Just twelve accounts are responsible for fully two-thirds of online disinformation about vaccines — but social media platforms still aren’t doing much about them. In a follow-up to a report tracking a majority of disinformation about vaccin
Search Results (1251) for: misrepresent
Snopes→ Did England Ban Fox News ‘Because They Saw It as Propaganda’?
A widely shared tweet in April 2021 grossly misrepresented the controversial news network's history in the United Kingdom.
Poynter→ Why and how to proactively incorporate public health knowledge into fact-checking
Long before 2003, when Brooks Jackson and I launched FactCheck.org, I stumbled into adjudicating political misrepresentations by happenstance when editors and producers drew me into the 1988 electoral fray because I had written a book titled “Packagi
FactCheck.org→ Posts Mislead on Words of Alternate Juror in Chauvin Trial
Quick Take An alternate juror in the trial of Derek Chauvin said she initially had “mixed feelings” about jury duty, because of concerns about “disappointing” either side and the possibility of “rioting.” She said sh
Full Fact→ Error-strewn paper claims face masks are ineffective and harmful
In recent weeks, an allegedly peer-reviewed study from Stanford University exposing the dangers of facemasks has gained popularity online. The paper may not have been peer-reviewed (in the conventional sense, at least) nor is it from Stanford Uni
FactCheck.org→ Irish Professor Makes Unfounded Claims About Long-Term Effects of mRNA Vaccines
SciCheck Digest The COVID-19 mRNA vaccines authorized for use were found to be safe and effective in clinical trials and real-world conditions. A professor in Ireland baselessly claims in a video circulating on social media that they are not, and that
Health Feedback→ Scientific evidence supports wearing a face mask to reduce COVID-19 spread, mainly by preventing infectious liquid particles from reaching other people
REVIEW An article published on 6 April 2021 by Townhall Media, authored by radio talk show host Dennis Prager, claimed that mask-wearing is unsupported by science. Prager’s article received more than 14,000 interactions on Facebook, according to s
Snopes→ Did Joe Biden Say 2nd Amendment is a ‘Phony Argument’?
Social media users misrepresented the president's remarks on proposed gun violence prevention measures.
Health Feedback→ COVID-19 related deaths are indeed caused by COVID-19 and not by contributing health conditions
REVIEW The COVID-19 pandemic has swept the U.S. since early 2020 and caused nearly 31 million identified cases and 560,000 deaths in the country, and 2.9 million deaths worldwide, as of April 2021. Intensive care units being critically overwhelmed i
FactCheck.org→ Video Doesn’t Show Buttigieg Staging Bike Ride
Quick Take A video showing Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg departing the White House on a bike was misrepresented by conservative commentators online, with some claiming he “staged” the ride. There’s no evidence for that claim
Snopes→ No, Pfizer’s CEO Did Not Refuse to Take the COVID-19 Vaccine
Conspiracy theorists and anti-vaccine social media users grossly misrepresented an interview given by Albert Bourla in December 2020.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: 2017 Fictional ‘SPARS Pandemic Scenario’ Document Is NOT Proof Of A Planned Pandemic
Does the existence of a fictional pandemic exercise scenario conducted by the Center for Health Security at Johns Hopkins University prove that the COVID-19 pandemic is a globalist plot for world domination? No, that's not true: Conspirac
FactCheck.org→ Flawed Report Fuels Erroneous Claims About COVID-19 Death Toll
SciCheck Digest Viral social media posts cite a flawed paper in falsely claiming the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention changed death certificate procedures and violated federal law, resulting in wildly inflated COVID-19 deaths. The CDC hasn
FactCheck.org→ FactChecking Biden’s Claim that Assault Weapons Ban Worked
President Joe Biden claims the 10-year assault weapons ban that he helped shepherd through the Senate as part of the 1994 crime bill “brought down these mass killings.” But the raw numbers, when adjusted for population and other factors, ar
Truth or Fiction?→ Facebook’s Zuckerberg Falsely Tells Lawmakers ‘We Don’t Allow’ Disinformation in Ads
Facebook chief executive officer Mark Zuckerberg misrepresented his company’s disinformation policy on advertising while testifying to federal lawmakers on March 25 2021. Zuckerberg made the false claim — which flies in the face of his comp
FactCheck.org→ Texas Doctor Spreads False Claims About COVID-19 Vaccines
SciCheck Digest Federal officials authorized two mRNA vaccines for COVID-19 after they were determined to be safe and effective against symptomatic illness in clinical trials. But a Texas doctor, in a widely shared video, falsely claims the vaccines do
FactCheck.org→ Three False Claims About the Federal Voting Rights Bill
Quick Take Claims mischaracterizing a federal voting rights bill have been circulating on social media. The proposed law would not “ban” state voter ID laws, bar states from removing ineligible voters from their rolls, or allow minors to vo
AFP Fact Check→ Boxer-politician Manny Pacquiao not ‘disqualified’ in 2022 elections, Philippine poll body says
A video that claims Filipino boxing champion turned politician Manny Pacquiao has been disqualified in the 2022 presidential election has been viewed tens of thousands of times online in March 2021. The claim is false: the Philippine Commission on Ele
Full Fact→ What’s the deal with NHS pay rises?
