Did former Vice President of the United States Dick Cheney die at 83 on December 30, 2024? No, that's not true: The social media account that reported this story has "parody artist" in its X bio and calls its posts "bait." A Google News s
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Israeli Government Official Did NOT Say Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Had Been Diagnosed With Prostate Cancer
Did the head of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's medical team say he had been diagnosed with "grade 3" prostate cancer? No, that's not true: The spokesperson for Netanyahu told Lead Stories he underwent surgery to remove his pr
The Dispatch→ Claims About Kickbacks to U.S. Politicians From Ukraine Are False
Ukrainian officials have released no such information, and there is no evidence of such payments.
The Dispatch→ Happy New Year From The Dispatch!
Our staff shares favorites in movies, television, music, and books from 2024.
The Dispatch→ Jimmy Carter’s Most Perplexing Legacy
For all of his personal Christian devotion, he could not capture the hearts of white evangelicals.
The Dispatch→ The Festering Conflicts in the MAGA Family
From NatCons and tech bros to institutionalists and mavericks, the Trump-era siblings are squabbling.
The Dispatch→ Jimmy Carter Was No Saint
His reputation will age like Billy Beer, not Bordeaux.
The Dispatch→ Character Is Destiny
Never Trump nevermore?
PolitiFact→ Facebook posts – No, cancer is not a parasite, and ivermectin can’t cure it
“The true nature of cancer is a parasite, hence why, Ivermectin, in conjunction with mebendazole, and (fenbendazole) is so effective.”
PolitiFact→ Facebook posts – Fabricated CNN clip used to promote fake diabetes cure
Video shows CNN reporting that Pfizer representatives set Barbara O’Neill’s car on fire “for discovering an anti-diabetes method.”
PolitiFact→ Instagram posts – X post promising a U.S. ban on GMOs was from a now-suspended RFK Jr. parody account
RFK Jr. posted on X that, “Effective January 20th, all Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) will be BANNED in the United States.”
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Elon Musk Did NOT Post ‘My Tolerance For Ketamine Is Unlimited’ — It’s A Fake Screenshot
Did Elon Musk publish a social media post saying, "My tolerance for Ketamine is unlimited," just before midnight on December 26, 2024? No, that's not true: A fabricated screenshot was posted by a parody account on X. The screenshot contai
PolitiFact→ Threads posts – Purported Jimmy Carter quote about evangelical Christianity being ‘hijacked’ is from 2005 paraphrase
President Jimmy Carter verbatim said, “evangelical Christianity has been hijacked by people who would have given Jesus himself the boot if he knocked on their door.”
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Trump NOT Reported By Journalists To Be ‘Furious’ About Posts Urging ‘To Bring Kazoos, Recorders, And Vuvuzelas’ To Inauguration
Did journalists report President-elect Donald Trump responded negatively to TikTok trends urging people "to bring kazoos, recorders, and vuvuzelas to interrupt his speech" at the January 20, 2025, inauguration? No, that's not true: The st
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Elon Musk And Taylor Swift Did NOT Jointly Endorse Power-Saving Device ‘Stop Watt’
Did a Facebook post prove Elon Musk and Taylor Swift jointly endorsed a power-saving device called "Stop Watt"? No, that's not true: There is no record of either Musk or Swift publicly endorsing this product. Photos used in social media p
PolitiFact→ Fact-checking claims about former President Jimmy Carter’s record
Former President Jimmy Carter has been the subject of falsehoods and exaggerations about his statements and actions related to absentee voting, war, his brother and the Iranian hostage crisis.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: ‘Coats For Kids’ Is NOT Real Oprah Charity, Did NOT Take In ‘$140 Million’ After Buying ‘310 Jackets’
Did an Oprah Winfrey charity called "Coats for Kids" take in over $140 million while only purchasing "310 jackets" as of December 2024? No, that's not true: The information in this post initially appeared in an article on a self-described
PolitiFact→ Instagram posts – No, Bill Gates isn’t implanting digital IDs in newborn babies in Kenya
“Bill Gates will be implanting digital IDs in newborns in Kenya.”
