Misinformation is spreading about the 18-year-old authorities identified as the shooter in a massacre at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde County, Texas, on May 24. This story is still developing […] The post Fact-checking misinformation about the
Publication: fact checking
Poynter→ No, the Uvalde school shooting wasn’t a false flag
Eighteen children and one teacher were killed in a shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde County, Texas, on May 24, according to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and news reports […] The post No, the Uvalde school shooting wasn’t a false flag appea
Poynter→ The Mars ‘doorway’ photo shows a naturally-occurring crevice, not proof of life
At first, it certainly looks like a doorway. A grainy image captured by NASA’s Mars Curiosity rover in May 2022 shows a formation in the planet’s rock that social media […] The post The Mars ‘doorway’ photo shows a naturally-occurring cre
Poynter→ This college ‘nerd’ investigates the Ukraine war from the digital front lines
I first stumbled across The Intel Crab in 2021. The anonymous Twitter account shared videos showing an Israeli airstrike hitting Associated Press offices in the Gaza Strip. The footage that […] The post This college ‘nerd’ investigates the Uk
Poynter→ In Georgia race, an election denier distorts Brad Raffensperger’s use of a Zuckerberg grant
U.S. Rep. Jody Hice is running to be Georgia Secretary of State on a platform of false claims about the 2020 election. Hice, who was endorsed by former President Donald […] The post In Georgia race, an election denier distorts Brad Raffensperger
Poynter→ The ‘2,000 mules’ trailer about voting by mail in the 2020 election is built on a faulty premise
“2000 mules,” a new documentary from a right-wing filmmaker with a history of spreading false claims, promises to give evidence to millions of Americans who believe something went wrong in […] The post The ‘2,000 mules’ trailer ab
Poynter→ Lebanese fact-checkers feel tempered hope after Hezbollah loses majority in parliament
On Tuesday, Hezbollah and its allies lost their edge in the Lebanese parliament, winning 62 of the 128 parliamentary seats, three fewer than the 65 needed to retain a voting […] The post Lebanese fact-checkers feel tempered hope after Hezbollah l
Poynter→ A conspiracy theory tries to blame Pfizer and Bill Gates for the baby formula shortage
A Facebook post linked several unfounded claims to create one conspiracy theory about U.S. baby formula shortages. “(Pfizer) says do not breastfeed,” the May 17 post said. “Baby formula shortages everywhere. Gates […] The post
Poynter→ No, this news interview doesn’t prove the Buffalo supermarket shooting was staged
The day before the deadly shooting at a Buffalo, New York, supermarket, a patron of the store had spoken to the man who police have charged in the attack. An […] The post No, this news interview doesn’t prove the Buffalo supermarket shooting wa
Poynter→ Did Pfizer’s CEO say a fourth dose of the COVID-19 vaccine was necessary?
With new COVID-19 variants being discovered by scientists, many on social media are beginning to wonder if the current protection offered by the COVID-19 vaccine is enough or if new […] The post Did Pfizer’s CEO say a fourth dose of the COVID-1
Poynter→ A fake Twitter account posing as CBS News shared false information about the Buffalo shooting
Twitter accounts falsely posing as news organizations sometimes share misinformation during big, developing breaking news stories, such as the recent shooting in Buffalo, New York, that left 10 people dead […] The post A fake Twitter account posi
Poynter→ In a surprise decision, a federal court upholds a law knee-capping tech companies’ power to moderate
Last week, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reinstated a Texas law, HB 20, that forbids social media companies from banning users for their political positions and censoring posts […] The post In a surprise decision, a federal court upholds
Poynter→ What is the ‘great replacement theory’ linked to the Buffalo shooter?
An online screed linked to the 18-year-old man arrested for killing 10 people in a Buffalo, New York, supermarket repeatedly referenced the racist and anti-semitic “great replacement theory.” The theory is white […] The post What is
Poynter→ No, Ukraine isn’t using cats to spot Russian sniper lasers
The internet is full of cute cat content ― cats wearing funny outfits, cat memes, cats chasing lasers, and of course, everyone loves a good “cat-does-incredible-thing” story. However, not everything […] The post No, Ukraine isn’t using ca
Poynter→ Claims that photos of the Buffalo shooting suspect show crisis actors are unfounded
Authorities have identified 18-year-old Payton Gendron as the suspect in a May 14 massacre at a grocery store in Buffalo, New York, that left 10 people dead and others injured. […] The post Claims that photos of the Buffalo shooting suspect show
Poynter→ Making homemade baby formula is not safe or recommended
As people grapple with America’s infant formula shortage, some social media users have started sharing homemade recipes, telling frantic parents who can’t find food for their babies that they can make […] The post Making homemade baby formul
Poynter→ Indian fact-checkers are tracking the patterns of falsehoods in the country
Fact-checkers in India identified political falsehoods, communal rumors across the country’s hyper-local cultures and “miracle cures” that hawk foods as replacements for modern medicine as broad trends of misinformation in […] The post Indi
Poynter→ Misinformed electorate contributed to Marcos Jr. win, say Filipino fact-checkers
Son of disgraced Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos and heir to the family dynasty, Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. won the Philippine general election in a landslide victory on Tuesday. Based on […] The post Misinformed electorate contribu
Poynter→ Jeanine Pirro wrongly says there are 63 million abortions per year in the US
Abortion rates and the number of overall abortion procedures have been declining in the U.S. over the last decade, data show. But if you were watching a May 3 segment […] The post Jeanine Pirro wrongly says there are 63 million abortions per year
Poynter→ What we know about the DHS’ Disinformation Governance Board
Revelations that the Department of Homeland Security is assembling a Disinformation Governance Board ignited a firestorm on Twitter in late April. Conservatives and other critics denounced the board as an […] The post What we know about the DHS
Poynter→ 5 claims Justice Samuel Alito makes in the draft opinion on Roe v. Wade, fact-checked
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito’s draft opinion overturning Roe v. Wade is over 90 pages long. But Alito wasted little time getting to his key point. “The Constitution makes no reference […] The post 5 claims Justice Samuel Alit
Poynter→ What would state laws look like in a post-Roe world?
