Summary We found several false and misleading claims in the October Democratic presidential debate: Former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro claimed that the most recent jobs data show that “Ohio, Michigan and Pennsylvania &
Search Results (2792) for: percent
Truth or Fiction?→ Was $6 an Hour in 1980 Equivalent to More Than $18 Today?
In October 2019, the following image (essentially a “Boomers vs. Millennials” debate) appeared, claiming that a $6 wage in 1980 was equivalent to $18.73 in January 2017: An apparent Tumblr screenshot began: my internship boss was
Truth or Fiction?→ Do Four in Ten Cancer Patients Really Lose Their Life Savings?
An October 11 2019 Imgur repost of a Bernie Sanders tweet appeared alongside the caption “this is how you know he would fight for the people if he is elected our president”: That tweet read: It’s not coincidental that the top health
FactCheck.org→ Trump’s Numbers October 2019 Update
Summary Since President Donald Trump took office: The economy added 6 million jobs, and the unemployment rate dropped to the lowest level in nearly 50 years. Economic growth fell far short of the annual 4% to 6% Trump promised. The most recent rate is
FactCheck.org→ Trump’s False Tweets on Syria
After announcing a withdrawal of U.S. troops in Syria at the border with Turkey, President Donald Trump tweeted incorrect statements about the conflict. On Oct. 7, Trump claimed the United States’ involvement in Syria was originally supposed to l
Truth or Fiction?→ Was a Toddler Subjected to Months of Abuse Because of a ‘Cookie’ Analogy?
In September 2019, a Facebook user shared an image and a harrowing story about the purported sexual abuse of a toddler that went unreported for months because the young girl supposedly was not taught anatomically correct words: Alongside a photograph
Lead Stories→ Fake News: 12,000 Doctors Did NOT Just Urge the FDA to Put Cancer Warnings on Cheese
Did 12,000 doctors urge the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to put cancer warnings on cheese? No, that's not true: The vegan advocacy group Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) filed a petition asking the FDA to put a warning
Truth or Fiction?→ Does a Facebook ‘Default Setting’ Sign Users Up for Recurring Donations?
As we have said many times, any Facebook post that begins with a variation of “copied from a friend” should raise suspicions. Despite this, users of the social media platform continue to do their part to spread misinformation and disinform
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Big Pharma CEO Did NOT Say "We’re in Business of Shareholder Profit, Not Helping The Sick"
Did a "Big Pharma" CEO say "We're in Business of Shareholder Profit, Not Helping The Sick"? No, that's not true: a partisan website published an article in 2016 with a headline making that claim but the quote in the headline appears to be enti
Truth or Fiction?→ If You Made $5,000 a Day Starting in 1492, Would You Still Have Less Money Than Jeff Bezos?
On October 7 2019, a screenshot of a tweet began circulating across the internet. It read: If you worked every single day, making $5000/day, from the time Columbus sailed to America, to the time you are reading this tweet, you would still not be a bi
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Joe Biden Did NOT Call Trump Supporters the ‘Dregs Of Society’
Did Joe Biden call Trump supporters the "dregs of society"? No, that's not true: The former vice president referred to "forces of intolerance" who "remain determined to undermine and roll back the progress" as the "dregs of society" in a speec
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
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
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?→ Elizabeth Warren Accused of Claiming to be Cherokee and Plagiarizing Recipes in ‘Pow Wow Chow’
On September 26 2019, a social media user tweeted out screenshots and text accusing Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Massachusetts) of claiming Cherokee heritage and plagiarizing recipes from the New York Times: Elizabeth Warren not only claimed to be &qu
Lead Stories→ Fake News: No Study Says Vitamin D Is More Effective Than Flu Vaccine
Did a scientific study conclude that vitamin D supplements are more effective than flu vaccines in preventing influenza? No, that's not true: Stories making the claim cite reviews and studies that concluded there are significant benefits from
Truth or Fiction?→ Is This a Photograph of Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee’s Congressional District?
An also-ran right-wing candidate in New Jersey generated attention for himself online in September 2019 by spreading an online smear targeting a Democratic Party lawmaker. Joseph Rullo’s Facebook post, which was shared more than 6,800 times, sho
Lead Stories→ Old News: "Obama is the Worst President Since World War II", Poll Said… Years Before Trump Got Elected
Did a Quinnipiac poll say more Americans thought Barack Obama was the worst president since World War II compared to other presidents? Yes, it did... in 2014, years before Donald Trump got elected and well before Trump snatched that title away
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Illegal Immigrants Do NOT Get 43% Of All Food Stamps, 95% of Los Angeles Murder Warrants, 66% Of California Births, 60% Of HUD Housing
Do illegal immigrants get 43 percent of all food stamp benefits and are they suspects in 95 percent of all Los Angeles murders? Are 41 percent of them on welfare and are 66 percent of all births in California to undocumented mothers who get fr
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Democrats Did NOT Gain A Seat In Congress For Every 770,000 Illegals Who Filled Out The 2010 U.S. Census In A Sanctuary City Or State
Did Democrats gain a congressional seat for every 770,000 illegal immigrants counted in a sanctuary city or state by the 2010 U.S. census? No, that's not true: It is a claim based on bad math, ignoring election history, demographic trends show
Truth or Fiction?→ Causes of Death Per Day and Rifles Meme
In September 2019, a number of memes about “causes of death” per day or per year in the United States circulated, largely as discourse surrounding purported retailer “bans” (but really, discontinuation of sales) of rifles. One
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Robin Williams Cheer Up a Paralyzed Christopher Reeve by Pretending to be a Proctologist?
