A number of Facebook posts have claimed that an air ambulance helicopter had been stolen in Bootle, Merseyside, sharing a tweet about the incident from Merseyside Police. However, the tweet was fake and this incident did not take place. The post includ
AFP Fact Check→ Muslim woman wearing hijab in photo is not a daughter of former US president George W. Bush
Facebook posts with an image of a woman wearing a hijab claim to show the daughter of former US president George W. Bush, who allegedly converted to Islam. The claim is false; the woman in the picture does not resemble any of Bush’s daughters and al
AFP Fact Check→ False posts misrepresent video of Israeli PM Netanyahu talking about his Covid-19 vaccination
A video has been viewed hundreds of thousands times in Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and TikTok posts that claim it shows Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu purportedly threatening to kill Muslims with vaccines. The claim is false: the
AFP Fact Check→ NASA did not warn a real asteroid is on path to hit Earth
Social media posts in Thailand have shared a claim that US space agency NASA warned an asteroid is on path to hit Earth and cannot be stopped by nuclear weapons. The claim is false: the posts misrepresented as real a NASA simulation exercise involving
Poynter→ What we know and don’t know about the origins of COVID-19
Confronting Dr. Anthony Fauci at a Senate committee hearing on the COVID-19 pandemic, Sen. Rand Paul argued that the United States collaborated with the Wuhan Institute of Virology in China to make a more deadly coronavirus. The Kentucky Republican m
AFP Fact Check→ Facebook posts falsely tout an indigenous medication in Sri Lanka as Covid-19 cure
As Sri Lanka faces a surge in Covid-19 cases, multiple Facebook posts claim that an indigenous medication has been discovered in a southern village as a ‘cure’ for Covid-19 induced pneumonia, alongside images purported to show crowds already throng
AFP Fact Check→ The image has been doctored to add a Palestinian keffiyeh scarf
As deadly violence escalated between Israel and Palestinian militants, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter posts shared a photo they claim shows Hollywood actress Kristen Stewart wearing a scarf she purportedly received from a Palestinian fan. The claim is
AFP Fact Check→ These are not photographs of Chinese vessels ‘blown up by Indonesian authorities’
Multiple Facebook posts shared thousands of times share photos they claim show two Chinese maritime militia vessels blown up by Indonesian authorities in April 2019. The images have been shared in a misleading context: they actually show a Vietnamese f
AFP Fact Check→ Online posts falsely claim Thai tourists can get free Covid-19 vaccines in neighbouring Laos
Multiple online posts have shared a claim that Thai citizens can get inoculated against Covid-19 with their vaccine of choice when they visit as tourists in neighbouring Laos. This claim is false: as of May 18, 2021 foreign tourists were not permitted
Washington Post→ Fact-checking the Paul-Fauci flap over Wuhan lab funding
Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) challenged Anthony S. Fauci over whether the U.S. government funded dangerous research in China. Here’s what they were talking about.
Snopes→ HIV/AIDS Vaccine: Why Don’t We Have One After 37 Years?
The biological properties that HIV has evolved make development of a successful vaccine very, very difficult.
Snopes→ Antarctica Is Headed for a Climate Tipping Point by 2060
Scientists have long known that the Antarctic ice sheet has physical tipping points, beyond which ice loss can accelerate out of control.
Snopes→ Krispy Kreme Is Offering Island-Themed Doughnuts
Krispy Kreme is transporting vacation-seeking fans to the islands via its all-new Island Time Collection.
Snopes→ Prosecutor Says Trial in Mollie Tibbetts’ Death ‘Not Going to be Pleasant’
A prosecutor warned prospective jurors that the trial of a Mexican national charged in the 2018 fatal stabbing of a University of Iowa student will include graphic evidence that will be emotionally difficult to see and hear.
Snopes→ Bidens Paid 25.9% Rate and Earned $607,336, Tax Returns Show
Snopes→ Was Maricopa County Elections Database Deleted?
In May 2021, former President Donald Trump made more false claims of electoral fraud, this time linked to a Republican-led audit in Arizona.
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Safety’ App Citizen Pushes Users to ‘Bring Justice’ Against Wrong Man in L.A. Arson Probe
Authorities in Los Angeles announced on May 17 2021 that they had arrested a suspect in an arson investigation, around 48 hours after a “safety” app had posted a photograph falsely identifying a man as the possible culprit. Fire Chief Ralph
Snopes→ Yes, the New York City Marathon Returns in November 2021
The race was canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Job Search Requirement Is NOT YET Reinstated for Every State’s Unemployment Benefits
Have federal unemployment insurance (UI) rules changed to require recipients to search for jobs starting on June 1, 2021? No, that's not true: although more than half of the country's states have reinstated their job search requirements,
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Fabuloso in Toilet Tank’ TikTok Hack
A March 13 2021 Facebook post featured a TikTok #CleanTok tip involving Fabuloso in a toilet tank: @sheiskd_Tik Tok made me do it ##fabuloso ##fyp ##stimuluscheck ##tax ##covidrelief ##foryou ##foryoupage♬ original sound – allierockk The
Snopes→ Did ‘The Simpsons’ Predict the 2021 Gas Shortage?
