In the 21st century, new technology makes manipulation and fabrication of information simple.
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer ‘Vacation’ in Florida?
Right-wing blogs and political operatives again targeted Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on April 20 2021 by accusing her of going on a “vacation” in Florida. The story was first reported in the newsletter Michigan Information & Research
Snopes→ How Many People Were Fatally Shot by US Cops the Past Year?
Former U.S. Secretary of Labor Robert Reich drew attention after tweeting out the number.
Snopes→ Did Tucker Carlson Equate Media’s Treatment of Derek Chauvin to ‘Lynching’?
The remark in question appeared in a meme on the Occupy Democrats Facebook page.
Snopes→ At This Wedding, the Bride and Groom Were the Crashers
A “dream home and estate” was the perfect venue for the couple's long-awaited wedding. But it wasn’t theirs.
AFP Fact Check→ This video shows German military vehicles during an exercise
A video showing various military vehicles has been shared hundreds of times on Facebook alongside the claim that they belong to the Ethiopian army. This is false: while the Ethiopian army did recently acquire new military trucks, the video was actuall
AFP Fact Check→ Footage of sheep intestines in Turkish dish falsely presented as a soup of human penises in China
Nigerian separatists are sharing two videos on social media claiming that the footage shows Chinese restaurants serving human penises. The claims come a week after AFP Fact Check debunked a satirical story presented as fact on social media that thousa
Snopes→ Yes, the Las Vegas Raiders Tweeted ‘I Can Breathe’ After Chauvin Conviction
Many online observers criticized what they presented as a crass play on words by the NFL franchise in April 2021.
Logically→ All six Premier League teams have withdrawn from the European Super League.
Manchester City, Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester United & Tottenham have withdrawn from the ESL.
Snopes→ AP: Attorney General Garland to Announce Minneapolis Police Probe
The announcement comes after former officer Derek Chauvin was found guilty of murder and manslaughter in George Floyd's death
FactCheck.org→ Irish Professor Makes Unfounded Claims About Long-Term Effects of mRNA Vaccines
SciCheck Digest The COVID-19 mRNA vaccines authorized for use were found to be safe and effective in clinical trials and real-world conditions. A professor in Ireland baselessly claims in a video circulating on social media that they are not, and that
Snopes→ Oxygen Supply Disruption Kills 22 COVID-19 Patients in India
A police officer said the leak occurred in a pipe connecting the oxygen supply to the main tank in the hospital complex.
FactCheck.org→ FactCheck.org Back in Contention For the Webbys
FactCheck.org has again been nominated for Webby Awards in the category for Websites and Mobile Sites: News & Politics. As always, you can help us win the Webby People’s Voice Award — which is voted on by the public — by going to vote
Full Fact→ Results of Covid-19 vaccine trials have been published and peer-reviewed
A Facebook post states that the Covid-19 vaccines will not have finished testing until 2023. The post says that therefore the vaccinations are unsafe and suggests that as a result, fact checkers have been spreading disinformation regarding the safety o
Snopes→ Columbus Police Officer Fatally Shoots Teenaged Girl
The shooting happened minutes before the verdict in the killing of George Floyd was announced.
Logically→ Former Police Officer Derek Chauvin has been convicted for the murder of George Floyd.
A Minneapolis jury found Derek Chauvin guilty of three charges: second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter
Logically→ Nextdoor is aware of the racism on its platform.
Nextdoor's recent anti-racism statement suggests that the company is aware of the racism on its platform.
