A Pennsylvania state lawmaker came under criticism for attempting to compare the transgender community to people refusing to follow guidelines against spreading the COVID-19 pandemic. A statement from State Rep. Russ Diamond allegedly standing up for
Search Results (1877) for: space
AFP Fact Check→ This photo shows a Libyan military jet that was shot down over Benghazi in 2011
A photo of a fighter jet in flames has been shared hundreds of times in multiple Facebook posts alongside a claim it shows an Indian military jet that was shot down after it flew into the airspace of neighbouring Nepal. The claim is false; the photo s
Full Fact→ There is no indication that a Covid-19 vaccine will be mandatory or that those who don’t get it will have their movements restricted
A Facebook post claiming to show how a “mandatory coronavirus vaccine” would be enforced has been shared hundreds of times. Firstly there is currently nothing to suggest a coronavirus vaccine will be mandatory in the UK. The Chief Medical O
Health Feedback→ Scientific evidence supports the use of face masks for reducing the transmission of respiratory diseases including COVID-19
REVIEW A Facebook post published in May 2020 by a user named “Caitlyn RN” (see Notes for more information) claimed that masks do not prevent the spread of pathogens, and that wearing a mask can cause oxygen deficiency and hypercapnia (high carbo
FactCheck.org→ Biden’s False Claim About McDonald’s
During a virtual campaign event with members of the Service Employees International Union on July 22, presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden falsely said that McDonald’s required its employees to sign noncompete contracts preventin
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Meijer DOES Now Require Masks Of All People Shopping In Company Stores
Are shoppers at Meijer groceries and express stations free to "politely decline" a mask against the novel coronavirus and go on their way, shopping in the stores without pressure? No, that is not true. While Meijer did just change their p
Snopes→ The Constitution Doesn’t Have a Problem with Mask Mandates
It is not always clear why anti-maskers think government orders requiring face coverings in public spaces or those put in place by private businesses violate their constitutional rights, much less what they think those rights are
Health Feedback→ Primary COVID-19 transmission is by close contact with infected people; nasopharyngeal swab-based testing provides the highest diagnostic accuracy
REVIEW Facebook posts published in July 2020, such as this meme, questioned the need for nasopharyngeal sample collection in which “they have to stick a Q-tip through your nose to the back of your head to swab a sample of COVID” when it would be
AFP Fact Check→ Old hoax resurfaces online about NASA adding 13th zodiac sign ‘Ophiuchus’
Multiple Facebook posts shared hundreds of times in July 2020 claim that US space agency NASA has added a 13th star sign named "Ophiuchus" to the zodiac. The claim is false; NASA said it had not created a new star sign; the posts are a hoax that has
Truth or Fiction?→ Is this Durex Coronavirus Ad Real?
Chances are you’ve seen some version of this purported Durex advertisement in heavy circulation at some point during the COVID-19 pandemic, featuring and comparing a face mask with a condom: The screenshot above included commentary from a s
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: ‘OSHA Certified’ Troll’s Analysis Does NOT Burst Face Mask Wearer’s ‘Google Doctor Degree’ — Face Masks Do Help Slow COVID-19 Spread
Is an "OSHA certified" Facebook poster whose job is listed as "Trollin' the Masses" correct in claiming that N95, surgical, and cloth masks don't slow the spread of COVID-19 and they may make you sick? No, that's not true: OSHA (the federal go
Snopes→ Does Burning Sage Eliminate Airborne Bacteria?
Some claim that smudging with sage can purify air in confined spaces.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Businesses CANNOT Ignore California Governor’s Shutdown Order Issued By The State Department of Public Health
Can businesses ignore California Gov. Gavin Newsom's shutdown order since it was issued by the state Department of Public Health? No, that's not true. The governor has issued multiple executive orders that people follow the "guidance and direc
Full Fact→ What is the guidance on face coverings and how has it changed?
