Did NASA admit that global climate change occurs because of changes in Earth's solar orbit, and not because of emissions from SUVs burning fossil fuels? No, that's not true: NASA scientists studying climate change have not changed their opinio
Search Results (1948) for: opinion
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Mark Twain NEVER Said ‘No Amount Of Evidence Will Ever Persuade An Idiot’
Did American humorist Mark Twain say that "No amount of evidence will ever persuade an idiot"? No, that's not true: It is a made-up quote attributed to Twain, whose is rightfully credited with many quotable wise observations. This quote cannot
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Apple Cider Vinegar Does NOT Shrink Tumors And Destroy Cancer Cells
Can apple cider vinegar shrink your tumors and destroy your cancer cells? No, that's not true: It is a false health claim disputed by medical experts and unsupported by scientific research. While acidic acids are known to destroy cultured canc
Snopes→ Examining a Video’s Changes Over Time Helps Flag Deepfakes
Whether used for personal revenge, to harass celebrities or to influence public opinion, deepfakes render untrue the age-old axiom that “seeing is believing.”
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Nike Spokesman Colin Kaepernick Did NOT Call the United States the Worst Country in the World
Did Nike spokesman Colin Kaepernick call the United States the "Worst Country in the World"? No, that's not true: a headline making that claim only offers up one tweet from Kaepernick as evidence and that tweet doesn't even contain Kaepernick'
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Franklin Graham Show a Double Standard on Presidential Infidelity?
An apparent about-face from evangelical activist and Republican supporter Franklin Graham gained traction online after being captured in a graphic spread through Facebook in August 2019. The graphic, which has been shared several thousand times on the
Lead Stories→ Fake News: D.A.R.E. Has NOT Finally Ended Its Anti-Weed Campaign, Has Not Quietly Removed Cannabis From ‘Gateway Drugs’ List
Has D.A.R.E. -- the nonprofit group that presents anti-drug education to American students -- ended its opposition to marijuana and quietly removed cannabis from the "gateway drugs" list on its website? No, that's not true: The claim that D.A.
FactCheck.org→ The Epstein Connections Fueling Conspiracy Theories
Summary In the absence of information about how sex offender Jeffrey Epstein managed to die in prison by an apparent suicide on Aug. 10, outlandish conspiracy theories have cropped up across the political spectrum. Among the more prominent theories
Truth or Fiction?→ A Million Seconds Ago Was July 24th, a Billion Seconds Ago Was 1988?
Around August 5 2019, a text meme began circulating on social media comparing a “million” to a “billion” by pointing out that a million seconds prior was the month before (specifically, July 24) and a billion seconds prior was
Truth or Fiction?→ Are the ‘Epstein Gurney Photos’ Fake?
Conspiracy theories circulated broadly and relentlessly after the August 10 2019 death of high-profile convicted sex offender and accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein in federal custody, including claims that widely published “gurney photos
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Bill Barr Did NOT Allegedly Make Secret Visit To Jail Before Epstein’s Death
Did U.S. Attorney General William Barr allegedly make a secret visit to the Manhattan jail where Jeffrey Epstein was being held just two weeks before the accused sex trafficker was found dead in his cell? No, that's not true: There is no actua
FactCheck.org→ Photos Don’t Tell the Whole Story on Border Trash
Quick Take Old pictures of trash strewn in the Arizona desert are circulating on Facebook with the suggestion that they were taken recently and that the media failed to cover it. Neither of those things is true. Full Story Photos of trash near Arizon
FactCheck.org→ Trump’s Mixed Record on Gun Control
When asked what he was going to do about the “gun problem,” President Donald Trump responded that “we have done much more than most administrations.” Trump has taken some action to strengthen federal gun control, but his administration
Lead Stories→ Fake News: ICE Raids Pick Up 680 Workers In Mississippi Food Plants… 3 Buses NOT Filled With Koch Bros. Workers
Did ICE raids that detained 680 workers at Mississippi food plants fill three buses with workers from a Koch Brothers' plant? No, that's not true: The Koch Foods plant that was raided in Morton, Mississippi, is not owned or affiliated with the
FactCheck.org→ Politics of Gun Violence
In the aftermath of two deadly mass shootings in Texas and Ohio, U.S. political leaders made a series of statements on gun violence that were unsubstantiated, lacked context or were seemingly contradictory. Here we look at some of those statements and
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Police in Texas Attach a ‘Leash’ to a Black Man’s Handcuffs?
On August 5 2019 the Facebook page “Adrienne Bell for Congress” shared the following image without a description, which appeared to show a black man handcuffed and attached to a leash held by a white police officer who was leading him do
PolitiFact→ Trump did not scrub tweets that likened U.S.-bound migrants to invaders in wake of El Paso shooting
Following the El Paso attack, a false rumor began circulating online that President Donald Trump had scrubbed his Twitter archive of tweets that mention migrant invasions. The implication was that the administration sought to cover up evidence that Tru
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Lemons Evolve Naturally?
On July 29 2019, the Facebook page “Absurd Memes for a Better Tomorrow” shared a claim that lemons are not naturally occurring: Underneath a “what’s on your mind” tweet in a screenshot, another account responds with a
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Antifa Does NOT Plan Border Siege in El Paso
UPDATE Saturday, August 3, 2019: When Lead Stories first published this story on August 1, 2019, our concern was that false reports of a planned violent siege of El Paso could incite a violent reaction. We do not know if the tragic attack at t
FactCheck.org→ FactChecking the Second Democratic Debate
Summary We flagged false and misleading claims from several candidates: Former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke got it wrong in claiming “no other country comes even close to” the number of gun-violence deaths in the United States. Brazil ha
Truth or Fiction?→ Steve Jobs’ Last Words?