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
Full Fact→ We don’t know if the ‘Nigerian variant’ is more deadly
The data in this piece is correct as of the time of publishing, on 21 April 2021. Articles from news outlets, and posts on social media have raised concerns about the risk posed by a Covid-19 variant which has been dubbed the “Nigerian variant&rd
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
AFP Fact Check→ ‘Positive’ and ‘negative’ control swabs in Covid-19 test kits only used for quality control, experts say
An image purporting to show components of a Covid-19 test kit has been shared in multiple posts on Facebook alongside a claim that the “positive” and “negative” control swabs are proof that test results are “fixed” in advance. The claim is
AFP Fact Check→ Doctored news graphic shares false quote from top diplomat about Philippine vice president
A purported news graphic has been shared thousands of times in social media posts that claim it shows disparaging remarks made about Philippine Vice President Leni Robredo by a top diplomat. The claim is false: the graphic has been doctored from a
AFP Fact Check→ Doctored magazine headline misleads on Sri Lankan official’s ‘toxic food’ comments
A photo of a purported magazine article has been shared repeatedly in Facebook posts that claim it shows a Sri Lankan official blamed the island nation's president for toxic food products found in the country. The claim is false: the photo has been
AFP Fact Check→ Old video of Pakistan PM Khan circulates alongside false claim about 2021 extremist party protests
A video of Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan has been viewed more than four million times on Facebook alongside a claim that it shows him condemning protests against a Pakistan extremist party leader's arrest in April 2021. The claim is false:
AFP Fact Check→ This video has been taken from an Indian road safety campaigner’s film
A video has been viewed thousands of times in multiple posts on Facebook alongside a claim it shows a group of Indian Muslim motorcyclists brandishing weapons after they were stopped for not wearing helmets. The claim is false: the original video was
AFP Fact Check→ This video is a work of fiction and part of an upcoming web series
A video has been viewed thousands of times on Facebook alongside a claim it shows a policeman in India shooting a couple in broad daylight. The claim is false; the people in the video are actors and the scene was filmed for an upcoming web series, loca
AFP Fact Check→ Fabricated image purports to show sign of ‘most hated river’ that does not exist in South Korea
An image purporting to show a road sign for a river in South Korea called “Jaesugang”, which translates as “retaking a class”, has been shared on social media alongside a claim that “this is a river most hated by university students”.
Snopes→ Crowds React with Joy, Wariness to Verdict in Floyd’s Death
Black Americans from Missouri to Florida to Minnesota cheered, marched, hugged, waved signs and sang jubilantly in the streets.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Mike Lindell’s ‘Absolute Interference’ Video Recycles Debunked Claims About The 2020 Election
Does Mike Lindell's "Absolute Interference" video, his third that purports to prove 2020 election fraud, contain only proven statements? No, that's not true: It contradicts itself and recycles claims that have been debunked before, relyin
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Oft-Cited Article Proposes A Hypothesis, Does NOT Provide New Data Against Mask-Wearing, Is NOT A ‘Stanford Study"
Did this "Stanford Study" prove that face masks don't slow the spread of COVID-19 and harm the health of mask-wearers? No, that's not true: Stanford University disavows the article, which is not a report on new research and is full of the
Snopes→ Did A ‘Stanford/NIH’ Study Conclude Masks Don’t Work?
Really depends on how you define these words: Stanford, NIH, Study, Conclude, Mask, and Work.
Snopes→ Will Ex-Minneapolis Cop Derek Chauvin Spend Life In Prison?
A jury convicted the 45-year-old man of murder and manslaughter in George Floyd's death.
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Brian Williams Say Activists Should Join Police Departments?
MSNBC presenter Brian Williams came under criticism on April 20 2021 after attempting to offer analysis following the murder conviction of Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin. Footage of the segment posted by RealClearPolitics shows Williams was s
Snopes→ Did Portland Mayor Declare State of Emergency After Antifa, BLM Posters Called for Violence?
Flyers allegedly posted around Portland urged protesters to "rage" no matter what the Chauvin verdict proved to be.
Snopes→ Nevada Teen Suffers Seizures, Brain Clots After J&J Vaccine
An 18-year-old woman in Nevada who suffered seizures after receiving the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine has received three brain surgeries related to blood clots, a spokesperson for her family said.
AllSides→ Did Nancy Pelosi Thank George Floyd for ‘Sacrificing’ His Life?
https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/pelosi-george-floyd-sacrificing/ On April 20, 2021, U.S. House Speake
FactCheck.org→ In Her Own Words: Maxine Waters
In the days after Rep. Maxine Waters told demonstrators in Minnesota that they should “get more confrontational” if Derek Chauvin was acquitted, Republicans have called for her censure or outright removal from Congress — claiming she
Snopes→ Did the Families of Emmett Till and George Floyd Watch Chauvin Verdict Together?
A cousin of Emmett Till and a brother of George Floyd appeared together in an interview with CNN the day before the verdict was read.
Snopes→ Did Nancy Pelosi Thank George Floyd for ‘Sacrificing’ His Life?
The remarks in question followed the reading of the verdict in the trial of Derek Chauvin.
Snopes→ In Minneapolis, City Fortified After Chauvin Guilty Verdict
More than 3,000 National Guard soldiers, along with police officers, state police, sheriffs deputies, and other law enforcement personnel have flooded the city in recent days.