An image shared on social media with claims it shows a list of patent numbers for viruses such as H1N1 flu, Zika virus and SARS is not quite what it seems.
Full Fact→ Video shows factory fire in West Bank, not Hezbollah attack on Israel
Full Fact traced a video circulating on social media back to reports of a factory fire in Hebron in the West Bank in February.
Full Fact→ Major League Soccer has not banned Pride flags from 2025 FIFA Club World Cup
A claim being shared on social media that MLS has banned Pride flags ahead of next year’s Club World Cup in the United States is untrue, and originates from satirical online articles.
Full Fact→ No evidence child found wandering in Dewsbury or Chesterfield
These Facebook posts are likely hoaxes, and very similar to others we’ve seen before.
Lead Stories→ Lead Stories is on Bluesky — Come For the Updates, Stay for the Starter Pack
What's that blue butterfly in the row of social media icons in the sidebar and footer of our website? Lead Stories is happy to announce we are now also present on the Bluesky social media network. Follow our accounts if you want to get im
Full Fact→ UK has not agreed to fund ‘Bill Gates’ geoengineering experiments’
A headline being shared on social media misleadingly claims that the UK government is to finance geoengineering experiments by the Microsoft founder Bill Gates.
The Dispatch→ The Feather-Pillow Principle
How much influence will Donald Trump’s advisers actually have?
The Dispatch→ A More Humanist Conservation
Left-wing environmentalism treats humans as a threat to the environment. But this planet is our home.
Full Fact→ Fake Guardian article on Gaza ‘rivalling Bradford’ shared online
Apsana Begum MP did not write an article for the Guardian with the headline “Gaza will rise from the ashes to become a city of the future to rival Bradford”.
Full Fact→ Voters can’t force by-elections to oust MPs ‘at any time’
A recall petition against a sitting MP can only be triggered if one of three specific conditions are met.
Health Feedback→ No evidence that John D. Rockefeller suppressed “natural healing” or had practitioners arrested and jailed
REVIEW In November 2024, a video went viral on Facebook claiming that industrialist John D. Rockefeller suppressed “natural healing modalities” in order to profit from selling petroleum-based medicine and had practitioners of “natural” medic
Full Fact→ Argos £2 iPhone promotion is not genuine
Yet another fake Argos offer is being shared on Facebook.
Full Fact→ No evidence Elon Musk has endorsed this home heating device
An advert shared on social media claims the billionaire has endorsed a home heating device.
The Dispatch→ And They Began to Be Merry
Turning water to wine wasn’t Jesus’ real miracle at Cana.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Daily Mail Did NOT Report Sen. Lindsey Graham Is Pedophile Who Breached Parole Weeks After Release From Jail
Did The Daily Mail report that Sen. Lindsey Graham is a pedophile who "plied boys with drugs and sexually assaulted them" and breached parole after his release from jail? No, that's not true: An account on X plastered a photo of Graham on
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: CNN Did NOT Call ‘Chill Guy’ Meme ‘Figurehead Of Racist Right Wingers’ — It’s Fake Screenshot
Did CNN publish an article calling the "Chill Guy" meme a "figurehead of racist right wingers"? No, that's not true: A screenshot of a real article from 2019 was edited to make it look like it was about the meme. A fake headline and a new
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Trump Did NOT Release Statement Ordering Dallas Police To Prepare To Make Arrest Over JFK’s Assassination
Did President-elect Donald Trump release a statement ordering the Dallas police to prepare to make an arrest over John F. Kennedy's assassination? No, that's not true: The image that mimics a Trump/Vance Transition press release is fake.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Image Of Elon Musk In Profile Is NOT Authentic — Edited To Make Belly Bigger And Rear Smaller
Does an image circulating on social media accurately depict Elon Musk with a big belly, as if pregnant? No, that's not true: This image has been digitally edited. The source image, which was subjected to editing, was a still frame pulled
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Video Does NOT Show EU Parliament Standing Ovation For US Decision To Allow Ukraine To Strike Deep Into Russia
Does a video show members of the European Parliament giving a standing ovation to the U.S. decision to permit Ukraine to strike deeper into Russia with U.S.-supplied weapons? No, that's not true: The post's caption mislabels the content o
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: FAKE CNN Video Shows Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau Crying Over Trump’s Proposed Tariffs
Does a CNN video show Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau crying in response to U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's pledge in November 2024 to slap tariffs on Canadian exports to the U.S.? No, that's not true: The video is from 2017 an
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Photo Does NOT Show Coffins Of 18 British Special Forces Killed In Ukraine
Does a photograph posted on X genuinely show the coffins of 18 British Special Forces being returned after they were killed in Ukraine? No, that's not true: The photo predates the Russia-Ukraine war by over a decade. It was taken in 2006
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Tom Hanks Did NOT Say He Was Leaving US — Originated From Satirical Source
Did actor Tom Hanks withdraw his 2025 Oscar nominations and leave the United States, saying "I've had enough" in an Instagram video? No, that's not true: This story comes from a self-described satirical website whose About Us page announc
PolitiFact→ Facebook posts – No, Elon Musk did not announce a Tesla motor home
“Elon Musk reveals Tesla 2025 motorhome for under $17,000!”