During panic buying at gas stations in May 2021, internet users shared what appeared to be a prescient moment from an old episode of "The Simpsons."
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: NO Evidence To Support Video’s Claim That Turkey And Russia Are Getting Ready to Attack Israel
Are Turkey and Russia getting ready to attack Israel? No, the claim is purely speculative, not supported by facts or evidence. A video making the claim cites two irrelevant sources: The first is a video in which a narrator reads a news st
Truth or Fiction?→ @KaitMarieox ‘Might Just Start Wearing A Mask Again … Wouldn’t Want To Give Off The Impression That I’m A Vaccinated Democrat’ Tweet
On May 17 2021 screenshots of a purported tweet from Kaitlin Bennett (@KaitMarieox) circulated, in which she purportedly stated that she might start “wearing a mask again” to avoid the impression she was a “vaccinated Democrat”:
Snopes→ Massive ‘Wizard of Oz’ Memorabilia Collection Shown in TikTok Video
Ruby slippers, life-size figurines, and framed artwork are only a tiny part of what appeared to be thousands of "Wizard of Oz" collectibles.
Snopes→ Did a Man Forge His Dead Wife’s Vote for Trump?
Barry Morphew has been charged with first-degree murder in the case of his missing wife, Suzanne.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Article Does NOT Prove Transgender And Cisgender Girls Are On A Level Playing Field
Did a doctor prove that transgender girls have no performance advantage over cisgender girls in athletics? No, that's not true: Contrary to the claim in a British website's headline, medical researchers have documented trans women's perfo
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Drs. Fauci, Marks Did NOT Say ‘About 40 To 50% Of CDC, FDA Employees Are Refusing The COVID-19 Vaccine’
Are "about 40 To 50% Of CDC, FDA employees" refusing the COVID-19 vaccine, according to Drs. Anthony Fauci and Peter Marks? No, that is not true. Fauci, who is director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and Fo
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Special ‘American Homeowner Relief’ Program Does NOT Give $3,708 Back To Homeowners
Does the U.S. government have an "American Homeowner Relief Program" that gives thousands of dollars to homeowners as part of the federal government's COVID-19 stimulus legislation? No, that's not true: No federal stimulus program by that
Snopes→ Russia Won’t Block Twitter, But Partial Slowdown to Continue
Russian authorities criticized social media platforms earlier this year for bringing tens of thousands of people into the streets across the country in January to demand the release of jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny.
Snopes→ Is This an Authentic Photo of Submerged Roman Mosaics in Turkey?
Social media posts claimed that the artifacts were an estimated 2,000 years old.
Snopes→ Did a Garbage Truck Violently Throw a Woman off a Bench?
The video was viewed on TikTok around 12 million times in just three days.
The Dispatch→ Did the NIAID Fund Research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology?
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Snopes→ Michael Scott’s ‘Pretzel Day’ Order from ‘The Office’ Episode Recreated in TikTok Video
A memorable moment from NBC's "The Office" treated the building's employees to a special annual pretzel cart with a variety of available toppings.
Full Fact→ Covid-19 pandemic was not planned by Rockefeller Foundation
It has been claimed on social media that the pandemic was planned by the Rockefeller Foundation, under the guise of something called ‘Operation Lockstep’. Claims circulating on WhatsApp say these plans were originally published in a book in
Full Fact→ The Genocide Act of 1969 has not just been repealed
We’ve seen posts on Instagram and Twitter claiming that the Genocide Act of 1969 has just been repealed. This is not the case. The Genocide Act was repealed in 2001, after the passage of the International Criminal Court Act and the equivalent act
AFP Fact Check→ This video shows a Hindu festival, not people smashing idols because of Covid-19
A video shared hundreds of times on Facebook in South Africa claims that people in India are throwing away religious status because the deities supposedly failed to protect them from the Covid-19 surge sweeping the country. But the claim is false:
Logically→ Indian actor Mukesh Khanna has succumbed to COVID-19.
Mukesh Khanna has rubbished his death rumors and clarified that he is healthy and fine.
Snopes→ Did Trump Build a Replica Oval Office at Mar-A-Lago?
As far as we can tell, Trump's office at Mar-A-Lago is made up of right angles.
Snopes→ Did Actor Ricky Schroder Confront a Costco Employee About Masks?
Schroder voiced an incorrect understanding of Costco's mask policy.
Snopes→ Biden Cancels Trump’s Planned ‘Garden of American Heroes’
It was to have featured sculptures of dozens of American historical figures, including presidents, athletes and pop culture icons, envisioned by Trump as “a vast outdoor park that will feature the statues of the greatest Americans to ever live."