Do patents accurately suggest that deadly diseases and viruses were created or invented in a lab? No, that's not true: Just because there is a patent for something does not mean it works. Likewise, patents for diseases and viruses do not mean
Search Results (1874) for: causes
FactCheck.org→ Cattle Vaccine Not Related to 2019 Novel Coronavirus
Quick Take Viral Facebook posts use a photo of a vaccine for cows to falsely suggest that the novel coronavirus isn’t actually new, alleging it is proof of “how much the media controls people.” The cattle vaccine has nothing to do wit
FactCheck.org→ FactChecking Trump’s Coronavirus Press Conference
Facing a declining stock market and criticism from Democrats, President Donald Trump and other officials have minimized the risks of the coronavirus to the U.S. and given inaccurate and misleading information about the new virus. Trump said the curren
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Lysol Products Can Kill Older Strains Of Coronavirus, But Tests Have NOT Scientifically Proven They Kill Novel Coronavirus
Do Lysol sprays and wipes kill the novel coronavirus - and, if there is no cure, why do the products' labels tout that they can kill the coronavirus? The claim is partly false: While Lysol products are advertised to kill 99.9% of bacteria and
FactCheck.org→ FactChecking the South Carolina Debate
Summary In the last Democratic debate before Super Tuesday, the candidates often talked over and past one another. We sort out some of the misinformation. In criticizing Sen. Bernie Sanders’ sympathetic remarks about authoritarian regimes, former Vi
Truth or Fiction?→ Rush Limbaugh Claims Coronavirus is No More Dangerous than the Common Cold. Is it?
In a transcript dated February 24 2020, radio personality Rush Limbaugh claimed that novel coronavirus (COVID-19) is no more dangerous than “the common cold,” adding that he believed that concern over the new strain of disease was simply p
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Lifestyle Change Study Did NOT Focus On Vegan Diet
Did a study endorsed by a Nobel Prize winner claim that the vegan diet can cause a variety of health benefits? No, that's not entirely true: The research did not focus on the vegan diet. It showed that a combination of lifestyle changes - diet
FactCheck.org→ FactChecking the Las Vegas Democratic Debate
Summary Many of the factual disputes centered on disagreements among the candidates: Former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg said the stop-and-frisk policy that was “in place” when he became mayor “got out of control” and so “we cut 95% of
FactCheck.org→ Committee to Defend the President
Political leanings: Pro-President Trump 2018 total spending: $9 million The Committee to Defend the President was founded as the Stop Hillary PAC in May 2013. The group’s name and mission changed after Donald Trump defeated Hillary Clinton in the
FactCheck.org→ Competing Claims on Trump’s Budget and Seniors
In what has become an annual Washington exercise, Democrats and Republicans are waging a war of words over the president’s proposed budget and how it would affect programs for seniors. President Donald Trump tweeted that he “will not be touchin
Truth or Fiction?→ Fish Mox: ‘Same Antibiotic, Same Pill, Same Manufacturer, Same Drug’ as Amoxicillin?
On February 17 2020 a Facebook user shared the following post, claiming that a product called “Fish Mox” is the “same antibiotic, same pill,” and “same drug” as the common antibiotic amoxicillin: Alongside three
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Latest Research Published By Chinese Scientists Did NOT Say Coronavirus Will Render Most Male Patients Infertile
Did the latest research published by Chinese scientists say that the coronavirus will render most patients infertile? No, that's not true: The study, which has not been peer-reviewed, does not go as far as the headline of the article suggests.
