The Biden administration is invoking a Trump-era public-health rule to expel more than 1,000 Haitian migrants who have illegally crossed the border in Del Rio, Texas, sending them back to a country reeling from natural disasters and political upheaval.
Publication: fact checking
Poynter→ A look behind Real Raw News’ sensational (and fabricated) headlines
After the Pentagon mandated the COVID-19 vaccines for the U.S. military in late August, a viral story describing an intense backlash among service members exploded online. “27 U.S. Air Force Pilots Resign Over Covid-19 Vaccination Mandate,”
Poynter→ A look behind Real Raw News’ sensational (and fabricated) headlines
After the Pentagon mandated the COVID-19 vaccines for the U.S. military in late August, a viral story describing an intense backlash among service members exploded online. “27 U.S. Air Force Pilots Resign Over Covid-19 Vaccination Mandate,”
Poynter→ There’s no evidence that the Pfizer vaccine causes deaths
A man who promotes himself as an entrepreneur and technology expert made a COVID-19 claim that drew wide attention on Facebook and elsewhere: “Pfizer vaccine kills more people than it saves.” That’s not accurate. Steve Kirsch made t
Poynter→ Why the Gabby Petito case has drawn so much attention compared to other missing people cases
The disappearance of 22-year-old Gabrielle Petito has captivated the public, with national news organizations devoting substantial coverage to the twists and turns of the investigation and social media users scouring Petito’s Instagram and YouTube ac
Poynter→ Amid proposals for travel vaccine mandates, is there a right to unfettered travel in the US?
With President Joe Biden moving to tighten vaccine requirements, some Republicans have pushed back, arguing that Biden’s policies unduly constrain personal liberty. During a Sept. 16 interview on the conservative channel Newsmax, Rep. Madison Cawth
Poynter→ Are cloth masks good enough against the delta COVID variant?
In recent months, some European airlines have banned the use of cloth face coverings to control the spread of the coronavirus during air travel, instead favoring surgical masks — sometimes referred to as medical or disposable — and N95 respirat
Poynter→ Yes, Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine is FDA approved
Even after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration gave its approval to the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine — the first vaccine to get such approval — posters on TikTok were still suggesting it was some kind of rogue jab. One video started with a woman sta
Poynter→ If you’ve been vaccinated, what are the odds of a breakthrough COVID infection?
Ample evidence shows that the COVID-19 vaccines dramatically reduce the risk of serious illness, but stories about breakthrough infections continue to spark fear among people who are vaccinated — and resistance among those who aren’t. President Joe
Poynter→ IFCN and Facebook will award $800K to fact-checkers fighting climate misinformation
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (Sept. 16, 2021) – Environmental disasters are increasing worldwide and will become more frequent and severe as a result of climate change, according to a new report from the World Meteorological Organization. The Poynter I
Poynter→ COVID-19 vaccines do not affect fertility, study shows
On Sept. 13, Nicki Minaj tweeted that she wasn’t vaccinated against COVID-19, and that if she does get vaccinated, it won’t be until she feels like she’s “done enough research.” About 20 minutes later, the Trinidadian-born rapper tw
Poynter→ Japan has not approved ivermectin as a COVID treatment, and it’s still using the Moderna vaccine
In a 30-second video on Instagram, a woman made several inaccurate statements regarding Japan’s response to the pandemic and its use of the Moderna vaccine. The caption: “Japan says goodbye Moderna, hello ivermectin.” “It was ju
Poynter→ What we know about COVID-19 booster shots so far
Booster shots are a key piece of President Joe Biden’s plan to beat the COVID-19 pandemic. Speaking at the White House, Biden said boosters are “likely to provide the highest level of protection yet.” There has been some confusion about b
Poynter→ The FDA does not list male sterility as one of the side effects of ivermectin
Ivermectin is the latest drug being floated as a treatment against the coronavirus despite warnings from public health authorities and a lack of evidence that it works. But a claim circulating on Facebook says the anti-parasitic drug has the side effec
Poynter→ How Sept. 11 helped shape modern misinformation and conspiracy theories
Outside the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, a New Jersey man held up his hand for a camera as he told a local TV reporter about the chaotic scene he’d just witnessed inside the building. His palm was smeared with blood — blood that belonged to Ashli Babb
Poynter→ Another air quality monitor demonstration fails to show masks reduce oxygen to children
A viral video uses a demonstration with a child to claim that the cloth masks used to fight the spread of COVID-19 are unsafe for children. It’s a new version of a claim that’s been debunked. “People make the same mistakes each time, and the
Poynter→ No, the U.S. government isn’t telling farmers to destroy their crops
A collection of videos circulating on social media claim the U.S. government is forcing farmers in the U.S. to destroy their crops. Several of the videos say the intent is to cause food shortages and mass starvation in the country. The videos were edit
Poynter→ Misinformation about the end of the war in Afghanistan, debunked
As President Joe Biden stuck to a deadline for pulling U.S. forces out of Afghanistan, he was criticized for leaving some Americans and thousands of Afghan allies behind and for not responding fast enough to the Taliban’s takeover. Biden was also las
Poynter→ Thalidomide, morning-sickness drug that caused disabilities, wasn’t FDA-approved for pregnant women
Since the Food and Drug Administration granted full approval to Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for adults Aug. 23, many skeptics of the vaccine have gone on social media to challenge the agency’s safety record and credibility. “Thalidomide was a
Poynter→ Video clips disprove claim that Biden was sleeping in a meeting with Israel’s prime minister
In August 2020, back when President Joe Biden was still the Democratic presidential nominee, a clip circulated on social media that appeared to show him asleep and snoring during an interview. Only that didn’t happen. The video was edited to make it
Poynter→ Cancer and heart disease deaths didn’t disappear during the pandemic
A claim being shared on social media beneath an image of a cowboy is all hat and no cattle. “Might as well resume smoking,” the post says. “No one has died of cancer or heart disease since the COVID-19 thing started.” One post
Poynter→ How are Afghan refugees being vetted? Here’s what we know.
