Were Mafia assassins dispatched to Rome during the Christmas holiday season to avenge the murder of Pope Francis? No, that's not true: The pope was alive on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Additionally, the claim primarily relies on seve
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Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Omicron Variant Is NOT Spreading Faster Than Any Other Virus In History – But It Is Close
Is the omicron variant of COVID-19 spreading faster than any virus in history? No, that's not true: The omicron variant is extremely contagious but does not spread as quickly as measles, which is the most infectious virus. Dr. Claudia Hoy
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: ICC Does NOT Have A ‘Case’ Before It Concerning Crimes Purportedly Related To COVID-19 — It Has A Complaint
Does the International Criminal Court (ICC) have a "case" before it concerning serious crimes related to COVID-19? No, that's not true: Although a complaint was filed alleging crimes committed against people in the United Kingdom related
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: COVID Testing Does NOT Instantly Detect Specific Variant — Further Analysis Is Needed
When a new variant is found to be spreading, does the old variant instantly disappear? Do people test positive for specific COVID-19 variants if they take a rapid antigen or a PCR test? No, neither of these assumptions are true: The initi
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: It Is NOT ‘Odd’ That COVID-19 Vaccine Was Developed So Quickly
Is it "odd" that the COVID-19 vaccine was developed so quickly? No, that's not true: There are many reasons that explain how the vaccine was developed faster than other vaccines. Among those are that the genetic sequence of SARS-CoV-2, th
Snopes→ Again, Crews Find Apparent Time Capsule at Lee Statue Site
Crews wrapping up the removal of a giant pedestal that once held a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee in Richmond found what appeared to be a second and long-sought-after time capsule.
Health Feedback→ Contrary to Peter McCullough’s claim, getting vaccinated is safer than getting COVID-19, in spite of rare cases of myocarditis
REVIEW Clinical trials showed that the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine was safe and effective in the five to 15-year-old population[1]. However, data collected from vaccinated people post-authorization revealed that this vaccine was associated with
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Canada Did NOT Issue A List Of 18 Words Or Phrases That People Are No Longer Allowed To Say
Did Canada recently issue a list of 18 words or phrases that people are no longer allowed to say? No, that's not true: This video is missing context as these words were originally published in a news article about diversity initiatives --
Health Feedback→ Joe Rogan interview with Peter McCullough contains multiple false and unsubstantiated claims about the COVID-19 pandemic and vaccines
REVIEW The Joe Rogan Experience, a podcast hosted by actor and comedian Joe Rogan, interviewed cardiologist Peter McCullough in December 2021. During the interview, which spanned about two hours and 45 minutes, McCullough made multiple inaccurate, m
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: NO Evidence That Hydroxychloroquine Decalcifies The Pineal Gland
Does hydroxychloroquine decalcify the pineal gland? No, there's no evidence to substantiate that: The anti-parasitic and immunosuppressive drug is approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat or prevent malaria. It's also prescri
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Macaulay Culkin is Now 4 Years Older than Catherine O’Hara Was When She Played His Mom in Home Alone’
In December 2021, screenshots of a tweet indicating that former child actor Macaulay Culkin was “now” four years older that Catherine O’Hara when Home Alone was filmed began circulating among Facebook users: In the screenshot, the T
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: WHO Director-General Did NOT Say Countries Are Giving COVID-19 Booster Shots To Kill Children
Did the director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus say that countries are administering COVID-19 booster shots to "kill children"? No, that's not true: A WHO spokesperson told Lead Stories that Gheb
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: 10,000 Medical Experts Did NOT Start Nuremberg 2 Trial Against World Leaders for Crimes Against Humanity
Did a team of 1,000 lawyers and 10,000 medical experts start a second Nuremberg trial against world leaders and public health organizations for pandemic-related crimes against humanity? No, that's not true: Spokespersons for the Centers f
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Bee Sting To Penis CANNOT Permanently Enlarge It — Post Is From A Humor Site
Can a bee sting to the penis permanently enlarge it? No, that's not true: The story was originally put out in November 2019 (archived here) by a South African satire website named Ihlaya News that previously disguised itself as news and g
Full Fact→ How many Covid-19 patients in ICU are unvaccinated?
