On March 29 2023, two popular posts on Reddit referenced a conflict between Disney and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), part of broader discourse involving a “rule against perpetuities.” Background In April 2022, we published a fact check abo
Poynter→ Could GPT-4’s language capabilities exacerbate disinformation and threaten jobs?
The newest iteration of OpenAI’s generative chatbot, GPT-4, is heightening existential fears over misinformation, disinformation and job security. Its reasoning abilities are purportedly better than ChatGPT, with OpenAI pointing to […] The post
The Dispatch→ Fact Check: Social Media Posts Misidentify Nashville Shooter
The Covenant School campus, in Nashville, Tennessee, March 28, 2023. (Photo by Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images) Social media posts are circulating online that falsely identify the perpetrator of a deadly elementary school shooting in Nashville on M
PolitiFact→ Ask PolitiFact: Is Hakeem Jeffries right about the GOP’s stance on book-banning?
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said ”extreme MAGA Republicans want to ban books” on the Holocaust, Martin Luther King Jr., the LGBTQ journey, “Roberto Clemente and baseball" and the Native American experience in the U.S. He can point to
Full Fact→ Gorillas’ diet doesn’t mean protein does not exist
A video on social media falsely claims that protein doesn’t exist, based on the idea that a gorilla’s diet doesn’t include any. But gorillas do eat a large amount of this essential nutrient.
PolitiFact→ Instagram posts – Biden’s 2020 remarks mischaracterized in video excerpt with wrong subtitles
Video shows President Joe Biden talking about what “stable Jesus” said about airports.
PolitiFact→ Brandon Creighton – Texas lawmaker says 30 states have education savings accounts. Is that true?
When discussing education savings accounts, "We would be 31st in the nation to have these policies going forward on behalf of kids.”
Full Fact→ Photo of Suella Braverman looking at model Auschwitz is digitally altered
An edited picture of the home secretary’s recent trip to Rwanda has been shared hundreds of times.
Full Fact→ Are GP numbers rising or falling?
Earlier this month the PM claimed there are now a “record number” of GPs, while the Liberal Democrats say the number’s down since the last election.
Logically→ A fake tweet falsely claimed the father of a murdered girl in Tennessee vowed to fight “trans evil”
Logically→ Mercury is poisonous and cannot be used for anti-gravitational technology
PolitiFact→ Facebook posts – Photo shows nonviolent protester in Oklahoma City, not Nashville, Tennessee, school shooter
Photo of person holding sign shows the shooter who killed six people at a Nashville, Tennessee, school.
Full Fact→ Video showing President Biden distracted by ice-cream van has been edited
A modified video circulating on social media appears to show President Biden getting distracted by an ice-cream van during a speech by the first lady.
AllSides→ Old Hoax Shows Up in Posts About Nashville School Shooter
https://www.factcheck.org/2023/03/old-hoax-shows-up-in-posts-about-nashville-school-shooter/ False clai
Full Fact→ Do any European countries send asylum seekers to Rwanda?
Claims that Denmark and other EU countries do so are missing context.
PolitiFact→ Mike Pence – U.S. national debt is as big as the economy, but it has been for a while
“We have a national debt the size of our nation’s economy for the first time since World War II.”
Health Feedback→ COVID-19 vaccines don’t cause miscarriages or stillbirths contrary to misleading interpretations of VAERS data
REVIEW Vaccine misinformation founded on misleading presentations of data from adverse event databases are still going strong on social media. One example of this is a graph posted by Instagram users in March 2023, depicting a sharp increase in misc
Poynter→ Gun violence has surpassed car accidents as the leading cause of death for people ages 1 to 19
A woman who survived a mass shooting in Highland Park, Illinois, in 2022 made a passionate plea for gun safety legislation in front of TV cameras after a mass school […] The post Gun violence has surpassed car accidents as the leading cause of de
The Dispatch→ United States Looks to Counter China in Africa
Vice President Kamala Harris delivers a speech at the Kotoka International Airport on March 26, 2023. (Photo by Ernest Ankomah/Getty Images)Plus: It’s Opening Day! ⚾Continue reading United States Looks to Counter China in Africa »
Logically→ The Nashville school shooter has been falsely identified as Samantha Hyde on social media.
Health Feedback→ Scientific evidence shows that COVID-19 vaccines don’t increase the risk of heart attacks, contrary to Russell Brand video
REVIEW On 27 February 2023, comedian Russell Brand published a YouTube video about a new study reporting a rise in heart attacks in young people. In the video, Brand took aim at a CBS News interview discussing the study. In the fashion of “just as
Washington Post→ The data is clear: There is no ‘clear epidemic’ of transgender mass shooters
Donald Trump Jr. and other conservative commentators are rushing to make assumptions without checking the facts.
