An April 21 2020 post on the Facebook page “CALL TO ACTIVISM” purportedly showed a COVID-19 protester in Pennsylvania, whose sign in part urged the re-opening of “Pennslvania,” as well as “we the peaple”: In just
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FactCheck.org→ U.S. Chamber of Commerce
Political leanings: Pro-business/conservative 2018 total spending: $10.9 million The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is the largest business organization in the world, representing the interests of more than 3 million businesses, and advocates a pro-busin
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: U.S. NOT ‘Sneakily’ Using Coronavirus As Cover to Pass Bill; Uncertain If It ‘Will Stop End-To-End Encryption, Allow Officials To See All Private Messages, Listen To All Calls’
Is the U.S. government using the cover of the coronavirus pandemic to remove end-to-end encryption so officials would be able to listen to everyone's calls and see everyone's private messages? No, that does not appear to be the case: A controv
Truth or Fiction?→ Will ‘Nebulized Hydrogen Peroxide’ Help You Avoid Contracting COVID-19?
A self-proclaimed “health activist” with a history of incurring warnings over his practices from the federal government used Twitter to push another questionable treatment idea involving COVID-19 (also called SARS-CoV-2 or “the coron
Truth or Fiction?→ Is This a Photograph of Someone’s Kitchen After Microwaving Coronavirus Masks?
On April 7 2020 — in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic — a post began spreading on Facebook, warning people against microwaving face masks to sterilize them (alongside a photograph of the aftermath of a kitchen fire): Please don’t pass
FactCheck.org→ Trump’s Numbers April 2020 Update
Editor’s Note: This update reflects only a small part of the huge economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused millions of layoffs and shut down much of the economy before many of these statistics were collected. Summary Since Donald Tr
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: 5G Is NOT Linked To Death Of Birds Or Government Cover-Up
Is 5G a governmental cover-up linked to the death of birds as well as public health? No, that's not true: Lead Stories has debunked many of these claims before. There is no evidence to suggest the fifth-generation cellular network is dangerous
Truth or Fiction?→ Spanish Flu 1918 Family Portrait Shows Cat with Face Mask
In early April 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revised COVID-19 guidance and advised Americans to wear face masks, reviving interest in a viral photograph — purportedly a family portrait from the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic th
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Microwaving Masks In Plastic Bags Is NOT Safe Way To Sterilize Them
Is microwaving a face mask in plastic baggies a good way to kill COVID-19 particles on the mask? No, it is not. Research shows that hydrogen peroxide will kill the virus on masks, but no proof has been found that microwaving kills the novel co
Truth or Fiction?→ Conspiracy Theorists, Celebrities Push Disinformation Blaming Cell Towers for COVID-19
As conspiracy theories — fanned in part by public figures — continue spreading, feeding into a feverish, misdirected blame leveled at mobile phone towers for the COVID-19 pandemic, authorities in Great Britain are investigating a spate o
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: 5G Test Did NOT Kill Hundreds Of Birds In The Netherlands
Did a test for 5G cellular service cause hundreds of birds to die in the Netherlands? No, that's not true: The story has been roundly debunked as untrue. The Dutch Antenna Bureau said it was "not the case" that the birds died because of 5G rad
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Switching On 5G Did NOT Cause Dead Ducks ‘Everywhere’
Did switching on 5G cause ducks to die "everywhere", as an online video suggests? No, that's not true: The fifth-generation cellular technology does not affect birds and cause mass die-offs, according to the National Audubon Society. The claim
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: ‘Former Vodafone Boss’ Makes FALSE Claim In Taken-Down YouTube Video That Coronavirus Caused By 5G Tech
Is COVID-19 caused by 5G technology that is killing people around the world? No, that's not true. A video that went viral of a man claiming to be the former "head of the largest business unit at Vodafone," says that coronavirus is not killing
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: COVID-19 Is NOT A Fabrication Or A Scapegoat For Economic Disaster
Is there evidence that COVID-19 is (a) not real and (b) simply a scapegoat to deflect blame for an economic disaster? No, that's not true: The global pandemic that's infected about 1 million people that we know of and killed more than 51,000 a
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Trump DID Sign 5G Bill, But Exposure Effects Are Misleading
Did President Trump sign a bill that addresses the future of 5G infrastructure? Yes, that's true: the Secure 5G and Beyond Act of 2020 was signed on March 23, 2020, but a video detailing the potential fallout of expanding 5G technology is exag
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Device In Video Did NOT Accurately Measure "Insane" 5G Radiation Levels
Did a device in a YouTube video accurately measure so-called "insane" radiofrequency radiation (RFR) levels coming from a nearby 5G tower? No, it did not: The video claimed that a handheld device showed radiation levels near a 5G tower in Aust
Truth or Fiction?→ The #GeneralStrike Hashtag and the Coronavirus Economic Debate
On March 24 2020, #GeneralStrike was among Twitter’s most prominent hashtags in response to calls that people return to work just days after social distancing measures and lockdowns were put in place to lessen COVID-19’s effects and spread
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Fox News Did NOT Win Pulitzer Prize for Reporting During Crisis
Did Fox News win a Pulitzer Prize for its reporting during the coronavirus crisis? Not, that's not true: The claim was made in a post on a site clearly labeled as satire and part of a well-known network of satirical websites that trolls conser
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
Snopes→ Did a TV Station Report Biden-Sanders Primary Results Before the Election?