“Nurses are in line for a bigger pay rise than the widely-criticised one per cent.“Many staff will actually get a 1.7 per cent increase to their wages this year thanks to a deal previously agreed by the Government.” Daily Mail, 12 M
Health Feedback→ Tinnitus isn’t a sign of brain death, even though it arises in the brain; no cure for tinnitus currently exists
REVIEW A website named Tinnitus Battle which sells the supplement Tinnitus 911, claimed that the supplement can cure tinnitus. About 1 in 10 adults in the U.S. is affected by tinnitus, a phantom sensation in which people perceive sounds that aren’
Health Feedback→ Messenger RNA is essential for life and a normal component of cells; study by researchers at Memorial Sloan Kettering is unrelated to RNA vaccines
REVIEW An article published by Natural News on 2 March 2021 claimed that COVID-19 RNA vaccines will cause cancer, as mRNA “can instruct human cells ultimately in the same way as cancer drivers”. The article cited a study published by researchers
FactCheck.org→ Posts Distort CDC Study Supporting Mask Mandates to Reduce COVID-19
SciCheck Digest A study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that state-issued mask mandates were associated with significant decreases in daily COVID-19 case and death growth rates. Yet some conservative outlets and social media u
FactCheck.org→ Facts on the House Gun Bills
After the 2018 mass shooting at a high school in Parkland, Florida, the House passed two gun control measures: one extending background checks to private sales and the other extending the time limit to conduct background checks on gun purchasers. AR
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Texas Lawmaker Did NOT Say Theft Is ‘Equitable Distribution’ And Criminals’ Guns ‘Provide An Incentive To Cooperate’
Did state Rep. Terry Meza support her proposed amendment to Texas' "Stand Your Ground" law by saying robberies are "equitable distribution of wealth" and that home intruders only carry guns "to provide an incentive to cooperate"? No, that
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: PepsiCo Did NOT Give $100 Million To Black Lives Matter
Did PepsiCo give $100 million to BLM? No, that's not true: False rumors that circulated in summer 2020 and were debunked at that time resurfaced in March 2021. In summer 2020 several large corporations pledged large sums of money to racia
FactCheck.org→ FactChecking Trump’s CPAC Speech
In his first public speech since leaving office, former President Donald Trump delighted his audience at the Conservative Political Action Conference with numerous false and misleading claims, many of them criticisms of his successor. Trump falsely cl
FactCheck.org→ Biden Hasn’t Reduced COVID-19 Testing at the Border
Quick Take The Biden administration has made no changes to COVID-19 testing policies for either U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement or Customs and Border Patrol. But a claim circulating online falsely suggests that the administration has stopped t
The Dispatch→ Did Biden Dismiss Uighur Genocide During His Town Hall?
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Climate Feedback→ Breitbart article makes numerous false claims about the impacts of climate change, based on Global Warming Policy Foundation post
SUMMARY The article was published by Breitbart as well as dozens of other blogs, such as Climate Change Dispatch, Principia Scientific, Climate Depot, and Technocracy News. It is repeating a series of claims made in a blog post from the Global Warmi
The Dispatch→ Clearing Up What Happened to Ocasio-Cortez During the Storming of the Capitol
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The Dispatch→ Did the Washington Post Say It Wouldn’t Fact Check Joe Biden?
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Health Feedback→ The lethality of COVID-19 is much higher than the flu; the Biden press corps didn’t say COVID-19 was a hoax
REVIEW The coronavirus caused more than 100 million COVID-19 cases and more than 2 million deaths worldwide as of January 2021. However, the impact of the disease has been the subject of disinformation throughout the pandemic. Many claimed that COVI
FactCheck.org→ Video Wrong About Fauci, COVID-19
Quick Take A video from conservative commentator Liz Wheeler falsely claims the nation’s top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, repeatedly “lied” to the American public about the COVID-19 pandemic. She also misleads about C
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Calculations of Tanker Truck Fuel Needed To Replace Keystone XL Pipeline Capacity Does NOT Compute
Will tanker trucks needed to take the place of the now-canceled Keystone XL pipeline have to burn the volume of fuel stated in various pro-pipeline memes? No, that's not true: There are several variables beyond the issue of arithmetic tha
FactCheck.org→ Video Uses Bogus Claims to Stoke Race-Based Fears of COVID-19 Vaccine
Quick Take A viral video clip makes bogus claims about COVID-19 vaccines and falsely accuses the government of “pure racism” for “push[ing] this heavily on Blacks and browns.” Public health experts have recommended prioritizing
Truth or Fiction?→ Did 20 Million COVID-19 Vaccine Doses ‘Go Missing’?
Online speculation around former presidential advisor Jared Kushner swirled on social media after stories appeared about ongoing problems facing United States President Joe Biden’s administration as it continued fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, n
Health Feedback→ COVID-19 vaccines currently in use stimulate immunity to the same degree as natural infection without exposing the vaccinated person to the risks associated with the disease
On 25 January 2021, the U.S biopharmaceutical company Merck announced its decision to stop the development of its COVID-19 vaccine candidates. This article, published on 26 January 2021 by Summit News, reported on Merck’s announcement and claim
Health Feedback→ COVID-19 vaccines currently in use stimulate immunity to the same degree as natural infection without exposing the vaccinated person to the risks associated with the disease
On 25 January 2021, the U.S biopharmaceutical company Merck announced its decision to stop the development of its COVID-19 vaccine candidates. This article, published on 26 January 2021 by Summit News, reported on Merck’s announcement and claim
Snopes→ Is Migrant Caravan Headed for US Because of Biden’s Immigration Policies?
Biden's critics were quick to conflate immigration policies and misrepresent facts about a caravan of Honduras migrants.
Climate Feedback→ Video interview of Ian Plimer at Sky News falsely claims that a new study announces an incoming ice age, partly based on an incorrect Daily Mail headline
SUMMARY The video published by Sky News claims that “Earth’s climate is cyclical as new study claims an ice age is coming”, garnering more than 250 views in a few days. The video features Ian Plimer, who has repeatedly made false claims about