We tackled some of the most popular myths for Halloween 2021.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: The IRS Is NOT A Private Business
Is the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) a private business? No, that's not true: It's a government agency. The IRS, which is tasked with determining, assessing and collecting internal revenue, is a bureau of the Treasury Department. The cla
Snopes→ Peter Scolari of ‘Newhart,’ ‘Bosom Buddies,’ Dies at 66
Scolari died in New York after fighting cancer for two years.
Snopes→ Supreme Court Doesn’t Block Texas Abortion Law, Sets Hearing
The Supreme Court is allowing the Texas law that bans most abortions to remain in place, but has agreed to hear arguments in the case in early November.
Truth or Fiction?→ Telegraph Money ‘Kyle’ Tweet
An October 21 2021 Twitter screenshot of a purported Telegraph Money (@MoneyTelegraph) profile was virally popular on Twitter, depicting “Kyle, 28” and alluding to his financial proficiency: Never fails pic.twitter.com/TCjuvTYuyT —
Snopes→ For Sleepy Hong Kong Residents, 5-Hour Bus Tour is a Snooze
The 76-kilometer (47-mile), five-hour ride on a regular double-decker bus around the territory is meant to appeal to people who are easily lulled asleep by long rides.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: FBI Did NOT Say That There Were No Killings At Sandy Hook — Data Were Submitted To FBI Later
Did the FBI say that there were no killings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012, the same year as the mass shooting at the school that resulted in 26 deaths? No, that's not true: Although data from the FBI's Crime in the U.S. 2012 pub
Washington Post→ Biden said he’s been to the southern border before. It was a drive-by.
The president said he had visited the southern border before. It's not quite what his critics have been demanding.
Snopes→ Haiti Gang Leader Threatens to Kill Kidnapped Missionaries
“I swear by thunder that if I don’t get what I’m asking for, I will put a bullet in the heads of these Americans,” he said in the video.
Full Fact→ Government hasn’t explained differing statements on lab accused of inaccurate Covid-19 results
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has failed to explain why it released two different statements about a Covid testing laboratory in Wolverhampton which may have sent inaccurate results to 43,000 people. On 15 October a government s
Full Fact→ Covid-19 can be fatal and tests for it aren’t rigged
A post on Facebook includes a number of false or misleading claims about Covid-19 deaths, tests, the vaccines, hand sanitisers and facemasks. It is not true to say that “Covid-19 is not killing people” According to data from the Offic
Snopes→ Pfizer Says COVID-19 Vaccine More Than 90% Effective in Kids
Kid-size doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine appear safe and nearly 91% effective at preventing symptomatic infections in 5- to 11-year-olds.
Snopes→ Alec Baldwin Movie Accident Elicits Fake Newspaper Clippings About Prop Gun Shooting
Fake newspaper clippings were circulated after a tragic accident on the set of Alec Baldwin's latest movie.
Logically→ Recent articles covering children’s death prove that COVID-19 vaccines are unsafe for children.
Currently, no known deaths among teenagers in the U.K. have been linked to COVID-19 vaccines.
Snopes→ World’s Biggest Triceratops Sells for $7.7 Million in Paris
The enormous skeleton, estimated to be over 66 million years old, was found in 2014 in South Dakota.
Snopes→ Sheriff: Baldwin Fired Prop Gun That Killed Cinematographer
The director of the Western being filmed was wounded, and authorities are investigating what happened.
Poynter→ A Facebook video claims a media blackout. But check the news. It’s still up and running.
“Shocking news!” says the title of a nearly 13-minute video on Facebook. “Mass media destroyed! Blackout for mass arrests event!” But the video offers no evidence of the aforementioned shocking news. A woman can be heard readin
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: NO Evidence 250,000 Vaxxed Americans Are Dead From COVID-19 Vaccine
Have 250,000 deaths been caused by the COVID-19 vaccine in the United States? No, that's not true: There is no proof that 250,000 deaths have been caused by receiving a COVID-19 vaccine. In a video, Dr. Zev Zelenko shares no evidence of h
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Post Does NOT Show Hubble Telescope And A Satellite
Do two images in a social media post show the Hubble Telescope and a satellite? No, that's not true: The Instagram post shows a NASA observatory plane, and a balloon that was used to provide mobile Internet service in Africa. The claim ap
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Two Great White Sharks Were NOT Spotted In The Mississippi River Near Davenport, Iowa
Were two great white sharks found in the Mississippi River near Davenport, Iowa? No, that's not true: A shark expert says great whites could not tolerate being in freshwater. Also, the story was posted on a website that says its stories s
Snopes→ Alabama Football Team Lost 21-0 at Home 21 Years Ago
The storied program had a dark period prior to its recent success, including a rare shutout loss at home to an unranked, nonconference opponent.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: There Is NO Evidence That A Clown Purge Is Happening October 30, 2021
Are sinister clowns coming to a city near you to purge and terrify everyone in sight? No, that's not true: It's a rerun of the same baseless clown threat that appeared in the fall of 2016. There was no evidence then that a clown purge wou
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Image of Anti-Joe Biden Band Formation In Football Stadium Is NOT Real
Is an image depicting an anti-Joe Biden band formation in a football stadium real? No, that's not true: This image has been digitally altered. The claim appeared in a Facebook post (archived here) on October 16, 2021. The post, captioned,
Snopes→ Queen Elizabeth II Hospitalized One Night for Checks
Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II spent a night in a hospital for checks after canceling an official trip to Northern Ireland on medical advice, Buckingham Palace said.
