Amid the devastation suffered in Australia as a result of rampant bushfires and right-wing disinformation efforts, Prime Minister Scott Morrison faced a wave of criticism for an advertisement that both elided government regulations and circumvented ac
Search Results (665) for: weather
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘I Did Not Take This Photo and I Don’t Know Who Did’ Australian Community Firefighters Image
In the midst of late December 2019 and early January 2020 fires raging across the Australian continent, the following screenshot showing exhausted, soot-blackened firefighters circulated on Facebook: The photograph, which was apparently captured fr
Truth or Fiction?→ Maine Fisherman Finds Late Brother’s Insurance Card While Trawling, 11 Years After His Death
On December 27 2019, Facebook user Frank Joseph Miliano shared a moving status update about an incidental find that day while working as a commercial fisherman in Maine. Miliano uploaded a photograph of a weatherbeaten identification card, and an expl
Snopes→ Reenactment of George Washington’s Crossing of Delaware Completed
The event had to be scrapped because of bad weather the previous two years.
FactCheck.org→ Video: Jake Tapper on 2019 ‘Whoppers’
In our final fact-checking video of the year with CNN’s “State of the Union,” Jake Tapper looks back at the “biggest whoppers” of 2019. Our article, “The Whoppers of 2019,” was dominated by President Donald Tr
FactCheck.org→ The Whoppers of 2019
Summary As he has done since entering the political scene in 2015, Donald Trump dominates our list of whoppers of the year. We identified a top 10 of falsehoods and factual distortions from the president, beginning with several impeachment-related topi
Truth or Fiction?→ Did the U.S. Department of Defense Display an Image of a Nazi on the 75th Anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge?
On December 16 2019, social media accounts affiliated with the United States military put up the following image with a post attached to it commemorating the 75th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge: The photograph showed a Nazi war criminal, SS-S
Truth or Fiction?→ Fresh Snow Absorbs Sound
On December 12 2019, the Facebook page “Weird Facts” shared the following meme about how fresh snow “absorbs” sound: Underneath an image of a snowy street, text read: Fresh snow absorbs sound, lowering ambient noise
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Medicare for All? How Are We Gonna Pay for That? With THIS Money’ Post
On December 12 2019, the Facebook page “Fully Automated Luxury Gay Space Communism” shared the following screenshot of a retweet opining that a $738 billion expenditure for defense (and a Space Force) could be used to fund Medicare for A
Climate Feedback→ ABC article effectively illustrates important climate trends for Australian readers
SCIENTISTS’ FEEDBACK SUMMARY This interactive article at ABC allows readers to enter their year of birth and see how temperatures have changed in their lifetime in relatable ways. It also describes projections for future change in Australia, i
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Antifa Member Does NOT Try to Block a Car and Assault Someone
Did an Antifa member try to block a car and assault someone, but the driver jumped out and beat up the protester? No, that's not true: A video that purportedly shows an Antifa member assaulting an SUV actually shows a pedestrian attacking cars
Lead Stories→ Fake News: NOT CNN Breaking News – Turkey Did NOT Attack Israel – NO Air Raid On Tel Aviv
Did Turkey just launch an air raid on Tel Aviv in Israel and is CNN reporting about it? No, that's not true: an old video from the 2003 Gulf War showing explosions and air defense systems in action over Baghdad seems to have been uploaded to Y
Climate Feedback→ Ian Plimer op-ed in The Australian again presents long list of false claims about climate
SCIENTISTS’ FEEDBACK SUMMARY This op-ed in The Australian by Ian Plimer, titled “Let’s not pollute minds with carbon fears”, makes many claims: that polar ice is not melting, that human-caused CO2 emissions can’t cause clim
Lead Stories→ Bernie Sanders At Dem Debate Did NOT Say The Planet Only Has ‘8 or 9 Years’ Before Major Cities Go Underwater
Did Bernie Sanders say at a Democratic debate that the planet has only eight or nine years before major cities go under water? No, that's not true: What the Democratic presidential hopeful said was that, unless "we get our act together within
Climate Feedback→ New York Times op-ed claiming scientists underestimated climate change lacks supporting evidence
SCIENTISTS’ FEEDBACK SUMMARY This op-ed by author Eugene Linden, published under the headline “How Scientists Got Climate Change So Wrong”, argues that climate scientists have long underestimated climate change. The article discuss
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Old Farmer’s Almanac Predict an Alarming Number of Snowstorms This Winter?
A November 1 2019 ReturnToNow.net post headlined “Old Farmer’s Almanac Predicts An Alarming Number of Snowstorms This Winter” was shared tens of thousands of times on Facebook. and was likely to continue spreading. ReturnToNow.net is cl
FactCheck.org→ Trump Again Misunderstands California’s Wildfires
For the second year in a row, President Donald Trump inaccurately attributed California’s rash of wildfires to poor forest management. He also falsely said other states don’t have “close to the level of burn” as California. Most of
Truth or Fiction?→ The Economics of Turning Cotton Into Jeans
A long-running graphic illustrating some of the costs of the making a pair of blue jeans has been revived again on Facebook, but unlike many memes that appear and reappear time and again, it is largely accurate. The graphic originated in November 201
FactCheck.org→ What Does Science Say About the Need for Nuclear?
While Sen. Bernie Sanders has said “scientists tell us” that it’s possible to go carbon neutral without relying on nuclear power, fellow Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Cory Booker, who backs the use of some nuclear energy, has said the da
Snopes→ Southern California Wildfire Erupts Near Reagan Library
A large new wildfire broke out in Southern California amid high winds, forcing the evacuation of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and nearby homes, as both ends of the state struggled with blazes, dangerously gusty weather and deliberate blackouts.