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Switzerland Does NOT Currently Allow Child Rapists to Kill Themselves in Assisted Suicides Instead of Serving Prison Term
Will Switzerland allow child rapists to commit suicide in lieu of a prison sentence? No, that's not true: the headline on this article is misleading. Swiss prison officials have begun to consider making assisted suicide an option for certain i
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Maryland State Officials NOT Forced To Pay Millions For Humiliating Anti-Vaccine Doctor
Were Maryland Board of Physicians officials forced to pay millions for humiliating an anti-vaccine doctor? No, that's not true: The story being shared contains outdated information. An intermediate appellate court in Maryland has overturned th
Snopes→ New Name for Disease Caused by Coronavirus Outbreak: COVID-19
The new name comes from “coronavirus,” the family of viruses that causes the disease, along with the common cold and some more serious diseases like SARS.
Truth or Fiction?→ The #BroomChallenge: Can Your Broom Stand up Because of the Vernal Equinox or Planetary Alignments?
On February 10 2020, memes and posts about a #BroomChallenge began circulating around Facebook, claiming that an arcane gravitational anomaly (usually chalked up to being caused by a “planetary alignment” or the “vernal equinox”
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Dr. Robert Gallo Did NOT Say, "We Were Forced To Create HIV To Wipe Out The African Race"
Did Dr. Robert Gallo, the scientist who helped discover HIV, say, "We were forced to create HIV to wipe out the African race"? No, that's not true: Gallo never made such a statement, and the claims are being used to defame the man credited wit
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Scientists Did NOT Claim Wuhan Coronavirus is HIV-1 Engineered "Superweapon"
Did scientists claim the Wuhan coronavirus is an HIV-1 engineered hybrid "superweapon"? No, that's not true: The scientific research cited in a video making the claim has not been peer-reviewed, and the authors have withdrawn the paper, saying
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Police Did NOT Say When They Found Kobe’s Body That Kobe Was Hugging His Daughter Gianna
Did police say that, when they found Kobe Bryant's body in the wreckage of his crashed helicopter, Bryantwas hugging his daughter Gianna? No, that's not true: The helicopter in which Bryant was flying with his daughter broke up and exploded in
FactCheck.org→ Coronavirus Misinformation Spreads Like a Virus
China first reported an unusual cluster of pneumonia cases in the city of Wuhan on Dec. 31, and, within a month, the internet was infected with misinformation about the responsible virus, now called the 2019 novel coronavirus. Fact-checking organizatio
FactCheck.org→ No, Clorox and Lysol Didn’t Already ‘Know’ About New Coronavirus
Quick Take Numerous social media posts falsely suggest that because Clorox and Lysol products list “Human Coronavirus” on their bottles, the new coronavirus driving the outbreak in China was already known. It wasn’t. There are many human coronavi
Truth or Fiction?→ Do Only Three Companies Make All the World’s Insulin (Charging $20 Outside the United States and $300+ in the United States)?
On January 28 2020, the Facebook page “Drug Prices are Too High” shared the following Twitter screenshot, about the purported price of insulin outside the United States (USD$20) versus its cost in the U.S. (USD$300+) per vial: Th
FactCheck.org→ Q&A on the Wuhan Coronavirus
An outbreak of viral pneumonia that began in the central Chinese city of Wuhan at the end of 2019 has now sickened thousands, and led to more than 100 deaths. Although much is still unknown, scientists have made rapid progress in understanding the cu
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: 2015 Article About Lab-Made Coronavirus Triggers Debate
Does an article from a scientific journal in 2015 about a lab-made coronavirus refer to the current outbreak? No, that's not true, and here is some context: While the facts in The Scientist article appear to be accurate, the opinion piece is a
FactCheck.org→ Social Media Posts Spread Bogus Coronavirus Conspiracy Theory
Quick Take Multiple social media posts are spreading a bogus conspiracy theory about the deadly Wuhan virus. The posts falsely claim that the virus has been patented and a vaccine is already available. That’s not true; the patents the posts refer to
FactCheck.org→ Setting the Record Straight on Climate Change and Arson in Australia’s Bushfires
Quick Take Various claims online suggest that climate change hasn’t contributed to the bushfires ravaging the East Coast of Australia, pinning the blame instead on arson. Those claims distort the facts. Full Story Several recent reports have fou
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Downy in Toilet’ Housekeeping Hack
On January 14 2020, a Facebook post appeared advising readers to pour a cup of laundry detergent of fabric softener like Downy into their toilet tank, a supposed housecleaning “hack”: Alongside a photograph of a person in yellow glove
Snopes→ Rep. Ayanna Pressley Reveals She Has Gone Bald Due to Alopecia
The National Institutes of Health says nearly 2% of Americans have the autoimmune disease, which causes hair loss on the scalp, face and sometimes on other areas of the body.