In September 2019, the Facebook page “Clips of Our Past” shared the following meme, which presented an anecdote about Superman actor Christopher Reeve and purported actions taken by friend and fellow actor and comedian Robin Williams to
FactCheck.org→ Is Right to Try Saving a ‘Lot of People’?
President Donald Trump last year signed a bill — the Right to Try Act — that provided another avenue for terminally ill patients to gain access to unapproved medications still in development. But there’s no evidence that the new law i
Truth or Fiction?→ Do These Photographs Accurately Contrast Birmingham in 1940 with Birmingham in 2017?
In September 2019, the following image circulated on Facebook and other social media platforms, purportedly contrasting Birmingham, England in 1940 with Birmingham, England in 2017: At the top was a black and white image of what appeared to be soldie
Truth or Fiction?→ Did ‘Upper Case’ and ‘Lower Case’ Originally Refer to Where Printers Kept Their Letters?
On September 12 2019, Twitter user Benjamin Molineaux shared the following tweet and image, suggesting that the common terms “uppercase” and “lowercase” originated with the standard physical storage of typesetting equipment:
FactCheck.org→ FactChecking the September Democratic Debate
Summary The false and exaggerated claims in the third Democratic debate included: Former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro accused former Vice President Joe Biden of “forgetting what you said two minutes ago” on Biden’s hea
Truth or Fiction?→ Did North Carolina’s GOP Trick Democrats into Attending a 9/11 Memorial, Then Pass an Unpopular Healthcare Bill?
On September 11 2019, a Facebook user shared the following post (archived here), which claimed in a three-part commentary that North Carolina Republicans used the anniversary of 9/11 to “trick” Democrats into missing a last-minute vote: &
Lead Stories→ Fake News: ADHD Is NOT A FAKE Disease Invented By Big Pharma To Drug Children For Profit
Is ADHD is a fake disease invented by Big Pharma to drug children for profit? No, that's not true: While there may be examples of misdiagnoses of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, scientific evidence shows it is real and that many pati
Truth or Fiction?→ Was a Canadian Man ‘Euthanized’ After Not Receiving Enough Home Care Funding?
A 41-year-old Canadian man’s choice to undergo assisted suicide in August 2019 was used as blog fodder by an anti-abortion group based out of England. Sean Tagert first drew media coverage in September 2018, when he spoke to the Canadian Broadca
PolitiFact→ The latest on US health insurance coverage, income and poverty
New numbers from the U.S. Census Bureau show an uptick in Americans who are uninsured but modest progress on poverty and income — handing Democrats and Republicans data for talking points. Overall, the percentage of Americans lacking health
FactCheck.org→ Buttigieg Wrong About Climate Change’s Effect on Oceans
In making his case for taking swift action on climate change, Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg inaccurately said that “we could lose half the world’s oxygen because of what’s going on in the oceans.” Scientists say that
Truth or Fiction?→ Are School Bus Stops Now More Dangerous Because of an All-Time High in Human Trafficking?
A back-to-school themed Facebook warning shared on September 5 2019 (archived here) declared that all school-age children must avoid all school bus stops because of an increased threat of human trafficking: Against a pastel background, black text d
FactCheck.org→ Deceptive Second Amendment Ads
Ads posted on Facebook from a committee working to reelect President Donald Trump claim that Democrats are calling for the Second Amendment to be repealed. To support the claim, the Trump campaign pointed to statements by a few state lawmakers and one
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’s False ‘Facts’ on the Environment
Just as CNN was beginning its climate town hall event, President Donald Trump tweeted a list of “8 facts” boasting of the nation’s air quality and carbon emissions reductions. Several of his “facts,” however, are inaccurate or
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?→ ‘10,874 People Killed by Drunk Drivers in 2017, 403 by Rifles but Walmart Stops Selling Rifles’ Meme
On September 3 2019, the Facebook page “Life’s Short Live Free” shared the following meme commentary (archived here), discussing Walmart discontinuing the sale of some firearms: Black text against a purple background contr
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
Truth or Fiction?→ Has ICE Refused to Deport Undocumented White Immigrants?
While the majority of attention on deportations by the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency has centered around their actions against immigrants from Latin American countries, it is inaccurate to say that the agency does not
FactCheck.org→ Amazon Doesn’t Produce 20% of Earth’s Oxygen
Q: Does the Amazon produce 20% of the world’s oxygen? A: No. Scientists estimate the percentage is closer to 6 to 9%, and the Amazon ultimately consumes nearly all of that oxygen itself. FULL QUESTION Does the Amazon Rainforest truly produce 20%