There’s a real problem facing journalism today: the unprecedented assault in our democracies on the truth, CNN’s Christiane Amanpour shared on Thursday during the last day of the United Facts of America: A Festival of Fact-Checking. Social media ha
Publication: fact checking
Poynter→ NBC spotlights MediaWise’s efforts to arm the public against misinformation
NBC News correspondent and MediaWise ambassador Savannah Sellers says the impact of online falsehoods has never been more evident in everyday life. “There’s a very real issue when people, no matter what age they are, can’t tell the difference bet
Poynter→ Factually: “Don’t negate. Displace” falsehoods about public health
Factually is a newsletter about fact-checking and misinformation from Poynter’s International Fact-Checking Network. Sign up here to receive it on your email every Thursday. Flood the zone FactCheck.org co-founder Kathleen Hall Jamieson sat down with
Poynter→ No, the Census Bureau didn’t confirm a problem with the 2020 election results
The U.S. Census Bureau has been sucked into the swirl of misinformation surrounding the 2020 presidential election. “US Census Bureau confirms HUGE CONFLICT in total number of voters in 2020 election,” reads a claim that in recent days has
Poynter→ Sen. Mark Warner says he is embarrassed by congressional inaction on tech regulation
Day three of the United Facts of America festival started off with some lighthearted banter as PolitiFact executive director Aaron Sharockman informed Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., he was one of the more accurate members of Congress. Sharockman complimented
Poynter→ Biden boasts about equitable senior vaccination rate by race without data to back it up
During May 3 remarks on the American Families Plan, President Joe Biden boasted that there was not much disparity in the COVID-19 vaccination rates for white Americans and Americans of color who are at least 65. “And what’s happening now is all
Poynter→ Dr. Anthony Fauci says he never could have anticipated the level of COVID-19 misinformation
Even after working as the director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases for 37 years under seven presidents, Dr. Anthony Fauci said Tuesday he never could have anticipated the level of misinformation that has arisen from th
Poynter→ Dr. Anthony Fauci calls Sen. Rand Paul’s claim that NIH funded risky virus research at Wuhan lab ‘preposterous’
Hours after clashing with Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) at a Senate hearing Tuesday, Dr. Anthony Fauci called Paul’s claim that the National Institutes of Health had funded “gain-of-function research” in Wuhan “preposterous” in an interview with Pol
Poynter→ No, the death rate for vaccinated people is not higher than that of unvaccinated people
An Instagram post claimed that “the death rate for fully vaccinated people is significantly higher than non-vaccinated (people).” The post featured a screenshot of a tweet by Chuck Callesto, a former candidate for Florida’s 3rd congre
Poynter→ Fact-checkers can blunt the threat of disinformation
In the wake of Donald Trump’s presidency, disinformation continues to deceive some Americans and threaten democracy, but most citizens still seek the truth and fact-checkers are offering a crucial public service, two experts said Monday at United Fac
Poynter→ No, Chelsea Clinton didn’t tweet that Jesus would be working at Planned Parenthood
Social media users are sharing a made-up tweet that purports to show Chelsea Clinton saying, “If Jesus were alive today he’d be working at Planned Parenthood.” The tweet is fake, a spokesperson for Chelsea Clinton’s office confirmed.