The leak of an early draft ruling on a hotly contested Supreme Court abortion case has focused attention on what might happen if Roe v. Wade — the five-decade-old precedent requiring national […] The post What would state laws look like in a
Poynter→ A guide to the many omicron subvariants and what to know about them
Two years into the coronavirus pandemic, Americans can be forgiven if they’ve lost track of the latest variants circulating nationally and around the world. We’ve heard of the alpha, beta, […] The post A guide to the many omicron subvariants
Poynter→ No, Elon Musk hasn’t fired the Twitter board
On April 25, Twitter announced that it had agreed to sell the company to entrepreneur Elon Musk for approximately $44 billion. The news was cheered by some of the social […] The post No, Elon Musk hasn’t fired the Twitter board appeared fir
Poynter→ A photo of intact windows in Bucha is being used to claim the war in Ukraine is a hoax
An image of overturned cars in front of what looks like a building is spreading online as evidence that the war in Ukraine is a hoax. “I want to buy […] The post A photo of intact windows in Bucha is being used to claim the war in Ukraine i
Poynter→ What a database of fact checks about the war in Ukraine can teach us about misinformation
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 other Thursday. Ukraine Facts, an initiative that gathered fact checks […] Th
Poynter→ Amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, a look back at yellow journalism’s role in the Spanish-American War
Scroll through social media feeds today and you can expect to be bombarded with dubious claims about Russia’s war in Ukraine. Many were created by or on behalf of Russia, […] The post Amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, a look back at yellow j
Poynter→ No, President Zelenskyy did not tell Ukrainian soldiers to surrender
On Feb. 24, Russia began its invasion of Ukraine. During times of intense conflict, misinformation spreads rapidly. Unfortunately, many photos and videos have been taken out of context, falsely depicting […] The post No, President Zelenskyy did n
Poynter→ Evidence of Russian war crimes in Ukraine keeps mounting. Here’s what could happen next.
As the Russian military continues to pound Ukraine, evidence of war crimes keeps mounting. Could perpetrators be held to account under international law? If so, how soon could that happen? And what […] The post Evidence of Russian war crimes in
Poynter→ What Kevin McCarthy said, and didn’t say, about Trump and the Capitol assault
Reporting on the Jan. 6 Capitol breach has given House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy a tough couple of days. The New York Times published an article saying that in the […] The post What Kevin McCarthy said, and didn’t say, about Trump and th
Poynter→ The Ukraine war has fueled a surge of fake content impersonating BBC and CNN coverage
In the days after a deadly missile strike blasted a railway station in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk, a viral online video — dressed as a news report — […] The post The Ukraine war has fueled a surge of fake content impersonating B
Poynter→ West Africa moves in unison to promote vaccination and curb falsehoods
In West Africa, fact-checkers are cooperating to expand their influence on local, national and international levels to curb misinformation about vaccines. Organizations are banding together, forming alliances with intergovernmental groups […] The
Poynter→ Radio host Stew Peters’ ‘Watch the Water’ film ridiculously claims COVID-19 is snake venom
A new anti-vaccine documentary ridiculously claims that the coronavirus is not a virus, but a synthetic version of snake venom that evil forces are spreading through remdesivir, the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines and […] The post Radio host Stew Peters
Poynter→ CNN did not tweet about children in Ukraine signing up to fight in the war
An Instagram post appears to show a screenshot of a tweet from CNN about child soldiers in Ukraine, but the tweet was fabricated. The April 15 post says CNN tweeted about “brave […] The post CNN did not tweet about children in Ukraine sig
Poynter→ Despite legal setbacks, Rappler presses on
Rappler, the independent Philippine news organization, is fighting back against the Office of the Solicitor General of the Philippines, which launched a successful campaign last month to suspend Rappler’s fact-checking […] The post Despite lega
Poynter→ An old clip from MSNBC’s Mika Brzezinski is being misrepresented on social media
Elon Musk’s attempted takeover of Twitter has been met with unease by some employees and others who fear what changes the free-speech advocate might make to the company. But some social media users are misrepresenting an […] The post An o
Poynter→ France reports election results faster than the US. Here’s why.
In November 2020, it took days for key states in the U.S. to count ballots and report preliminary results to project a winner in the presidential race. But that’s not […] The post France reports election results faster than the US. Here’s
Poynter→ Viral photo does not show opponents protesting transgender swimmer Lia Thomas
When University of Pennsylvania transgender swimmer Lia Thomas won the 500-yard freestyle event at the 2022 NCAA Division I Women’s Swimming Championship, she made history as the first known transgender […] The post Viral photo does not show op
Poynter→ Brazil’s fact-checkers air concerns over so-called ‘Fake News’ bill
A Brazilian bill designed to contain the spread of mis- and disinformation narrowly failed an “accelerated pathway” vote Wednesday in the lower house of Congress, one of two representative voting […] The post Brazil’s fact-checkers air conc
Poynter→ How misinformers manufacture and embellish embarrassing presidential moments
Former President Barack Obama returned to the White House for the first time since 2017, joining President Joe Biden for an April 5 event to celebrate the Affordable Care Act. The event, […] The post How misinformers manufacture and embellish e