On March 26 2020, a number of social media posts involved a woman in Pennsylvania who allegedly “coughed” on $35,000 worth of food — forcing a Gerrity’s store to discard all of the items: “Grocery store Gerrity’s Supermar
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Truth or Fiction?→ Is Amazon Seeking Public Donations to Fund Sick Leave During the COVID-19 Pandemic?
On March 24 2020, journalist Judd Legum published a tweet claiming that as the COVID-19 pandemic began ramping up in the United States, Amazon.com (owned by Jeff Bezos) requested public donations in order to pay for employees’ sick leave: 1.
FactCheck.org→ False Claim of Congressional Pay Raises in Stimulus Bill
Quick Take Facebook posts falsely claim that House Democrats included $25 million to boost their own salaries in their proposal for the coronavirus-related stimulus package. That funding is not for legislators’ pay increases; it’s also in t
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘I Wonder Why the Cameraman Didn’t Need Protective Clothing?’ Facebook Post
On March 19 2020, the following meme (“I wonder why the cameraman didn’t need protective clothing”) was shared to Facebook: A still photograph included the wording about the cameraman lacking any personal protective equipme
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Device In Video Did NOT Accurately Measure "Insane" 5G Radiation Levels
Did a device in a YouTube video accurately measure so-called "insane" radiofrequency radiation (RFR) levels coming from a nearby 5G tower? No, it did not: The video claimed that a handheld device showed radiation levels near a 5G tower in Aust
FactCheck.org→ Posts Distort Facts on Coronavirus Air Transmission, Masks
Quick Take Facebook posts make the unsubstantiated suggestion that the novel coronavirus is infectious in the air for “8 hrs,” and falsely claim that “everyone is required to wear mask everywhere!” There is also no requirement for healthy peopl
FactCheck.org→ Correcting Trump’s Press Conference Misinformation
President Donald Trump has been holding daily press conferences to provide the latest information about the coronavirus from the federal government, but his rhetoric has sometimes been imprecise, misleading or outright incorrect. Here are three recent
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Boiled Orange Peels With Cayenne Pepper Are NOT Effective Treatment For Coronavirus
Will boiling orange peels with cayenne pepper help treat or prevent the novel coronavirus? No, that's not true: There's currently no cure or vaccine for COVID-19, and several home remedies circulating on the Internet are bogus. There is no sci
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Russia’s Putin Did NOT Release 500 Lions To Keep People Indoors Amid Coronavirus
Did Russian President Vladimir Putin release 500 lions onto the streets of that country to keep people indoors amid the coronavirus outbreak? No, that's not true: The screen grab of a news report claiming that Putin released lions is four year
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Black People Are NOT Immune To The Dangers Of Coronavirus
Are black people more resistant to COVID-19 and not susceptible to death from the virus? No, that's not true: News reports and social media posts from those who've contracted the virus, not to mention official documentation gathered by the Wor
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: 60 Democrats Did NOT Vote Against Coronavirus Stimulus Bill
Did 60 Senate Democrats vote against a coronavirus stimulus bill, meaning nobody is getting checks? No, that's not true: For one thing, there are not 60 Democrats in the U.S. Senate. Second, the Democrats voted on March 22, 2020, against a key
Truth or Fiction?→ Did a Florida County Official Promote a Bogus Right-Wing COVID-19 ‘Cure’?
A member of a small county commission in Florida became an online laughingstock after video spread of him endorsing a widely-debunked cure for COVID-19 (a.k.a. the “coronavirus”) by a right-wing “news” outlet to his colleagues.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Photos Do NOT Show People Falling Dead Of COVID-19 On Italy’s Streets
Does a photo of hundreds of people lying on the street acurrately depict the dire situation in Italy due to the coronavirus? No, this is not the case: The picture claiming to show people dead and ill splayed on a the street in Italy - and as a
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Coronavirus Test DOES Require Swab To Be Inserted Clear Through Nasal Passage
Do physicians and other medical workers need to insert a swab through the nasal passage to the top of the throat of possible patients to test for COVID-19, or the novel coronavirus. Yes, that's true: A meme on social media illustrating the tes
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Sky News Video About Coronavirus Victims In Italian Hospital Did NOT Get Taken Down
Did a video from the British broadcaster Sky News about coronavirus victims at a hospital in Italy get taken down? No, that's not true: The report is still available on the network's YouTube channel. Lead Stories is not fact checking the video
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Using A Sauna Or Hairdryer Will NOT Kill Coronavirus
Will spending time in a sauna or aiming a hairdryer towards your nose kill the coronavirus? No, that's not true: This is not sound medical advice. A viral video making the rounds suggests those home remedies. However, doctors say those efforts
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Helicopters Are NOT Spraying Disinfectants To Try To Eradicate Coronavirus
Are helicopters being used to spray disinfectants into the air to eradicate the coronavirus? No, that's not true: This is a false rumor spreading around the world on social media, as well as through popular messaging services. The hoax has pro
Truth or Fiction?→ Did the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Have ‘Advance Knowledge’ of COVID-19?
In mid-March 2020, as the United States continued to grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic, the anti-science blog Natural News posted a “story” pushing the claim that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or the CDC, “appears
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: NO Plan By Bill Gates And The Vatican To Depopulate World With Coronavirus Vaccine; Video Misinterprets Gates’ Speech
Is Microsoft founder Bill Gates conspiring with the Vatican to try to depopulate the world with a new vaccine for the novel coronavirus? No, that's not true: The video misinterprets a soundbite from Gates' TED Talk to try to make a point about
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Spanish Flu Did NOT Originate In Spain
Are historic flu and other outbreaks accurately named based on the country where they originated? No, this is not always the case: With President Trump insisting that calling the coronavirus "Chinese Flu" is not racist - as his critics claim -
FactCheck.org→ Contrary to Trump’s Claim, A Pandemic Was Widely Expected at Some Point
At a White House briefing March 19, President Donald Trump said, “Nobody knew there’d be a pandemic or an epidemic of this proportion.” But that’s simply not the case. Among others, the U.S. intelligence community warned in its ann
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘100 Million Masks’ — Are Homemade Masks Sufficient for COVID-19 First Responders?