Poynter→ What the Oversight Board’s action on Trump’s ban means for fact-checking on Facebook
Donald Trump is still not allowed on Facebook, for now. Facebook’s Oversight Board decided to uphold the platform’s indefinite suspension of the former president after he shared supportive messages of his supporters’ siege of the U.S. Capitol
Poynter→ Factually: Fact-checkers advocate for an end to Facebook’s ban of fact-checking political figures
Factually is a newsletter about fact-checking and misinformation from Poynter’s International Fact-Checking Network. Sign up here to receive it on your email every Thursday. A check on power The Facebook Oversight Board’s decision to uphold former
Poynter→ Why Arizona Republicans are auditing election results
Nearly half a year after Arizona voted for Joe Biden, Republicans are pursuing an audit of election results in Maricopa County, fueling ongoing conspiracies about the presidential election. Republicans who organized the audit of 2.1 million ballots ack
Poynter→ Hey Facebook, why wait six months? Just ban Trump permanently now
Earlier this week, while appearing on his own network, CNN’s Jake Tapper said why even interview some guests if they are just going to lie? He’s right. If certain conservative lawmakers are going to perpetuate wild conspiracy theories, including th
Poynter→ Facebook’s Oversight Board upheld Trump’s ban. Fact-checkers are mixed on its impact
Facebook’s Oversight Board upheld the platform’s permanent ban of former President Donald Trump’s account for now, but said that while Trump did create an “an environment where a serious risk of violence was possible,” it was unjust to keep h
Poynter→ No symptoms after a COVID-19 vaccine? Don’t worry, the vaccine is still working.
If you think vaccination is an ordeal now, consider the 18th-century version. After having pus from a smallpox boil scratched into your arm, you would be subject to three weeks of fever, sweats, chills, bleeding and purging with dangerous medicines, ac
Poynter→ The federal VAERS database is a critical tool for researchers, but a breeding ground for misinformation
An Instagram post says: “6,000% Increase in Reported Vaccine Deaths 1st Quarter 2021 Compared to 1st Quarter 2020.” An article from a media outlet called The Daily Expose carried the headline: “Number of women to lose their unborn
Poynter→ Brazilian judge orders Aos Fatos to censor two fact checks
A judge in Brazil issued a preliminary ruling on Apr. 23 requiring fact-checking organization Aos Fatos to remove references to the magazine Revista Oeste in two of its fact checks as well as ratings of the magazine’s posts on Facebook. Revista Oeste
Poynter→ Georgia’s election law sparks ‘Jim Crow’ rhetoric, as well as pushback
In recent weeks, Democrats have repeatedly warned that Republican-backed election bills like the one enacted in Georgia amount to a resurgence of Jim Crow, the legal structures in the pre-1960s South that kept Black Americans segregated and politically
Poynter→ President Joe Biden’s first speech to Congress, fact-checked
In his first speech before Congress, President Joe Biden argued it was time to turn the coronavirus pandemic into a historic opportunity to expand government for the benefit of a wider range of Americans, urging investments in jobs, climate change, chi
Poynter→ Factually: Fact-checkers have the answers to Joe Rogan’s vaccine hesitancy
Factually is a newsletter about fact-checking and misinformation from Poynter’s International Fact-Checking Network. Sign up here to receive it on your email every Thursday. I’m just answering questions Podcast host Joe Rogan made headlines in the
Poynter→ How is President Biden doing as he approaches the 100-day mark? Not bad, experts say.
In the first 100 days, new presidents try to turn campaign promises into quick legislative victories, defuse lingering crises, set themselves apart from their predecessor, and set a leadership tone for the next four years — all while avoiding blunder
Poynter→ Why and how to proactively incorporate public health knowledge into fact-checking
Long before 2003, when Brooks Jackson and I launched FactCheck.org, I stumbled into adjudicating political misrepresentations by happenstance when editors and producers drew me into the 1988 electoral fray because I had written a book titled “Packagi
Poynter→ No, the Biden administration isn’t buying Kamala Harris’ book for migrant children
On April 23, the New York Post reported that migrant children routed from the U.S.-Mexico border to a shelter in Long Beach, Calif., will be given a copy of Vice President Kamala Harris’ 2019 children’s book called “Superheroes are Everywhere
Poynter→ Is Joe Biden banning burgers? Fox News and GOP politicians fuel a false narrative
One day after President Joe Biden pledged to cut U.S. greenhouse gas emissions in half, Fox News and Fox Business Network personalities repeatedly and baselessly claimed that the move would also force Americans to say goodbye to hamburgers and steaks
Poynter→ WhatsApp and the IFCN offer a financial shot in the arm to fact-checkers fighting vaccine misinformation
Seven fact-checking organizations spread across the globe will get a combined $500,000 in grant funding to help support their efforts to fight COVID-19 vaccine misinformation. The award is part of the Vaccine Grant Program — a partnership between W
Poynter→ Factually: Falsehoods about COVID-19 suicides are nothing new for fact-checkers
Factually is a newsletter about fact-checking and misinformation from Poynter’s International Fact-Checking Network. Sign up here to receive it on your email every Thursday. It feels true, but… The Atlantic’s Tom Bartlett put a spotlight on a
Poynter→ Florida Gov. DeSantis and YouTube are sparring over a video takedown. Is it censorship or misinformation?
