REVIEW A viral meme published on Facebook in mid-December 2020 claims that “The flu is not a season! It is an inability to adapt due to decreased sun exposure and water intake, combined with increased sugar intake and stress.” This claim predate
Snopes→ US Agencies Hacked in Monthslong Global Cyberspying Campaign
The Department of Homeland Security's cybersecurity arm warned of an "unacceptable risk" to the executive branch from a feared large-scale penetration of U.S. government agencies that could date back to mid-2020 or earlier.
Snopes→ Trump Says He’s Nixing Plan for Early Vaccine at White House
The announcement hours after his administration confirmed that senior U.S. officials, including some White House aides who work in close proximity to President Trump and Vice President Pence, would be offered coronavirus vaccines as soon as this week.
Poynter→ Should you trust media bias charts?
Impartial journalism is an impossible ideal. That is, at least, according to Julie Mastrine. “Unbiased news doesn’t exist. Everyone has a bias: everyday people and journalists. And that’s OK,” Mastrine said. But it’s not OK for news organizat
Poynter→ Poynter’s MediaWise training significantly increases people’s ability to detect disinformation, new Stanford study finds
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (Dec. 14, 2020) – The Poynter Institute’s digital media literacy program for older adults, MediaWise for Seniors, helps participants identify online disinformation and misinformation, according to a study conducted by the Stanf
AFP Fact Check→ Pakistani social media accounts share misleading claim about Indian call centre fraud scheme exposed in 2020
Footage of a US law enforcement official speaking at a podium has been viewed thousands of times in multiple Twitter and Facebook posts that claim it shows her announcing details of an Indian call centre fraud scheme that was exposed in December 20
AFP Fact Check→ This video shows Sikhs protesting in the US city of San Francisco in 2018
A video of a group of Sikh protesters has been viewed tens of thousands of times in multiple Facebook and Twitter posts alongside a claim that suggests it relates to demonstrations by Indian farmers against new agricultural laws in 2020. The claim is
AFP Fact Check→ False claim circulates on Facebook about British grandmother who received UK’s first Covid-19 vaccine outside clinical trials
Photos of a 90-year-old British grandmother who became the first person in the world to receive the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine outside of a clinical trial have been shared repeatedly in multiple misleading Facebook posts in December 2020. The po
AFP Fact Check→ False claim circulates online that formaldehyde in vaccines can cause childhood leukemia
Multiple Facebook and Instagram posts shared hundreds of times claim that formaldehyde in vaccines is linked to leukemia among children. The claim is false; there is no known connection between formaldehyde in vaccines and childhood leukemia, experts s
Snopes→ John Le Carre, Who Probed Murky World of Spies, Dies at 89
John le Carre was the spy-turned-novelist whose elegant and intricate narratives defined the Cold War espionage thriller.
Snopes→ Report: Cleveland Indians Changing Name After 105 Years
The baseball team is moving away from a name considered racist for decades
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Student Project Meme Misleadingly Claims Newsday, Washington Post and New York Times Have Highest Fake News Risk
Do the websites of Newsday, the Washington Post and the New York Times have the highest "fake news risk"? No, that's quite misleading: the claim was made in an image put out by a Facebook page that appears to be a student project about fa
Snopes→ Did Taco Bell Just Announce ‘Major’ and ‘Unreal’ COVID Changes?
Perhaps the only thing unreal about this Taco Bell story is its headline.
Snopes→ Did Trump Designate Christmas Eve 2020 a Federal Holiday?
The order allegedly excused all federal employees from duty on the day before Christmas Day.
Snopes→ Vandals Hit Black Churches During Weekend Pro-Trump Rallies
Police on Sunday said they were investigating the incidents.
Snopes→ Is Disney Making ‘Sister Act 3’?
Sister Act fans were “joyful, joyful” after hearing of the newly laid production plans.
Snopes→ Does This Photo Show a Crowded MAGA Demonstration?
If a picture is worth 1,000 words, who fact-checks the story behind it?
Snopes→ 4 Stabbed, 1 Shot at Trump Rally Skirmishes
Nearly 30 people were arrested in disturbances hours after weekend rallies in support of baseless claims that the U.S. president had won a second term.
