Vaccine falsehoods increased their share of the CoronaVirusFacts Alliance database in March, accounting for 49% of the 455 newly added claims. The database, which combines the work of more than 90 fact-checking organizations from more than 70 countries
Publication: fact checking
Poynter→ What’s in Georgia’s new voting law that lost it the All-Star Game
Georgia’s new voting law has ignited a fight over whether the law expands or shrinks access to the ballot. Republican lawmakers changed voting rules after Democrats won 2020 and 2021 statewide races thanks to strong turnout among Black voters. A few
Poynter→ Factually: India and Georgia look back at COVID-19’s information impact
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. Local impact on global falsehoods Fact-checkers have long known that falseho
Poynter→ Did ’60 Minutes’ selectively edit footage of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis?
Did “60 Minutes” selectively edit video footage of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to portray the state’s coronavirus vaccine in a negative light? That’s what DeSantis and some of his supporters are saying. The report by “60 Minutes
Poynter→ No, trafficked children and dead bodies were not removed from the ship that blocked the Suez Canal
The giant Ever Given container ship that clogged up the Suez Canal for six days isn’t out of the news just yet. After it was freed, Egyptian authorities towed the 1,300-foot ship to Great Bitter Lake, a wider expanse of the canal where authorities w
Poynter→ The Gateway Pundit falsely claimed two vaccines used in the US caused deaths and injuries in Europe
As states across the U.S. expand the eligibility for getting a COVID-19 shot, a conservative website blasted out a warning from Europe. The Gateway Pundit claimed two of the vaccines being used in the United States are behind thousands of deaths and in
Poynter→ How vaccine passports might work in the US
Americans who want to go to concerts, fly on certain airlines or attend weddings in the next few months may have to prove they’ve been vaccinated against COVID-19. That approach has recently become a target for online misinformation and political spi
Poynter→ The coalition for factual information and informed public discourse is stronger than ever
In 2016, during the third Global Fact conference in Argentine capital Buenos Aires, the world’s fact-checkers decided to name April 2 as the International Fact-Checking Day to raise awareness of the importance of fact-checking, therefore providing th
Poynter→ Factually: International falsehoods deserve international attention
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. Disinformation on the world stage Tomorrow is International Fact-Checking Da
Poynter→ False COVID-19 vaccine claims persist on Facebook, despite a ban. Here’s why.
In the early days of the pandemic, a Facebook page for Earthley promised an easy way to avoid getting COVID-19. The wellness company promoted a vitamin D cream and an elderberry elixir to strengthen the body’s immune response and “help fight of
Poynter→ Join us for two IFCN Talks on International Fact-Checking Day
In celebration of Friday’s International Fact-Checking Day, the International Fact-Checking Network is hosting two IFCN Talks panels covering the state of fact-checking and the ways fact-checkers can better engage with their audiences. IFCN Director
Poynter→ How COVID-19 vaccines can be safe when they were developed so fast
The development of the first COVID-19 vaccines may have seemed to occur at a dizzying pace. After all, scientists identified a new virus and created vaccines to protect against its most severe effects within a year. But the research underpinning these
Poynter→ Fact-checking Joe Biden’s first White House press conference
President Joe Biden blamed Donald Trump for the surge of migrants at the southwest border, saying his predecessor dismantled the country’s immigration system and failed to provide enough beds for child migrants. At the first press conference of his p
Poynter→ Fact-checking ‘The View’ host Joy Behar on mass shootings and the assault weapons ban
After a Colorado gunman killed 10 people in what was the second mass shooting in a week, Democrats and gun control advocates renewed calls for a nationwide ban on assault weapons, like the federal law that was in effect from 1994 until 2004. Joy Behar,
Poynter→ Factually: Tech CEOs (again) asked to explain themselves
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. Tech CEOs are back in the hot seat As the CEOs of Facebook, Twitter and Goog
Poynter→ Gun violence spiked during pandemic, even as the deadliest mass shootings waned
A week after a gunman shot and killed eight people in Georgia, a gunman opened fire in a grocery store in Boulder, Colorado, killing 10 people, including a police officer. After a year of social distancing and closures from the COVID-19 pandemic, the t
Poynter→ Fox News host Jeanine Pirro wrongly claimed the US border is ‘open to anyone from anywhere’
Fox News host Jeanine Pirro accused President Joe Biden of having “surrendered our southern border,” falsely claiming the new administration is allowing anyone to cross freely into the U.S. “It is now open to anyone from anywhere in t
Poynter→ Here’s where the $1.86T in the COVID-19 relief package goes
There are a few big chunks of money in the American Rescue Plan Act that have generated a lot of news coverage and are pretty well known. In response to a reader’s request, we present the whopping $1.86 trillion spending plan in pie chart form. There
Poynter→ Hate crimes against Asian Americans: What the numbers show, and don’t
As pandemic shutdowns and fear flooded the United States last spring, it brought with it a wave of hate crimes and incidents targeting Asian Americans. Some were prosecuted as hate crimes, such as a woman in the Bronx who was hit on the head with an
Poynter→ Why European governments took a closer look at AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine
The news that most European governments suspended the use of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine has health experts worried that it could hamper an already slow vaccine rollout on the continent and fuel vaccine skepticism. France, Italy, Spain and
Poynter→ When will we reach herd immunity? Here’s what the experts say.
