An article and Facebook post claim Democratic vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris opposes the right to own a gun and has plans with running mate Joe Biden to “dismantle” the Second Amendment to the US Constitution. These claims are false; al
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Thousands of Seattle Democrats Gather to Demand Mail-In Voting Because Voting in Person Is Too Dangerous?
On August 18 2020, a photograph purportedly showing “thousands of Seattle Democrats” (at least, according to random people online) circulated on Twitter: This is a photo of thousands of Seattle Democrats gathering to demand mail in votin
Snopes→ Is This a 327-Pound Halibut?
The world's largest flatfish can weigh more than 500 pounds.
The Dispatch→ Did Trump Say He Would ‘Go to Prison’ if Biden Were Elected?
a.image2.image-link.image2-971-1456 { padding-bottom: 66.68956043956044%; padding-bottom: min(66.68956043956044%, 971px); width: 100%; height: 0; } a.image2.image-link.image
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: NO Proof That Government Contractors Played A Role In Carrying Out A ‘Coup Against President Trump’
Did government contractors play a role in carrying out a "coup against President Trump" as claimed in the "ShadowGate" video? No, that's not true: There's zero evidence to support the claim, a variation on the oft-debunked myth that Trump
Full Fact→ Viral Facebook post on cost of “binned” test and trace app is wrong
A post on Facebook claiming that the government’s “£300m track and trace app has quietly been binned” has been shared over 6,000 times. The cost of the app has been around £10.8 million so far, and although the app has not
Snopes→ Senate Panel Concludes Russia Interfered in 2016 US Election
The report from the Republican-led panel lays out significant contacts between associates of President Donald Trump and Russian officials.
Full Fact→ Viral Facebook post compares the national living wage with the state pension
“The government minimum wage so that people can live reasonably is £8.72 an hour x 36hrs equals £314.00 x 4 weeks equals £1,256.00 per month x 12 months equals £15070.00 per year. Why is it that pensioners who have paid h
Full Fact→ Claims that a 2011 lightning composite picture were taken in the Lake District are false
A number of posts on Facebook have claimed to show a striking image of a storm taken in Caldbeck in the Lake District in early August 2020. This is not the case. The picture is a composite taken in 2011 by photographer Chris Kotsiopoulos. He took
Full Fact→ It’s not true that migrants get a free TV licence
A Facebook post that has been shared 28,000 times claims that pensioners have to pay for a TV licence while migrants get a licence for free. This is not correct. The post says: “Funny that those who fought on the beaches of Northern France
Full Fact→ You cannot catch Legionnaires’ disease from a mask
A Facebook post shared hundreds of times has claimed that a woman who thought she had Covid-19 actually had actually contracted Legionnaires’ disease from her mask. The post reads: “Mask wearers beware... Worth checking it out. A caller to
Snopes→ Trump to Pardon Women’s Suffrage Leader Susan B. Anthony
President Donald Trump said he would sign "a full and complete pardon" on the 100-year anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment.
Snopes→ Michelle Obama Warns at DNC That Trump is ‘In Over His Head’
The former first lady outlined dire stakes for the election ahead and declared President Donald Trump the "wrong president for our country."
Poynter→ Fact-checking night one of the 2020 Democratic National Convention
Gov. Andrew Cuomo recreated a coronavirus press briefing complete with PowerPoint, Sen. Bernie Sanders spoke in front of an impressive amount of firewood, and a guy only identified as Eric from Illinois recorded a message from his phone holding what lo
AllSides→ Democratic Convention Opening Night
https://www.factcheck.org/2020/08/democratic-convention-opening-night/ Our major finding from the first
Full Fact→ Charles Bronson has not attacked Ian Huntley in prison
Multiple Facebook posts have claimed that Charles Bronson recently attacked Ian Huntley in jail. Bronson is a robber who has become known for violent behaviour in prison; Huntley was convicted of murdering two schoolgirls in 2003. The post’
Poynter→ Africa Check sees huge growth in its WhatsApp podcast debunking widely circulated misinformation
“What’s Crap on WhatsApp,” a voice note podcast produced by fact-checking organization Africa Check and podcast company Volume, has gained a dedicated following during the COVID-19 pandemic. Over the first six months of 2020, subscriptions to the
Full Fact→ This is not a photo of people seeking asylum in England
A post shared hundreds of times of Facebook claims to show a recent group of migrants who have arrived in England. The post also complains that the people in the photo don’t appear to be practising social distancing or wearing masks. However, the
AFP Fact Check→ These photos show two Portuguese churches decorated with the bones of devotees
Two images of walls decorated with bones have been shared thousands of times on Facebook and Twitter alongside a claim it shows a church in Portugal which was built with bones of Andalusian Muslims. The claim is false; the images show two separate cha
AFP Fact Check→ This photo shows Sri Lankan fruit and vegetables being exported to Oman
An image has been shared thousands of times in multiple posts on Facebook which claim it shows Sri Lankan fruit and vegetables being exported to the US. The claim is misleading; Sri Lankan airport authorities said the image shows a consignment of fruit
AFP Fact Check→ No, this image actually shows a doctored Boston Globe front page
An image which has been shared multiple times on Facebook purports to show a report in US newspaper The Boston Globe ranking Sri Lankans the world's “top foolish voters”. The claim is false; the front page has been doctored from an August 2018
FactCheck.org→ Democratic Convention Opening Night
Summary Our major finding from the first night of the four-day 2020 Democratic National Convention is that it wasn’t accurate to call it a “convention” at all. That word means “coming together,” and Democratic delegates stayed apart because o
Washington Post→ Fact-checking the first night of the Democratic National Convention
The two-hour informercial left us starved of items to fact-check. Here's what caught our interest.
