despite positive numbers in job gains and economic growth, stubbornly high levels of inflation have cast a pall on the public’s view of the economy. A particular focus of
Poynter→ Misinformation is spreading online about a military media takeover
The title of a recent Facebook video claims that the military has taken over the mainstream media. “Military takes over MSM to broadcast a truthful event,” the Nov. 17 title says. We, the media, are here to tell you that’s incorrect. Thi
Poynter→ Jen Psaki was incorrect when she said no economist thinks the Biden bill will boost inflation
The White House is running into turbulence over concerns that President Joe Biden’s Build Back Better safety net bill could drive up inflation, which has already soared to its highest level in three decades. The bill is nearing a vote in the House. T