Did Cristiano Ronaldo buy a private island to escape the coronavirus crisis? No, that's not true: The legendary Portuguese soccer star has been hit with another fake story as the coronavirus threatens people around the globe. Social media post
Search Results (9248) for: being
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: 5G Technology NOT Believed To Have Caused Coronavirus
Did 5G, the fifth-generation wireless technology, cause the novel coronavirus? No, that's not true: These bizarre assertions go against everything we know about how viruses are spread. A viral video making the rounds confuses historical events
Truth or Fiction?→ Imperial College London’s COVID-19 Report, Explained
On March 17 2020, an Imperial College London paper about coronavirus and COVID-19 trajectory models was referenced widely in the news and on social media, causing a considerable amount of concern and drawing global attention. Discourse about the Imper
FactCheck.org→ Q&A on the Coronavirus Pandemic
Editor’s Note: This is an updated version of a Q&A we published Jan. 30. Much has changed since then. An outbreak of viral pneumonia that began in the central Chinese city of Wuhan at the end of 2019 has sickened more than 200,000 people and
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Tom Hanks, Others NOT Arrested For Pedophilia Or Other Crimes in QAnon Conspiracy
Was Tom Hanks arrested for pedophilia? No, this is not true: Hanks, who was being treated after contracting the novel coronavirus, was not arrested for pedophilia and being held in a hotel room in Australia as claimed as part of the QAnon cons
FactCheck.org→ Viral Posts Falsely Align Viruses to Election Years
Quick Take Viral posts on social media claim COVID-19 is no worse than other outbreaks that have occurred in “every election year,” suggesting that the new coronavirus is being “hyped” to hurt President Donald Trump. But most of
Truth or Fiction?→ Did a Property Management Company Tell Tenants to Pay Rent First During the COVID-19 Pandemic?
A South Carolina property management company became a symbol for the anger and concern that tenants around the United States felt in the wake of the changes to their lives and livelihoods brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. The criticis
Truth or Fiction?→ Is the United Way’s COVID-19 Helpline Accessible at 866-211-9966?
In mid-March 2020, a Facebook status update screenshot began circulating, advising anyone in need that United Way had a COVID-19 Community Economic Relief Fund which could be accessed by calling 1-866-211-9966: Black text on a pink and purple backgro
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: NO, Trump Is NOT Promising To Send Americans Checks – Only After Checking People’s Social Media History
Did President Trump tweet that he had ordered the U.S. Treasury to send checks to Americans - but only after checking people's social media posts to make sure they were not unfavorable to the president. No, this is a satirical post: Whle Trump
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: COVID-19 NOT A Scripted Narrative To Justify Closed Borders Or Force Residents To Remain Home
Is COVID-19 virus part of a conspiracy that has a scripted narrative designed to justify closed borders and inspire residents to stay at home? No, that's not true: A conspiracy theory on Facebook claims that the coronavirus outbreak is a move
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Jim Carrey Did NOT Accuse 200 "Leftist Arsonists" Of Starting Australian Bushfires
Did actor Jim Carrey say that 200 "leftist arsonists" were arrested for starting the Australian bushfires, and that it wasn't due to climate change? No, that's not true: Carrey never made such a statement about the bushfires that ravaged the c
Truth or Fiction?→ Will Americans Go Into a Four-Week Quarantine on April 1 2020?
In mid-March 2020, completely unsubstantiated but frightening rumors began circulating about a four-week-long quarantine blanketing the entire United States, purportedly to begin on April 1 2020. The rumor spread from person to person in individual
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: List Comparing Mortality Rates With COVID-19 Is NOT Accurate
Is a list of virus outbreaks comparing mortality rates for Ebola, H5N1, MERS and SARS with COVID-19 - the novel coronavirus - accurate? No, it's not: The comparison of the outbreaks is extremely misleading as it doesn't take into account the r
Truth or Fiction?→ Does Coronavirus Put Dogs at Risk Because Hand Sanitizer Has the Same Ingredients as Antifreeze?
