After Facebook announced that it changed its name to “Meta,” a refurbished rumor surfaced that claims the company can freely use people’s photos and messages. “The new Facebook/Meta rule starts tomorrow where they can use your phot
Publication: fact checking
Poynter→ Pfizer CEO’s wife did not die of COVID vaccine complications. She is ‘alive and well.’
As one of the companies behind an authorized COVID-19 vaccine, Pfizer has become a frequent subject of online misinformation, with some blogs and social media users specifically targeting company leadership. “Wife of Pfizer’s CEO dies after com
Poynter→ There is no scientific basis for claims of ivermectin’s success in Uttar Pradesh, India
Claims that India’s largest state had no new cases of COVID-19 after implementing an ivermectin protocol have been shared on Facebook and other social media sites. The headline: “INDIA: No COVID-19 Cases In 24 Hours After Implementing Ivermecti
Poynter→ Dennis Prager’s claim that it was ‘inconceivable’ that gay men were seen as ‘pariahs’ in the 1980s is extraordinarily inaccurate
The coronavirus pandemic has brought back discussion of an earlier pandemic: The AIDS crisis of the 1980s. Dennis Prager, a conservative commentator, said in a Nov. 8 interview with Newsmax that it was “inconceivable” that gay men would h
Poynter→ Schools aren’t giving kids the COVID-19 vaccine without parental consent
Now that the U.S. has authorized Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for kids ages 5-11, children across the country are getting vaccinated. But some people are claiming that schools can vaccinate kids without their parents’ consent. In a video by Infowar
Poynter→ Merriam-Webster didn’t remove the immunity portion to its vaccine definition. It changed the wording.
First, people claimed that Merriam-Webster sneakily changed the definition of the word “anti-vaxxer” to include people who oppose laws that mandate vaccination. (It didn’t. It has always had the same definition.) Now, social media postsÂ
Poynter→ People vaccinated against COVID-19 cannot ‘shed’ spike proteins to harm anyone
In the spring, claims began spreading widely that vaccinated people can “shed” the COVID-19 vaccine and harm those around them. Now, six months later, those false claims have come full circle. A viral Oct. 27 blog post reads, “Pfi
Poynter→ Why are gas prices so high? And who is to blame?
President Joe Biden faced an awkward moment during the international climate change conference in Glasgow, Scotland, when he was asked at a press conference about inflation back home, including gasoline prices. “If you take a look at gas prices a
Poynter→ Tucker Carlson’s ‘Patriot Purge’ film on Jan. 6 is full of falsehoods, conspiracy theories
In his controversial and conspiratorial documentary series attempting to rewrite the events of Jan. 6, Fox News host Tucker Carlson described the attack on the U.S. Capitol as a false-flag operation contrived to frame, trap and “purge” Trum
Poynter→ Tucker Carlson’s conspiracy theory about FBI and Jan. 6 continues to be wrong
A debunked conspiracy theory that claims federal agents incited the Jan. 6 Capitol riot is making a new appearance in Fox News host Tucker Carlson’s new three-part documentary series, “Patriot Purge.” The controversial series that start
Poynter→ Tucker Carlson’s film falsely claims Jan. 6 is ‘pretext to strip millions’ of ‘constitutional rights’
In the first part of Tucker Carlson’s controversial and conspiratorial documentary series attempting to rewrite the events of Jan. 6, the Fox News host claimed that the attack on the U.S. Capitol is being used as a front to justify a “purge&#
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘There is No Evidence People Ever Saved Bacon Grease’ Facebook ‘Fact Check’
An October 21 2021 post generated a recursive rumor of its own, when it claimed that Facebook fact-checkers had determined there was “no evidence people ever saved aluminum foil or bacon grease” in the course of fact-checking a meme. This
Poynter→ Here’s what we really know about COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness
The politicization of COVID vaccines — and, well, just about everything else having to do with the pandemic — has led to confusion, if not utter fatigue. And some posts circulating on social media — this slickly edited piece on YouTube, for exam
Poynter→ Japan has not stopped its COVID-19 vaccine rollout