On March 20 2020, KOMO anchor Mary Nam shared a photograph of a person wearing a surgical mask (a form of personal protective equipment, or PPE, known to be in short supply due the coronavirus pandemic), and put out a call for anyone who knows how to
Truth or Fiction?→ Rapunzel Was Quarantined in ‘Tangled,’ Google the Name of Her Kingdom?
As coronavirus quarantine memes circulated in mid-March 2020, one referenced the Disney film Tangled, first stating that Rapunzel was “quarantined” during the film, and then tacking on people should “Google” the name of her k
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: NASA Did NOT Warn Two Asteroids Could Cause Atmospheric Explosion Over Earth This Week
Did NASA warn that two asteroids could cause atmospheric explosion over Earth this week? No, that's not true: NASA did not issue a warning about these asteroids. The claim originated in an article (archived here) published by The Mind Unleashe
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Link Does NOT Take People To Application For FEMA Assistance And NO $1,000 Check
Does a link take people to an application for FEMA assistance where they can receive a $1,000 check? No, that's not true: Dozens of posts such as this have gone viral, all with very similar language, but they are pranks. The link in the posts
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: 5G Technology NOT Believed To Have Caused Coronavirus
Did 5G, the fifth-generation wireless technology, cause the novel coronavirus? No, that's not true: These bizarre assertions go against everything we know about how viruses are spread. A viral video making the rounds confuses historical events
FactCheck.org→ Trump’s Statements About the Coronavirus
“This is a pandemic,” President Donald Trump said at a March 17 press conference. “I felt it was a pandemic long before it was called a pandemic.” While it’s not possible to know what Trump “felt,” there’s no doubt that
Truth or Fiction?→ Imperial College London’s COVID-19 Report, Explained
On March 17 2020, an Imperial College London paper about coronavirus and COVID-19 trajectory models was referenced widely in the news and on social media, causing a considerable amount of concern and drawing global attention. Discourse about the Imper
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: NO, Trump Is NOT Promising To Send Americans Checks – Only After Checking People’s Social Media History
Did President Trump tweet that he had ordered the U.S. Treasury to send checks to Americans - but only after checking people's social media posts to make sure they were not unfavorable to the president. No, this is a satirical post: Whle Trump
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Timeline of Trump’s COVID-19 Statements’ Meme
As criticism spread against United States President Donald Trump’s administration for its response to the COVID-19 pandemic in mid-March 2020, one graphic disseminated on social media listed his multiple attempts to downplay the disease: In thi
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: COVID-19 NOT A Scripted Narrative To Justify Closed Borders Or Force Residents To Remain Home
Is COVID-19 virus part of a conspiracy that has a scripted narrative designed to justify closed borders and inspire residents to stay at home? No, that's not true: A conspiracy theory on Facebook claims that the coronavirus outbreak is a move
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: List Comparing Mortality Rates With COVID-19 Is NOT Accurate
Is a list of virus outbreaks comparing mortality rates for Ebola, H5N1, MERS and SARS with COVID-19 - the novel coronavirus - accurate? No, it's not: The comparison of the outbreaks is extremely misleading as it doesn't take into account the r
Truth or Fiction?→ Does Coronavirus Put Dogs at Risk Because Hand Sanitizer Has the Same Ingredients as Antifreeze?
On March 14 2020, a Facebook status update (archived here) claiming that pet owners should be aware that hand sanitizer “has the same ingredients as antifreeze” went viral after an uptick in hand sanitizer use due to an ongoing COVID-19 o
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: All U.S. Citizens Are NOT Entitled To $700 Per Week To Stay At Home To Avoid Spread Of Coronavirus
Are all U.S. citizens entitled to $700 per week to stay at home to avoid the spread of the novel coronavirus? No, that's not true: The link in the posts takes viewers to a gorilla giving the middle finger. The post was a hoax related to the co
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: CNN Did NOT Report Will Smith Death Hoax
Did CNN report that actor Will Smith had died? No, that's not true: The story is another in a string of celebrity death hoaxes, but this one has a twist. A group of hoaxers - likely from the Philippines - has created a series of websites that
FactCheck.org→ Gargling Water With Salt Won’t ‘Eliminate’ Coronavirus
Quick Take A viral image circulating online is falsely advising social media users that gargling water with salt or vinegar “eliminates” the coronavirus. There is currently “no specific medicine recommended to prevent or treat the new
Snopes→ Can You Get Free Baby Formula During COVID-19 Crisis by Calling the Company?
You can't conjure up a giveaway out of thin air.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Every Household In The U.S. Is NOT Getting $500 Emergency Food Stamps Or $1,000 Stimulus Check
Is every household in the United States receiving $500 in emergency food stamps and a $1,000 stimulus check? No, that's not true: The U.S. House has passed a sweeping coronavirus response package, but the U.S. Senate has not yet taken it up -
Snopes→ Stocks Nosedive on Wall Street, Triggering Trading Halt
The spreading coronavirus is causing businesses around the world to shut their doors, which is draining away revenue.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Popular Meme Offers Mix Of Truth And Info NOT Backed By Science
Are the assertions presented in a meme that is gaining traction on social media about COVID-19, or the new coronavirus, backed up by science? Not necessarily. Some of the information in the meme appears to be on point, but not all, according t