FactCheck.org→ Q&A on the FDA’s Flavored E-Cig Policy
After months of considering a complete ban on flavored electronic cigarettes, the Trump administration announced a new policy on Jan. 2 that soon will forbid the sale of some, but not all, flavored vapes. According to the Food and Drug Administration,
Truth or Fiction?→ 2016 ‘Bern the Witch’ Sanders Campaign Event
On January 14 2020, Twitter user @TrinityMustache claimed that the 2016 Bernie Sanders campaign hosted a “Bern the Witch” event attacking then-Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton: Bernie Sanders had a “Bern the Witch”
Truth or Fiction?→ 500,000 Americans Will Go Bankrupt This Year from Medical Bills?
On January 12 2020, the Facebook page “Lower Drug Prices Now” shared what appeared to be a screenshot of a tweet, which claimed that “500,000 Americans will go bankrupt this year” due to medical bills: Claims referencing
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Blue Buffalo Dental Bones Hemorrhagic Gastritis’ Facebook Warning
On January 5 2020, Facebook user Nikki McDonald shared the following post about the brand Blue Buffalo’s Dental Bones product, reporting that her dog Dallas was gravely injured and nearly killed after she gave him the product: In under a week
FactCheck.org→ Trump Takes Undue Credit for Cancer Progress
In a tweet, President Donald Trump boasted of the lowest cancer death rate on record, and implied that his administration was responsible for the achievement. While he’s right about the statistic, the improved death rate is the result of decades-long
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Say NO to Piercing Guns’ Viral Facebook Post
On December 29 2019, Facebook user Stephanie Lipscy shared the following post beginning with “say NO to piercing guns,” alongside an illustration of an ear being pierced: Lipscy said that the use of ear piercing guns caused “a blun
FactCheck.org→ Facebook Posts Mislead on Bloomberg Donation
Quick Take Misleading Facebook posts accuse former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg of “bribing” House Democrats by offering a donation “if they vote to impeach” President Donald Trump. In fact, Bloomberg is a major Democratic donor who ha
FactCheck.org→ Biden Exaggerates Science on Burn Pits and Brain Cancer
Democratic presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden claimed without evidence that “more people are coming home from Iraq with brain cancer” than “any other war.” He also suggested that burn pits — open air waste incinera
FactCheck.org→ Meme Politicizes Progressive Insurance
Quick Take An outdated meme circulating on Facebook claims that Progressive, the insurance company, “is owned by Peter Lewis who donates millions” to the Democratic Party and left-leaning organizations. But Lewis died in 2013. Full Story A
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Velocity of Money’ Tumblr Post
On December 10 2019, the Facebook page “The Other 98%” shared a Tumblr screenshot of a discussion of a concept described as the “velocity of money”: In it, the first of two comments claimed that a unit of $10 as handled by
Climate Feedback→ ABC article effectively illustrates important climate trends for Australian readers
SCIENTISTS’ FEEDBACK SUMMARY This interactive article at ABC allows readers to enter their year of birth and see how temperatures have changed in their lifetime in relatable ways. It also describes projections for future change in Australia, i
Truth or Fiction?→ Current World Food Production is Enough to Feed 10 Billion People, Starvation isn’t Profitable to Solve?
Amid election primary policy debates in December 2019, a post about current world food production being sufficient to feed more than three times the world’s population circulated on Facebook in screenshot form: Labeled “when you