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Biden Followed Protocol By Ordering Flags Lowered For Carter During Trump’s Inauguration
Did President Joe Biden deviate from standard protocol following the death of former President Jimmy Carter on December 29, 2024, by ordering flags to be set at half-staff during President-elect Donald Trump's second inauguration? No, tha
PolitiFact→ Facebook posts – No, the NFL did not suspend the referees after the Steelers-Eagles game
“The referees in the (Dec. 15) game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Pittsburgh Steelers have been suspended after the match revealed that the officials overlooked numerous errors by the Eagles.”
Health Feedback→ Uterus doesn’t require “cleansing”; onion tea can’t cure gynecological conditions like fibroids, cysts, or irregular periods
REVIEW Social media posts shared on Facebook and Instagram in December 2024 claimed that an herbal tea made by boiling red onions in water could “cleanse” the uterus and cure conditions including cysts, fibroids, and menstrual cycle irregulariti
The Dispatch→ The Season of Generosity
We could all benefit from cultivating a more generous spirit.
FactCheck.org→ Our Most Popular Articles in 2024
We wrote about a lot of misinformation in 2024, and, as usual, some fact-checking articles piqued our readers’ interest more than others. In this post, we present the 10 most popular stories published on our website this past year. Perhaps to
The Dispatch→ Former President Jimmy Carter Dies at 100
Plus: Why 2024 was the year of anti-incumbent advantage.
The Dispatch→ Small-Government Conservatives Should Give DOGE a Chance
What’s the downside?
The Dispatch→ The ‘Lived Experience’ Folly
Why an activist fad has led to an overrated policy.
The Dispatch→ The Monthly Mailbag With Ryan Brown
Our community and partnerships manager answers your questions.
The Dispatch→ The Tragedy of Zvi Kogan and the Triumph of Chabad
What led to an Orthodox rabbi’s murder in the United Arab Emirates?
The Dispatch→ A Charismatic Leader, A Tragic Death, and a Mystical Jewish Movement
Leaning into tradition.
Health Feedback→ Claim that herbs and mushrooms listed in Nicole Apelian’s book “The Lost Book of Herbal Remedies” are cures for herpes and HIV is baseless
REVIEW A Facebook post from December 2024 presented a list of herbs and natural products touted as cures for herpes and HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. The post’s author indicated that the list was taken from the book The Lost Book of Herbal Reme
The Dispatch→ A Selection of Our Best Stuff From 2024
In-depth reporting and analysis on the stories that shaped this crazy year.
The Dispatch→ The Dulcet Tones of Infighting
Don’t worry, guys. Elon’s got this.
The Dispatch→ Opus Dei’s One Big Conspiracy That Wasn’t
Gareth Gore’s book about the international Catholic group is more interested in domestic political in-fighting.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: FAKE Photo Shows Israeli Soldiers In Front Of Gaza Ruins Forming A Hanukkah Menorah
Is a photo that shows Israeli soldiers in front of ruins in Gaza forming a Hanukkah menorah authentic? No, that's not true: This image is fake. The image creator told Lead Stories that he made it "using AI and some Photoshop edits afterwa
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Video Does NOT Show ‘Turkish Commandos’ Swearing To Hunt Down ‘USA/Israel’s Terrorists’ In December 2024
Does a video show "Turkish commandos" swearing to hunt down "USA/Israel's terrorists" in December 2024? No, that's not true: Lead Stories Turkish-speaking staff confirmed that the uniformed people shown in the footage did not mention the
The Dispatch→ A MAGA Schism
In Round 1, it’s immigration hawks versus tech bros.
The Dispatch→ Not Those Immigrants
MAGA discovers the limits of tech-bro populism.
The Dispatch→ Viral Quote About Autism Attributed to Trump Is Fabricated
Trump did discuss autism diagnoses in a recent speech, but a quote circulating on social media is made up.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Video Does NOT Document Drone Crash In New York City On Christmas Eve 2024 — Video Is An AI Fake
Did a large drone crash in New York City on Christmas Eve 2024 as claimed by a video posted on X? No, that's not true: There are several clues in the video that point to it being AI-generated and the account that posted it published sever
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Video Does NOT Show Israeli Air Strike On Houthi Positions In Yemen During Hannukah 2024 — It Was July 2024
Does a video show Israeli air strikes targeting Houthi infrastructure in Yemen during Hanukkah 2024? No, that's not true: An Israeli journalist, Hananya Naftali, published this video on July 20, 2024, which predated Hanukkah by more than