SciCheck Digest Vaccines are added to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s immunization schedule after consultation with an outside advisory group and when the benefits outweigh the risks. Contrary to claims from Tucker Carlson and others
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Pope Francis Is NOT Queen Elizabeth II’s Brother Or Joe Biden’s Cousin
Are Pope Francis, the late Queen Elizabeth II and U.S. President Joe Biden members of the same family? No, that's not true: There is no evidence supporting this online rumor, which recycles a 24-year-old conspiracy theory. The claim appea
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Pfizer COVID Vaccine NOT Responsible For Hospitalizing 1 In 500 Small Children Who Receive It
Is the Pfizer COVID vaccine responsible for hospitalizing 1 out of 500 small children under the age of 5? No, that's not true: There's no evidence to support that claim. The study used to back it says 10 children out of its 7,806 juvenile
PolitiFact→ Citizens for Sanity – Ad falsely suggests immigrant accused of child sexual assault entered U.S. during Biden’s tenure
Suggests that an immigrant charged with sexually assaulting a child entered the U.S. illegally during the Biden administration.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Boston University COVID-19 Strain Killed 20% FEWER Mice Than Wild Strain — ‘80% Kill Rate’ Did NOT Refer To Humans
Does a Boston University (BU) study of a COVID-19 strain with an "80% lethality" have implications for humans? No, that's not true: The kill rate refers to mice used in the lab tests, and BU's manipulated virus was less lethal than existi
PolitiFact→ Citizens for Sanity – Ad misrepresents Senate Democrats’ full record on border security
“Every single Senate Democrat voted against hiring more border agents. They voted against deporting felons. And they voted against ending catch and release.”
PolitiFact→ Blake Masters – Blake Masters’ flawed comparison of treatment for veterans, immigrants illegally in the country
Immigrants illegally in the country are treated “better than military veterans.”
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: The Sun Is NOT Smaller Than Earth, And It Does NOT Rotate Around Earth
Is the sun smaller than the Earth, and does it rotate around the Earth? No, that's not true: For centuries, scientists have shown that everything in our solar system, including the Earth, revolves around the sun, which is more than 100 ti
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: mRNA Vaccines For Livestock Are NOT Mandated For Australian Farmers As Of October 2022
Are Australian farmers being forced to inject livestock with mRNA vaccines that are killing cows? No, that's not true: Some biotechnology firms and governments have announced plans to research and eventually roll out less expensive and mo
Snopes→ Sen. Blackburn Did Not Tweet of Veterans Bill: ‘We Simply Cannot Afford to Give Joe Biden a Win’
This wasn't the first time the text had been shared as if it came from a Republican member of the U.S. Congress.
Snopes→ Did Director Steven Spielberg Die?
Another death hoax comes our way.
Truth or Fiction?→ Why Texas Schools Send Parents DNA Kits for ‘Emergencies’
On October 19 2022, a link about Texas schools sending DNA kits to parents for ease of student identification in an “emergenciwes” was shared to Reddit’s r/nottheonion — a subreddit for “true stories that are so mind-blowi
Snopes→ ‘Whole Foods Market Research’ Secret Shopper Email Is a Scam
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission first warned about this scam in 2020.
PolitiFact→ Instagram posts – Debunking a fake claim about cuts to Social Security if Republicans win the House
A House Republican plan says that if the GOP wins the majority, “Retirees who have a pension, IRAs, 401k, disabled veteran benefits will be ineligible for Social Security benefits.”
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Video Is NOT Proof That Moon Landing Was Hoax — It’s Lampoon Of Conspiracy Theories
Does a video that shows a stage-lighting support hitting an astronaut as he descends onto what appears to be the moon's surface prove that Apollo 11's July 20, 1969, moon landing was fake? No, that's not true: This video was produced as a
PolitiFact→ Viral image – Photo of Zelenskyy holding a jersey with a swastika was altered
Volodymyr Zelenskyy was photographed holding a soccer jersey with his name and a swastika.
PolitiFact→ Viral image – Health officials say taking colloidal silver can turn your skin blue
It’s impossible for colloidal silver to turn you blue.
Snopes→ Why Is 13 Considered Unlucky? Explaining the Power of its Bad Reputation
A sociologist unpacks how common superstitions like fear of 13 can gain steam.
Full Fact→ Retained EU Law Bill won’t end the right to watch the Olympics for free
In PMQs, Labour MP Stella Creasy claimed the Retained EU Law Bill would ‘abolish’ the right to watch the Olympics for free. This isn’t correct.