A test graphic using dummy data was never meant to hit the airwaves.
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
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
Snopes→ ‘The Hunt’ Pits Red vs Blue in a Violent, Bipartisan Farce
Universal Pictures previously pulled “The Hunt” from release after a series of deadly shootings and wave of right-wing criticism. Now, the filmmakers want a do-over.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Trump Did Not Tweet About "Dow Joans" Falling More Than 1,000 Points
Did Donald Trump tweet in 2015 that if the "Dow Joans" were to fall more than 1,000 points in a single day, the president should be shot out of a cannon? No, that's not true: The tweet-within-a-tweet was made up, and the author has admitted it
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: NASA Did NOT Warn About 4km Killer Asteroid On Approach; NO Chance Of Impact
Did NASA warn that a 4KM asteroid was approaching the Earth? No, that's not true, while NASA tracks many asteroids, this one poses no threat to our planet, and no warning has been issued. Lead Stories reached out to NASA, which confirmed that
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Birds Did NOT Fall Dead From The Sky Due To 5G
Did a large number of birds fall dead from the sky due to 5G wireless technology? No, that's not true: The videos being shared do not offer any evidence that 5G - the fifth generation cellular network - has caused the deaths of the birds. The
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Wrapping Eggs In Aluminum Foil And Microwaving For Two Minutes Does NOT Result In Perfect Boiled Eggs
Does wrapping eggs in aluminum foil and microwaving them for two minutes result in perfect boiled eggs? No, that's not true: The post is a hoax. Microwaving aluminum foil can cause sparks and even a fire, so this "egg recipe" is one to avoid.
Truth or Fiction?→ Sophie Scholl’s Last Words
In February 2020, a two-year-old Facebook post about Sophie Scholl circulated to mark the purported anniversary of her death with her last words before her execution by Nazis: On February 21 2018, user Warren Lynn shared the screenshot above, writi
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Man Who Works On 5G Towers Does NOT Offer Sources To Back Up Claims On The Dangers To Come
Did a man who works on 5G towers expose the dangers the new wireless technology will bring? No, that's not true: The self-described tower climber is not an expert on the technology. He admitted he was currently undergoing 5G training when he r
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Data From Windy.com Does NOT Show Massive Release Of Sulfur Dioxide Gas Near Wuhan
Does data from Windy.com show a massive release of sulfur dioxide gas near Wuhan, China, which is commonly associated with the burning of organic matters? No, that's not true: The images are not satellite measurements. A member of the NASA sul
Truth or Fiction?→ Was a Man Arrested for Allegedly Forcing a Woman to Watch ‘Roots’ to ‘Better Understand’ Her Racism?
On February 17 2020, an odd story came out of Cedar Rapids, Iowa via The Gazette, about the arrest of a man who allegedly forced made a woman watch the mini-series Roots so that she might better understand her own racism: A Cedar Rapids man [Rober
FactCheck.org→ Meme Misquotes Virginia Governor on Abortion Bill
Quick Take A meme misquotes Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam on a proposed abortion bill that aims to address nonviable pregnancies and severe fetal abnormalities. Northam, a pediatric neurologist, supports the bill, but the meme falsely implies he condones
Truth or Fiction?→ Trump Intervenes in Sentencing of Lobbyist Who Spread Corrosive Disinformation on His Behalf
The sentencing of convicted felon Roger Stone was abruptly derailed on February 11 2020, when all four of his prosecutors resigned on the same day that United States President Donald Trump, freshly emboldened by his impeachment acquittal the week befo
Truth or Fiction?→ Who Broke the Iowa Caucuses and Why Were Results Delayed?
One day after the February 3 2020 Iowa caucuses — the first primary voting of all fifty American states — the hashtag #IowaCaucusDisaster remained at the top of Twitter’s “trending” charts after a confusing night with no
FactCheck.org→ Coronavirus Misinformation Spreads Like a Virus
China first reported an unusual cluster of pneumonia cases in the city of Wuhan on Dec. 31, and, within a month, the internet was infected with misinformation about the responsible virus, now called the 2019 novel coronavirus. Fact-checking organizatio
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Prince Philip is Dead’; Rumor Spreads Like Wildfire
On January 17 2020, rumors Queen Elizabeth II’s husband Prince Philip had died began sweeping Twitter. Commonly, users reported hearing the rumor of Philip’s purported death at work or “on the street”: Work rumour is that P
Hoax-Slayer→ Amazon ‘Unable to Process Recent Order’ Phishing Scam
Yet another wave of Amazon phishing scam emails is hitting inboxes. The emails, which feature the Amazon logo, claim that the company was unable to process a recent order you made. The post Amazon ‘Unable to Process Recent Order’ Phishing
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Hundreds Of Birds That Fell Out Of The Sky Were NOT Near A 5G Installation
Were hundreds of birds that fell out of the sky found dead near a 5G installation? No, that's not true: Even though hundreds of starlings were found dead in Bodedern, a village in Wales, on December 10, 2019, Vodafone has confirmed that there
Truth or Fiction?→ Australian Prime Minister’s Bushfire Aid Ad Criticized Amid Flood of Disinformation
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
Truth or Fiction?→ Best Buy ‘Y2K’ Sticker
If you were using social media on December 31 2019, chances are a Best Buy “Y2K warning” sticker crossed one of your feeds — it looked something like this: Although some versions were digital renderings, others like the one above showed