On September 13 2021, a photograph of a man with a poorly spelled sign (“I know more than the scietists”) went viral on Twitter: this is where we’re at and it hurts. pic.twitter.com/GwM28DIBG2 — Andrew Baback Boozary MD (@drandrew
Search Results (1025) for: authentic
Full Fact→ An influencer muddled his maths on vaccines for children
The online influencer Nohun (real name Raurie Williams) has wrongly described the risks and benefits of the Covid-19 vaccine for children in an Instagram video that has been viewed more than 330,000 times. The video was posted on 7 September 2021, and
Full Fact→ The mayor of Calgary didn’t say that Covid-19 was a hoax
Facebook users have been sharing an apparently fake transcript of a legal hearing in which the mayor of Calgary, in Alberta, Canada, supposedly calls Covid-19 “a hoax”. Fact checkers in the US can find no record of this hearing. The mayor,
Truth or Fiction?→ Candace Owens ‘Cough Into My Fist’ Tweet
On September 3 2021, an Imgur user uploaded a purported tweet by right-wing pundit and frequent disinformation purveyor Candace Owens, quoting her as saying if “a leftist doctor” refused to administer a test, she would cough in her hand a
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Hawaii Does NOT Say It Has 45k Deaths Because Of COVID-19 Vaccine
Does the state of Hawaii say it has had 45,000 deaths caused by COVID-19 vaccine? No, that's not true. Neither the state of Hawaii nor a representative of the state made this claim. The claim was made in part by an attorney who is taking
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Comedy Central Caves to Cancel Culture’
On September 1 2021, a Newsweek article bearing the leading headline, “Comedy Central Caves to Cancel Culture, Removes Episode from ‘The Office’ Line-up” was identified as virally popular by Trendolizer; it covered the showR
Truth or Fiction?→ Facebook Hacked, Email Changed
An unknown and apparently large number of Facebook accounts appear to have been hacked in 2021 in a specific fashion — specifically, the account’s email address is changed (often to a Hotmail address), two-factor authentication (2FA) is ena
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Danny DeVito Lose His ‘Verified’ Status on Twitter?
Actor Danny DeVito’s show of support for Nabisco workers gained attention on Twitter not just for the sentiment, but for the accusations that followed of reprisal from the platform. “Support Nabisco workers striking for humane working hours
Poynter→ Fake news accounts are spreading false information about journalists executed in Afghanistan
Several Twitter accounts that look like they belong to some well-known news networks recently shared that a journalist had been captured and killed by the Taliban in Kabul. But these accounts weren’t authentic and they’ve since been suspended. R
Truth or Fiction?→ Flight Out of Afghanistan
Just before 5PM on August 16 2021, high-profile Facebook accounts shared an image labeled as a “flight out of Afghanistan”; the same image had been shared to Reddit’s r/pics two hours prior: One of the flights out of Kabul.
Truth or Fiction?→ The Wismer House $10 ‘Fine’ for Overnight Parking
On August 15 2021, an Imgur account shared what looked like a parking ticket from “The Wismer House,” in a post titled “$10 gift certificate for parking over night instead of drinking and driving”: Although the yellow citatio
Truth or Fiction?→ Comedian’s Spoof Interview as ‘Flight Attendant’ Spreads Virally on Facebook Watch
On August 6 2021, Irish broadcaster and verified page “RTÉ 2fm” shared a video captioned “The greatest interview of ALL time. A classic ,” reaching five million views on Facebook Watch and purportedly showing footage of a flig
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Mike Lindell Cyber Symposium Final Wrap-Up, August 12, 2021 — No PCAP Evidence, Questions Remain
Did the materials released by Mike Lindell at his Cyber Symposium meet evidentiary standards of relevance, proof of origin, chain-of-secure-custody and reproducibility that online security experts say would be needed to take seriously his
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Here’s How You Can Make Your Own "Mike Lindell Packet Capture Video"
In a video (archived here) published on Frankspeech on July 24, 2021 titled "Mike Lindell Releases First Packet Captures Ahead Of August 10, 11 and 12 Cyber Symposium", Mike Lindell showed a snippet of video claiming it showed packet capt
Lead Stories→ Mike Lindell’s Cyber Symposium Started: We’re Looking For These Answers About His Promised Election Fraud Evidence