Following a summertime surge, Japan’s COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations have quickly plummeted, and while experts say vaccines were key to the turnaround, false claims say the opposite. “Japan drops vax rollout,” says the headline o
Poynter→ No, CNN did not say In-N-Out Burger is ‘the fast food of white supremacists’
The byline visible in what looks like a screenshot of a news article that people have been sharing online suggests that what you are about to read is a joke. Supposedly an opinion piece by Charlie DeClown published on CNN’s website, the headline say
Poynter→ Here are the facts about Dr. Anthony Fauci and the experiments involving beagles
If you’ve seen media reports or social media postings about beagle puppies and Dr. Anthony Fauci, the White House’s chief medical adviser, you might be wondering what’s going on. Recent blog posts from a conservative watchdog group interested in
Poynter→ What to know about redistricting and why you should care
Across the country this year, the nation’s political maps are being redrawn. Redistricting is a complicated, even arcane process, but one with a significant impact on the nation’s political landscape. It has the potential to affect which party cont
Poynter→ No, the National Institutes of Health has not approved ivermectin to treat COVID-19
Despite repeated attempts to debunk misinformation about the anti-parasitic ivermectin as a purported COVID-19 treatment, false claims about the drug persist online. “NIH COVID Treatment Guidelines Approve Ivermectin,” reads an Oct.
Poynter→ Newsmax and Fox News aired outdated, out-of-context photos of empty shelves in segments bashing Biden
Newsmax and Fox News have aired old, out-of-context photos of empty grocery store shelves in recent segments bashing President Joe Biden for the jammed-up supply chain that experts say is backlogged due to the coronavirus pandemic’s strain on the g
Poynter→ What will PolitiFact be watching in 2022?
It stokes fear, incites violence and unnerves communities everywhere. It makes people see reality in a way that others cannot even imagine. While it preys on the most vulnerable, it invades the places we once considered free from harm. No, this is not
Poynter→ No, that Alec Baldwin quote in a news story about prop gun incident isn’t authentic
On Oct. 21, actor Alec Baldwin fired a prop gun on a movie set in New Mexico, killing the film’s cinematographer and injuring its director, according to the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office, which is investigating the killing. The fatal incident ha
Poynter→ A Facebook video claims a media blackout. But check the news. It’s still up and running.
“Shocking news!” says the title of a nearly 13-minute video on Facebook. “Mass media destroyed! Blackout for mass arrests event!” But the video offers no evidence of the aforementioned shocking news. A woman can be heard readin
Poynter→ Don’t blame inflation. A viral photo of a $123,000 turkey at Target is an old pricing error.
As supply chain issues mount, some Facebook users are sharing an image that purports to show a turkey for sale at Target for an eye-popping price: $123,199, and $9,999.99 per pound. “No Turkey for Thanksgiving this year,” said one such F
Poynter→ What you need to know about the Supreme Court’s ‘shadow docket’
Some of the most important moves by the Supreme Court in the past few years haven’t followed the traditional process of briefs, oral arguments, and private discussions among the justices to produce lengthy, heavily footnoted opinions. Some procedural
Poynter→ WHO database is not proof that COVID-19 vaccines are harmful
While more than 6 billion doses of the COVID-19 vaccines have been administered to people across the globe, social media users continue to cite the number of reported adverse reactions to the vaccines to cast doubt on their safety. AÂ video shared on I
Poynter→ The Pfizer vaccine does not contain living organisms that can ‘germinate’ to cause sickness
A 17-minute video posted to Facebook shows a Swedish doctor claiming that the Pfizer vaccine contains particles that could germinate and cause illness in those who get vaccinated. The doctor is Erik Enby, whose medical license was revoked in 2007 a
Poynter→ MediaWise is seeking more college students to lead fact-checking workshops virtually across the country
Fact: We need more college students to join our team! The MediaWise Campus Correspondent program is now hiring four new teammates to join our 2022 team. We’re looking for college students who are highly reliable, motivated public speakers with a
