Quick Take Social media posts falsely claim that the CARES Act was introduced Jan. 24, 2019 to perpetuate the falsehood that the COVID-19 pandemic was planned or known about in advance. The CARES Act was introduced March 25 as a substitute amendment, r
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Climate Feedback→ “Planet of the Humans” documentary misleads viewers about renewable energy
On 21 April 2020, Michael Moore released a documentary on his YouTube channel titled Planet of the Humans, which has received over 5 million views as of May 1st. The film, directed and narrated by Jeff Gibbs, criticizes renewable energy technologies li
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: COVID-19 Death Rate In NYC Is NOT 200 Times Higher Than World’s 10 Largest Cities
Is the rate of coronavirus-related deaths being reported out of New York City 200 times higher than the death rates of the world's largest 10 cities? No, that's not true: A meme making the claim uses inaccurate numbers for the total deaths in
FactCheck.org→ Gowdy Didn’t Author Viral Conspiracy Theory
Quick Take A viral Facebook post, spreading a political conspiracy theory about COVID-19, is wrongly attributed to former Rep. Trey Gowdy. Gowdy confirmed to us that he did not write the post in question. Full Story Former Rep. Trey Gowdy of South
Lead Stories→ IFCN Press Release: New WhatsApp chatbot unleashes power of worldwide fact-checking organizations to fight COVID-19 misinformation on the platform
Poynter's International Fact-Checking Network led the creation of the chatbot to make its database of more than 4,000 COVID-19 hoaxes easy and accessible to people around the world. ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (May 4, 2020) -- The Poynter Institute's
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Hydrochloroquine is NOT A Drug Being Held Back, And Studies ARE Underway For Vaccines That Will NOT Be Immediately Injected in People.
Is it true that "thousands of doctors" say hydrochloroquine "cures" COVID-19 patients," but the cure won't be valid until a major study is done? And is it true that once a vaccination against the novel coronavirus is manufactured, it will be q
FactCheck.org→ Trump Wrong About Ventilators
President Donald Trump falsely claimed that his administration was not initially able to meet the increasing demand for ventilators to treat COVID-19 patients because “we weren’t left ventilators by a previous administration.” We can’t say
FactCheck.org→ White House Press Secretary Repeats Russia Talking Point
In her first press briefing, White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany repeated a false talking point about the Russia investigation. McEnany claimed the investigation into Russia’s interference in the 2016 presidential election ended in ̶
Truth or Fiction?→ The Viral Death of Kat Restin
Segments of Twitter are alight with rumors surrounding the April 2020 death of Virginia teenager Kat Restin and the alleged circumstances regarding her demise. An obituary for Restin, 19, was published on April 23 2020. Restin’s Obituary In that
FactCheck.org→ Large Retail Employees Have Been Victims of COVID-19
Quick Take A viral post falsely claims Walmart, Amazon, Kroger, Target and Costco — while staying open during the COVID-19 pandemic — “have not had any reported cases” of employees contracting the coronavirus. There have been ne
FactCheck.org→ An April Filled with Repeats
Throughout April, the White House’s coronavirus task force briefings, at times, sparked feelings of fact-checking deja vu: President Donald Trump made many of the same inaccurate statements repeatedly. The president – as is the case with many polit
FactCheck.org→ The White House Isn’t Selling Coronavirus Coins
Quick Take Headlines shared across social media caused some to wrongly believe the White House is selling coins commemorating the COVID-19 pandemic. The coin referenced is being sold by the White House Gift Shop, which is a private company based in Pen
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Elon Musk Tweet ‘If One Day, My Words are Against Science, Choose Science’ Before a COVID-19 Controversy?
As the COVID-19 pandemic progressed in the United States, dueling opinions were politicized and bluntly split between opinions based on hard science versus economics. This ended up leading to the recirculation of a purported tweet from Elon Musk about
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Bill Gates, WHO & World Bank NOT ‘Trumped’ By President Amid Coronavirus
Did Bill Gates, the WHO and the World Bank lose billions as President Trump "Trumped" them amid the coronavirus outbreak? No, this is not true: A blog claiming President Trump got the upper hand on billionaire Gates, the World Health Organizat
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Dolly Parton Help Fund Research for a COVID-19 Treatment?
