Does a portrait of a familiar-looking historical figure actually show a CIA agent instead of German dictator Adolf Hitler? No, that's not true: The picture can be found in the National Archives Catalog and is described as a "Portrait of A
Publication: international
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: CDC Report Does NOT Reveal Over 1 Million Americans Have ‘Died Suddenly’ Since COVID Vaccine Roll-Out, Another Government Report Does NOT Prove Vaccines Are To Blame
Does a "secret" CDC report reveal that at least 1.1 million Americans have "Died Suddenly" since the COVID-19 vaccine roll-out? Does a separate government report from the United Kingdom prove the vaccines are to blame? No, that's not true
Lead Stories→ Lead Stories Uncovers Network of Cambodian Websites Pushing Death Hoaxes On Facebook To Spread Malware
The celebrity death hoax has long been a clickbait staple, but recently one network has taken it to extremes, using scores of websites to host its content and an automated army of bots to push the links into Facebook groups. Many Facebook
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Switzerland Did NOT Ban ‘Electric Cars Due To Their Excessive Energy Use’ On December 7, 2022
Did Switzerland ban electric vehicles "due to their excessive energy use" on December 7, 2022? No, that's not true: The country only discussed a draft of legislation that suggested that electric car use might be limited to essential activ
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Ukrainian Man Was Sentenced For Treason, Kidnapping, NOT For Hanging Russian Flag In Odesa
Was a man from the Ukrainian city of Odesa sent to prison for 15 years for hanging up the Russian flag? No, that's not true: The unnamed person in question was found guilty of treason, collaboration with Russian forces and kidnapping. The
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: 5G Wuhan Rollout Did NOT Cause Coronavirus Pandemic Or Facilitate Global Spread
Was Wuhan, China the first city to be "covered" with 5G technology and did this wireless communications network facilitate the origination and spread of COVID-19? No, that's not true: A telecommunications expert told Lead Stories that cre
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: NO Evidence Angelina Jolie Has Passed Away As Of December 7, 2022
Has Oscar-winning actress and humanitarian activist Angelina Jolie passed away as of December 7, 2022? No, that's not true: No credible news organizations have reported her death as of December 7, 2022, and TIME magazine published on Dece
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Data Does NOT Prove COVID Vaccination Causes ‘Significant Numbers Of Deaths’ In British Children — But Raw Numbers Do Show Vaccinated Children Up To 137 Times More Likely To Die
Does British government data prove COVID-19 vaccination is causing "significant numbers of deaths" in British children? In addition, does the same dataset also show children are up to 137 times more likely to die following COVID vaccinati
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: NO Evidence That Graffiti Showing Zelenskyy Eating Money Ever Appeared In Paris
Did graffiti showing Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy eating money appear in the capital of France during November 2022? No, that's not true: Neither local authorities nor the personnel of a store located near the supposed graffiti
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Science Does NOT Prove Nazi Germany’s Use Of Zyklon B Gas To Commit Genocide Is Impossible
Is it impossible that Nazi Germany used a gaseous form of hydrogen cyanide, also known as Zyklon B, to commit mass murder in World War II concentration camps because the compound is "air soluble" and conditions in gas chambers "would not
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Celine Dion Has NOT Passed Away As Of December 6, 2022
Has the Canadian singer Celine Dion passed away as of December 6, 2022? No, that's not true: While she is currently suffering from a health issue, it has been reported to be non-life-threatening. No credible news organizations have report
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Pfizer CEO Bourla Did Not "Maintain" That mRNA Technology Was Unsafe
Did Albert Bourla, the chairman and CEO of the Pfizer pharmaceutical company, "maintain" that mRNA vaccine technology was unsafe when he gave researchers the go-ahead to use it in Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine? No, that's not true: In the ful
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: ‘Six Million’ Population Figure In Pre-WWII American News Stories About Jews Does NOT Confirm There Was No Holocaust
Does the repeated use of the figure 6 million in pre-World War II American newspaper reports about the world's Jewish communities prove there was no Holocaust, in which 6 million Jews are estimated to have died? No, that's not true: The r