U.S. officials are working on one of the largest airlifts in U.S. history ahead of an Aug. 31 deadline to leave Afghanistan. The evacuation effort includes American citizens as well as thousands of refugees and Afghans who helped the U.S. military over
Poynter→ Evidence shows that COVID-19 variants are largely spread among unvaccinated people
A Facebook post authored by someone touting toxicology credentials joined the growing field of inaccurate claims that falsely blame the vaccine for a pandemic that has stretched into a second year. The Aug. 13 post was a screenshot of information tha
Poynter→ Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla was vaccinated against COVID-19 in March
A clip from an interview with Pfizer CEO and Chairman Albert Bourla has been circulating on social media. In it, he was asked why he hasn’t yet received his COVID-19 vaccine. He responded that as soon as he can he will, but he doesn’t want to cut t
Poynter→ COVID deaths of Broward County teachers did happen, despite claims otherwise
A CNN report on Aug. 13 stated that in a 24-hour span, four Broward County, Florida, schoolteachers had died from COVID-19 and at least three of them were unvaccinated. The Broward Teachers Union later corrected the announcement that served as the b
Poynter→ COVID-19 vaccination does not violate the Nuremberg Code
A man calling himself the “vaccine police” posted a video on Facebook making unsubstantiated claims about COVID-19 vaccines and the people administering them at a Walmart pharmacy in Missouri. The video uploaded on Aug. 16 runs for more t
Poynter→ Lessons learned from a year covering fact-checking
Factually is a newsletter about fact-checking and misinformation from Poynter’s International Fact-Checking Network. Sign up here to receive it in your email every Thursday. The rolling boulder This will be my last edition of Factually. I’m moving
Poynter→ Fake news accounts are spreading false information about journalists executed in Afghanistan
Several Twitter accounts that look like they belong to some well-known news networks recently shared that a journalist had been captured and killed by the Taliban in Kabul. But these accounts weren’t authentic and they’ve since been suspended. R
Poynter→ Reverso builds a culture of accountability ahead of Argentina’s midterm elections
Speed and reach are the cornerstones of the second iteration of Reverso — a collaboration of Argentinian media organizations fighting election misinformation organized by fact-checking organization Chequeado. Originally launched in 2019, Reverso br
Poynter→ Science shows mask-wearing is largely safe for children
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is one of a handful of GOP governors trying to block school districts from requiring masks in the classroom. Under DeSantis’ direction, the state health department adopted a rule that gives families the ability to opt out
Poynter→ Could President Biden challenge Florida and Texas on mask policies? Probably not.
Amid a resurgence of coronavirus cases in the United States, the White House has expressed concern about efforts by some Republican-led states to prevent school districts from requiring masks. But the question is: Can they turn that concern into some t
Poynter→ Cities are requiring restaurants to ask staff and customers for proof of vaccination. Will this be a trend?
Covering COVID-19 is a daily Poynter briefing of story ideas about the coronavirus and other timely topics for journalists, written by senior faculty Al Tompkins. Sign up here to have it delivered to your inbox every weekday morning. If there is one ci
Poynter→ Conservative pundits say Biden and Democrats want more lockdowns. That’s not accurate
Some right-wing commentators are warning that the White House and Democrats around the country are plotting another round of stay-at-home orders and business closures, public-health measures that devastated the economy and divided the nation in 2020, e
Poynter→ The CDC’s pregnancy guidance brings vaccine data deficits full term
Factually is a newsletter about fact-checking and misinformation from Poynter’s International Fact-Checking Network. Sign up here to receive it in your email every Thursday. The void of uncertainty The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Poynter→ There’s no evidence that vaccines are causing the summer surge in COVID-19 cases
In a video from a school board meeting gone viral, an Indiana family doctor claims that this summer’s surge in COVID-19 cases is caused by COVID-19 vaccines. More specifically, Dr. Dan Stock blames “antibody mediated viral enhancement,”
Poynter→ CNN did not bring on Jeffrey Toobin to analyze Andrew Cuomo’s sexual harassment allegations
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Aug. 10 announced plans to resign amid ongoing criminal investigations. The state’s attorney general, Letitia James, had recently released a report finding that Cuomo had sexually harassed 11 women. Cuomo has denied
Poynter→ The Mongolian Fact Check Center fights misinformation in a country where the word doesn’t exist
When the Mongolian Fact Check Center began in March 2020 to expand the fact-checking movement to Mongolia’s populace, it also exposed founder and editor-in-chief Dulamkhorloo Baatar to a new set of standards for fact-checking. While she had done basi
Poynter→ There’s no truth that VAERS system shows 6,000 ‘died because of’ COVID vaccines
A TikTok video liked more than 936,000 times claims that COVID-19 vaccines have killed some 6,000 people in the United States. “The Vaccine Adverse Event Recording System shows that 5,946 people have died because of the vaccine,” the user s
Poynter→ Why the COVID-19 survival rate is not over 99%
With COVID-19 infections surging in the United States because of the more contagious delta variant, some have downplayed the number of deaths from the virus and the effectiveness of vaccines. To minimize the importance of vaccination, an Instagram pos
Poynter→ Getting fired over a vaccine mandate may cost you unemployment aid
Some people opposed to the COVID-19 vaccines say they have a workaround for dealing with businesses that require employees to get the shots. “If your employer is mandating any pokes, do not quit,” said one user in an Aug. 4 Facebook post.