PolitiFact→ Instagram posts – No, there is not an international coordinated effort to place people in ‘COVID camps’
“Millions” of people from International Monetary Fund member countries are at risk of being placed in “COVID camps.”
PolitiFact→ Tony Evers – Evers’ campaign mostly on track about Michels opposing rape, incest exceptions to abortion ban
If a 12-year-old girl became pregnant because of rape or incest, "Tim Michels would force her to deliver the baby."
Snopes→ Why Are So Many People Delighted by Disgusting Things?
Going out of your way to get grossed out might seem like a contradiction of human nature. But it serves a strong evolutionary purpose.
Full Fact→ Deaths due to SADS aren’t covering up ‘genocide’ caused by Covid-19 vaccines
There is no evidence that Covid-19 vaccines are causing people to die of SADS, or that deaths due to the Covid-19 vaccine are being misreported as SADS as part of a cover up.
Poynter→ 5 media literacy tips to avoid election misinformation, from Carl Azuz and Hasley Pitman
Media Literacy Week starts Monday. Follow @MediaWise on TikTok, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube for resources to make sure you go to the polls with the facts Nov. 8. Check out […] The post 5 media literacy tips to avoid election misinformation, fr
Logically→ A Muslim man destroyed an old Hindu temple in Andhra Pradesh.
Guntur Police clarified that the video depicts the demolishing of a dargah in Guntur, not a Hindu temple, and there is no communal angle.
Logically→ Pfizer lied about the COVID-19 vaccine’s ability to prevent transmission before it was released to the market.
It was widely known throughout the pandemic that there were no clinical trial data regarding the vaccines' ability to prevent transmission.
AllSides→ What’s the story of Charlie Crist reducing insurance rates?
https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2022/oct/19/charlie-crist/whats-story-charlie-crist-reducing-insurance-rates/
AllSides→ Researcher Fact-Checks John Oliver’s Misinformation On New ‘Trans Rights’ Episode
https://www.dailywire.com/news/researcher-fact-checks-john-olivers-misinformation-on-new-trans-rights-episode
Logically→ Former U.K. Prime Minister Liz Truss will receive an allowance of £115,000 per year following her resignation.
While Truss will be allowed to claim up to £115,000 per year, these funds are not for personal use.
AllSides→ Trump responds to Jan. 6 committee subpoena with usual election lies
https://www.cnn.com/2022/10/14/politics/trump-letter-january-6-committee-subpoena-fact-check/index.html
AllSides→ Is Biden Administration Funding Drag Shows in Ecuador?
https://www.newsweek.com/fact-check-biden-administration-funding-drag-shows-ecuador-1753649 Drag queens
AllSides→ Johnson Ad Omits Barnes’ Condemnation of Attack on Police
https://www.factcheck.org/2022/10/johnson-ad-omits-barnes-condemnation-of-attack-on-police/ In the Wisc
Logically→ Australia has forced farmers to vaccinate their cattle with mRNA jabs, leading to dozens of cattle deaths.
Currently, no mRNA jabs are available or mandated for cattle in Australia. The mRNA vaccines for viral livestock diseases are under development.
Logically→ Ginger juice can treat lung cancer.
There is no substantial medical evidence to prove ginger can be used to treat cancer in humans. However, ginger can help with nausea and constipation.
Logically→ A megalodon shark has swum past the Antarctica ice wall from the world beyond and has been caught on camera.
Context
Full Fact→ The facts around former PMs’ £115,000 annual ‘allowance’
They are allowed to claim back up to £115,000 each year for the costs associated with continuing public duties—but it’s not a “salary”.
Logically→ Avicii was murdered because he was working on a documentary to expose a global child trafficking ring.
Avicii died by suicide in Oman after several years of poor mental health.
Logically→ Boston University researchers have created a more lethal COVID-19 strain with an 80 percent kill rate.
Many reports miss important context around the findings and purpose of the research which was conducted to study role of the strain's spike protein.
Logically→ Chiropractic treatment can fix ankylosing spondylitis.
This condition is irreversible. Seeking this manner of treatment may prove dangerous for those with this diagnosis.
Poynter→ Marco Rubio said someone could blow up a ballot drop box, ignoring safe track record
Millions of Americans are casting mail ballots via drop boxes. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., said that’s dangerous. “There’s danger involved in drop boxes,” Rubio said in the Oct. 18 debate with his […] The post Marco Rubio said som