Are meats from Smithfield Foods, "the world's largest pork processor and hog producer," packaged in China before being shipped to the United States for sale? No, that's not true: This is an old rumor that's resurfaced and prompted calls for bo
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Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Soap And Hand Sanitizer Can’t Be Used to Kill Coronavirus Inside Your Body
Why is it so difficult to kill the novel coronavirus once it is inside of the body, especially since simple soap and sanitizer can kill it outside the body? A meme that went viral asks just that question. While medical officials do recommend s
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Michigan Gov Did NOT Ban Sale Of American Flags During Coronavirus Outbreak
Did Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer ban the sale of American flags amid the COVID-19 pandemic? No, that's not true: The Democratic head of the Great Lakes state has not banned the sale of American flags. Supercenter stores, hardware stores and
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: 5G Is NOT Linked To Death Of Birds Or Government Cover-Up
Is 5G a governmental cover-up linked to the death of birds as well as public health? No, that's not true: Lead Stories has debunked many of these claims before. There is no evidence to suggest the fifth-generation cellular network is dangerous
Truth or Fiction?→ Is Elon Musk ‘Giving Away Bitcoins and Etherium’ on Twitter?
On April 8 2020, an unidentified hacker used both real and illegitimate accounts to pelt Twitter with posts and bogus screengrabs made up to resemble tech magnate Elon Musk’s account. First brought to light by reporter Mason Pelt, the apparent p
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Mammoth Unemployment Claims in Their Historical Context’ GIF
In early April 2020, the animated image below spread on Facebook and Twitter, bearing the label “U.S. Weekly Initial Jobless Claims (thousands, seasonally adjusted)”; no source for the shocking graph was immediately available. Blurry text
FactCheck.org→ COVID-19 Face Mask Advice, Explained
It’s a seemingly simple question that has divided experts and nations since the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak: Should members of the public who aren’t sick use face masks to limit the spread of the disease? For months, the Centers for Disease
Truth or Fiction?→ Did the President of Meharry Medical Advise Sterilizing Cloth Face Masks in the Microwave Between Uses?
Discourse regarding personal protective equipment (PPE, including cloth face masks) was a large part of COVID-19 discussion on social media in early April 2020, including a viral Facebook post that repeats purported advice to sterilize cloth masks by
Truth or Fiction?→ Is New York City Planning ‘Temporary Mass Graves’ in Central Park?
On April 6 2020, the New York Post claimed that New York City was considering “temporary mass graves” in public parks such as Central Park in an article bearing the headline, “NYC may temporarily bury coronavirus victims in parks:
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Photo On Biography Of Boy Who Died From Coronavirus Is NOT Actually Him
Is the photo accompanying a story about the death of a 13-year-old English boy actually the right person? No, that's not true. A biographcal piece on Ismail Mohamed Abdulwahab, who died on March 30, 2020, from COVID-19, features the photo of C
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Make America Great Again’ Breathing Masks
On April 5 2020, social media was alight with speculation — some fond, some alarmed — at the prospect of what appeared to be a new addition to United States President Donald Trump’s merchandise line. The rumor began on Twitter, when
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: 5G Test Did NOT Kill Hundreds Of Birds In The Netherlands
Did a test for 5G cellular service cause hundreds of birds to die in the Netherlands? No, that's not true: The story has been roundly debunked as untrue. The Dutch Antenna Bureau said it was "not the case" that the birds died because of 5G rad
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Coronavirus Is NOT Fake; Is NOT A Cover-Up To Allow 5G Deployment
Is the coronavirus fake and actually a governmental cover-up to allow the deployment of 5G network towers? And is the radiation from those 5G towers the real cause of virus deaths? No, none of that is true: A post being shared is filled with d
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Trump’s Statement That Lupus Patients Are Not Vulnerable To Coronavirus Is NOT Medically Supported
Was President Trump accurate when he stated that a study showed that lupus patients aren't catching the novel coronavirus? No, that's not true: The Lupus Foundation of America warns that people with the autoimmune disease are at a higher risk
Truth or Fiction?→ Are COVID-19 Patients With High BMIs Being Denied Ventilators?
