Did experts say that children who eat boogers grow up to be happier and healthier as adults than those who do not pick at their nose and eat the scrappings? No, that's not true: It is a click bait story based on a college professor's joke and
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FactCheck.org→ Did Barr Mislead Congress?
Democrats claim Attorney General William Barr misled Congress last month when asked if he was aware of concerns that special counsel Robert S. Mueller’s team may have had with his March 24 memo summarizing the Mueller report. We’ll lay out
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Chicago Police Urinate on Food for a Black Panthers Free Breakfast Program in 1969?
On April 29 2019, a researcher shared the following tweet showing a screenshot of text reporting that in 1969, police in Chicago had urinated on food and supplies gathered by the Black Panthers for a free breakfast program: Holy shit – I’m r
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Psychologists Did NOT Warn Parents Don’t Allow Children To Watch Peppa Pig
Did pyschologists in a Harvard study warn parents not to let children watch Peppa Pig because it causes autism? No, that's not true: It is a hoax first published in 2015 and that cites a scientific study that does not exist to scare parents in
FactCheck.org→ ‘Ban’ on Hot Dogs in NYC? Not Quite.
Quick Take Headlines shared widely on social media misleadingly tell readers New York City will “ban” hot dogs. A city spokesman told us a plan to phase out government purchases of processed meats and reduce purchases of beef “would not impact ho
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Florida Man, High On Meth, Did NOT Cut Off Genitals, Feed Them To Alligator
Did a Florida man, who was high on meth, cut off his own genitals and fee them to an alligator? No, that's not true: It is a hoax story published by a known fake news website that generates web traffic by publishing outlandish reports not base
PolitiFact→ Elizabeth Warren: Does her wealth tax pay for her child care and higher education plans?
Elizabeth Warren is unmatched among the Democratic presidential candidates for the depth and breadth of her policy proposals. She has tackled building affordable housing, boosting family farms, breaking up Big Tech, and the list goes on. Many of
FactCheck.org→ Kushner Distorts Scope of Russia Interference
Special counsel Robert Mueller’s report concluded that “[t]he Russian government interfered in the 2016 presidential election in sweeping and systematic fashion” — contrary to Jared Kushner’s claim that Russia’s effort a
Truth or Fiction?→ Cyclone Idai Flooding
On April 15 2019, a Facebook user shared images and a status update (archived here) about purported deadly flooding in Mozambique after a huge cyclone ripped through southeastern Africa: The text shared with the photographs said: Did yall know tha
Truth or Fiction?→ Is There a Snapchat Sex Trafficking Ring in Lawrence, Massachusetts?
On April 24 2019, a Facebook user shared the following status (archived here), claiming that a Snapchat sex trafficking ring was operating in Lawrence, Massachusetts: So there’s a sex trafficking ring going on in Lawrence Mass. If you get a random p
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Picture of Japanese Giant Emperor Moth is NOT Real
Is a picture of a "Japanese Giant Emperor Moth" circulating online real? No, that's not true: the picture was taken from the Etsy shop of an artist named Yumi Okita who specializes in making sculptures of giant moths and butterflies. An exampl
Lead Stories→ Not Fake News: ‘Dallas’ Actor Ken Kercheval Is Dead At 83, Contrary To Denial On His Own FaceBook Page
Did actor Ken Kercheval, best known for his role as Cliff Barnes on the "Dallas" TV series, die? Yes, this is true: Kercheval died on Sunday, April 21, 2019 in his hometown of Clinton, Indiana, after a fight with lung cancer, according to a sp
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Cop Did NOT Attempt To Shoot Dog For Barking, Did NOT Accidentally Shoot Himself Instead
Did a police officer named Thomas Brown try to shoot a dog named "Pepe" while drunk and did he shoot himself in the leg instead? No, that's not true: the story was put out by a satirical website but it used a screenshot from a real news report
Truth or Fiction?→ Dandelion Facts
On April 16 2019, the Facebook page “Veggie Soul” shared a popular meme (archived here), containing several purported facts about the plant: The text, which was accompanied by an image of dandelions, stated: Dandelion Facts: Dandelions
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Photo of Donald Trump Wearing Diaper Is Doctored
Is a photo appearing to show a younger Donald Trump wearing a diaper authentic? No, it's not real: The image is a poorly-doctored photo using Trump's head from a photo taken at a 1991 event in New York. It has been circulated for several years
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Little Girl Does NOT Need Kidney, Does NOT Get $1 For Every Share
Does a little girl need a kidney and does she get $1 for every time a picture of her gets shared? No, that's not true: the picture has been circulating since at least 2017 on WhatsApp with the girl supposedly suffering from various illnesses a
FactCheck.org→ A Misleading Claim About Lawmakers’ Effectiveness
Quick Take A popular meme takes aim at prominent lawmakers by referencing the number of bills they’ve had passed. But it uses an erroneous number — and omits context. Full Story A post shared by thousands of Facebook users criticizes thre
FactCheck.org→ What the Mueller Report Says About Obstruction
In the hours after the public release of the redacted report from special counsel Robert S. Mueller, President Donald Trump took to Twitter with a message that reads, in part, “NO OBSTRUCTION!” That’s not at all what the Mueller repor
FactCheck.org→ What the Mueller Report Says About Russian Contacts
After the 2016 election, Vice President-elect Mike Pence was asked if there was “any contact in any way between [Donald] Trump or his associates and the Kremlin or cutouts they had.” Pence answered, “Of course not. Why would there be
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Border Guards Did NOT Find 52 Tons of Guns and Ammunition in Conex Containers Underway to Muslim Immigrants in America
Did border guards find 52 tons of guns and ammunition in 14 Conex containers disguised as furniture bound for muslim immigrants in America? No, that's not true: this old hoax is a twisted version of an even older hoax about refugees in Greece
FactCheck.org→ Phony Ben Carson Quote About Public Assistance
Quick Take An old meme from Ben Carson’s days as a Republican candidate for president is circulating again. But there’s still no evidence that he said, “My mother raised me with no help from the government.” Full Story In November 2015
PolitiFact→ Fact-checking the Bernie Sanders town hall on Fox News
Sen. Bernie Sanders’s town hall on Fox News was not a visit to the lion’s den. Judging from the cheers, the audience included plenty of voters open to his message of taxing the uber-rich to pay for more government to help the average Joe. B
Truth or Fiction?→ Are These Presidents Obama and Trump’s Statements on the Notre Dame Fire?