On March 14 2020, a Facebook status update (archived here) claiming that pet owners should be aware that hand sanitizer “has the same ingredients as antifreeze” went viral after an uptick in hand sanitizer use due to an ongoing COVID-19 o
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: All U.S. Citizens Are NOT Entitled To $700 Per Week To Stay At Home To Avoid Spread Of Coronavirus
Are all U.S. citizens entitled to $700 per week to stay at home to avoid the spread of the novel coronavirus? No, that's not true: The link in the posts takes viewers to a gorilla giving the middle finger. The post was a hoax related to the co
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Italy Has NOT Mandated No Treatment Of All Elderly With Coronavirus
Did Italy decide not to treat its elderly population with coronavirus? No, that's not entirely true: because of the immense strain being put on the Italian health care system from the novel coronavirus outbreak this year, doctors may be forced
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: A Banana A Day Does NOT Keep The Coronavirus Away
Does eating a banana a day keep the novel coronavirus away? No, that's not true: Bananas may be a good source of potassium and other vitamins, but they have not been proven to prevent COVID-19, the scientific name for the novel coronavirus. Th
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: 15 Minutes In Sauna Will NOT Kill The Coronavirus
Can the novel coronavirus survive the heat? And, specifically, will 15 minutes in a sauna kill the virus? No, that's not true: An internationally recognized expert in infectious disease epidemiology has quashed those assertions. The claims ori
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: A Dog Vaccine Can NOT Be Used To Inoculate People Against Coronavirus
Can a coronavirus vaccine used on dogs be used to inoculate people against COVID-19, the virus outbreak that has infected tens of thousands of people and left thousands others dead? No, that's not true: There is currently no vaccine to prevent
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: The CDC Is NOT Warning People The Morel Mushroom Increases Coronavirus Risk By 200%
Did the CDC warn people that eating morchella, the true morel mushrooms, increases your chance of contracting the coronavirus by 200%? No, that's not true: That is a prank being played by a self-proclaimed lover of the mushroom. The claim orig
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Video Of Trains Does NOT Suggest U.S. Is Preparing For Martial Law
Does a video showing U.S. military vehicles being transported on trains indicate the country is getting ready for martial law? No, that's not true: The video was uploaded to YouTube on March 3, 2013. This old video is currently being posted in
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Coronavirus Outbreak Did NOT Prompt Gun And Ammunition Policy Changes At Walmart
Did efforts to control the novel coronavirus outbreak prompt Walmart to change its policy and no longer sell ammunition? No, that's not true: Walmart had already changed its ammo sales policy on September 3, 2019, a month after a gunman killed
Truth or Fiction?→ Has Italy Stopped Treating COVID-19 in the Elderly?
As Italy grappled with the spread of COVID-19, American Facebook users took that as their opportunity to insult a national health service. “Italy has decided NOT to treat their elderly for this virus !!!! That, my friends, is Socialized Health
Truth or Fiction?→ Did ‘Nancy and the Dems’ Try to ‘Slip Taxpayer-Funded Abortion’ into a Coronavirus Aid Bill?
