SciCheck Digest Pop star Justin Bieber announced he has Ramsay Hunt syndrome, a form of facial paralysis caused by a reactivation of the virus that causes chickenpox. Social media posts have claimed his condition was caused by COVID-19 vaccination, but
Search Results (3016) for: misinformation
The Dispatch→ Fact-Checking Claims That COVID Vaccines Cause a Brain Disorder
A viral article recently published at The Defender claims in its headline “COVID-19 Vaccines linked to New Type of Incurable, Fatal Degenerative Brain Disorder.”The Defender is a news website of the Children’s Health Defense, a non-pr
AllSides→ No, CNN did not fake Ukrainian war footage
https://www.poynter.org/fact-checking/2022/no-cnn-did-not-fake-ukrainian-war-footage/ Following Russiaâ
FactCheck.org→ Kansas Cattle Died After Unusual Heat Wave, Contrary to Baseless Claims Online
Quick Take At least 2,000 cattle have died following a heat wave in southwestern Kansas. Although the cattle apparently died of heatstroke, social media posts have made baseless claims suggesting that the deaths might be part of a larger conspiracy the
Poynter→ No, CNN did not fake Ukrainian war footage
Following Russiaâs invasion of Ukraine beginning Feb. 24, misinformation about the situation has spread rapidly. For example, this tweet claims that CNN was faking war footage in Ukraine. The tweet […] The post No, CNN did not fake Ukrainian wa
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: NO Question About Cause of Cattle Deaths In June 2022 Kansas Heat Wave
Do Kansas ranchers have no idea what might have killed hundreds or thousands of cattle during an extreme heat wave and believe their feed or water was poisoned? No, that's not true: The cause of death is not a mystery to the people in the
Full Fact→ A missed opportunity: update on the Online Safety Bill
Parliament can still close dangerous gap on health misinformation
Truth or Fiction?→ Third January 6 Hearings Looks at Pressure, Disinformation Campaigns to Overturn Election
The third hearing by the House committee investigating the January 6 2021 insurrection focused on the pressure campaign to overturn the 2020 presidential election — and the deeply corrosive weaponized narratives which undergirded the attempt. The
Truth or Fiction?→ Doctor Pushing COVID Disinformation Sentenced to Prison for Capitol Riot
A California physician who has been at the forefront of COVID-related disinformation was sentenced to 60 days in prison for taking part in the January 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol. According to CNN, Dr. Simone Gold was also ordered to pay a $9,500 f
FactCheck.org→ Posts Baselessly Link Sudden Arrhythmic Death Syndrome to COVID-19 Vaccines
SciCheck Digest Sudden Arrhythmic Death Syndrome, or SADS, has been studied for decades and is caused by genetic heart problems. But social media posts suggest, with no evidence, that SADS is related to COVID-19 vaccines.
Health Feedback→ Justin Bieberâs facial paralysis is caused by a viral infection; no evidence that COVID-19 vaccine played a role
REVIEW On 10 June 2022, pop singer Justin Bieber published an Instagram video announcing that he had been diagnosed with a rare neurological condition called Ramsay Hunt syndrome. In the video, Bieber explained that the condition was caused by âth
FactCheck.org→ Posts Distort Questionable Study on COVID-19 Vaccination and EMS Calls
SciCheck Digest Studies have found that COVID-19 increases the risk for heart complications, and that the benefits of COVID-19 vaccination outweigh the risks for males and females in all age groups. Social media posts, however, have misinterpreted and
Health Feedback→ SADS is caused by genetic mutations affecting the electrical system regulating heartbeat; no evidence it is caused by COVID-19 vaccines
REVIEW On 8 June 2022, political commentator here and here, demonstrating the articleâs ability to mislead online users. Sudden arrhythmia death syndrome (SADS), sometimes incorrectly called sudden adult death syndrome, occurs in young, apparently
Truth or Fiction?→ Disinformation Takes Center Stage at January 6 Committee Hearings
The role of weaponized disinformation campaigns in the January 2021 attempted coup at the United States Capitol was the main topic at the second January 6 Committee hearing about the events that culminated in a violent insurrection. The House select
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: UFO In Video Was NOT Filmed By US Marines Training In Arizona Desert — It Was Added With CGI