Snopes→ PG&E Says Power Lines May Have Started 2 California Fires
Pacific Gas & Electric Co. power lines may have started two wildfires over the weekend in the San Francisco Bay Area, the utility said, even though widespread blackouts were in place to prevent downed lines from starting fires during dangerously wi
Snopes→ Blackouts Possible Again as Fire Danger Looms in California
Less than two weeks after blacking out much of Northern California, the state's largest utility is warning that dangerous fire weather could prompt it to shut off power to about a half-million people.
Climate Feedback→ Telegraph article on climate change mixes accurate and unsupported, inaccurate claims, misleads with false balance
SCIENTISTS’ FEEDBACK SUMMARY This article in The Telegraph attempts to discuss the science of observed global warming and the factors responsible. However, mixed in with some accurate factual statements are claims that give readers the impress
FactCheck.org→ FactChecking the October Democratic Debate
Summary We found several false and misleading claims in the October Democratic presidential debate: Former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro claimed that the most recent jobs data show that “Ohio, Michigan and Pennsylvania &
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Alaska’s Sea Ice Completely Melted, But NOT For First Time In Recorded History
Did Alaska's sea ice completely melt in the summer of 2019 for the first time in recorded history? No, that's not true: Alaska's sea ice completely melted previously in the summer of 2017, although the 2019 melting was completed at an earlier
Truth or Fiction?→ Storm Cloud in Benevento
On September 25 2019 a Reddit user shared a thread titled “Storm Cloud Benevento, Italy” to the r/pics subreddit: Storm Cloud Benevento, Italy. from pics On Reddit, the image quickly moved to the top of r/all. Its
Snopes→ California Utility Cuts Power to 24,000 Customers
California's largest utility cut power to 24,000 northern customers as fall brings back dangerous weather conditions and the company tries to head off wildfires sparked by electrical equipment.
FactCheck.org→ Trump’s History of Hurricane Relief Donations
Q: Did President Donald Trump donate $1 million to hurricane relief efforts in the Bahamas? A: Despite social media claims to the contrary, there is no evidence of such a donation. He did, however, donate to relief efforts in 2017 after Hurricane Harv
Lead Stories→ Fake News: JFK Jr. Is NOT Alive And Will Not Replace Vice President Pence as Donald Trump’s 2020 Running Mate
Is John F. Kennedy Jr. alive and will he make a public return to join President Donald Trump as his vice presidential running mate in 2020? No, that's not true: It is a cornerstone of a conspiracy myth promoted by QAnon followers who believe t
Truth or Fiction?→ Last Sunset 9/10/2001 Photograph
An image submitted to Reddit’s r/pics and r/interestingasfuck on September 10 2019 titled “Last sunset 9/10/2001” appeared without additional text or information, rapidly climbing to the top of the site’s r/all page on the eig
Snopes→ NOAA Scientist: Agency Likely Broke Science Integrity Rules
The acting chief scientist at the NOAA said his agency likely violated its scientific integrity rules when it publicly chastised a weather office that contradicted President Donald Trump’s claim that Hurricane Dorian threatened Alabama.
Snopes→ Trump Denies Ordering NOAA to Rebuke Forecasters Over Dorian
President Donald Trump denied instructing an aide to urge a federal agency to repudiate weather forecasters who contradicted his claim that Hurricane Dorian could hit Alabama.
Truth or Fiction?→ Did a Swedish Scientist Propose Cannibalism to Fight Climate Change?
On September 7 2019, United States President Donald Trump retweeted a Breitbart.com post that suggested a Swedish scientist had proposed that cannibalism was a viable solution to fight climate change: Swedish behavioral scientist Magnus Söderlund h
Snopes→ NOAA Assailed for Defending Trump’s Hurricane Dorian Claim
Former top officials say NOAA’s action risks the credibility of the nation’s weather and science agency and may even risk lives.
Lead Stories→ Fake News: NASA Did NOT Capture The First Ever Rainbow Around A Hurricane
Did NASA possibly capture the first ever rainbow around a hurricane, as shown in a viral image of Hurricane Dorian? No, that's not true: The photo released by the space agency combines visual and infrared satellite images of the huge storm as
FactCheck.org→ Trump Doubles Down on Inaccurate Hurricane Forecast
President Donald Trump inaccurately stated in his Sept. 1 tweet that Alabama “will most likely be hit” by Hurricane Dorian — a statement that was fact-checked in real time by the National Weather Service. Despite that, Trump has now t
FactCheck.org→ Phony Tweet Targets AOC
Quick Take A fake tweet circulating online attributes a made-up statement about hurricane preparation to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Full Story Two popular targets for misinformation — Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and major weat
Snopes→ Is This the Eye of Hurricane Dorian?
NOAA: "The GOES satellite senses electromagnetic energy at 16 different wavelengths. There are two wavelengths most commonly shown on weather broadcasts: Infrared and Visible."
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Photographer Did NOT Capture Dolphin Caught In Hurricane Dorian Winds
Did a photographer from The Weather Channel take a picture of a dolphin being blown out of the water by hurricane Dorian winds? No, that's not true: the image was a photoshop by a satire website. It is not real. The story originated from an ar
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘This View of Hurricane Dorian Is Unlike Anything I’ve Ever Seen’
On September 1 2019, the following image purportedly depicting a rainbow in the eye of Hurricane Dorian appeared on social media: The post was shared more than 30,000 times in two days. An added caption read: Dorian’s image from NASA!!!😲🙏