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: ‘Gold Standard’ Scientific Trial Does NOT Prove N95, Surgical Masks Ineffective In Preventing COVID-19 Transmission
Does a "gold standard" scientific trial prove that N95 respirators and surgical masks are ineffective at preventing the spread of COVID-19? No, that's not true: This claim misrepresents the intent and findings of the trial, the study auth
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Video Does NOT Show A Fan Exposing Her Breasts At 2022 World Cup In Qatar
Does this video show a woman exposing her breasts at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, for which she was arrested? No, that is not true: the video began circulating on social media more than a year before the World Cup and appears to have been
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Swastika-Shaped Decoration Is NOT Nazi Symbol On Christmas Tree In Latvia
Is a swastika-shaped decoration on a Christmas tree in Latvia a Nazi symbol? No, that's not true: The symbol has been a part of the history and mythology of Latvia since the third century. A tree in Latvia this year was decorated with the
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: World Cup German National Team’s Plane NOT Banned From Landing In Qatar For FIFA Because Of Its Diversity Logo, Mural
Did Qatar ban the German team's plane landing there for the FIFA World Cup because of the aircraft's inclusive logo and mural? No, that's not true: The plane left Frankfurt, Germany, and landed in Muscat, Oman, for training in mid-Novembe
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Low Serial Number ‘Holocaust Tatt(…)’ Does NOT Prove There Were Fewer Victims
Does a low serial number of the Nazi concentration camp tattoo disprove the scale of the Holocaust? No, that's not true: Those serial numbers are irrelevant to estimating the death toll among the Jewish population because most of the vict
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: World Economic Forum Chief Klaus Schwab Did NOT Suffer ‘Second’ Heart Attack
Did World Economic Forum (WEF) Chairman Klaus Schwab suffer a second heart attack? No, that's not true: A WEF press spokesman said Schwab has never experienced a heart attack and confirmed that he is in "good health." The claim appeared i
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Ronald Reagan Is NOT Denying Holocaust In This Clip
Did former President Ronald Reagan deny that 6 million Jewish people were killed in concentration camps during World War II? No, that's not true: There is missing context to this video. A transcript of this event shows that Reagan is answ
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Global Warming Is NOT Caused By Solar System Having Two Suns
Is global warming caused by the solar system having two suns? No, that's not true: An astronomy expert and the National Weather Service told Lead Stories this claim is "completely false." The claim appeared in a video on Instagram on Nove
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: These Photos Do NOT Show A ‘Ukrainian Soldier’ With A Swastika Tattoo Captured In November 2022
Do photos circulating on social media show a recently captured Ukrainian POW with a swastika tattoo on his back? No, that's not true: These are seven-year-old images, taken during fighting in 2015 with armed, Russia-backed separatists in
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: ‘Terra-Infinita’ Map Does NOT Show Real Place — It’s Illustration Of Lands In Science Fiction Series
Does a map showing "Terra-Infinita" show a real place composed of 178 worlds that exist beyond the domed territory of the "Known Lands" of Earth, ringed by a giant wall of ice and guarded by "custodians"? No, that's not true: This detaile
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Tourist In Northern Ireland Did NOT Record Giant’s Door Opening In Mountainside At Giant’s Causeway
Did a tourist in Northern Ireland record a giant's "door" opening in the mountainside at Giant's Causeway? No, that's not true: This was part of a promotional video made by An Taisce - The National Trust for Ireland, a nongovernmental cha
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Media NOT ‘Put To Death For Lying’ At Nuremberg Trials — Those Executed Were Convicted Of War Crimes Against Humanity
Was "even the media" prosecuted during the 1945-46 Nuremberg trials of Nazi Germany's leadership and "put to death for lying to the public"? No, that's not true: This claim misrepresents the purpose of these historical legal proceedings,
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Hitler Did NOT Invent Highways And Microphones As Ye (Formerly Kanye West) Said
Did Hitler invent highways and microphones, as Ye said in a radio interview? No, that's not true: The Nazis appropriated highway plans and construction already occurring. Several people are credited with inventing the microphone in the la
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: ‘Baal Enci Aga’ Is NOT Latin For ‘Baal Is The King’ — But Google Translate Can Be Tricked Into Saying It Is
