In 2019, Africa Check, Chequeado and Full Fact embarked on a year-long research project to get to the bottom of many key questions we ask ourselves as fact checkers. During this period, we published 11 briefings, covering burning issues for the f
Search Results (1407) for: researchers
Health Feedback→ Claim that mouthwash could reduce the spread of COVID-19 has not yet been confirmed by clinical trials in humans in
REVIEW Articles such as this one claiming that “mouthwashes could help curb COVID-19” circulated on social media in October 2020, receiving more than 27,000 interactions on Instagram and Facebook in one week according to the social media analyti
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: COVID Virus NOT Man-made And Vaccine NOT Forced On Unwilling
Is the U.S. pushing an under-tested, dangerous coronavirus vaccine on unwilling people as part of a depopulation agenda? And was the virus man-made and weaponized in U.S. and Chinese labs? No, these claims are untrue. There are no plans t
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: NOT Enough Science Backing Claims That Drinking Water From Copper Cup Yields Host Of Health Benefits
Does drinking water from a copper cup provide such health benefits as regulating the thyroid gland, slowing aging, getting rid of anemia and lowering risks of heart disease and cancer? No, that is not true. Not only can high doses of copp
Snopes→ Scientists Find Madagascar Chameleon Last Seen 100 Years Ago
Researchers from Madagascar and Germany said that they discovered several living specimens of Voeltzkow’s chameleon during an expedition to the northwest of the African island nation.
Climate Feedback→ Guardian article on Arctic methane emissions claiming “a new climate feedback loop may have been triggered” lacks important context
SUMMARY This article “‘Sleeping giant’ Arctic methane deposits starting to release, scientists find” was published in The Guardian in October 2020, and has received more than 150,000 interactions on social media, according to
Health Feedback→ The percentage of excess deaths in the U.S. not directly caused by COVID-19 range from 14% to 33%; it remains unclear how lockdowns influenced excess mortality
REVIEW A claim that COVID-19 only caused two third of the excess mortality observed in the U.S. in 2020 and that lockdowns are in part responsible for the remaining third circulated in October 2020. One article containing this claim was published by
Full Fact→ Matt Hancock got the evidence about long Covid wrong
“We have two points of evidence; one is the evidence from King’s College London that shows that approximately one in 20 people with coronavirus is likely to have long-term symptoms, but the other evidence implies that in adults under 50, t
Health Feedback→ Volunteer who died in a COVID-19 vaccine trial in Brazil did not receive the vaccine
REVIEW News that a volunteer in the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine trial died was announced by the Brazilian Health Regulatory Agency (ANVISA) on 21 October 2020. A review by an independent committee that oversees the trial’s safety concluded that t
FactCheck.org→ FactChecking Trump’s Town Hall
In an Oct. 15 town hall on NBC News, President Donald Trump made false and misleading claims on the coronavirus, the economy and more: Trump was wrong when he said a recent study found “85% of the people who wear masks catch” the coronavirus. The
Full Fact→ Full Fact, Africa Check and Chequeado explore conspiracy theories and communicating uncertainty
The work of professional fact checkers is a constant pursuit of evidence. We take claims, trace them, and weigh them against the evidence available, in an attempt to provide the public with the best possible information conducive to an open, transparen
Truth or Fiction?→ The Saga of Hunter Biden’s Laptop
On October 14 2020, as increasingly bold or desperate attempts from all corners to sway the November 2020 U.S. elections reached a fever pitch, a story appeared in the New York Post about Hunter Biden, son of Democratic Party presidential candidate Jo
FactCheck.org→ Trump Distorts WHO’s Lockdown Comments
At campaign rallies and in tweets, President Donald Trump falsely said the World Health Organization changed its position and “admitted that Donald Trump was right” about lockdowns. But the agency has said no such thing. The president first made th
Health Feedback→ Mask use does not lead to a higher risk of COVID-19 as viral social media posts claim
REVIEW Misinformation aimed at discouraging mask use has been prolific during the COVID-19 pandemic, as detailed in several reviews by Health Feedback. Another claim that masks do not work or that they make people more likely to have COVID-19 began
Poynter→ No, face masks don’t ‘collect’ the coronavirus
If your time is short The post inaccurately summarizes a CDC report. In reality, the report found a correlation between regular mask wearing and lower COVID-19 transmission. Scientific studies have consistently found that face-mask use is one of the mo
FactCheck.org→ Atlas, Paul Mislead on Preexisting COVID-19 ‘Immunity’
Coronavirus task force member Dr. Scott Atlas and Sen. Rand Paul have misleadingly suggested that much of the U.S. population has immunity to the coronavirus due to previous exposure to similar viruses. But scientists say any possible protection is the
Health Feedback→ Frequent ejaculation might reduce the risk of developing prostate cancer, but cannot prevent it completely
REVIEW On 23 January 2020, West Africa Reporters published an article reporting that a medical doctor and herbal practitioner from Nigeria instructed men “to have sex at least 21 times a month to avoid prostate cancer.” The article, which went v
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Study Did NOT Say Men Must Have Sex At Least 21 Times A Month To Avoid Prostate Cancer
Did Harvard researchers conclude that men must have sex at least 21 times a month to avoid prostate cancer? No, that's not true: A Harvard study did suggest there is a benefit of lower risks of prostate cancer linked to a higher frequency
FactCheck.org→ Viral Article Distorts Military’s Role in Vaccine Distribution
Quick Take The U.S. military may assist in the distribution of a COVID-19 vaccine when it becomes available, but it will not forcibly administer vaccines, as a viral article shared on social media falsely suggests. Dr. Anthony Fauci, a member of the Wh
Full Fact→ Fact checkers need to work together to create better models for distributing our fact checks online
This post is published on the websites of the International Fact-Checking Network (in English, Portuguese and Spanish), Maldita.es (in Spanish) and Full Fact (in English). Partnerships with internet platforms are vital for fact checkers that want
