(Photo by Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images.)An article from The Defender suggests that masks may be linked to microplastics found in lung tissue. The headline of the article reads: “Inhaled Microplastics Found in Lung Tissue—Are Face Masks Contri
Search Results (5541) for: why
Full Fact→ Keir Starmer’s GMB interview: fact checked
Yesterday we fact checked Boris Johnson’s interview on Good Morning Britain ahead of the local elections. Today it was Labour leader Keir Starmer’s turn to face presenters Susanna Reid and Richard Madeley. Here are two of his comment
PolitiFact→ The faulty premise of the ‘2,000 mules’ trailer about voting by mail in the 2020 election
Dinesh D’Souza’s movie trailer ‘2,000 mules’ alleges that the collection of mail ballots in battlegrounds in 2020 was a case of “organized crime.” We explain why his premise is faulty and misleading.
The Dispatch→ Fact Check: Is Bill Gates Purchasing a “Majority of American Farmland?
(Photo by Hou Yu/China News Service/VCG/Getty Images.)A viral tweet from right-wing activist Mercedes Schlapp claims that Bill Gates is purchasing “a majority of American farmland” and that investment firm BlackRock is purchasing “a m
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Vaccine Ingredients NOT Toxic To People In Amounts In Shots — They’re Approved By FDA
Are the ingredients put in vaccines toxic to people? No, that's not true: Before a vaccine is licensed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and recommended for use by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) it's tested a
Full Fact→ Boris Johnson’s GMB interview: fact checked
In an interview on Good Morning Britain this morning, Boris Johnson was warned by interviewer Susanna Reid: “There are fact checkers at every stage of every interview who will go through your answers with a fine-tooth comb.” She was entirel
FactCheck.org→ Pediatric Hepatitis Cases May Be Linked to Adenovirus, No Connection to COVID-19 Vaccination
SciCheck Digest A string of unexplained hepatitis cases in children has been reported in the U.S. and in other countries. The cause is not yet known, but the top suspect so far is a strain of adenovirus. Contrary to some social media posts, there is no
FactCheck.org→ Attack Ad Leaves Misleading Impression on Vance’s View of Trump Voters
It’s well known that JD Vance — Donald Trump’s endorsed candidate in the Ohio Republican primary for U.S. Senate — was no fan of the former president just a few years back. Vance’s past quotes practically write his opponen
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘You Remember The Real America if You Can Remember…’
On April 28 2022, the Facebook page “Vagina Devil Magic” shared an image of a “You Remember the Real America” handbill, dated June 1980 and featuring eerily familiar political sentiments — 42 years later. The text on the f
Full Fact→ GB News presenter wrong about booster vaccine deaths
Why aren’t we talking about this? It seems, if the booster shot is making it thrice as likely that you’re going to be deadsville, that they’re going to carrying you out by the handles, why aren’t we talking about that? Mark Ste
Snopes→ Is Funyuns Mountain Dew Real?
Flaming Hot Mountain Dew exists, so why not Funyun-flavored?