Does the misspelled, separated name of fashion house Balenciaga as "Baal enci aga" translate to "Baal is the king" in Latin? No, that's not true: The claim arises from bugs in Google Translate. In Latin, "Baal is the king" would be "Baal
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Morgan Freeman Did NOT Announce Conversion To Islam
Did actor Morgan Freeman announce after performing at the 2022 World Cup that he has converted to Islam? No, that's not true: There is no evidence that Freeman ever publicly confirmed that he converted to Islam. The claim appeared in a Fa
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Sen. Warnock Is NOT The Man In The Photo With Women Wearing Penis Pants
Does a photo on social media show Georgia's U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, clad in a jumpsuit, walking in front of a line of women wearing penis pants? No, that's not true: The image is of a Nigerian celebrity attending a funeral in Nigeria f
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: NO Evidence That Moderna CEO Worships ‘Demonic Entity’ Baphomet
Does Stéphane Bancel, CEO of Moderna, worship Baphomet, commonly considered a "demonic entity"? No, that's not true: The claim uses fabricated "evidence" that immediately discredits the claim. The website on which the claim appeared is k
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Japan’s Team Did NOT Trash World Cup Dressing Room — March Photos Show Mess After Italian Qualifier Loss
Did Japan's soccer team trash a dressing room at the FIFA World Cup in Qatar after losing its November 27, 2022, match to Costa Rica? No, that's not true: These photos are still frames from a video filmed in a dressing room in Stadio Renz
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: These Are NOT Staged Photos Used For Ukrainian Propaganda — They Document First Aid Training In 2016
Are these staged photos taken from the phone of an employee of the Ukrainian CIPSO (Center for Information and Psychological Operations) showing fake victims, proving the war in Ukraine is staged? No, that's not true: The photos were take
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Dual-Use COVID-19/Influenza A&B Test Does NOT Prove Coronavirus Is Flu
Does a dual-use COVID-19/influenza A&B test prove coronavirus is the flu? No, that's not true: While COVID and influenza are both respiratory ailments, they are caused by different viruses and require different tests. The antigen test
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Woman In Social Media Photo Is NOT Balenciaga Stylist Lotta Volkova
Does a photo circulating on social media show Lotta Volkova, a stylist for Paris-based fashion house Balenciaga, which is facing condemnation after releasing an ad campaign featuring children holding stuffed animals in bondage gear? No, t
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Artemis I Orion Spacecraft Did NOT Miss Moon, This Does NOT Prove Earth Is Flat
Does a photo of the Artemis I mission launch show that the rocket missed its target, falling short of the moon -- perhaps dropping into the ocean? No, that's not true: The launch went as planned and the Orion spacecraft orbited Earth once
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Trident Is NOT A Symbol of Nazism On The Ukrainian Flag
Does a trident superimposed on the gold and blue Ukrainian flag represent membership in, or support for, the Nazi political movement? No, that's not true: The trident is the national symbol of Ukraine that is often added to the country's
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Nigerian Natural ‘Healing Oil’ Does NOT Cure HIV/AIDS
Does a natural "healing oil" from Nigeria advertised on social media cure HIV/AIDS? No, that's not true: While natural treatments are a mainstay of many non-Western medical systems, scientists have not yet discovered any medicine that can
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Microwave Ovens Are NOT Harmful To Human Health
Do household microwave ovens emit levels of radiation high enough to harm human health? No, that's not true: Federal law in the United States obliges microwave oven makers to adhere to radiation emission standards that are too low to caus
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: 50 Million Doses Of Vaccines Were NOT Recalled, Did NOT Give People AIDS
Were 50 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines recalled after giving people AIDS? No, that's not true: These vaccines were from a trial in Australia, where a plan to manufacture 50 million doses was suspended in December 2020 after the vaccin
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: This Video Does NOT Show An Al Jazeera Report About ‘Nazi Ukrainians’ Being ‘Arrested In Qatar’
Does a viral video show Al Jazeera footage of "Nazi Ukrainians" "arrested in Qatar after they drew swastikas on football posters"? No, that's not true: The network denied that it had anything to do with the clip using its logo. More impor