Did U.S. Marines film a giant UFO in the Arizona desert? No, that's not true: 2017 footage of U.S. Marines conducting a training exercise during a weapons and tactics instructors course was edited to include a large hovering UFO. The orig
Full Fact→ No evidence for link between AIDS epidemic and smallpox vaccine
In recent weeks, many accounts across various social media platforms have been resharing an old Times article claiming the AIDS epidemic was triggered by the smallpox vaccine. Although the article is real, there is no evidence for its claims. Published
Health Feedback→ Scientific evidence shows that mask-wearing is effective at limiting community transmission; claims that face masks increase mortality are based on flawed correlation studies
REVIEW Mask mandates in public spaces have been a common feature in most countries during the COVID-19 pandemic, as countries sought to limit the spread of the virus. But the proliferation of mask mandates was equally met with growing resistance pro
FactCheck.org→ Vaccinated People Not More Susceptible to COVID-19 Than Unvaccinated
Q. Are vaccinated and boosted people more susceptible to infection or disease with the omicron variant than unvaccinated people? A. No. Getting vaccinated increases your protection against COVID-19. Sometimes, certain raw data can suggest otherwise, bu
AllSides→ Turkish âdisinformation lawâ will make it a crime to spread âfake newsâ
https://www.poynter.org/reporting-editing/2022/turkish-disinformation-law-will-make-it-a-crime-to-spread-fake-news/
FactCheck.org→ Posts Misrepresent Status of Paul Pelosiâs DUI Charges
Quick Take Paul Pelosi, the husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, was arrested for alleged drunken driving on May 28. Posts on social media falsely claim that the DUI charges against Pelosi have been dropped. But the Napa County District Attorneyâs
FactCheck.org→ Social Media Posts Falsely Attribute Statement on Gasoline Prices to Nonexistent âBP Oil Executiveâ
Quick Take A supply and demand imbalance, exacerbated by Russiaâs invasion of Ukraine, led to a surge in gasoline prices. But an online statement attributed to a supposed âBP Oil Executiveâ blames gasoline prices on U.S. dependence on foreign oil
Poynter→ Turkish âdisinformation lawâ will make it a crime to spread âfake newsâ
Factually is a newsletter about fact-checking and misinformation from Poynterâs International Fact-Checking Network. Sign up here to receive it in your email every other Thursday. A âdisinformation lawâ that, if passed, would impose up [̷
FactCheck.org→ Illinois School Districtâs Shift to Equitable Grading Is Misrepresented Online
Quick Take A school district in Illinois is considering implementing “equitable grading,” which would focus more on evaluating student learning than class participation or homework. A conservative website misrepresented the idea as a “
Full Fact→ No evidence âchemtrailsâ are responsible for new chemical found in atmosphere
Hundreds of people have shared a post on Facebook which links “chemtrails” to reports of a new substance found in the Earth’s atmosphere. The post includes a screenshot of a MailOnline article, with the headline: “Entirely
Health Feedback→ Large-scale studies have found that COVID-19 vaccination doesnât increase the risk of negative pregnancy outcomes, contrary to claim by Naomi Wolf
REVIEW On 25 May 2022, Steve Bannon, former White House strategist, hosted author Naomi Wolf on his podcast War Room Battleground. During the podcast, Wolf claimed that the babies of vaccinated mothers were dying in disproportionately higher numbers
FactCheck.org→ Students in Israel Donât Carry Guns to Class, Contrary to Social Media Posts
Quick Take Israel has established strict measures in response to armed attacks on its schoolchildren. But social media posts falsely claim there have been “no school shootings in Israel” and use a photo to misleadingly suggest students carr
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Pfizer Vaccine Data Given To FDA Does NOT Show Up To 97% Of Vaccinated Pregnant Women Lost Their Babies
Does data given to the Food and Drug Administration before Pfizer COVID-19 shots were officially approved show up to 97 percent of vaccinated pregnant women lost their babies? No, that's not true: The Pfizer document that was released as
FactCheck.org→ Tactical Unit, Not Off-Duty Officer, Killed Uvalde Gunman
Quick Take Jacob Albarado, who has been described in media reports as an off-duty Customs and Border Protection officer, helped students escape the Robb Elementary School in Uvalde on May 24. But online rumors falsely claim he was the CBP officer who k
The Dispatch→ Fact Check: Was the Georgia Gubernatorial Primary Rigged?