In early April, YouTube took down a video featuring Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and a group of controversial scientists at a March 18 coronavirus roundtable. The online video platform, owned by Google, cited as its rationale that the video contained fals
Poynter→ How a fact check led to a rare retraction from Iran’s supreme leader
Toward the end of his speech last week celebrating the beginning of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei made a stark admission — he’d misled the public. “It’s probably the first time in the past three deca
Poynter→ The guilty verdict against Derek Chauvin, explained
After weeks of testimony and a year of reckoning, a jury in Minneapolis convicted former police officer Derek Chauvin of two counts of murder and one count of manslaughter for the killing of George Floyd, who died gasping for air while Chauvin kneeled
Poynter→ Facebook is watching for Chauvin trial for misinformation and hate speech
Facebook announced Monday that it would limit posts that contain misinformation and hate speech as it relates to the trial of Derek Chauvin. In a blog post, Monika Bickert, Facebook’s vice president for content policy, wrote, “We know this trial ha
Poynter→ What Aaron Sorkin’s ‘The Trial of the Chicago 7’ gets right and wrong
What happens when one of Hollywood’s most famous writer-directors undertakes retelling one of the most infamous trials in modern U.S. history?In Aaron Sorkin’s “The Trial of the Chicago 7,” which debuted on Netflix in October 2020, the
Poynter→ Fact-checkers will meet in Oslo for the first in-person Global Fact conference in two years
After two years of interruption, Global Fact 9 will take place in Norway, at the Oslo Metropolitan University’s City Center Campus, from June 22-25, 2022. It is organized by the International Fact-Checking Network in partnership with Norwegian fact-c
Poynter→ How accurate is ‘Mank,’ the movie about the movie ‘Citizen Kane’?
In keeping with the Oscar tradition of honoring movies about movie making, the most nominated film of the year centers on a Hollywood screenwriter. “Mank” tells the story of Herman “Mank” Mankiewicz, a theater critic, wit and p
Poynter→ How often do police confuse firearms for stun guns?
Two major events are unfolding in Minnesota: the trial of a former police officer charged in the death of George Floyd, and protests over the recent fatal police shooting of Daunte Wright. Both cases involved white police officers and Black men. Many p
Poynter→ Factually: US Fact-checkers pause to explain J&J
Factually is a newsletter about fact-checking and misinformation from Poynter’s International Fact-Checking Network. Sign up here to receive it on your email every Thursday. Explaining a pause This week, fact-checkers in the United States faced a sim
Poynter→ Answers to common questions and concerns about coronavirus vaccines
If you’re not one of the 120 million Americans who have already received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, you may be wondering: Is the shot worth it? And is it safe? You’re not alone. A March poll found that 13% of Americans say they w
Poynter→ Fact-checking unproven claims that DMX suffered a heart attack after getting a COVID-19 vaccine
DMX died April 9 at a hospital in New York, where he had been on life support after suffering a heart attack days earlier. The rapper, born Earl Simmons, was 50. The hospital where DMX died said in a statement that he died “peacefully with fami
Poynter→ What the HBO QAnon documentary series revealed about the identity of ‘Q’
An HBO documentary series about QAnon ended with a big revelation: the unmasking of “Q,” the anonymous internet poster who fueled the baseless conspiracy theory that gained a national following. The finale episode of “Q: Into the Stor