On July 30 2019, Facebook user Joseph Rudy Rullo shared what were purportedly Apple pioneer Steve Jobs’ last words (archived here), uttered on his deathbed: The post eventually segued into other musings, but it began with Jobs’ suppose
FactCheck.org→ Nadler Misrepresents Mueller Testimony
Democratic Rep. Jerrold Nadler selectively cited former special counsel Robert S. Mueller’s testimony to misleadingly claim that Mueller said he didn’t indict President Donald Trump only because he couldn’t indict a sitting president. Mueller
FactCheck.org→ When Are Heartbeats Audible During Pregnancy?
Q: When is the human heart fully developed, and when are heartbeats audible during pregnancy? A: A developing heart has all of its primary structures after about nine weeks of pregnancy. Some forms of ultrasound can detect cardiac activity in an embryo
Truth or Fiction?→ Did U.S. President Donald Trump Say ‘What You’re Seeing’ Is ‘Not What’s Happening’?
In July 2019, the Facebook page “Bristol for Europe” shared side-by-side prints that contrasted a purported quote by United States President Donald Trump with one from English author George Orwell: On the left was a quote attributed t
FactCheck.org→ A Misleading Message on Mueller’s Conclusions
Quick Take A social media image makes the misleading claim that former special counsel Robert S. Mueller “can’t provide evidence that his probe reached a conclusion.” Mueller reached several conclusions, including that Russia interfe
FactCheck.org→ FactChecking the Mueller Hearings
While former special counsel Robert S. Mueller reiterated in congressional testimony what he said in his voluminous report on the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential campaign, politicians reiterated some claims about the in
Truth or Fiction?→ Luzerne County, Pennsylvania ‘School Lunch Debt’ Controversy
The issue of “school lunch debt” prompted heated debates in July 2019, thanks in part to an ongoing controversy in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. The topic of incurring debt for school lunches in the Pennsylvania county came to national att
FactCheck.org→ Trump’s and Miller’s Attacks on ‘The Squad’
President Donald Trump and his top immigration adviser continue to criticize four progressive Democratic congresswomen known as “the squad,” but some of their claims twist the women’s words. We’ve dealt with a couple of these
Snopes→ House Republicans Promise Tough Questions at Mueller Hearing
Days before back-to-back hearings, both sides seemed to agree that Mueller's testimony could be pivotal in shifting public opinion on the question of "holding the president accountable."
FactCheck.org→ Protections for Drivers Who Hit Protesters Didn’t Pass
Quick Take A viral post falsely asserts that Republicans are responsible for “passing laws making it legal to run over protesters with your car.” That distorts proposed, but not enacted, legislation in several states offering some protecti
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Riots and War End Japanese Internment, Slavery, and World War II?
On July 16 2019, the Facebook page “Close the Camps” shared the following screenshot (archived here) of a Facebook post asserting that riots, rebellion, and war were necessary to put a stop to concentration camps, World War II, and slaver
FactCheck.org→ Trump’s False Claims About Rep. Ilhan Omar
President Donald Trump accused Rep. Ilhan Omar of professing a “love” for al Qaeda and talking about “how great” and “how wonderful” al Qaeda is. That is false. Trump also misleadingly claimed polls showed Omar only
FactCheck.org→ Citizenship, the Census and Obama
Quick Take Memes circulating online claim that former President Barack Obama removed the citizenship question from the 2010 census. He didn’t. The citizenship question in 2010 was handled the same way it had been since 1970. Full Story The Tr
FactCheck.org→ Trump’s Numbers July 2019 Update
Summary Since President Donald Trump took office: The jobless rate fell further, to the lowest in nearly 50 years. The number of job openings grew to the highest in at least 18 years. Economic growth picked up, but remained far short of what Trump pro
FactCheck.org→ Trump Twists Facts in Environmental Speech
In a July 8 speech dedicated to the environment, President Donald Trump made a series of misleading or false statements as he played up the U.S.’s environmental achievements, many of which predate his time as commander-in-chief. The president false
FactCheck.org→ Biden’s Stretch on Intellectual Property Theft
Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden says the Trump administration has not been fighting China on “stealing intellectual secrets,” claiming that instead it has been “fighting in trade.” But intellectual property issues ha
Truth or Fiction?→ Was Lil Nas X Dropped by Wrangler After He Came Out as Gay?
On July 1 2019, country hip-hop musician Montero Lamar Hill — better known as Lil Nas X — published tweets subtly alluding to his sexual orientation: Two hours [after tweeting about a UK appearance], the Atlanta-born [Lil Nas X] and arguably the n
Truth or Fiction?→ Disney, Ariel, and the ‘White Mermaids’ Dispute
In early July 2019, Haile Bailey’s casting as main character Ariel in a live-action reboot of Disney’s animated film The Little Mermaid caused controversy on social media, sparking a meme about another person of color having appeared in
PolitiFact→ Bernie Sanders – Bernie Sanders on target saying 3 richest have as much wealth as bottom half of all Americans
The Truth-o-Meter says: True | Bernie Sanders on target saying 3 richest have as much wealth as bottom half of all Americans In an opinion article he wrote for the Wall Street Journal, U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., called for an end to "cor
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Antifa NOT Planning Chemical Attack In Washington D.C.
Is there evidence that Antifa is planning a chemical attack in Washington, D.C., during the July 4th holiday weekend? No, that's true: The claim published by right-wing websites -- including a warning that "civil war is on the horizon" -- are