On March 12 2020, a Facebook user shared a status update claiming that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the entire Democratic Party tried to “slip taxpayer-funded abortions” into a funding package designed to help blunt the worst effects of
FactCheck.org→ Infographic on Facebook Distorts Comparative Facts on Viruses
Quick Take A misleading chart being spread on Facebook, erroneously dubbing the new coronavirus the “least deadly virus,” contains outdated information about the coronavirus and erroneous information about the death rate of the 2009 pandemi
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Cristiano Ronaldo NOT Turning His Hotels Into ‘Hospitals’ To Fight Coronavirus
Is Cristiano Ronaldo turning his CR7 hotels Into 'hospitals' to combat the spread of the novel coronavirus? No, this is not true. The Portuguese soccer legend's management company told Lead Stories that the claim - which has already been debun
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Novel Coronavirus Is NOT The Least Deadly Virus
Does a chart that people are sharing online comparing major viruses accurately represent how the novel coronavirus is the "least deadly virus"? No, it does not: The table exaggerates the death rate for H1N1. The source for the chart, a Busines
FactCheck.org→ FactChecking the March Democratic Debate
Summary The first head-to-head debate of the Democratic presidential primary between former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders focused on the government’s response to the novel coronavirus outbreak. We sorted through competing claims th
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Popular Meme Offers Mix Of Truth And Info NOT Backed By Science
Are the assertions presented in a meme that is gaining traction on social media about COVID-19, or the new coronavirus, backed up by science? Not necessarily. Some of the information in the meme appears to be on point, but not all, according t
Truth or Fiction?→ Are Companies With More Than 500 Workers Exempt From a Coronavirus Relief Bill?
Shortly after the U.S. House of Representatives passed the House Resolution 6201 that both Democrats and Republicans promised would help American workers dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, both parties came under criticism for an exemption that woul
Lead Stories→ ‘Invoice Barr’ and the ‘Second Modification’: How Article Spinning Works
Facebook users have been seeing some strange headlines lately, thanks largely to a clickbaiter from Pakistan. "It's Official: Fox Information Terminates Decide Pirro's Contract" There is a large network of websites using political content to
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: NO Evidence CEO Resignations Are Linked To Global Conspiracy
Do recent CEO resignations foretell a global conspiracy involving mass extinctions, automation, and economic collapse? No, that's not true: The post being widely shared is filled with fear-mongering conspiracy theories. While several chief exe
FactCheck.org→ Trump’s H1N1 Swine Flu Pandemic Spin
In tweets and other appearances, President Donald Trump has repeatedly compared his response to the new coronavirus with President Barack Obama’s handling of the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic. But Trump’s information is frequently incorrect or misle
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Two Congressmen Propose a Bill Granting Americans Between $1,000 and $6,000?
A new bill proposed by two Democratic Party congressmen would expand the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) for Americans who earned less than $65,000 in 2019 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. News of the bill by Reps. Ro Khanna (California) and Rep.
Truth or Fiction?→ Did 12,000 Americans Die of H1N1/Swine Flu, and Were 275,000 Hospitalized?
As concerns over novel coronavirus strain COVID-19 crested in mid-March 2020, comparisons between the effects of the strain versus that of H1N1 (or “swine flu”) more than a decade before triggered a flurry of fact checks, a Facebook flag o
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: New York City Is NOT Set To Undergo Citywide Quarantine
Will New York City begin a citywide quarantine? No, that's not true: That is false information tweeted by a self-proclaimed "patriotic American" backed up by no facts. In fact, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio tweeted a plea for people spreading
Truth or Fiction?→ South Korea Tested 200,000, the CDC Tested 77 in a Week, and the Utah Jazz Tested 58 Players for COVID-19 in Hours?
On March 12 2020, Twitter user @SawyerHackett tweeted that South Korea had managed to test 200,000 people for novel coronavirus strain COVID-19, while the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) only tested 77 people in a week — adding
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Supermarkets Are NOT Recalling Coronavirus-Infected Toilet Paper
Are toilet paper rolls imported from China infected with the coronavirus and being recalled in stores? No, that is not true. No recalls have been issued, and many experts agree that there is no evidence the novel virus could survive being tran
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: The Coronavirus Scare Did NOT Start Immediately After Impeachment
Did the coronavirus scare start immediately after impeachment in a plan to upend U.S. President Donald Trump? No, that's not true: That is a theory being spread by conservatives, ignoring the fact the outbreak began in China in late 2019, and
FactCheck.org→ FactChecking Trump’s Coronavirus Address
In a short primetime address, President Donald Trump provided false, misleading and incomplete information about the new coronavirus and actions his administration has taken or will take to staunch its spread: In announcing new restrictions on travel