As the burgeoning COVID-19 pandemic became more omnipresent in American life in mid-March 2020, Twitter and Instagram rumors about coronavirus patients with high body mass indices being denied ventilator treatment began to spread. On Twitter on March
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: NYTimes Did NOT Invent Doctor Fighting Coronavirus In QAnon Conspiracy Theory
Did the New York Times publish a video featuring an ER physician at Elmhurst Hospital who was peddling lies and doesn't even work at the hospital? No, that's not true: Dr. Colleen Smith does work at the Queens, New York, hospital and offered i
FactCheck.org→ Lemon Juice Tea Does Not Cure COVID-19 in Israel, or Anywhere Else
Quick Take A post circulating on social media falsely claims that a blend of sodium bicarbonate and lemon juice will “eliminate” the novel coronavirus. The post also claims this “cure” has prevented any COVID-19 deaths in Israel — but mor
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: CIA Did NOT Arrest Harvard Scientist For Creating Coronavirus
Did the CIA arrest a Harvard scientist for creating the novel coronavirus? No, that's not true: The headline on a YouTube viral video is inaccurate. Charles Lieber, the chair of Harvard University's Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology
Snopes→ Coronavirus Deaths in NYC Top 1,000 as City Prepares for Worse
Authorities are racing to build temporary hospitals in Central Park, sports complexes, and other spaces in the crowded city.
Truth or Fiction?→ Should You Make a No-Sew Coronavirus Mask During the COVID-19 Pandemic?
In late March 2020, do-it-yourself and no-sew coronavirus masks were a hot topic — but not before the subject of COVID-19 and face masks became confusing and contentious. Before COVID-19 was officially declared a pandemic on March 11 2020, offic
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Studies Do NOT Prove Coronavirus Was Engineered To Be A Bioweapon
Was the coronavirus biologically engineered to be a bioweapon as one University of Illinois law professor claims? No that claim is misleading: Prof. Fancis Boyle said in a video interview with "Outside the Box" host Jason Liosatos that one stu
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Countries With High Rates Of Childhood Vaccinations Are NOT Hardest Hit With Coronavirus
Are countries or U.S. states with a high rate of childhood vaccinations the hardest-hit with the novel coronavirus? No, that's not true: In fact, some of the countries with the lowest spread of the virus are those that have higher vaccination
Truth or Fiction?→ Is a ‘Coronavirus Challenge’ on Social Media Prompting Teens to Infect Themselves With COVID-19?
Amid wall-to-wall reporting on a novel coronavirus and COVID-19 in late March 2020, articles breathlessly claimed that a “coronavirus challenge” or “COVID-19 challenge” was spreading on platforms like TikTok and Twitter, inciti
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: There Is NO Evidence Of Worldwide COVID-19 Conspiracy Involving U.S. Government, Its Military, 5G Tech And The Illuminati
Is there already a vaccine for COVID-19 that the U.S. govenment is hiding in a wide plot to kill people off? And is the next-generation wireless technology 5G responsible for the novel coronavirus? Further, are the Illuminati also involved in
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: NO Proof That Genetic Mutations Responsible For Coronavirus’s Virulence
Did genetic mutations cause the coronavirus to become more dangerous? No, there is no evidence of that. The claim surfaced in a post (archived here) on Facebook. It opened: Feeling confused as to why Coronavirus is a bigger deal than Seasonal
FactCheck.org→ Posts Distort Facts on Coronavirus Air Transmission, Masks
Quick Take Facebook posts make the unsubstantiated suggestion that the novel coronavirus is infectious in the air for “8 hrs,” and falsely claim that “everyone is required to wear mask everywhere!” There is also no requirement for healthy peopl
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Italy’s President NOT Caught On Camera Crying Over, and Regretting, Nation’s COVID-19 Response
Was Italy's president shown on camera in a video crying over the toll that COVID-19 has taken on that country and decrying the lack of preparedness in the early stages of the coronavirus spread? No, that's not true. The video still shown in a
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Boiled Orange Peels With Cayenne Pepper Are NOT Effective Treatment For Coronavirus
