Did a peer-reviewed study find that at least 217,000 Americans have died after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine? No, that's not true: A published study that suggested "the total number of fatalities due to COVID-19 inoculation may be as high
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The Dispatch→ Fact Check: Are ‘White Women’ the Greatest Threat to World Peace?
A digitally altered image based on a Fox News graphic. A screenshot of a Fox News graphic circulating online has been digitally altered. The image purports to show a poll conducted in Germany by data analytics firm YouGov that asked respondents for the
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Black Americans Are NOT Descendants Of North America’s Original Indigenous Inhabitants
Are Black Americans descended from the original indigenous inhabitants of North America and not from enslaved persons taken from Africa? No, that's not true: This notion descends from the Moorish Science Temple, a pseudoscience organizati
The Dispatch→ Fact Checking a Map That Depicts Part of Ukraine as Polish Territory
This map shows an accurate depiction of Poland and Ukrainian territory. (Photo from Getty Images.) An image circulating online purports to show a weather map that depicts Polish territory extending well into Western Ukraine. The image is fake. A hi
Truth or Fiction?→ A&W Root Bear ‘Bear Mascot’ Twitter Joke Ends Up on Fox News
As a January 2023 debate over M&Ms’ “spokescandies” moved through the news cycle, a tweet about A&W Restaurants purportedly issuing a similar statement was featured on Fox Business: Why are right wingers obsessed with animat
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: WHO Is NOT Forcing Member-States To End Human Rights And Freedoms Worldwide
Is the World Health Organization (WHO) compelling member states, through an amendment to its International Health Regulations, to abandon "the dignity of human beings, the human rights of human beings and fundamental freedoms"? No, that's
The Dispatch→ Fact Checking a Fake Headline About COVID-19 Vaccines
This image, taken from Twitter, is fake. An image circulating on Twitter purports to show the headline of an article in The Conversation asking why unvaccinated people didn’t do more to warn the vaccinated against the alleged danger of the COVID-19 v
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Satirical TMCA Tweet TCMA Demanding Aretha Franklin’s ‘Natural Woman’ Spotify Removal Is NOT Real — ‘Trans Cultural Mindfulness Alliance’ Is a Spoof
Did a Norwegian group of trans activists request that Aretha Franklin's song "Natural Woman" be removed from audio streaming services Spotify and Apple Music on January 20, 2023? No, that's not true: The account that started the thread on
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Video On Facebook Does NOT Show ‘Big Loss’ From Real 2023 Plane Crash — It’s From Movie
Does a recent Facebook Reel accurately depict devastating damage from a 2023 plane crash? No, that's not true: This footage is from the set of director Steven Spielberg's 2005 movie "War of the Worlds." A twin-engine ATR 72 airplane crash
Health Feedback→ Misrepresented 2018 clip of Bill Gates trigger inaccurate claims that mRNA COVID-19 vaccines for livestock could transfer to people through diet
REVIEW A video published on Rumble on 10 January 2023 claimed that “Bill Gates Vows To Pump mRNA Into Food Supply To ‘Force-Jab’ the Unvaccinated”. As a thumbnail image, the video showed a photo of Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and what se
The Dispatch→ Does the World Economic Forum Want to Legalize Pedophilia?
The World Economic Forum annual meeting 2022 in Davos, Switzerland.(Photo by Zheng Huansong/Xinhua via Getty Images) Claims are circulating online that the World Economic Forum has called for the decriminalization of pedophilia. These claims are false.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: ‘Adverse Vaccine Reactions’ Did NOT Become Leading Cause Of US Deaths In 2021 Or 2022
Did "adverse vaccine reaction" become the leading cause of U.S. deaths in 2021 and 2022? No, that's not true: Adverse vaccine reactions are not a categorical cause of death tracked by health officials. Also, the vaccination status and rec
The Dispatch→ Fact Check: Did Demar Hamlin’s Ambulance Exit the Field Under a Canopy Advertising for Pfizer?
