Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin in Moscow on March 25, 2023. (Photo by Gavriil Grigorov/ Sputnik/AFP/Getty Images)Vladimir Putin is trying to manipulate the West by deploying weapons to Belarus.Continue reading Grasping at Nuclear Straw
PolitiFact→ Facebook posts – Did Trump release a ‘bombshell’? No, Stormy Daniels quickly recanted this 2018 letter
“Trump just shared a bombshell letter from Stormy Daniels debunking DA Bragg's case.”
PolitiFact→ TikTok posts – Alvin Bragg didn’t say he would drop charges against Donald Trump; this video’s a deepfake
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg announced that his office “has decided to drop all charges against Donald Trump.”
PolitiFact→ Facebook posts – No, this photo doesn’t show a John Fetterman body double. Here’s why.
Photo shows Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman has a body double.
PolitiFact→ Facebook posts – Video of robot attacking people is computer-generated parody. 29 people did not die
“At a top robotics company in Japan this week, four robots being developed for military applications killed 29 humans in the lab.”
The Dispatch→ You Say You Want a Revolution
Former US President Donald Trump speaks during a 2024 election campaign rally in Waco, Texas, March 25, 2023. (Photo by Suzanne Cordeiro/AFP/Getty Images)The Republican primary features two models of disruption. Continue reading You Say You Want a Revo
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: ‘Samantha Hyde’ Was NOT Identified As Suspected Shooter In Nashville — It’s Another ‘Sam Hyde Is The Shooter’ Hoax
Was "Samantha Hyde" positively identified as the suspected shooter in the Nashville Covenant School shooting? No, that's not true: According to local police, it was Audrey Elizabeth Hale. Posts on social media were based on a long-running
Truth or Fiction?→ Is Ohio State University Advising Students Against Voting in Person on Election Day for Reasons Related to Financial Aid?
On March 27 2023, journalist Sam Levine tweeted about Ohio State University’s purported warning to students about “voting in person on election day” and their financial aid packages: Wow — Ohio State University is advising stu
Full Fact→ No evidence Covid-19 vaccines have killed thousands of children
An Instagram post wrongly claims that no “healthy” children have died from Covid-19, and that the vaccines have killed thousands.
Truth or Fiction?→ Sun Tzu ‘Rule Over Ashes’ Quote
On March 25 2023, Facebook page “The Other 98%” shared a quote attributed to Sun Tzu; several individual Facebook users followed suit with various iterations of the phrase and attribution: An evil man will burn his own nation to the ground
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Grindr Did NOT Threaten To ‘Reveal Every Republican Legislator And Party Official Who Secretly Uses’ The LGBTQ+ Dating App
Did the LGBTQ+-focused dating app Grindr threaten to "reveal every Republican legislator and party official who secretly uses" it, if "Florida doesn't stop passing homophobic and transphobic laws"? No, that's not true: The original wordin
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: The World Economic Forum Did NOT Say ‘It’s Time to Legalize Sex And Marriage With Animals To Promote Inclusion’
Did the World Economic Forum suggest that governments decriminalize bestiality? No, that's not true: The claim came from a story that used a fake screenshot of a non-existent article. No credible source published reports confirming that t
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: ‘Pope Drip’ Image Is NOT Real — Photo of Pope Francis In White Puffer Coat Is An AI Creation
Did Pope Francis appear walking on the street wearing a high-fashion white puffer coat? No, that's not true: This image is one of a series of four AI-generated images which were posted on the subreddit forum r/midjourney, "an official sub
PolitiFact→ US versus China: Which nation is doing more to address climate change?
Polls and U.S. politicians say China isn’t doing its fair share to combat climate change. Here’s how efforts by the U.S. and China, the world’s largest CO2 emitters, compare.
Full Fact→ Viral pictures of Pope Francis wearing puffer jacket are AI-generated
The apparent pictures of Pope Francis have been shared tens of thousands of times.
Full Fact→ Covid-19 is not a ‘simple flu’
A Facebook post calling for an investigation into the Covid-19 pandemic falsely claims the government “knew” the virus was a “simple flu”.
The Dispatch→ Deities and Demigods
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg leaves his office as the grand jury continues to hear evidence against former President Donald Trump on March 22, 2023, in New York City. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)The Manhattan district attorney tries t
The Dispatch→ Will Donald Trump’s Attacks Sink Ron DeSantis?
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks to Iowa voters on March 10, 2023. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)Plus: Two Democratic visions for Chicago’s future meet in next week’s mayoral runoff. Continue reading Will Donald Trump’s Attacks Sink Ron De
Logically→ No, Punjab Police didn’t release a photo of Amritpal Singh Sandhu with long hair
Full Fact→ Emergency alert won’t ‘access personal data’
False claims about the emergency alert the government is testing in April are spreading online.
The Dispatch→ House Passes Parental Rights Bill
Students in a classroom. (Via Getty Images)Plus: A March Madness update after an exciting weekend of games. 🏀☘️Continue reading House Passes Parental Rights Bill »
Poynter→ Trump said violent crime in Manhattan is ’now at a record level.’ It’s nowhere near record.