Snopes→ More US Churches Are Committing to Racism-Linked Reparations
Many are initiating or considering how to make amends through financial investments and long-term programs benefiting Black Americans.
Snopes→ Is Jill Biden a Doctor?
It is not uncommon for those with doctoral degrees to use the title, “Dr.”
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Photo Does NOT Show Chief Justice John Roberts On Jeffrey Epstein’s Island
Does a photo show Chief Justice John Roberts swimming with Bill Clinton on Jeffrey Epstein's private island? No, that's not true: The image used to support the claim that Roberts visited Epstein's private island was taken at a resort in t
Snopes→ Donations Soar, but Nonprofits Still Struggle with Pandemic
Despite record amounts of charitable donations this year, the effects of the pandemic are suffocating nonprofits.
Snopes→ COVID-19 Vaccine Shipments Begin in Historic US Effort
Shipments of the Pfizer vaccine will set in motion the biggest vaccination effort in American history at a critical juncture of the pandemic that has killed 1.6 million and sickened 71 million worldwide
Snopes→ Actor Carol Sutton of ‘Steel Magnolias’ Dies at 76
Sutton died from complications from COVID-19, according to New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: ID Chip In Some COVID-19 Vaccine Syringes Would NOT Be Injected Into Patients; It Signals Vaccine Expiration Date
Will a Radio Frequency Identification Chip that may be on the ApiJect COVID-19 vaccine syringes be injected into patients and would it track who has been vaccinated and where they are? No, that's not true: The tiny RFID chips would be pla
Snopes→ Engineers Drained Niagara Falls in 1969, Made Grisly Discovery?
Our research led to a newspaper article from June 13, 1969, one month before Apollo 11's moon landing.
Snopes→ Charley Pride, a Country Music Black Superstar, Dies at 86
Pride died Saturday in Dallas of complications from Covid-19, according to a spokesperson.
The Dispatch→ Fact Check: Explaining the Six Deaths Recorded During Pfizer/BioNTech’s Phase III Trial
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Snopes→ The Royal Family is ‘Cringing at Meghan Markle’s Net Worth’?
Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, and their son, Archie, moved away from the royal family to Montecito, California.
Snopes→ Hunter Biden Subpoena Seeks Info on Burisma, Other Entities
President-elect Joe Biden is not believed to be a focus of the investigation.
Snopes→ Is ‘Hocus Pocus 2’ Coming Out?
Rumors about a "Hocus Pocus" sequel have been circulating for years.
Snopes→ Is This ‘Transparent’ Frog Real?
The amphibian's translucent skin has earned it the name "glass frog."
Snopes→ Trump Loses Wisconsin Case While Arguing Another One
President Donald Trump lost a federal lawsuit while his attorney was arguing his case before a skeptical Wisconsin Supreme Court in another lawsuit.
Snopes→ Trump Helicopter Buzzes Supporters Rallying in Washington
The rallies are intended as a show of force just two days before the Electoral College meets to formally elect Joe Biden as the 46th president.
Snopes→ Was Trump Named ‘Loser of the Year’ by One of Europe’s Biggest Magazines?
An article in German news magazine Der Spiegel labeled U.S. President Donald Trump "Der Verlierer des Jahres."
Snopes→ US Says COVID-19 Vaccine to Start Arriving in States Monday
Trucks are expected to roll out Sunday morning as shipping companies UPS and FedEx begin delivering Pfizer’s vaccine to nearly 150 distribution centers across the states.
Snopes→ UK Homeowner Delays Sale of Home After Banksy Mural Appears
The elusive British street artist's piece — titled “Aachoo!!” — depicts an elderly woman sneezing, sending her dentures flying out of her mouth.
Snopes→ Is McDonald’s Huge Chicken Pack Intended to Serve 2 People?
How many people should it take to eat four McChicken sandwiches, four medium fries, and 20 McNuggets?
Snopes→ Nick Stahl is Not Dead, despite Misleading Ads
A photograph of "Terminator 3" star Nick Stahl was misleadingly used to illustrate a third-party clickbait story about celebrity deaths in 2020.
Snopes→ Nick Stahl is Not Dead, despite Misleading Ads
A photograph of "Terminator 3" star Nick Stahl was misleadingly used to illustrate a third-party clickbait story about celebrity deaths in 2020.