Country music icon Dolly Parton’s reputation for philanthropy grew in April 2020 after reports appeared of her involvement in research for an antibody treatment against COVID-19. The singer announced on her Instagram account on April 1 2020 that
Truth or Fiction?→ Is There ‘No Scientific Proof’ That Social Distancing Prevents the Spread of Coronavirus?
On April 22 2020, a KUSI News item (“USC Professor Joel Hay says there is no scientific proof social distancing prevents spread of coronavirus”) appeared containing a claim that proved particularly popular among people who opposed COVID-19
FactCheck.org→ A Misleading Ad in Heated Kansas GOP Senate Primary
In Kansas’ bitterly contested Republican Senate primary, a super PAC supporting Rep. Roger Marshall inaccurately describes Club for Growth as an “anti-Trump organization” in a TV ad attacking Marshall’s rival, Kris Kobach. The group, ca
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: No Proof Is U.S. Planning to Force Vaccinations With Bill Gates Amid Coronavirus
Is the U.S. government planning to force Americans to take vaccinations during the coronavirus pandemic with the help of Bill Gates? No, there is no proof for that: A video from InfoWars has gone viral, asking if viewers were going to "allow y
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: News Outlets DID Report On Coronavirus Cases At Walmart, Amazon, Other Retailers
Did Walmart, Amazon, Kroger, Target and Costco "not have any reported cases in the news" of employees contracting the coronavirus and being forced to close, as suggested by a meme shared widely on social media? No, that's not true. There have
FactCheck.org→ Ditch Fund
Political leanings: Democratic/Anti-Mitch McConnell 2018 total spending: $21,870 Ditch Fund describes itself as a “grassroots-funded” PAC that is “solely dedicated” to defeating Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell “once
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Judicial Watch Settlement Did NOT Prove 1 Million Illegal Votes Were Cast In 2018 Election
Did a legal settlement between Judicial Watch and California election officials prove that one million illegal votes were cast in the 2018 elections in California? No, that's not true: The settlement agreement in Judicial Watch's latest Califo
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Flu Is Not Eradicated, But CDC Says Flu Shots DO Help Prevent It
Is it true that the flu shot did not "eradicate" the flu and, in fact, does "little to nothing at preventing the flu every year?" No, that is not true. The flu shot, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, helps keep the f
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Some Megachurches ARE Giving To COVID-19 Relief
Are megachurches and their preachers failing to contribute to fighting COVID-19 or offer their millions to coronavirus relief efforts? No, that is not entirely true. While it's unclear how much money is being directly donated by these churches
Truth or Fiction?→ Can Ultraviolet Light Be Injected Into the Body to Fight COVID-19?
As attention swirled around “sarcastic” remarks concerning the use of household disinfectants to treat COVID-19, some social media users attempted to gin up more support for United States President Donald Trump by fixating on another theor
Truth or Fiction?→ Is the Georgia Governor’s Mansion Closed Due to COVID-19, Despite Its Governor ‘Opening’ the State for Business?
As Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) made the controversial decision to “reopen” the state in the throes of the COVID-19 pandemic, a Facebook post shared in late April 2020 urged readers to contact the governor’s mansion to request a tour
FactCheck.org→ No Evidence That Flu Shot Increases Risk of COVID-19
Quick Take A claim being pushed on social media and by an organization skeptical of vaccines is using a military study to falsely suggest that the flu vaccine increases someone’s risk of contracting COVID-19. The study does not say that, and the
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Trump Did NOT Urge People To Inject Disinfectants To Thwart Coronavirus
Did President Trump urge people to ingest or inject disinfectants as a treatment for coronavirus? No, that's not true: He only urged that research be done into the topic. The claim (archived here) originated from comments Trump made on April 2
FactCheck.org→ The White House Spins Trump’s Disinfectant Remarks
At an April 23 press briefing, President Donald Trump mused about the possibility of using “very powerful light” and injecting disinfectant into the body to kill COVID-19 – a suggestion that, in the case of disinfectant, was roundly criti
Truth or Fiction?→ Did H1N1 Infect 1.4 Billion People and Kill Nearly 600,000 Worldwide?