We’ve seen several reports over the past month claiming “almost all” Covid-19 patients in intensive care units (ICUs) are unvaccinated. While this used to be true, some of these claims were made when up to date figures were not availa
Full Fact→ Data likely overstates the number of house hunters per house
Analysis by an estate agent membership organisation claims that in November 2021 there were 29 house buyers for each property in the UK. The findings, published in a report by Propertymark, was picked up by the Press Association, the Daily Telegraph ne
Full Fact→ Priti Patel’s tweet on police funding doesn’t account for inflation
Both the Home Secretary Priti Patel and the official Home Office Twitter account recently tweeted a graph showing what appears to be a significant increase in police funding from 2015/16 to 2022/23, alongside an announcement that funding would increase
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: NO Evidence That Garlic Relieves ‘Pain In Ears’ — Doctor Says It Might Make Ear Infections Worse
Does garlic relieve "pain in ears"? No, there's no evidence to substantiate that claim: An ear, nose and throat (ENT) physician with the University of Kansas Health System tells Lead Stories, "While some garlic extracts possess antimicrob
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Military Did NOT Convict George W. Bush In Tribunal
Was former U.S. President George W. Bush convicted of treason and murder on December 16, 2021, by a three-officer military commission? No, that's not true: Lead Stories has repeatedly debunked claims from Real Raw News, a satirical news w
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Cherry-Picked Snippet Of CNN’s Dr. Leana Wen Does NOT Accurately Convey Her Advice About Masks As COVID-19 Protection
Did CNN medical analyst Dr. Leana Wen say, "Don't wear a cloth mask. Cloth masks are little more than facial decorations"? Yes, she did say that when speaking about the possibility of New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio canceling the New Y
FactCheck.org→ Early Data on Omicron
As many Americans and others around the globe prepare for holiday travel and get-togethers, the omicron variant continues to be a concern. While the available data on transmission, vaccine effectiveness and severity of disease are still preliminary, he
FactCheck.org→ Increase in COVID-19 VAERS Reports Due To Reporting Requirements, Intense Scrutiny of Widely Given Vaccines
SciCheck Digest Expanded reporting requirements and intense scrutiny of the hundreds of millions administered COVID-19 vaccine doses have driven record reporting of potential side effects to one of the government’s vaccine safety monitoring systems.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Chef Jamie Oliver Did NOT Beat McDonald’s In Legal Battle Over Processed Beef — Not Used By McDonald’s Since 2011
Did McDonald's lose a legal battle with chef Jamie Oliver? Was it proven that lean finely textured beef treated with ammonium hydroxide was highly toxic or not fit for human consumption? No, neither are true: Oliver did not win a legal b
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Devils Tower Is NOT A Giant Silicon Tree Trunk — It’s A Rock Formed 50 Million Years Ago
Is Devils Tower National Monument in Wyoming a remnant of an ancient giant tree made out of silicon? No, that's not true: Devils Tower is sedimentary rock that got pushed up to the surface millions of years ago. The National Park Service
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Statistic Does NOT Paint Complete Picture Of Risks Associated With COVID-19, Vaccines
Does the claim that one in 100 vaccinated individuals were admitted to the hospital or died with heart issues tell the whole story? No, that's not true: The claim is based on a study that concluded the absolute risk of myocarditis -- infl
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: NO Evidence That ‘A Christmas Carol’ Character Made More Than Today’s U.S. Minimum Wage Worker
Does Bob Cratchit, a character from the Charles Dickens classic novella "A Christmas Carol" make the equivalent of $530.27 a week, which is more than the current weekly federal minimum wage in the United States? Probably not: The novella,
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Vaccination Death Rate Is NOT 2.905% In FDA Data
Is the COVID-19 "vaccination death rate" discovered in FDA data 2.905%? No, that's not true: The numbers used are not from the Food and Drug Administration, they're from an analysis of adverse event reports prepared by Pfizer for the FDA
FactCheck.org→ COVID-19 Far More Lethal Than a Cold, Contrary to Suggestion in Viral Video
SciCheck Digest COVID-19 has killed more than 805,000 people in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Yet a viral video on social media suggests the disease is the same as a “common cold.” COVID-19 is in the
Snopes→ Are McDonald’s Exercise Bikes Real?