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)After Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp beat former Sen. David Perdue in the gubernatorial Republican primary last week, voter conspiracy theories began circulating on social media. Perdue, who was endors
Full Fact→ No evidence Keanu Reeves nature quote is real
A quote attributed to Keanu Reeves, about his apparent love of nature, has been shared more than 800 times on Facebook. The full quote says: “To me, Nature is a place where you retreat whenever you feel exhausted or sad. I’m more happ
Full Fact→ No evidence rise in monkeypox cases is linked to Covid-19 vaccine
An article published by The Exposé, a blog which regularly publishes misinformation about Covid-19, and shared on Facebook has claimed that official government reports suggest recent reports of monkeypox are not genuine. It claims these in
Full Fact→ The FDA did not say Covid-19 vaccines are causing more heart attacks
A claim that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said heart attacks are 71 times higher following the Covid-19 vaccine than following other vaccines, and that the vaccines are killing two people for every one they save is not true. This claim app
Full Fact→ Private jet pictures arenât from Davos âclimate change conferenceâ this year
Pictures purporting to show private jets parked up at the “Davos 2022 Climate Change conference” have been shared hundreds of times on Twitter, as well as Facebook. There are several problems with this claim. First of all, the pictures in t
Full Fact→ No evidence Denzel Washington quote about being criticised is real
A quote attributed to actor Denzel Washington, about being criticised by others, has been shared hundreds of times on Facebook. The quote says: “You’ll never be criticized by someone who is doing more than you. You’ll always be
The Dispatch→ Fact Checking Claims That the Texas School Shooting Was a âFalse Flagâ Operation
After a deadly shooting in Uvalde,Texas, at Robb Elementary School on Tuesday, misinformation about the tragedy began spreading on social media. One viral Facebook post claims that CNN has reported the same man’s death in both Afghanistan an
FactCheck.org→ Social Media Posts Make Baseless Claims About Gender Identity of Uvalde Shooter
Quick Take Police are still investigating the shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, but as of May 26 they had shared no evidence about the shooter’s gender identity. Despite that lack of evidence, Rep. Paul Gosar and others claimed t
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Breast Milk ‘Leakage’ Does NOT Contain ‘All The Impurity That’s In The Mother’s Body’
Does breast milk "leakage" contain "all the impurity that's in the mother's body"? No, that's not true: "This claim is false and is not grounded in science," Dr. Christopher M. Zahn, chief of clinical practice and interim chief of health
FactCheck.org→ FDA-Approved âElectronic Pillâ Isnât Evidence That COVID-19 Vaccine âMicrochipâ Conspiracy Is âProvenâ
SciCheck Digest COVID-19 vaccines donât contain microchips and have readily available ingredient lists. But social media posts use an old clip of the Pfizer CEO talking about an âelectronic pillâ to leave the false impression he was confirming a
Health Feedback→ Monkeypox outbreak triggers conspiracy theories on social media claiming that it was planned or incorrectly linking it with COVID-19 vaccines
REVIEW On 13 May 2022, the U.K. Health Security Agency (UKHSA) notified the World Health Organization (WHO) of two confirmed cases of monkeypox in patients from the same household and without recent travel history to areas where the virus circulates
Poynter→ In Brazil, Telegram adds measures to block misleading information ahead of elections
Factually is a newsletter about fact-checking and misinformation from Poynterâs International Fact-Checking Network. Sign up here to receive it in your email every other Thursday. Telegram was evading emails from Brazilian authorities for months,