Health Feedback→ COVID-19 vaccines are not expected to be available for the public before several months, contrary to viral claim on social media
REVIEW An article published by SHTFplan.com on 16 September 2020 and reposted on the website Beforeitsnews.com, titled “the [U.S] government has released their initial plans to force a [COVID-19] vaccine on everyone”, has gone viral in early Oct
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Other Countries Have NOT Proved U.S. FDA Was Wrong to Withdraw Approval Of Hydroxychloroquine as COVID Drug
Have other countries proved the U.S. Food and Drug Administration endangered thousands of lives by withdrawing approval of hydroxychloroquine as a treatment for COVID-19? No, that's not true: The findings of clinical studies in the U.S. a
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Give Your Pumpkins a Bleach Bath’
As Halloween loomed, a September 26 2020 Facebook post advising users to give pumpkins a “bleach bath” proved extremely popular, racking up a six-figure share count in just a few days: Alongside an image of a carved pumpkin in a bucket,
Health Feedback→ In spite of its relatively small infection fatality ratio, COVID-19 has led to many deaths due to high virus transmission
REVIEW The claim that the COVID-19 pandemic response has been unwarranted has taken many forms. Some involved misleading comparisons with other respiratory diseases like the flu and tuberculosis, while others relied on misinterpretations of COVID-19
FactCheck.org→ FactChecking Trump’s Weekend Claims
On Sept. 26 and 27, President Donald Trump spoke for about two hours and 15 minutes in five appearances — including one campaign rally in Middletown, Pennsylvania. We’ve compiled many of the president’s false and misleading claims fro
Truth or Fiction?→ Did DACA Recipients Pay $891 Million in Federal Taxes?
Shortly after a New York Times report appeared detailing years of financial dealings by United States President Donald Trump, various online posts took the opportunity to highlight the differences between his own reputed practices and those of commun
Climate Feedback→ Article by The Daily Caller oversimplifies drivers of wildfires and downplays role of climate change
SUMMARY The article in The Daily Caller claims that land management practices enacted during the Clinton administration “paved the way for future debilitating wildfires.” The article received over 45,000 interactions on Facebook as of 28 Sept 20
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: ‘Pizza Gate’ Is NOT Real
Is "Pizza Gate" real? No, that's not true: So-called proof for Pizzagate is unsubstantiated and speculative. It relies on tricks of the trade common to people pushing unproven allegations. Authorities have described Pizzagate as a "fictit
Health Feedback→ The virus causing COVID-19 most likely evolved in natural wildlife populations before spreading to humans
REVIEW On 14 September 2020, the Chinese virologist Li-Meng Yan published a a pre-print (an unpublished draft of a science paper) on the website Zenodo claiming to provide evidence that SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, was created in a la
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Profusa, Others Have NOT Created An Implantable ‘Chip’ To Connect Us To The Internet And Open Door To ‘Brave New World’
Is it true that the government is about to approve an Emeryville, California company's implantable "chip" that will create "transhumans" and allow government to spy on our health and other data? No, that is not true. The sensor awaiting g
Truth or Fiction?→ CDC Removes ‘Airborne’ COVID-19 Content
On September 21 2020, several prominent tweets suggested that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention added, then removed guidance indicating that SARS-CoV-2 (the virus which causes COVID-19) was airborne — meaning it could potentially be
AllSides→ Did Kamala Harris Prosecute Journalists Who Exposed Planned Parenthood?
https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/kamala-harris-planned-parenthood/ In 2014 and 2015, two people associ
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Crying Baby’ Ethics Question Causes Viral Controversy
In September 2020, screenshots of a virtual lesson about the ethics of smothering a crying baby (which was purportedly posed to students in Stevenson, Washington) spread virally on Facebook and Twitter. A September 17 2020 post from user Chellie Anne
Snopes→ Does Wearing Glasses Protect You from Coronavirus?
Researchers in China have found that people who wear glasses appear to be at lower risk of catching COVID-19.
FactCheck.org→ FactChecking Biden’s Town Hall
Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden answered questions from the public in a CNN town hall, but he got some facts wrong and misled on others: Biden made the far-fetched claim that data show President Donald Trump could have prevented “all&
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: The Article Accusing China Of Loosing COVID From A Lab Is NOT Tested Science
Did a scientific study prove the Chinese government cooked up the novel coronavirus and loosed it on the world? No, that's not true: The claim is made in a self-published article produced by doctors who identify themselves as part of a po
FactCheck.org→ Report Resurrects Baseless Claim that Coronavirus Was Bioengineered
Quick Take A paper that has not been peer-reviewed reaches faulty conclusions to advance the unsubstantiated claim that the novel coronavirus was bioengineered in a Chinese lab, according to immunology and microbiology experts. The paper’s claims
FactCheck.org→ Trump Reprises Inaccurate COVID-19 Comparisons with Europe
In a series of recent appearances, President Donald Trump continued to wrongly insist that the U.S. compares favorably with Europe on both coronavirus cases and deaths. Trump falsely said that Europe’s COVID-19 outbreaks are “much worse” than tho
Poynter→ The Sturgis Motorcycle Rally’s impact on the coronavirus, explained
If your time is short It’s hard to determine the precise impact of a large-scale event on the spread of the coronavirus. Contact tracing misses a lot of cases. Statistical methods used to make estimates often rely on assumptions that are difficult to
Full Fact→ Covid-19 kills far more than 0.1% of the people who catch it
“Lockdown happened because we were told that Covid could kill one percent. But Covid was never going to kill more than about 0.1 percent – max.” RT.com, 6 September 2020 An opinion article on RT.com, a Russian state news site in Eng