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
Search Results (1905) for: causes
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
FactCheck.org→ Doctored Photo Places Thunberg, Soros Together
Quick Take A photo was manipulated to show young climate activist Greta Thunberg with philanthropist George Soros, who is known for funding progressive causes. The original image was of Thunberg and former vice president Al Gore. Full Story Young c
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Flu Vaccine Does NOT Contain 25,000 Times More Mercury Than Legally Allowed In Drinking Water
Do flu vaccines contain 25,000 times more mercury than is legally allowed in drinking water? No, that's not true: Some flu vaccines do contain a trace amount of the organic compound Thimerosal, whch is 50-percent mercury. Thimerosal, used as a
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Trump Is Now Trying To Get Mike Pence Impeached’ Claim
On September 25 2019, Politicus USA published an article headlined, “Trump Is Now Trying To Get Mike Pence Impeached,” claiming in part: During a press conference, Trump said that if he is going to be investigated, Vice President Pence’s
Truth or Fiction?→ Did a Teenager Sexually Stimulate Himself 56 Times Straight Before Dying of a Heart Attack?
In September 2019, a number of people tweeted an apparent news article headlined: “Teen Masturbated 56 Times Straight Before Dying of Heart Attack”: So the limit is 55.https://t.co/6dhCnh6tSj — Nathorix (@Nathorix) September 23, 20
Truth or Fiction?→ Ash Soto and her Vitiligo Body Art
In late 2016, the story of Ash Soto’s story and how she lives with vitiligo spread across social media. Years later, readers continue to highlight her approach to empowering people who, like her, live with the condition in which cells stop produ
FactCheck.org→ Trump’s History of Hurricane Relief Donations
Q: Did President Donald Trump donate $1 million to hurricane relief efforts in the Bahamas? A: Despite social media claims to the contrary, there is no evidence of such a donation. He did, however, donate to relief efforts in 2017 after Hurricane Harv
Truth or Fiction?→ Are ‘School Shooting Hoodies’ With Faux Bullet Holes Real?
In September 2019 a Facebook user shared the following screenshots (archived here) of a since-deleted tweet, depicting three hoodies (Virginia Tech, Columbine, and Sandy Hook) and a comment — “Ok, this is a NEED”: A link to the orig
Truth or Fiction?→ Dear ‘Ban Gun’ Teenagers, 11 Teens Die a Day from Texting and Driving
Facebook status memes about guns in general consistently appear in the now nearly constant wake of mass shootings, but a February 2018 iteration (archived here) aimed at “‘ban gun’ teenagers” puts forth an insincere argument
FactCheck.org→ Trump Doubles Down on Inaccurate Hurricane Forecast
President Donald Trump inaccurately stated in his Sept. 1 tweet that Alabama “will most likely be hit” by Hurricane Dorian — a statement that was fact-checked in real time by the National Weather Service. Despite that, Trump has now t
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘There are 30,000 Gun Related Deaths Per Year by Firearms’
In August 2019, a Facebook post about the United States’ purported 30,000 gun deaths per year circulated, typically copied and pasted into individual posts which themselves were each shared a handful of times. One particular version coupled with
Lead Stories→ Fake News: NASA Does NOT Admit Climate Change Occurs Because Of Changes In Earth’s Solar Orbit, Not Because Of SUVs And Fossil Fuels
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
Climate Feedback→ Washington Examiner op-ed cherry-picks data to mislead readers about climate models
SCIENTISTS’ FEEDBACK SUMMARY This op-ed article published by The Washington Examiner (and republished by Zero Hedge) claims to provide evidence that climate models are not valid scientific tools able to inform decisions about climate change by
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Trump Share a Logo Identical to One Used by a White Nationalist Group?
While it denies any links to white nationalists, President Donald Trump’s re-election campaign spread a logo first used by a white supremacist group on August 28, 2019. The logo — a red and white lion’s head inside a blue band adorned wi
Truth or Fiction?→ Was Dictator Joseph Stalin Once a Hip, Young Democratic Socialist?
A meme claiming that Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin was once a hip, young atheist and a Democratic Socialist appeared on Facebook (archived here) in August 2019. Beneath a black-and-white photograph of an arguably handsome young man, text read: Josef
FactCheck.org→ Williamson Misleads on Children’s Health, Vaccines
In a July 31 television interview, Democratic presidential candidate Marianne Williamson inaccurately implied there might be a connection between vaccines and higher reported rates of childhood chronic diseases. Williamson is correct that reported rate
FactCheck.org→ Judge in Civil Epstein Case Died in March
Quick Take Robert Sweet, a federal judge who was overseeing a civil case against Jeffrey Epstein, was not “killed,” as a headline claims, nor did he die in August, as other recently published stories suggest. Sweet died of natural causes in
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
Snopes→ Pelosi: Immigration Reform is Congress’ Moral Responsibility
Pelosi traveled to Central America with a congressional delegation to explore the causes of immigration and possible solutions.
Lead Stories→ Fake News: NO Report: ‘Camera Malfunction’ In Epstein’s Prison Cell Prevented Recording Of His Alleged Suicide
Is there a report that a "camera malfunction" in Jeffrey Epstein's prison cell prevented recording of his alleged suicide? No, that's not true: There were no media reports that a camera monitoring Epstein's cell area malfunctioned in the hours
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
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Last Year Guns Killed’ Protest Sign
A November 2018 Facebook post about purported gun deaths “last year” (in this case, 2017) circulated in the aftermath of two back-to-back deadly mass shootings in early August 2019 (post archived here): A sign held up at an unnamed eve
Snopes→ Was Dayton Mass Shooter a Self-Described ‘Pro-Satan Leftist Who Supported Elizabeth Warren’?
The accused Dayton gunman promoted several progressive causes and candidates.
Truth or Fiction?→ Is Donald Trump Deleting Anti-Immigrant Tweets?
As several mass shootings within just days of one another left the United States reeling, the ideologies of the shooters began to come under scrutiny for possible ties to sites that specialize in radicalizing disaffected young men into violent white
Lead Stories→ Fake News: World-First Pill May NOT Stop Parkinson’s
Does a new pill therapy stop Parkinson's Disease "in its tracks"? No, that's not true: News reports claiming "stunning results" in animal testing that promises to halt the death of brain cells with "a single pill each day" is sensational hype
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
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