The Dispatch→ Undercooked
Defending various amendments. Continue reading Undercooked »
The Dispatch→ Sarah VS Serial
Your motivations are insufficiently economical. Continue reading Sarah VS Serial »
The Dispatch→ Ford’s China Problem
The logo of the Ford Motor Company is displayed on the front grille of an electric Ford Transit being charged. (Photo by Matt Cardy/Getty Images)Worries arise over a Chinese company’s involvement in an American automotive factory.Continue reading For
The Dispatch→ The House GOP’s Hunter Biden Investigation, Explained
President Joe Biden waves alongside his son Hunter Biden in August 2022. (Photo by NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP via Getty Images)Republicans have obtained evidence of suspicious payments and pledge to keep looking for more.Continue reading The House GOP’s Hunte
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Scotiabank Is NOT Transitioning To Digital Bank Accounts As Of March 29, 2023
Did Scotiabank, one of the largest banking corporations in Canada, announce in an online article and on a store sign that it is currently closed so that it can convert "all banking accounts to digital bank accounts" by April 1, 2023? No,
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Russian Missile Strikes On Ukraine In March 2023 NOT A Hoax
Does a social media video prove that reported Russian missile strikes on Ukraine didn't take place or were staged? No, that's not true: The video, which alternates between images of Independence Square in the capital Kyiv and BBC televisi
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Nashville TV Station Did NOT Tweet That Father Vowed ‘An End To Tolerance’ of ‘Trans Evil’ After Covenant Shooting
Did Tennessee TV news station WSMV 4 Nashville tweet that a father vowed an "end to tolerance" of "trans evil" in response to the March 27, 2023, Covenant School mass shooting that killed six people? No, that's not true: The broadcast sta
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Rubbing Hands, Fingers Together Will NOT Cause You To Lose Weight
Will rubbing your hands and fingers together every morning cause you to lose weight? No, that's not true: There is no evidence that such a practice will contribute to weight loss. The claim appeared in a video (archived here) posted to Ti
PolitiFact→ Facebook posts – No, a great white shark was not beached in North Carolina, image is fake
Images show a great white shark on the beach in North Carolina.
The Dispatch→ Nationalism and Patriotism
Supporters cheer ahead of Donald Trump's speech at the Waco Regional Airport on March 25, 2023, in Waco, Texas. (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images)Thoughts on America’s bipartisan malaise. Continue reading Nationalism and Patriotism »
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: There Is NO Zombie Virus In China — Video Shows Event Organized By Transit Service
Did a virus that turns its host into a zombie get released in China? No, that's not true: This video shows an event put on by the Jakarta Light Rail Transit and an event organizer in Indonesia. Multiple videos on social media also prove t
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: NO Substantive Evidence That Underwire Bras Cause Breast Cancer
Do bras made of unnatural fibers or those that contain underwire cause breast cancer? No, that's not true: Experts agree that there is no substantive or reliable scientific evidence that wearing underwire bras or those made of unnatural f
The Dispatch→ Donald Trump, Nietzsche, and TikTok
Former President Donald Trump speaks during a rally at the Waco Regional Airport on March 25, 2023, in Waco, Texas. (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images)A very bloggy G-File.Continue reading Donald Trump, Nietzsche, and TikTok »
PolitiFact→ Instagram posts – Video doesn’t show a zombie virus outbreak in China
Video shows zombie virus outbreak in China.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Photo Does NOT Show Nashville School Shooter
Does this photo show the Nashville school shooter Audrey Hale holding a protest sign that says, "TRANS RIGHTS ...OR ELSE?" with a graphic of five long guns in the colors of the trans flag stripes? No, that's not true: This photo was taken
Truth or Fiction?→ FDA Approves Narcan for Over-The-Counter Sales
On March 29 2023, a popular post to Reddit’s r/UpliftingNews and a viral tweet both reported that the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had approved over-the-counter sales of Narcan: Today, the US FDA approved Narcan (naloxone) n
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Stormy Daniels ‘Bombshell Letter’ NOT New — Released In 2018, She Immediately Disavowed It
Does a "bombshell letter from Stormy Daniels debunk" Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's pursuit of potential criminal charges against former President Donald Trump? No, that's not true: The statement circulating on social media in
PolitiFact→ Instagram posts – Evidence does not show Barack Obama had a boyfriend or paid ‘hush money’
A photo shows former President Barack Obama’s “old boyfriend,” to whom he paid “hush money.”