Face coverings are set to become mandatory in all shops in England on 24 July and those who refuse risk a £100 fine or being refused service. In England, it is already mandatory to wear face coverings on public transport and in hospitals. D
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: John Travolta Was NOT Found Dead From Apparent Suicide After His Wife’s Death
Was John Travolta found dead from apparent suicide after his wife's death? No, that's not true: This death hoax is one of many produced by a complex scheme coming from the Philippines that drives web traffic by tricking people into sharing a l
Health Feedback→ Nasopharyngeal swabs more effective than saliva samples for COVID-19 diagnostic testing according to current evidence
REVIEW This 8 July 2020 Facebook post suggests that at-home testing for COVID-19 using mouth swabs, such as those used to collect DNA samples, could be just as effective as the nasopharyngeal swab method. Earlier versions of the claim questioned the
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: CDC Testing Kits For COVID-19 NEVER Risked Lives
Were people tested for COVID-19 exposed to the coronavirus due to contaminated tests? No, that's not true: Federal officials did send out defective tests in February -- one month into the pandemic in the United States and about six months befo
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Doctor’s Claim That ‘No One Has Died From The Coronavirus’ In Europe Is NOT True
Is it true that nobody has actually died from COVID-19 across Europe, and that officials there have identified no antibodies specific to the disease? Also, is it true that there is no pandemic, but merely an "infection"? No, none of this is tr
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Carsyn Davis Die After Attending a ‘COVID Party’?
In early July 2020, news of the death of Florida teenager Carsyn Leigh Davis began spreading on social media — alongside rumors the girl, who was purportedly medically fragile, was intentionally exposed to SARS-CoV-2 by her mother: A parent se
Climate Feedback→ Article by Michael Shellenberger mixes accurate and inaccurate claims in support of a misleading and overly simplistic argumentation about climate change
SUMMARY The article by Michael Shellenberger was published in various media outlets, including Forbes, Zero Hedge, Breitbart, PJ Media, The Daily Wire, The Australian, and Quillette. The article has been shared more than 200,000 times on social medi
Truth or Fiction?→ Is This a Real Listing for an Anti-Semitic Trump Face Mask?
On July 4 2020, Twitter user Justin Stangel shared the following Amazon screenshot, of a “Trump Daily Mouth Face Cover Anti-Dust” mask — and a very swastika-like logo to match: Hey @amazon, you ok selling Donald Trump, antisemitic
Health Feedback→ Videos use gas sensors to misleadingly claim that wearing a face mask causes oxygen deficiency
REVIEW Different videos have been circulating on Facebook showing people wearing face masks measuring oxygen levels using a gas sensor and claiming that the measurements show that masks create an oxygen-deficient environment, based on the definition
Snopes→ Texas Governor Issues Mask Order to Fight Coronavirus
The order requires “all Texans to wear a face covering over the nose and mouth in public spaces in counties with 20 or more positive COVID-19 cases, with few exceptions,” the governor’s office said.
FactCheck.org→ Video Presents Flawed Test on Masks, Oxygen Levels
Quick Take A viral video questions the safety of face masks by using a gas detector to purportedly show that masks result in dangerous oxygen levels for the wearer. But experts — and the company that makes the gas detector — say the video
Truth or Fiction?→ Does ‘Qabalista’ by Selki Girl Trigger ‘Out-of-Body Experiences’?
In late June and early July 2020, a rumor on TikTok’s #witchtok hashtag held that the album Qabalista by Selki Girl “triggered astral projection” or other strange experiences; a video with hundreds of thousands of engagements involve
The Dispatch→ Do Masks Make It Impossible to Breathe in Enough Oxygen?
In a viral video on Facebook, Jeff Neff, a candidate for Pennsylvania State Senate, measured the oxygen levels behind various masks and concluded that “No matter what you choose—head sock, neoprene-type fancy mask, cheap mask, N-95, the bes
FactCheck.org→ Trump’s False Military Equipment Claim
President Donald Trump has falsely claimed his administration invested “$2.5 trillion in all of the greatest equipment in the world” for the military. That’s approximately the total for defense budgets from 2017 to 2020, but the cost
Full Fact→ How medical staff found themselves at the centre of an information battle during the pandemic
Over the past months, as the coronavirus pandemic gripped the country, medical staff have found themselves – often unwillingly – at the centre of a parallel information crisis. Throughout the pandemic, there have been numerous posts that at
Truth or Fiction?→ Did a Teenager Get Pleurisy From Wearing a Face Mask for Work?