Under “tweets that didn’t age well,” on April 2 2020 pundit Bill Mitchell criticized measures to stop the spread of COVID-19 — claiming that the 2009 H1N1 (swine flu) pandemic infected 1.4 billion people worldwide and killed a
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Trump Did NOT Announce The ‘Biological’ lab In Wuhan Was ‘Funded’ By Obama
Did President Trump announce that the "biological" lab in Wuhan where the "COVID-19 virus was created" was "funded" by President Barack Hussein Obama? No, that's not true. Trump said the allegations were being studied by his administration, bu
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: U.S. Did NOT Send ‘100,000 Military’ to South China Sea Amid Pandemic
Did the U.S. Navy send 100,000 military forces to the South China Sea in a move to increase its presence in the region, against the backdrop of the coronavirus pandemic? No, that's not true. In an emailed statement and interview with Lead Stor
FactCheck.org→ VoteVets.org
Political leanings: Democratic 2018 total spending: $14.2 million VoteVets.org is a political group that supports veterans and promotes liberal causes. Its mission is “to elect Veterans to public office,” and its agenda includes “working
Truth or Fiction?→ Did the Second Wave of the 1918 Spanish Flu Kill 20 to 30 Million, While the First Wave Killed 3 to 5 Million?
Against the backdrop of spreading (but engineered) COVID-19 anti-lockdown protests in April 2020, a tweet claiming that a “second wave” of the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic was far deadlier than the “first wave” attracted a large n
FactCheck.org→ One Photo, Two Stories — But No Deceit by News Websites
Quick Take A viral post compares side-by-side screenshots from two news websites to falsely claim that using the same image of people at the beach during the COVID-19 pandemic is an example of media deception. The location of the scene in Jacksonville,
FactCheck.org→ FactChecking Ad About Donating ‘Our Masks and Supplies’ to China
A Democratic group’s ad attacking President Donald Trump leaves the misleading impression that medical equipment donated by U.S.-based organizations and businesses to China early in the global coronavirus outbreak came from the Trump administration.
Truth or Fiction?→ Was There a ‘Canine Coronavirus Vaccine in 2001’?
On April 22 2020, screenshots of an image post featuring a “canine coronavirus vaccine” appeared and was circulated alongside captured text about the vial dating back to 2001 (archived here): Text over a battered vial labeled
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Alarming Rate Of Coronavirus Deaths NOT Sparing Essential Workers
Does a paucity of "essential workers" among COVID-19 victims mean the outbreak is overblown? No, that's not true. By definition, such workers tend to be among society's healthiest people. And the posting offers no evidence to support its asser
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Fact And Fiction About Microsoft Patent Application ‘WO2020060606 – CRYPTOCURRENCY SYSTEM USING BODY ACTIVITY DATA’
Did Microsoft file a patent application with the number 060606 for body-interfaced cryptocurrency to be implanted in humans, as well as include 5G wireless technology and vaccines? No, that's not entirely true: Microsoft did file a patent appl
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Pelosi Was NOT In Wuhan, China, In 2019 Ahead Of COVID-19 Outbreak; Did NOT Sabotage Now-Signed Trade Deal
Was U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in Wuhan, China, in time to release the novel coronavirus and sabotage the U.S.-China trade deal? No, neither are true. The photo of her with a Chinese offical that is being used to make the allegations is f
FactCheck.org→ U.S. Chamber of Commerce
Political leanings: Pro-business/conservative 2018 total spending: $10.9 million The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is the largest business organization in the world, representing the interests of more than 3 million businesses, and advocates a pro-busin