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
Search Results (1892) for: causes
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
Truth or Fiction?→ Anti-Vaxxer Arrested in Samoa Boasted of American Support via Social Media
Authorities in Samoa have arrested a disinformation-peddling anti-vaccine “activist” local time amid a measles outbreak that has killed 62 people that experts said was spurred in part by social media. Samoa Observer identified Edwin Tamase
Truth or Fiction?→ Rep. Duncan Hunter’s Office Backtracks on ‘Transcript’ After Announcing Guilty Plea
On December 4 2019 —a day after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to misuse campaign funds — the office of Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-California) took responsibility for an oddly-scripted release that accompanied his interview with a local news outlet an
Truth or Fiction?→ Dyslexie Font
In November 2017, the Facebook page “Feminist Info” shared a screenshot describing a font called “Dyslexie,” designed for people with dyslexia: That screenshot read: The Dyslexie font Graphic designer Christian Boer
Truth or Fiction?→ Was Jeff Bezos’ $98 Million ‘Gift’ to Homeless the Equivalent of $45 to a Person Earning $50,000 Annually?
On November 23 2019 @EatTheRichPod shared the following tweet, referencing volumes of laudatory headlines about Amazon chief executive officer Jeff Bezos donating $98 million to homeless people — asserting that Bezos’ generosity was equivalen
FactCheck.org→ Unpacking Sanders’ ‘Climate Refugee’ Statistic
In the last Democratic debate, Sen. Bernie Sanders said that the United Nations is projecting “hundreds of millions of climate refugees” in the “years to come” as a result of climate change. The U.N., however, doesn’t currently endorse a part
Climate Feedback→ Ian Plimer op-ed in The Australian again presents long list of false claims about climate
SCIENTISTS’ FEEDBACK SUMMARY This op-ed in The Australian by Ian Plimer, titled “Let’s not pollute minds with carbon fears”, makes many claims: that polar ice is not melting, that human-caused CO2 emissions can’t cause clim
FactCheck.org→ Social Posts Distort Facts on Political Relationships
Quick Take Social media posts falsely claim that California Gov. Gavin Newsom is House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s nephew, and that Rep. Adam Schiff has a sister who is married to the son of George Soros. It also falsely states that a daughter of form
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson Did NOT Die at 47 After a Terrible Stunt Attempt Failed
Did actor Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson die aged 47 after a terrible stunt attempt failed? And was this reported by the BBC? No, that's not true: a gang of hoaxers from the Philipines is at it again with a technically sophisticated death hoax webs
Snopes→ Is This Photo of a Couple Wearing ‘Blacks for Trump’ Shirts Real?
Political causes sometimes bring seemingly unlikely constituencies together.
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Ears are Straight, Fawn is Great, Ears are Curled, Fawn is Alone in the World’ Wildlife Rescue Meme
In October 2019, the Facebook page “Wild Souls Wildlife Rescue and Rehab” shared a following meme advising people to leave fawns with straight ears alone, because “curled ears” are indicative that a young deer has been abando
Lead Stories→ Fake News: No Congressman Claimed Marijuana Makes White Women Horny For Black Men
Did a U.S. congressman claim that smoking marijuana makes white women want to have sex with black men? No, that's not true: Rep. Hakeem Jeffries did quote a federal official who made that claim nearly 90 years earlier when arguing for marijuan
Truth or Fiction?→ California Law Limiting Freelance Publication Options Could Face Legal Threat
A California law addressing the discrepancies between independent contractors and contracted workers could spur a legal challenge from journalists before it takes effect in January 2020. Under the new law, known as AB5, news outlets would face a cap i
Climate Feedback→ Telegraph article on climate change mixes accurate and unsupported, inaccurate claims, misleads with false balance
SCIENTISTS’ FEEDBACK SUMMARY This article in The Telegraph attempts to discuss the science of observed global warming and the factors responsible. However, mixed in with some accurate factual statements are claims that give readers the impress
FactCheck.org→ Trump’s Misguided Tweet on California Gasoline Prices
California’s proposed fuel efficiency standards for cars don’t have anything to do with the state having the highest gas prices in the country, but that’s what President Donald Trump suggested in a tweet. The state is pushing for high
Lead Stories→ Fake News: New Study Does NOT Say Many Cases Of ‘Dementia’ Are Actually Side Effects Of Prescription Drugs
Does a new medical study conclude that many cases of dementia are actually the side effects of prescription drugs? No, that's not true: A 2015 study did measure a higher rate of development of dementia in the elderly who take a certain class o
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘When We See Cancer in Pork, We Just Cut It Out And Still Sell It To Customers’ Claim
A February 2018 post (“An Experienced Butcher Admits: “When We See Cancer In The Pork, We Just Cut It And Still Sell It To Customers””) circulated widely on Facebook in October 2019, inspiring a fresh round of users vowing to never aga
Climate Feedback→ Letter signed by “500 scientists” relies on inaccurate claims about climate science
SCIENTISTS’ FEEDBACK SUMMARY This letter presenting a short list of claims about climate change boasts a list of “500 scientists and professionals” who have co-signed it. The claims contradict or misrepresent the evidence uncovered
Truth or Fiction?→ Spooky Season, Activated Charcoal in Food, and Medication
On September 19 2019, a Facebook user shared a warning (archived here) that urged fans of the “spooky season” to avoid foods colored with activated charcoal due to its purported ability to prevent your body from absorbing medications. Al
Lead Stories→ Fake News: OLD Study Said Smoking Marijuana Caused NON-Permanent ‘Complete Remission’ Of Crohn’s Disease, WITH Side Effects
Did a new study find smoking marijuana causes "complete remission" in patients with Crohn's disease and did it do all that without side effects? No, that's not exactly true: the "new" study dates back from 2013, it only compared 11 cannabis-sm
Truth or Fiction?→ Did the FBI Say Knives are Used in Five Times More Murders than Rifles?
On October 1 2019 , the website AmericanMilitaryNews.com shared a post headlined, “FBI stats show 5 times more murders by knives than rifles in 2018”: That was shared thousands of times in less than 24 hours. An additional item claim
Lead Stories→ Fake News: 570 Children Taken From Their Parents And Placed Into Foster Care In Los Angeles Were NOT Murdered In 2013
Were 570 children taken from their parents and placed into foster care in Los Angeles murdered in 2013? No, that's not true: The child protection advocate who is quoted in several articles citing the number told Lead Stories her source was a d
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Dad’s Ashes a Brick’ Post
In November 2018, a Facebook user shared a set of screenshots showing a separate post about finding post-cremation ashes in “brick” form: In the first few screenshots, the original poster poses a question to fellow users about the pu