FactCheck.org→ Biden’s Deficit Spin
In recent speeches, President Joe Biden has been misleadingly taking credit for cutting federal deficits by historic amounts, though most of the reduction in deficits is the result of expiring emergency pandemic spending. Deficits fell between fiscal y
FactCheck.org→ Red Cross Accepts Blood Donations From People Vaccinated Against COVID-19
SciCheck Digest The American Red Cross and other blood collectors in the U.S. strongly encourage everyone who is feeling healthy to donate blood, including people who have received a COVID-19 vaccine. But a social media post falsely implies the organiz
Truth or Fiction?→ Jason Miller’s ‘Antifa Narrative’ Capitol Insurrection Texts
On April 26 2022, a viral screenshot of a tweet purportedly showed the content of a text message in which Jason Miller, advisor to former United States President Donald Trump, suggested blaming anti-fascist protestors for the deadly Capitol insurrect
Health Feedback→ Claim that squalene in vaccines causes autoimmune diseases and Gulf War Syndrome is unsubstantiated by evidence
REVIEW
Truth or Fiction?→ Marjorie Taylor Greene’s ‘Peaceful Transfer of Power’ Testimony
On April 26 2022, screenshots spread of a viral tweet claiming that Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Georgia) inadvertently insisted that a statement objecting to a “peaceful transfer of power” be entered into evidence during an April 22 20
FactCheck.org→ Context for Ohio GOP Senate Race Spat on Taxes
In the crowded Republican primary field for a U.S. Senate seat in Ohio, candidate Mike Gibbons charges in a TV ad that his cohorts have taken his words on taxes “out of context” — but his ad leaves out context and stretches the facts
Truth or Fiction?→ Atlanta AirBnB Rules
On April 25 2022, various social media groups published a screenshot of a tweet describing purported AirBnB rules introduced in Atlanta, Georgia in April 2022: I personally loved the new rules ATL put into place for Airbnbs in April. – You ca
Full Fact→ High reported Covid-19 deaths due to Easter holiday backlog
Posts on social media claim that 482 Covid-19 deaths were reported in the UK on 19 April, 508 on 20 April and 646 on 21 April. While these figures are correct, they need significant additional context. Firstly, these figures represent the number of dea
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Video Does NOT Prove Government, Media Lies About War In Ukraine — Video Recycles Debunked Claims, Misattributes Info
Does a Stew Peters Show video prove mainstream media and the U.S. government lie about the war in Ukraine? No, that's not true: The video by the radio and TV host repeats debunked claims and misattributes information, often embracing Krem
FactCheck.org→ Attorney General Never Called Concerned Parents ‘Domestic Terrorists’
U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said that he couldn’t even “imagine a circumstance” where “parents complaining” at a school board meeting would be “labeled as domestic terrorism.” Yet, several Republicans
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Defense Department Did NOT Award Contract For ‘COVID-19 Research’ In Ukraine 3 Months Before Virus Was Known
Did the U.S. Department Of Defense award a contract for "COVID-19 Research" in Ukraine three months before the virus was known to exist? No, that's not true: The Department of Defense (DOD) contract that was originally awarded on November
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: 2009 TV Show NOT Proof COVID-19 Was Planned — It’s Just An Older Conspiracy Theory
Does a 2009 television show prove the COVID-19 pandemic was planned? No, that's not true: There is no evidence presented in the nearly three-minute clip from the "Secret Societies" episode of the truTV show "Conspiracy Theory with Jesse V
Health Feedback→ Claim by Mercola that the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine causes immunosuppression is inaccurate, misrepresents study’s findings
REVIEW An article written by Joseph Mercola and republished by The Epoch Times claimed that the “FDA and Pfizer knew COVID shot caused immunosuppression” and that fully vaccinated people are more likely to die from COVID-19. It also claimed that
Health Feedback→ Insufficient clinical evidence demonstrating that turmeric cures or prevents cancer
REVIEW Quinoa, pomegranate, ginger, turmeric, and many other products have been dubbed “superfoods” by the media at some point. Although there is no clear definition of superfood, the term revolves around the idea of a product offering health be
Truth or Fiction?→ Newsmax ‘Black Conservatives’ Screenshot