Poynter→ Fauci and HHS officials are not ‘plotting’ for a new flu virus to force vaccinations
Social media users are sharing a claim that — in a C-SPAN video of a public presentation — Dr. Anthony Fauci and other federal Health and Human Services Department officials plotted for a new flu virus. The conservative Gateway Pundit website made
Poynter→ An image of a map doesn’t show hundreds of ‘sitting’ ships waiting to dock at US ports
Amid a real-world supply chain backlog at the Port of Los Angeles, social media users are sharing images of maps that appear to show hordes of vessels idling in ocean waters, waiting to dock. “All sitting ships… I don’t care what y’al
Poynter→ Bill Gates didn’t say he wanted to use vaccines to reduce the population
Over the years, many claims have misrepresented Bill Gates’ views on how expanding access to health care — including vaccines — will lead people to have smaller families. An Oct. 6 article published on the website Tech Startups added a new clai
Poynter→ Donald Trump’s Save America Rally in Iowa, fact-checked
Conjecture that former President Donald Trump is seeking back the White House job he held for four years continued to generate news — and fact checks — in Iowa on Saturday night, Oct. 9. Trump’s latest visit was a Save America Rally that drew tho
Poynter→ There’s no evidence whistleblower Frances Haugen was planted by Facebook
A viral image circulating on social media baselessly claimed that former Facebook employee Frances Haugen, who turned over troves of internal company documents to the Wall Street Journal, was not a real whistleblower, but a plant set up by Facebook i
Poynter→ Louisiana lawmakers wrongly say a name change for Pfizer’s vaccine scuttles the FDA’s approval
In August, the Food and Drug Administration gave full and final approval to the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer for people 16 and older. But 10 Republican Louisiana lawmakers allege “there is no FDA approval for the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine
Poynter→ Sen. Ron Johnson incorrectly claimed there are no approved COVID-19 vaccines in the US
With COVID-19 still surging in parts of the country and booster shots being rolled out to strengthen immunity against the virus, many are still hesitant to get their first vaccine doses. A recent report from the Kaiser Family Foundation found that a m
Poynter→ Vaccines keep people out of the hospital. A viral image of Israeli COVID-19 cases ignores that.
On TikTok and Twitter, opponents of the COVID-19 vaccines have been sharing a table that they claim shows how ineffective vaccines are. One TikTokker, writing in a style designed to thwart efforts to block misinformation, used the table in her video. &
Poynter→ Claims that millions of people have died from the COVID-19 vaccine are unfounded
A 52-page report from a pair of anti-vaccine advocates claims to present the truth about COVID-19 vaccines. However, it does just the opposite. The website Stop World Control published the so-called Vaccine Death Report in September 2021, and it was
Poynter→ CNN host Don Lemon says Sens. Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema vote with Republicans. They don’t.
CNN hosts Don Lemon and Chris Cuomo don’t see eye to eye on the political leanings of two key senators. During the transition between their shows, Cuomo mentioned Democrats’ problem of finding unity. “You also have two Republicans in the Demo
Poynter→ No, the White House didn’t create a fake set just for Joe Biden’s booster shot
When President Joe Biden received a coronavirus vaccine booster shot recently, some social media users sought to paint it as a fake event, pointing to the backdrop behind Biden. The posts include photographs of the event showing Biden on a stage, sitti
Poynter→ Arizona cannot decertify the 2020 presidential election
Some supporters of a GOP-led review of ballots cast in the 2020 presidential election in Arizona’s Maricopa County have engaged in wishful thinking that the process would lead to decertification of the election results. The idea is nothing but a fant
Poynter→ Trump said Biden ‘lost in Arizona based on the forensic audit.’ But that’s not what it found.
A GOP-led review of 2 million ballots in Maricopa County, Arizona, confirmed on Sept. 24 what official election results showed months ago: Joe Biden won the county in the 2020 election. But speaking the next night to a crowd of fans in Georgia, Trump i