AFP Fact Check→ This video has circulated since 2014 in reports about a NASA rocket explosion in the US
A video has been viewed thousands of times on Facebook and Twitter alongside a claim it shows an American rocket exploding moments after it launched in August 2020. The claim is false; this video has circulated online since 2014 in reports about a fai
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: C.S. Lewis Did Not Write Satan And Jesus Conversation On Shutting Down Businesses, Schools, Places Of Worship and Sports Events
Did C.S. Lewis write a conversation in which Satan told Jesus he would "shutdown business, schools, places of worship and sports events and "cause economic turmoil"? No, that's not true: The fictional exchange purportedly penned
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Donald Trump Was NOT Born In Pakistan
Was President Donald Trump actually born in Pakistan as Dawood Ibrahim Khan and then adopted by the Trump family nine years later? No, that's not true: Donald Trump was born in Queens, New York, and an image of his birth certific
Snopes→ Could Kids with COVID-19 Symptoms Be Quarantined Without Parental Consent?
An erroneous Facebook post swept across various countries in August 2020.
AFP Fact Check→ George Floyd did not die of a drug overdose
Social media posts shared tens of thousands of times claim that George Floyd died of an overdose, criticizing the amount of attention given to his death. This is false; the 46-year-old black man died while in police custody when a white officer knelt o
AFP Fact Check→ Misleading claim circulates online about pay rise for Sri Lankan government ministers
A screenshot of a Sinhala language newspaper has been shared hundreds of times in multiple Facebook posts published in August 2020 which claim it shows the Sri Lankan government approved a salary increase for government ministers. The claim is mislead
Truth or Fiction?→ Was a New Strain of Coronavirus Known as D614G and ‘Ten Times More Infectious’ Emerge in Malaysia in August 2020?
On August 16 2020, a number of anxiety-provoking tweets discussed the purported discovery of a new strain of SARS-CoV-2 (D614G), described as “ten times more infectious” after mutating: The highly infectious Covid-19 mutation, known as
Health Feedback→ Flawed “study” incorrectly claims that countries adopting hydroxychloroquine as a treatment for COVID-19 experienced reduced mortality rates
REVIEW On 5 August 2020, an “analysis” comparing COVID-19 mortality rates in countries with different practices regarding the use of hydroxychloroquine to treat the disease started circulating in social media posts on Facebook and Twitter. In th
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: The CDC Did NOT Predict An Outbreak Of AFM Cases To Cover Up Anticipated Future Vaccine Injuries
Did the CDC predict an outbreak of AFM (acute flaccid myelitis) cases to cover up anticipated future vaccine injuries from the COVID-19 vaccine and flu shot? No, that's not true: The CDC has been tracking AFM cases since 2014. AF
FactCheck.org→ Mailbag: Our Headline on U.S. Postal Service Story
Numerous readers in recent days sent us emails questioning why we have not changed the headline on our June story [“Biden Floats Baseless Election Conspiracy,” June 26] regarding former Vice President Joe Biden’s claim that President
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Kamala Harris Did NOT Say She Would Sign An Executive Order To Send Police To Take Your Guns
Did Kamala Harris vow to sign an executive order that would send police to your door to get your guns if you do not surrender them? No, that's not true. Sen. Harris, the presumptive Democratic vice presidential nominee, said when
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Budget Breakdown of a 25-Year-Old Who Makes $100,000 a Year and Is Excellent with Money’
As COVID-19 related economic woes dragged on in August 2020, a Facebook user shared a CNBC “budget breakdown” chart — which involved a 25-year-old man earning $100,000 a year: On August 14 2020, the user shared the above ch
Snopes→ Does the Common Cold Protect You from COVID?
An article in Science recently generated a lot of interest by providing a possible explanation of why COVID-19 can be deadly to some yet go virtually unnoticed in others.
FactCheck.org→ Biden’s Greatest Hits
As the Democratic National Convention kicks off today, we thought it would be helpful to highlight some of the claims we have fact-checked from presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden over the course of the campaign so far. For more on each statement,
Snopes→ Ex-Cop’s Video Captures Crowd’s Horror During Floyd Arrest
Newly released body-camera video from a third officer involved in George Floyd’s arrest captures for the first time the growing horror of onlookers who repeatedly pleaded with the officers to get off Floyd.
Snopes→ 2 Men Indicted in 2002 Killing of Run-DMC’s Jam Master Jay
Two suspects have been indicted in the 2002 killing of hip hop artist Jam Master Jay, which until now had been one of New York City’s most notorious unsolved killings.
Snopes→ US Approves Oil, Gas Leasing Plan for Alaska Wildlife Refuge
It would open up a 1.56-million acre swath of land along Alaska's northern Beaufort Sea coast, home to polar bears, caribous, and other wildlife.