An ambulance carries Damar Hamlin of the Buffalo Bills after he collapsed after making a tackle against the Cincinnati Bengals on January 2, 2023 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images.) A photo purporting to show the ambulance escorti
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: There Are NOT ‘Massive Structures’ Or ‘Lost City’ Located Below Antarctica
Are there massive hidden structures located below Antarctica, hiding a "lost city unlike any other"? No, that's not true: There is no written record, geological or archeological evidence to prove that there are hidden structures or a lost
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Images Do NOT Prove Existence Of ‘Covert Military Base’ On Mars
Does a set of online images prove that there is a "covert military base" on the planet Mars? No, that's not true: There have been no documented human missions to Mars, whether for military or other purposes, as of the date of this fact ch
The Dispatch→ Fact Check: Did Elon Musk Say ‘Everyone Knows Trump Won the Election’?
Elon Musk (Photo by Carina Johansen/NTB/AFP/Getty Images.) A clip of Elon Musk appearing to claim that Donald Trump won the 2020 presidential election is circulating on social media. The clip has been digitally altered and no record exists of Musk maki
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: NASA ‘Photograph’ Does NOT Show Pyramid On Mars — It’s Doctored Image With Egyptian Pyramid Added
Does a NASA photograph show a "perfectly built" pyramid located on the surface of Mars? No, that's not true: A photo shared on Facebook in December 2022 said to show a pyramid on Mars is a digitally altered image using actual NASA photos,
Truth or Fiction?→ Vintage Union Christmas Cartoon
On December 22 2022, an Imgur account shared the following image of what appeared to be a vintage Christmas cartoon illustrating benefits offered by unions to working class Americans: No contextual information was supplied alongside the image, which
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Video Does NOT Show ‘Human Clone Robot Factory’
Does a video shared on social media show an authentic "human clone robot factory"? No, that's not true: The video shared on Instagram and Facebook in December 2022 showed a prosthetics studio used in the making of props for television and
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Country Singer Jake Flint Did NOT Die From COVID-19 Complications Or Vaccine
Did country singer Jake Flint die from COVID-19 or complications related to the COVID-19 vaccine, as a social media post implies? No, that's not true: Flint's publicist told Lead Stories that Flint's death was not related to the vaccine o
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: CDC Did NOT ‘Quietly’ Confirm 118,000 Children, Young Adults ‘Died Suddenly’ From COVID-19 Vaccine Rollout
Did the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) "quietly" confirm in late 2022 that at least 118,000 children and young adults have "died suddenly" in the U.S. since rollout of COVID-19 vaccines? No, that's not true: Experts told
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Murdered US Senate Aide Harold Rosenthal Did NOT Expose Jewish Plot For World Domination Before His Death
Did Harold Rosenthal, a U.S. Senate aide killed in a 1976 terrorist attack, expose before he died a clandestine Jewish plot to become global "task masters"? No, that's not true: The claim is part of an antisemitic hoax that white supremac
Truth or Fiction?→ Study Contrasts COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy, Traffic Crash Risk
On December 13 2022, a post to Reddit’s r/science posted a link to a study examining a possible link between COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and the likelihood of car crashes: Adults who neglect COVID-19 health recommendations may also neg
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: ZIP Codes For 31,000 Mail-In Ballots Were NOT Changed In Arizona
Were ZIP codes for 31,000 mail-in ballots changed before they were sent out, quietly changed back when they were returned as undeliverable and then fraudulently used to vote in Arizona? No, that's not true: The secretary of state's office
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: ‘Black Mona Lisa’ Was NOT Found On Dark Side Of The Moon
Was a "Black Mona Lisa" discovered in a 3-mile-long spacecraft on the moon's dark side? No, that's not true: The origin story of this claim is based on a science fiction novel that some people have falsely suggested reflects an accurate r
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: WikiLeaks Did NOT Release Video Proof That Apollo 11 Moon Landing Was Hoax Filmed In Nevada Desert
Did WikiLeaks in December of 2022 release Apollo 11 "moon landing cut scenes filmed in Nevada desert," proving that the moon landing never happened and was instead staged for filming right here on Earth? No, that's not true: The video in
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: ‘Gold Standard’ Scientific Trial Does NOT Prove N95, Surgical Masks Ineffective In Preventing COVID-19 Transmission
Does a "gold standard" scientific trial prove that N95 respirators and surgical masks are ineffective at preventing the spread of COVID-19? No, that's not true: This claim misrepresents the intent and findings of the trial, the study auth
Logically→ Qatar captain Hassan Al-Haydos wore a Palestinian armband hours before the first FIFA World Cup 2022 match.