On May 31 2020, Facebook user Lena Kovacs shared the following screenshot of a redacted post, in which a person claimed their neeninet-year-old daughter developed pleurisy solely due to her use of a face mask in her job at “a huge grocery store
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Erykah Badu Did NOT Tell People Not To Buy Rap Music
Did Erykah Badu call on people to stop buying some types of rap music because most rappers aren't doing anything to stand up against racism? No, that's not true: The neo-soul singer herself has said the words in a viral social meme aren't hers
Full Fact→ What do we know about Covid-19 inequalities among people from minority ethnic groups?
In the early stages of the coronavirus epidemic in the UK, and in the absence of data splitting out Covid-19 deaths by ethnicity, reports of health workers from minority ethnicities dying of Covid-19 was the first clue that some groups of people might
FactCheck.org→ Meme Misrepresents Florida Surgeon General’s Position on Face Masks
Quick Take Amid a surge in Florida’s COVID-19 cases, a Facebook meme dated June 24 falsely claims the state’s surgeon general recommended that people stop wearing face masks. The surgeon general actually issued an advisory two days earlier
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Joe Biden Was NOT Caught On Camera Telling Senator Chris Coons’ 13-Year-Old Daughter He Was ‘Horny’
Did Joe Biden tell Senator Chris Coons' 13-year-old daughter that he was "horny" standing next to her? No, that's not true. The video of the then-vice president whispering into the ear of Coons' daughter Maggie has fake subtitles claiming he s
Truth or Fiction?→ This Photograph Does Not Show a Woman Who Was Beaten and Sexually Assaulted at a BLM Protest
In mid-June 2020, the following meme circulated on Facebook and Instagram, purportedly a screenshot of a Facebook post by a woman claiming she was “beaten and raped” by three people of color at a Black Lives Matter protest:
Truth or Fiction?→ Viral Post Blames Powdersville Cemetery Vandalism on ‘Black Lives Matter’
On June 14 2020, the Facebook page “The Sharp Truth” shared the following post and lambasted Black Lives Matter activists for purportedly vandalizing the Powdersville Cemetery in Anderson County, South Carolina: The text, which appeare
Health Feedback→ OSHA recommends the use of cloth face coverings at the workplace, contrary to claim by Peggy Hall
REVIEW A video by Peggy Hall, who runs a lifestyle website, made numerous claims about mask safety, which went viral in June 2020, receiving more than 1.8 million views on Facebook. An article promoting the video, published by GreenMedInfo, separate
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: NO Evidence Joe Biden’s Family Owned Slaves Or That His Great-Grandfather Fought For The Confederacy
Did Joe Biden's family own slaves and did his Great-Grandfather Biden fight for the Confederacy? No, there is no evidence that either is true. The former vice president's Great-Grandfather Biden was not born until 1867, two years after the end
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Meme Claiming Five Reasons Not To Wear A Face Mask Is Misleading
Did a meme provide five accurate reasons why people should not wear masks amid the novel coronavirus outbreak? No, several of the reasons were misleading. A viral post about why "I don't wear a mask" gives five reasons not to don a face coveri
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘This Fool Actually Tattooed Will Smith on His Face’
On May 15 2020, Facebook user Ed Lawson shared the following image, which purportedly depicted a man who had had Will Smith’s face tattooed over his own face: The post was extremely popular, but not every commenter was convinced that t
Climate Feedback→ Article in The Guardian misleads readers about sensitivity of climate models by narrowly focusing on single study
SUMMARY The article in The Guardian misleadingly claims that the latest generation of climate models are more sensitive to carbon emissions than scientists previously thought. Instead, reviewers of this article state that the best estimate of climat