On April 20 2022, a purported Newsmax “Black conservatives” Twitter screenshot circulated on Imgur and Reddit: TIL Ben is considered to be a traitor from benshapiro One of the Reddit iterations appeared on r/ToiletP
FactCheck.org→ When the Science Is Messy: How SciCheck Handles Scientific Disputes
What does a fact-checking organization do when the facts aren’t clear? And what happens when reputable scientists disagree about a public health policy? Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been numerous examples of when scientific opinio
Truth or Fiction?→ LibsOfTikTok ‘Doxxed’ Controversy
On April 19 2022, Washington Post writer Taylor Lorenz’s profile of the @LibsOfTikTok account was published — followed by intense discourse about whether the subject of the piece was “doxxed” by the outlet. Early that morning, L
Truth or Fiction?→ No, a Man Wasn’t Awarded $450K Over an ‘Unwanted Birthday Party’
On April 18 2022, a significant part of online discussions focused on a man who was purportedly awarded $450,000 for an “unwanted birthday party.” An April 16 2022 tweet by @SaycheeseDGTL summarized the claim, claiming that a Kentucky man s
PolitiFact→ Looming food shortages? Probably not in the US
A wave of social media posts warn of a looming food shortage in the U.S.. Here’s why that’s unlikely.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Putin Did NOT End Rothschild Control Over Russia By Nationalizing Russian Central Bank — State Bank Was Created More Than A Century Ago
Did Russian leader Vladimir Putin end the Rothschild family's control over Russia by nationalizing Russia's central bank? No, that's not true: Russia has had a central bank for more than 160 years. Alexander II, the emperor of Russia, sig
Truth or Fiction?→ AriZona Iced Tea Inflation Meme
On April 18 2022, a popular Facebook post from “The Other 98%,” concerning AriZona Iced Tea’s unchanging price tag (USD$0.99) and ongoing discourse regarding inflation, was shared to Imgur: Most of the meme was text-based, but it f
FactCheck.org→ McCormick’s Denouncement of ‘Structural Bigotry’ Not an Endorsement of BLM
Amid nationwide protests after George Floyd’s murder in 2020, Dave McCormick, then CEO of a hedge fund, emailed his colleagues, calling on them to “be agents of change” and to show “solidarity by denouncing and eradicating structural bi
FactCheck.org→ McDonald’s Ice Cream Isn’t Toxic for Dogs, Contrary to Viral Posts
Quick Take The ingredients of McDonald’s restaurant food have been the subject of bogus claims in social media posts in recent years. In April, posts falsely claimed the fast-food chain includes xylitol, which is toxic to dogs, in its ice cream.
FactCheck.org→ Posts Spread Unfounded Claims About Disney Company’s Financial Health
Quick Take The Disney Company opposed Florida’s “Parental Rights in Education” law, also referred to by critics as “Don’t Say Gay.” Disney’s actions sparked calls from conservatives for a boycott of Disney R
FactCheck.org→ COVID-19 Vaccines Reduce Hospitalization and Death Rates, Contrary to Social Media Claims
SciCheck Digest Those who are not vaccinated against COVID-19 are more prone to serious illness and are dying at higher rates than those who are vaccinated. But partisan social media accounts, including a post by a member of former President Donald Tru
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Alexa Answer Does NOT Offer ‘Gotcha’ Proof Of Sinister Purpose Of ‘Chemtrails’
Does Amazon's digital assistant Alexa know that the main purpose of spraying "chemtrails" is to reduce the human population on Earth? No, that's not true: Alexa can recite information found in internet search results from Microsoft's Bing
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: COVID-19 IS A Virus, NOT Snake Venom Being Used To Poison, Turn People Into Satanic Hybrids
Rather than a virus, is COVID-19 instead snake venom being used to poison people or turn them into satanic hybrids? No, that's not true: The claim is part of an elaborate conspiracy theory packed into an anti-vaccine documentary filled wi
Health Feedback→ Fluoride in toothpaste effectively prevents tooth decay; it isn’t neurotoxic, contrary to online claims
REVIEW Fluoride is a naturally-occurring mineral that is constantly released from rocks into the soil, water, and air. Fluoride is also a common ingredient in toothpaste due to its ability to prevent tooth decay. This is also the reason why many cou
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘The Landlord’s Game’ and Monopoly’s Origins
On April 4 2022, a Facebook user shared an image and a post about The Landlord’s Game, on which popular board game Monopoly was purportedly based. Alongside two images of The Landlord’s Game, the author explained similarities and differen