The image in the post has been edited. There are no authentic images, videos, or reports of the Qatar team captain wearing a Palestinian flag armband.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Tim Cook Did NOT Tweet "Now Pay 30%" At Elon Musk
Did Apple CEO Tim Cook tell Elon Musk that his "feedback is appreciated" and demand that he "pay 30%" after the Twitter CEO claimed that Apple seeks to suppress free speech? No, that's not true: The wisecrack had appeared on other Twitter
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Before-And-After Photos From Ukraine Do NOT Show Evidence Of Propaganda Fakery Or ‘Magically Restored’ Destruction
Is a video montage showing before and after photos of Ukrainian buildings damaged by war -- but restored to their original appearance -- an example of propagandists manipulating photos? No, that's not true: Basic image searching independe
FactCheck.org→ Post Omits Paxlovid’s Ability to Protect Against Severe COVID-19, Death
SciCheck Digest Paxlovid, Pfizer’s COVID-19 antiviral pill, has been shown to prevent severe COVID-19 and death. An online post alleging the drug is a “fraud” and “should be taken off the market” neglects to mention this important informa
FactCheck.org→ Inaccurate TV Graphic Sparks Erroneous Claims of Election Fraud in Pennsylvania
Quick Take Social media posts falsely suggest there was fraud in the Pennsylvania gubernatorial race, citing a TV graphic that showed Republican State Sen. Doug Mastriano with nearly 500,000 more votes than Democratic Attorney General Josh Shapiro, but
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Pope Francis Did NOT Write ‘Rivers Do Not Drink Their Own Water’ Quote
Did Pope Francis write an inspirational quote that begins, "Rivers do not drink their own water"? No, that's not true: A Vatican spokeswoman told Lead Stories the quote was not authentic. The same quote is attributed to other spiritual le
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Elon Musk NOT Charging Journalists Using ‘They/Them’ Pronouns $16 For Blue Check Verification Of Accounts
Is Twitter owner Elon Musk charging journalists who use the non-gendered pronouns "they/them" $16 per month to secure a blue check verification -- twice the price as other users? No, that's not true: The claim is satire and neither Twitte
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Video Does NOT Show Klaus Schwab And ‘Elites’ Planning ‘New World Order’ And ‘To Microchip The Human Race’
Does a viral video prove that the founder of the World Economic Forum, Klaus Schwab, and other speakers at WEF events planned to establish the "new world order" and "microchip human race"? No, that's not true: The heavily edited social me
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Biden’s Presidential Term Did NOT Start Right After 2020 Election Was Called — Results’ Timing Does NOT Influence Term Limits
Did President Joe Biden's term start immediately after the 2020 election was called, thus influencing Donald Trump's decision to announce a second presidential bid for 2024? No, that's not true: Biden was not formally sworn into office un
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: PA Judge Did NOT Allow For Ballots To Be Received And Counted Up To November 14, 2022
Did a Pennsylvania judge's ruling allow mail-in ballots to be accepted and counted up until November 14, 2022? No, that's not true: According to the Pennsylvania Department of State, mail-in ballots must be received by the voter's respect
Truth or Fiction?→ How to Fight Disinformation — Part V: Resilience Targeting
This is the last in a series about how communities can fight back and protect themselves against weaponized disinformation campaigns. You can read our previous articles here: Part I: Firehosing Part II: Gaslighting Part III: Distraction Part IV: Sign
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Off-Duty Pentagon Cop NOT ‘Caught Dealing Fentanyl To Children During Trick Or Treating’ – Headline Altered
Was an off-duty Pentagon police officer caught dealing fentanyl to children during trick-or-treating? No, that's not true: Officer Eric Welch was arrested, but the arrest was on charges related to cocaine, not fentanyl, and the arrest too
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: ‘Moors’ Are NOT The Original Inhabitants Of North America — ‘Pyramids’ Are Native American Earthworks
Is the U.S. covered with the sites of ancient pyramids associated with a pre-Columbian African civilization known as the Moors? No, that's not true: Hundreds of ancient earthworks and mounds scattered throughout North America have been li