It’s been a long, dark winter of COVID-19 concerns, stoked by high post-holiday case counts and the American death tally exceeding 530,000 lives lost. But with three vaccines — Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson — now authorized f
Poynter→ European fact-checkers try to explain the confusing move to stop using the AstraZeneca vaccine
European fact-checkers are trying to thread the needle between debunking falsehoods about the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine and explaining why several European countries have paused its distribution. Most say they’re putting a greater emphasis on expl
Poynter→ Do masks really work? Here are PolitiFact’s answers for mask skeptics.
A year into the pandemic, masks have become part of daily life. Want to use a face covering to broadcast your patriotism? Online stores sell masks with U.S. flags. Wondering how to pair your mask with your outfit? Magazines show how celebrities do just
Poynter→ 15 of PolitiFact’s weirdest COVID-19 fact checks
The novel coronavirus is no laughing matter. Over the past year, it has killed more than 500,000 Americans, shuttered schools and workplaces, caused an economic recession, and strained the health care system. Throughout the pandemic, disinforma
Poynter→ 6 things we’ve learned from a year of misinformation about the coronavirus
One year ago, Tom Hanks and his wife, Rita Wilson, tested positive for the novel coronavirus. The NBA suspended its season. About 1,000 Americans were infected, and the World Health Organization declared a pandemic. Today, more than 500,000 Ameri
Poynter→ You’re fully vaccinated against COVID-19. What can you do now?
Tens of millions of Americans who have received their COVID-19 vaccines can now entertain the prospect of boldly going places, seeing people and doing things again, even if a return to normal life remains a ways off. The first set of public health rec
Poynter→ A year into the pandemic, MediaWise teen fact-checkers prepare to tackle COVID-19 misinformation on YouTube
On Feb. 11, 2020, the MediaWise Teen Fact-Checking Network published its first fact-check about the coronavirus. The story, reported on by then-16-year-old Angie Li, detailed what we knew about the virus (at the time, very little), and gave tips on how
Poynter→ Factually: Covid disinformation turning up in the mail
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. In your traditional mailbox: pizza coupons and COVID-19 disinformation Germa
Poynter→ Facebook has an apparent double standard over COVID-19 misinformation in Brazil, researchers say
Researchers want Facebook’s Oversight Board to evaluate the platform’s exemption of politicians from fact-checking after new research from Brazillian fact-checking organization Agência Lupa pointed to 29 examples of President Jair Bolsonaro spread
Poynter→ Fact-checking vaccine hoaxes? Apply now to the Vaccine Grant Program
The International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN) is joining forces with WhatsApp to launch the Vaccine Grant Program, a new global effort to stem the flow of misinformation around COVID-19 vaccines. This partnership marks the second time this year the
Poynter→ Chuck Todd was right when he said ‘the filibuster was never an idea of the Founding Fathers’
With the Democrats’ razor-thin majority in the Senate, and the intense partisan polarization embodied by the chamber’s strict party-line vote on President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion relief bill, there’s been a lot of discussion recently about th
Poynter→ Fact-checkers want a seat at the table in discussions about regulation
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. While the approval of a new regulation in Australia led Facebook to ban loca
Poynter→ IFCN Talks 2: Don’t put your eggs in one Big Tech basket
Fact-checkers speaking at the second IFCN Talks session Wednesday night had a clear message — don’t rely on Big Tech. Diego Canabarro, senior regional policy manager at the Internet Society in Brazil who attended the session as an audience member,
Poynter→ What you need to know about Section 230, the ‘most important law protecting internet speech’
A law credited with birthing the internet — and with spurring misinformation — has drawn bipartisan ire from lawmakers who are vowing to change it. Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act shields internet platforms from liability for much of
Poynter→ Vaccine gaslighting, mask falsehoods and fake cures dominate recent claims added to the CoronaVirusFacts Alliance Database
As world leaders and everyday citizens roll up their sleeves to get vaccinated against COVID-19, purveyors of falsehoods have turned to a new tactic — claiming those vaccinations were a hoax. Vice President Kamala Harris, Australian Prime Minister Sc
Poynter→ How does COVID-19’s toll compare with heart disease, cancer and other causes of death?
Now that the coronavirus has been in the United States for roughly a year, new numbers are revealing the scale of COVID-19’s impact on American health: COVID-19 has become the country’s third leading cause of death, and could be on its way to outpa
Poynter→ Factually: Fact-checking works and may give you ‘pleasure’
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. ‘True’ fact checks bring ‘cognitive pleasure’ Fact checks that label
Poynter→ Fox News host Tucker Carlson downplayed the role of white supremacists at the Capitol riot
Fox News host Tucker Carlson downplayed the involvement of racially motivated extremist groups in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, falsely suggesting that the mob of pro-Trump rioters who violently stormed the building did not include white supre
Poynter→ Is it safe for pregnant women to get COVID-19 vaccines? Here’s what we know, and don’t know.
As eligibility for the coronavirus vaccines widens across the United States, more pregnant women are faced with the decision of whether to get vaccinated. Alarming social media posts warn that pregnant women who were vaccinated have experienced miscarr
Poynter→ Today: snippets of code for Google News; tomorrow: academic research and maybe a Grandpa Alert
There’s a hidden bit of code that’s been quietly helping counter misinformation around the world. Few people know about it — but fact-checkers in 56 countries have now used this tagging system, known as ClaimReview, more than 100,000 times to hel