As he awaits a possible indictment in New York City, former President Donald Trump has taken to his social media platform, Truth Social, to preemptively criticize Manhattan District Attorney Alvin […] The post Trump said violent crime in Manhatta
The Dispatch→ It’s Time to Krauthammer the Curriculum
Students on the William & Mary campus, October 25, 2021, in Williamsburg, Virginia. (Photo by Julia Rendleman/Washington Post/Getty Images)One solution for fixing the anti-intellectualism of the nationalist right.Continue reading It’s Time to Kra
The Dispatch→ Refugee Admissions Still Slumping Under Biden
A group of migrant families from Central America walk alongside the border wall between the U.S. and Mexico in January 2023. (Photo by Salwan Georges/The Washington Post via Getty Images)Lawmakers and advocates lament historically low numbers, despite
The Dispatch→ Our Best Stuff on Donald Trump, Joe Exotic, and the Xi-Putin Summit
Former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters on March 4, 2023, in National Harbor, Maryland. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)Plus: Deepfakes are here and it’s going to get crazy.Continue reading Our Best Stuff on Donald Trump, Joe E
PolitiFact→ Fact-checking Trump’s false and misleading claims in Waco, Texas, rally
In a rally in Waco, Texas, Donald Trump repeated false and misleading statements about his presidential record, the 2020 election and the Green New Deal.
The Dispatch→ Two New Members Only Podcast Episodes Available Now
The latest episodes of The Dispatch Book Club and High Steaks are out now.Continue reading Two New Members Only Podcast Episodes Available Now »
The Dispatch→ Socrates and Xi Jinping Go Into a Bar
A review of ‘Plato Goes to China: The Greek Classics and Chinese Nationalism.’Continue reading Socrates and Xi Jinping Go Into a Bar »
The Dispatch→ Protecting the King
('Agent Elvis' image courtesy of Netflix © 2023.)A review of Netflix’s ‘Agent Elvis.’Continue reading Protecting the King »
The Dispatch→ Willem Dafoe’s Creative Destruction
‘Inside’ is an intriguing film that lacks thematic depth.Continue reading Willem Dafoe’s Creative Destruction »
The Dispatch→ A Man for All Treasons
Release the socks.Continue reading A Man for All Treasons »
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Trump Did NOT Receive A Full-Grade Military And Constitutionally Regulated Inauguration Ceremony On January 20, 2021
Did the military sendoff for Donald Trump on January 20, 2021, and Air Force One's departure at nearly noon that day mean that Trump actually was inaugurated for a second term as president of the United States? No, that's not true: The of
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Pictures of Fauci Arrest Are NOT Real Photos But AI-Generated Images
Do images circulating on social media show press photos of Anthony Fauci under arrest and in police custody? No, that's not true: Fauci, the former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, has not been arrest
Truth or Fiction?→ A Recent History of George Soros Conspiracy Theories
If you have spent any time on the internet since 2016 — and who hasn’t? — you’ll be familiar with right wing bugbear George Soros, an extremely rich philanthropist who donates generously to liberal and progressive causes, and i
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: These Photos Do NOT Disprove Rising Sea Levels In New York Between 1898 And 2017
Do the photos in a post that purportedly depict the Statue of Liberty in 1898 and 2017 prove that sea levels aren't rising? No, that's not true: Without detailed information about tides and sea conditions at the moment each photo was take
FactCheck.org→ Stormy Daniels Said 2018 Letter Denying She Had Sex With Trump Is a ‘Lie’
Quick Take Porn actor Stormy Daniels maintains that she had sex with Donald Trump in 2006. Daniels said a letter she signed under pressure in 2018, claiming the affair “never happened,” was a “lie.” But some conservatives ar
FactCheck.org→ Memes Make False Equivalence Between Clinton, Trump and Payments to Women
Quick Take Former President Bill Clinton settled a sexual harassment lawsuit with Paula Jones in a case that was a matter of public record. Former President Donald Trump made a secret payment to porn actor Stormy Dan
Truth or Fiction?→ Donald Trump Holds Rally in Waco, 30 Years After Waco Siege
On March 24 2023, an Imgur account shared a tweet about former United States President Donald Trump staging a rally in Waco, Texas, from his niece Mary Trump: Donald has a rally in Waco this Saturday [March 25 2023]. It’s a ploy to remind his cu
FactCheck.org→ Q&A on Grand Jury Investigation of Trump in New York
The week came and went and former President Donald Trump was not charged with a crime by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg, as Trump had predicted. But a grand jury in Manhattan is expected to reconvene on March 27 and continue its work on
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Child Protective Services Is NOT A ‘For-Profit Corporation’ Without Jurisdiction Or Authority
Is Child Protective Services a "for-profit corporation" that has no legal power to make demands or exercise authority "over you and your children"? No, that's not true: No public Child Protective Services (CPS) agency is registered in the