A viral video supposedly shows a woman eating at a McDonald's restaurant while simultaneously riding an exercise bike to burn calories.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Canada’s Data Do NOT Prove COVID-19 Vaccine Is Either A Failure Or That Omicron ‘Preferentially Infects’ The Vaccinated
Do data from Ontario, Canada prove COVID-19 vaccines are either a failure or that omicron "preferentially infects vaccinated people"? No, neither of those choices is true: Using only raw data, the claim-maker draws a misleading conclusion
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: New ‘Study’ Does NOT Warn That COVID-19 Vaccines ‘Dramatically Increase’ Risk Of Heart Disease
Does a new "study" from the American Heart Association (AHA) warn that COVID-19 vaccines "dramatically increase" the risk of heart disease? No, that's not true: The claim is based on an abstract, not a study, and it does not represent the
FactCheck.org→ ‘Santa’ Detained at Unregistered Protest, Not ‘Arrested’ for Mask Violation
Quick Take An increase in pandemic restrictions in Germany sparked a protest at a market, where a man dressed as Santa Claus was briefly detained. Online posts falsely claimed he was arrested for not wearing a mask. But police said he was detained fo
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: CDC Does NOT Admit Vaccinated Parents Are Killing Unvaccinated Kids
Did the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention admit that parents vaccinated for COVID-19 are killing their unvaccinated children? No, that's not true: The claim is made by a non-scientist citing a paper that mixes vaccination informa
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Omicron Variant Is NOT Just Common Cold Or RSV Infection — It’s Separate And Unique
Is the CDC just calling the common cold or RSV the omicron variant? No, that's not true: The omicron variant is a mutated version of the original COVID-19 virus. While the common cold and RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) are viral infect
FactCheck.org→ Facebook Post Recycles Misleading Assessment of Vulnerable and Endangered Species
Quick Take Climate change and other human-caused factors continue to put many species at risk, according to conservation groups. But a social media post misleadingly claims polar bears, whales and koala populations are “recovered” or increa
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: NO Evidence Book About Omicron Variant Predates Existence of Omicron Variant
Does a book titled "Understanding Omicron Variant" by an author named Dr. Theresa Bishop have a 2020 copyright date, meaning it was published before the omicron variant was publicly identified? No, that's not true: This Amazon book was se
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Police CAN Search A Car For Just The Smell Of Pot — But There Are Exceptions In Some States
Are police not allowed to search a car just because they smell pot? No, that's missing important context: As of November 2021, an Illinois judge ruled the smell of marijuana does not give probable cause for officers to search a car. Howev
Truth or Fiction?→ Sculpture by Manuel Oliver, Father of Parkland Victim Joaquin Oliver
On December 20 2021, Imgur user SisterMidnight shared the image below, titled “Joaquin Oliver’s life ended at 17 years old at his high school in Parkland, Florida. His father, Manuel, sculpted this and my heart is shredded”: A December 1
Full Fact→ How many people in England are unvaccinated?
“UK Government report admits there are 23.5 Million people in England who have NOT had a single dose of a Covid-19 Vaccine” The Exposé, 17 December 2021. News blog The Exposé has claimed there are 23.5 million unvaccinated pe
Full Fact→ Funeral director’s viral claims about vaccinated people not based in fact
A video of a man who runs a funeral home in Milton Keynes talking about the pandemic has gone viral on social media. The man does operate a funeral home, and we have fact checked him before. He makes a number of claims in the video, namely that he&rsqu