Will boiling orange peels with cayenne pepper help treat or prevent the novel coronavirus? No, that's not true: There's currently no cure or vaccine for COVID-19, and several home remedies circulating on the Internet are bogus. There is no sci
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Black People Are NOT Immune To The Dangers Of Coronavirus
Are black people more resistant to COVID-19 and not susceptible to death from the virus? No, that's not true: News reports and social media posts from those who've contracted the virus, not to mention official documentation gathered by the Wor
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Using A Sauna Or Hairdryer Will NOT Kill Coronavirus
Will spending time in a sauna or aiming a hairdryer towards your nose kill the coronavirus? No, that's not true: This is not sound medical advice. A viral video making the rounds suggests those home remedies. However, doctors say those efforts
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Tom Hanks Did NOT Pass Away, Did NOT Confess Admiration For Trump
Did actor Tom Hanks pass away after confessing his admiration for President Trump? No, that's not true: The story is a hoax from a satirical website that features "death hoaxes for your thoughts and prayers." The claim originated in an article
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: NOT All McDonald’s Restaurants Offering Free Meals To All School-Age Children – Just A few In North Carolina For Some Kids
Did McDonald's begin offering free meals to all school-age children amid the coronavirus outbreak? No, this is misleading. Several North Carolina franchises of the most recognized fast food giant in the world are offering children free meals d
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: NOT All McDonald’s Restaurants Offering Free Meals To All School-Age Children – Just A few In North Carolina For Some Kids
Did McDonald's begin offering free meals to all school-age children amid the coronavirus outbreak? No, this is misleading. Several North Carolina franchises of the most recognized fast food giant in the world are offering children free meals d
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: NASA Did NOT Warn Two Asteroids Could Cause Atmospheric Explosion Over Earth This Week
Did NASA warn that two asteroids could cause atmospheric explosion over Earth this week? No, that's not true: NASA did not issue a warning about these asteroids. The claim originated in an article (archived here) published by The Mind Unleashe
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Cristiano Ronaldo Did NOT Buy Private Island To Escape Coronavirus Crisis
Did Cristiano Ronaldo buy a private island to escape the coronavirus crisis? No, that's not true: The legendary Portuguese soccer star has been hit with another fake story as the coronavirus threatens people around the globe. Social media post
FactCheck.org→ Q&A on the Coronavirus Pandemic
Editor’s Note: This is an updated version of a Q&A we published Jan. 30. Much has changed since then. An outbreak of viral pneumonia that began in the central Chinese city of Wuhan at the end of 2019 has sickened more than 200,000 people and
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Tom Hanks, Others NOT Arrested For Pedophilia Or Other Crimes in QAnon Conspiracy
Was Tom Hanks arrested for pedophilia? No, this is not true: Hanks, who was being treated after contracting the novel coronavirus, was not arrested for pedophilia and being held in a hotel room in Australia as claimed as part of the QAnon cons
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: NO, Trump Is NOT Promising To Send Americans Checks – Only After Checking People’s Social Media History
Did President Trump tweet that he had ordered the U.S. Treasury to send checks to Americans - but only after checking people's social media posts to make sure they were not unfavorable to the president. No, this is a satirical post: Whle Trump
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: CNN Did NOT Report Will Smith Death Hoax
Did CNN report that actor Will Smith had died? No, that's not true: The story is another in a string of celebrity death hoaxes, but this one has a twist. A group of hoaxers - likely from the Philippines - has created a series of websites that
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Baby Formula NOT Necessarily Being Shipped For Free During Coronavirus Outbreak
Is baby formula being shipped free to parents in desperate need of feeding newborns during the coronavirus outbreak if parents call company hotlines? No, that's not true: This is misleading - and in some cases, outright false - information bei