Will the materials Mike Lindell releases at his Cyber Symposium meet evidentiary standards of authenticity to support his claim the 2020 election was stolen? Here's how Lead Stories will test the data: By asking the questions we sent to h
Truth or Fiction?→ 4Chan’s /Pol/ Seeks to Sow Discord With #AskMeWhy
On or around August 6 2021, a Twitter hashtag (#AskMeWhy) emerged, appearing on numerous tweets asserting that vaccination campaigns were “racist”: I wonder if @NYCMayor has seen this one?#vaccinediscrimination#askmewhy #MedicalApartheid
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Tweets Replicating ER Doc’s Lament About Rising Delta Variant Caseload Are NOT All Pro-Vaccination — Examples Show Anti-Vaccine Gaslighting
Are the tweets replicating a Florida emergency room doctor's lament over rising Delta variant cases all part of a pro-vaccine propaganda campaign? No, that's not true: Several replicas appear to be part of a gaslighting ploy by anti-vacci
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: There Is NO COVID ‘Ligma’ Variant Outbreak — It’s An Old Dirty Joke
Are all the "I just left the ER...We are officially getting crushed" memes about the COVID-19 Delta variant outbreak part of a fear campaign aimed at the unvaccinated? Not all of them. Some have been altered to refer to a "Ligma" variant,
Poynter→ An Olympics hot mic video allegedly of an NBC producer isn’t real — it’s a joke
A spoof video shared on a comedian’s Twitter page has journeyed from joke to scandal as some people sharing and seeing it online appear to believe it’s authentic. It’s not. But here’s the premise: an NBC producer is caught on a hot mic saying:
Truth or Fiction?→ Police Officers’ Testimony Refutes Right Wing Capitol Riot Disinformation
The testimony of four law enforcement officers before a House select committee on July 27 2021 provided another yet another clear refutation to the disinformation pushed by right-wing outlets and operatives surrounding the attack on the U.S. Capitol on
Truth or Fiction?→ Bic’s ‘Martha and Snoop’ Ad
On July 25 2021 the Facebook page “Cheerful Nihilism” shared an advertising meme, purportedly featuring Martha Stewart and Snoop Dogg for Bic lighters (captioned “nailed it”): Text at the top read “Shoutout to the BIC mar
Truth or Fiction?→ Rep. Jack Kimble: ‘I Find It Very Suspicious …’
In July 2021, Facebook users and pages began sharing screenshots of a tweet attributed to “Rep. Jack Kimble” (@repjackkimble), in which he appeared to speculate on the reasons unvaccinated people were likelier to be infected and become ill
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Anonymous ‘Whistleblower’ Did NOT Document 45,000 Deaths From COVID Vaccine: She Guesstimated That Number
Did the anonymous "whistleblower" in a July 19, 2021, lawsuit against the Secretary of Health and Human Services document her claim that 45,000 people died within three days of receiving a COVID vaccination? No, that's not true: It's her
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: VAERS Numbers Are NOT Proof 895 Veterans Were Killed Or Injured By COVID Vaccine — VAERS Tallies Unverified Reports
Do these numbers from the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) document 895 deaths or serious injuries of military veterans from COVID-19 vaccines? No, that's not true: Anyone with internet access can add a report to the VAERS l
Truth or Fiction?→ Finland Reindeer Reflective Paint Posts
On July 10 2021 the Facebook group Illusions featured a striking image, purportedly depicting reindeer in Finland whose antlers are painted with reflective paint in order to prevent collisions with cars: An appended status update from a group member r
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Rep Matt Gaetz Did NOT Tweet That January 6th Insurrectionists Should Be Pardoned
Did Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida suggest that people associated with the January 6 incident at the U.S. Capitol should be pardoned? No, that's not true: The tweet saying this did not come from his actual Twitter account, and the
Truth or Fiction?→ Wi Spa Weaponized Disinformation Campaign
In late June and early July 2021, far-right activists attempted to launch a new disinformation campaign in the wake of a viral video of a woman harassing staff at a traditional public bathhouse in an historic Los Angeles neighborhood The video, which w
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘U.S. Quietly Slips Out Of Afghanistan In Dead Of Night’ Onion Story