Snopes→ House Votes to Hold Trump Ally Steve Bannon in Contempt
The vote was 229-202 with all but nine GOP lawmakers who voted saying “no.”
Snopes→ FBI: Remains Found in Florida Park ID’D As Brian Laundrie
He was a person of interest in the death of girlfriend Gabby Petito while the couple was on a cross-country road trip.
FactCheck.org→ Colin Powell’s COVID-19 Death Followed Cancer Diagnosis, Treatment
SciCheck Digest Former Secretary of State Colin Powell died from complications of COVID-19. Although he was fully vaccinated, he was also 84 years old and was a cancer patient who had undergone treatment for multiple myeloma — factors that put hi
Snopes→ Did Ohio Unveil Inaccurate Wright Brothers’ Design on New License Plate?
The state has long hailed itself as the "birthplace of aviation" after the historic achievements of Dayton brothers Wilbur and Orville Wright.
Snopes→ Before Takeover, Taliban Reportedly Offered to Let US Secure Kabul and Airport
Panic, uncertainty, and surprise marked the last days of U.S. armed forces in Afghanistan.
FactCheck.org→ Trump and Son Whitewash Vaccine Willingness Before Biden
The percentage of Americans who say they would “definitely not” get the COVID-19 vaccine has remained relatively stable since 2020. And the daily number of people getting vaccinations had slid near a low point when President Joe Biden annou
Snopes→ CDC: Throw Out Unlabeled Onions Over Potential Salmonella Contamination
At least 652 illnesses have been reported in 37 states.
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘A List of Failed Amendments’
On October 19 2021, Twitter user @radicalpragmat1 shared a somewhat unnerving list of purported failed proposed amendments to the Constitution, an image which quickly migrated to Imgur and Reddit: Well this is a fascinating list of amendments that we
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Children Did NOT Recreate This ‘M*A*S*H’ Cast Photo — It’s A Digital Manipulation
Did eight children with uncanny resemblances to the cast members of the TV series "M*A*S*H" pose together to recreate a cast photo? No, that's not true: This photo is a digital manipulation. The clothing and setting in the two images matc
Snopes→ Trump Plan for New Media Venture Gets Investors’ Thumbs Up
Trump said that he’s launching Trump Media & Technology Group as a rival to the Big Tech companies that have shut him out.
Snopes→ ‘Don’t Blame Me’ Gas Prices Meme Shows Photo from 2020
Meme: "Don't blame me when you voted for this. Cause I voted for this."
Snopes→ Rapper Young Thug Sues over Swiped Bag That Had Cash, Songs
Atlanta rapper Young Thug said an apartment concierge let an unknown person take his Louis Vuitton bag holding about 200 unreleased songs and more than $100,000 worth of jewelry and cash.
Logically→ World’s largest floating solar farm is being built in Singapore.
Sunseap Group has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with BP Batam for building a floating solar farm on 1600 hectares of Indonesia's Batam island.
Snopes→ Australian Town Overwhelmed by Response to Free Land Offer
Authorities have been overwhelmed by more than 250 inquires in less than two weeks from around Australia and internationally.
Full Fact→ Photo of diesel-powered electric vehicle charging point is at least two years old
A post on Facebook claims it shows a picture of an electric vehicle charging point, newly installed by Lancashire County Council, which is powered by a diesel generator. The post says drivers can use this charging point to fully charge a Tesla Model S
FactCheck.org→ Already Had COVID-19? Vaccines Boost Immunity, Not ‘Wipe Out’ Antibodies
SciCheck Digest Studies show the COVID-19 vaccines boost the antibody levels and improve the immune response of those who previously had COVID-19. The vaccines do not “wipe out” the antibodies developed by a person who had recovered from th