,On April 16 2019 the Facebook page “Proud Liberal Americans” shared a subsequently popular meme (archived here), purportedly contrasting statements provided by United States Presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump about the fire that gut
FactCheck.org→ Jay Inslee’s Green Jobs Claim
In an op-ed and at a town hall, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee has claimed that the top two fastest-growing jobs in the United States are in clean energy: solar photovoltaic installers and wind turbine technicians. That’s not the case — at lea
FactCheck.org→ Rep. Ilhan Omar’s 9/11 Comments in Context
The controversy over Rep. Ilhan Omar’s reference to the 9/11 terrorist attacks continued to boil on the political talk shows on Sunday. White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders claimed that Omar had spoken “dismissively” about the 9/
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Ocasio-Cortez and Ilhan Omar DID NOT Praise the Destruction of Notre Dame
Did U.S. Reps. Ocasio-Cortez and Ilhan Omar praise the destruction of the Cathedral of Notre Dame? No, that's not true: It is a satirical story produced by a well-known hoax and satire publisher. The quotes from these members of congress are f
PolitiFact→ Marianne Williamson – U.S. spends 1,000 times more on war than peace, presidential candidate Marianne Williamson says
The Truth-o-Meter says: Half-True | U.S. spends 1,000 times more on war than peace, presidential candidate Marianne Williamson says Self-help author and Oprah Winfrey confidante Marianne Williamson is one of the many Democrats running for president
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Democrats DID NOT Say Americans Must Pay Reparations to Illegal Aliens
Did Democrats say that American taxpayers must pay reparations to illegal aliens? No, that's not true: The claim is a distortion of a statement made by a member of congress in reference to children separated from parents after arriving at the
FactCheck.org→ A Phantom Ocasio-Cortez Quote on Gun Ownership
Quick Take There is no evidence that Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said “owning guns is not a right,” contrary to what a viral meme claims. Full Story Since joining Congress in January, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has used her position
Snopes→ Homeless ‘Good Samaritan’ Gets Probation in Gas Money Scam
homeless man was sentenced to five years’ probation after admitting that he conspired with a couple to scam the public out of $400,000 in donations by concocting a feel-good story about him helping a motorist in distress.
Truth or Fiction?→ Is Dell Hospital Collecting Donations for a Young Assault Victim Named Maria?
A February 2016 Facebook post about Dell Children’s Hospital and a purported young rape victim (archived here) continued circulating several years after the fact. The post and its variations featured roughly the same all-caps text, with rotating
Truth or Fiction?→ Is Dell Hospital Collecting Donations for a Young Assault Victim Named Maria?
A February 2016 Facebook post about Dell Children’s Hospital and a purported young rape victim (archived here) continued circulating several years after the fact. The post and its variations featured roughly the same all-caps text, with rotating
Truth or Fiction?→ Does Flint Still Not Have Clean Water?
In April 2019, a July 2017 text-based status update (archived here) about a lack of clean water in Flint, Michigan continued making the rounds on social media. Across a blue sky background, white text read as follows: 1188 days still no clean water fo
Truth or Fiction?→ Does Flint Still Not Have Clean Water?
In April 2019, a July 2017 text-based status update (archived here) about a lack of clean water in Flint, Michigan continued making the rounds on social media. Across a blue sky background, white text read as follows: 1188 days still no clean water fo
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Sequencing Fish Samples’ Viral Twitter Thread
On April 6 2019, a screenshots (archived here) of a Twitter thread originally published by @AwesomeBioTA one day prior went viral on social media: In the original thread, the poster (@AwesomeBioTA) recounted the purported results of her class̵
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Sequencing Fish Samples’ Viral Twitter Thread
On April 6 2019, a screenshots (archived here) of a Twitter thread originally published by @AwesomeBioTA one day prior went viral on social media: In the original thread, the poster (@AwesomeBioTA) recounted the purported results of her class̵
FactCheck.org→ Conway Overstates Economic Growth
The U.S. does not currently have economic “growth over 4 percent,” as White House counselor Kellyanne Conway claimed recently. On a quarterly basis, real gross domestic product (which is adjusted for inflation) last grew at an annualized r
Climate Feedback→ Breitbart article baselessly claims a study of past climate invalidates human-caused climate change
SCIENTISTS’ FEEDBACK SUMMARY This Breitbart article comments on a story by ThinkProgress about a study related to past climate, mistakenly concluding that it invalidates the science that shows human activities are currently altering the climat
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Free Birth Control in Colorado Drop Unplanned Pregnancies by 40 Percent?
On March 31 2019, a Facebook user shared a meme (archived here) about the purported effects of “free birth control” in the state of Colorado: Across an image of mountain scenery, the meme (watermarked by The Other 98%) read: COLORADO HA
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Zambian Nurse Did NOT Swap Close To 5,000 Babies In 12 Years At Maternity Ward
Did a dying nurse confess that she swapped close to 5,000 babies while working in the maternity ward at University Teaching Hospital (UTH) in Lusaka, Zambia between 1982 and 1995? No, that's not true: The Zambian agency that licenses and super