On July 6 2021, Twitter user @SIGSYS published two screenshots, one a satirical headline from The Onion in July 2011 about the United States having “quietly slip[ped] out of Afghanistan in [the] dead of night,” and a July 2021 Associated
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Announcement By Reiner Fuellmich Does NOT Prove COVID-19 PCR Tests Do Not Detect The Virus
Does Reiner Fuellmich prove in a new video that COVID-19 PCR tests do not detect the virus? No, that's not true: This is one of several debunked conspiracy theories he recycles in a new video that have been refuted by published peer-revie
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Like VAERS, European Union’s Online List Of Suspected Vaccine Reactions Does NOT Establish Proof Vaccine Caused Deaths
Does material plucked from the European Union's list of reports of possible drug reactions justify the claim that vaccine side effects have killed two people for every three who were saved from dying of COVID-19? No, that's not true: The
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Video Is NOT Correct That VAERS List Of Adverse Reaction Reports Is Data That Proves COVID Vaccine Caused Deaths
Is this video correct in its claim that the federal Vaccine Adverse Events Report System (VAERS) delivers data proving 6,000 people were killed by COVID vaccines? No, that's not true: The VAERS website repeatedly warns users against makin
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: This Blog Post Does NOT Prove 25,800 Deaths Were Caused By The mRNA Vaccines Against COVID-19
Does this blog post prove 25,800 people have died of reactions to COVID vaccines? No, that's not true: The claim recycles an oft-rebuked misuse of the U.S. government's unverified list of vaccine reaction reports called VAERS (Vaccine Adv
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: This Image Of A Massive Highway Is NOT The Katy Freeway In Texas
Is an image that depicts a highway with some 20 lanes in each direction a photo of the Katy Freeway in Texas? No, that's not true: Although Lead Stories could not locate the origin of the image, it is not the Katy Freeway, the Federal Hig
Truth or Fiction?→ Were Black Soldiers Eligible for the GI Bill?
On June 18 2021, a commenter shared a Twitter screenshot to an education-related Facebook post about one of the provisions of the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944, popularly known as the GI Bill: Teaching students that WWII vets were give
Truth or Fiction?→ Is the ‘Illinois Father’ Who Criticized CRT Candace Owens’ Brother?
On June 18 2021, Twitter discourse about a viral video of an “Illinois father” discussing critical race theory expanded to suggest the man in the video was Candace Owens’ brother: This is literally Candace Owens’s brother. I’m
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: NO Evidence Gas & Oil Company HR Execs Say Firms Are Planning To Have Their Vaccinated Staff Replaced Within Next 3 Years
Are gas and oil company HR executives saying their firms are planning to have their vaccinated staff replaced within the next three years? No, that's not true. There is no evidence that the large oil and gas companies are going through th
Snopes→ Did US Rep. Tim Burchett Say Recent UFO Sightings Were Evidence of Technology ‘Out of Our Galaxy’?
If authentic, the quote would be an example of a high-profile politician siding with alien enthusiasts who believe top U.S. intelligence officials aren't sharing everything they know.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: The CDC Did NOT Discontinue COVID Vaccination For Those Under Age 30, Did NOT ‘Acknowledge’ Heart Risks To Young People
Must public health agencies discontinue COVID-19 vaccinations for people under age 30 because federal authorities "acknowledge" heart risks to young people? No, that's not true. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has not
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: The Record-Breaking Birth Of 10 Babies To A South African Woman Has NOT Been Verified
Did a woman from Pretoria, South Africa, give birth to 10 babies -- seven boys and three girls -- on June 7, 2021? If this is true, this would be a world record, but as of June 14, 2021, there has been no confirmation that 10 babies were
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Ashleigh Shackelford Teaching Critical Race Theory’ Video
On June 13 2021, Twitter user @ConceptualJames shared a video which purportedly shows artist and activist Hunter Ashleigh Shackelford teaching critical race theory: "All white people are racist…" "No, you're always going to