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Mexican President Did NOT Say Trump Tariff Threat Is Why Migrant Caravans No Longer At Border
Did Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum say that migrant caravans will no longer reach the U.S. border from her country in response to President-elect Donald Trump's threat of tariffs? No, that's not true: Sheinbaum actually said migrant
PolitiFact→ Instagram posts – An old Trump campaign video with a plan for free college is mischaracterized online as new policy
Video shows President-elect Donald Trump announcing “free college education” in November 2024.
PolitiFact→ Viral image – No, abortion clinics haven’t warned of bankruptcy because of a Democratic ‘sex strike’
“Abortion clinics warn they’ll go bankrupt if Democrat ‘sex strike’ continues.”
PolitiFact→ Facebook posts – Smallpox was officially eradicated in 1980. It doesn’t need to be held in check by vaccines.
Smallpox was “never eradicated, it’s held in check by vaccines,” and RFK Jr. would eliminate coverage for the smallpox vaccine.
PolitiFact→ Instagram posts – No, the CDC doesn’t recommend seven COVID-19 vaccine doses for 6-month-olds
“The CDC says that little 6 month old babies must get SEVEN doses of the Covid vaccine in order to be considered fully ‘up to date’ on their vaccinations.”
The Dispatch→ No, Trump Is Not ‘Constitutionally Disqualified’ From Returning to the White House Under the 14th Amendment
The Supreme Court ruled in March that states could not independently disqualify public officeholders.
Full Fact→ Viruses are real and you can ‘catch’ them
Despite claims to the contrary, viruses are real and have been sequenced many times.
Full Fact→ Picture of woman holding abortion rights sign has been edited
The original picture was posted in March 2023 with a handwritten sign in Spanish that translates to “I am the mother of the girl you will never touch”.
PolitiFact→ Threads posts – Marjorie Taylor Greene quote about Matt Gaetz, Congress members originated on satire account
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene said “if every member of Congress had to resign for doing what Matt Gaetz has been accused of, Democrats would have a supermajority.’"
The Dispatch→ Happy Thanksgiving
On gratitude, conservatism, and The Dispatch.
PolitiFact→ Threads posts – Did Texas gift 355,000 acres of land to Trump for deportation camps? No, the offer was way smaller
“Texas just gifted Trump 355,000 acres for deportation camps.”
Full Fact→ No, Pfizer’s CEO did not say his company’s goal was to halve the global population
A video of Albert Bourla speaking has been edited to make it sound as if Pfizer wants to depopulate the world.
Full Fact→ Video of MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow becoming emotional on air unrelated to Elon Musk
A video clip which appears to show the American MSNBC TV host reacting to an item about Elon Musk is actually from 2018 and totally unrelated to the billionaire.
Full Fact→ Citric acid is not hidden in food to ‘poison’ the population
Almost 2,000 people have shared a post suggesting there is a plot to lower the “population’s vitality” by hiding citric acid “poison” in food.
Health Feedback→ Margarine and plastic are chemically unrelated substances, contrary to persistent online claim
REVIEW In November 2024, the claim “margarine is one molecule away from plastic” circulated on Facebook and Instagram. platforms, sometimes boosted by otherwise credible media. The gist of the claim is that margarine is essentially plastic, and
Full Fact→ Keir Starmer did not tell UK citizens to leave the country if they disagreed with Labour
A clip circulating online is from a 2023 speech, and Sir Keir Starmer’s comments were directed at Labour party members unhappy following changes made to tackle antisemitism within the party.
Full Fact→ List of organisations supposedly leaving X is mostly wrong
All but three of the organisations on the list are active on the platform and have posted within the last week.