“Beyoncé alleges Diddy has been secretly hiding Michael Jackson, who faked his death.”
PolitiFact→ Threads posts – Los Angeles wildfires: Threads post falsely claims police are searching for suspect tied to MAGA
The Los Angeles Police Department is “looking for three ‘persons of interest’ all tied to a MAGA website who were spotted at the source of all three major LA fires.”
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Historic ‘Hollywood’ Sign Was NOT On Fire During LA County Fires As Of January 9, 2025
Was the "Hollywood" sign a casualty of the fires burning in Los Angeles County as of January 9, 2025? No, that's not true: When this fact check was written, the sign was "safe and secure," according to the organization that preserves the
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Video Claiming UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer Dismissed Jimmy Savile Complaints As ‘Frivolous’ IS AI-Generated
Does an authentic video show U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer describing complaints of predatory sexual behavior against Jimmy Savile as "frivolous"? No, that's not true: According to multiple AI video and audio detection tools, the video
PolitiFact→ Bernie Sanders – Are H-1B visa holders hired as dog trainers, massage therapists? Here’s what Bernie Sanders misses
H-1B guest workers are “being employed as dog trainers, massage therapists, cooks, and English teachers.”
PolitiFact→ Meta breaks up with fact-checkers. Here’s how it affects PolitiFact.
PolitiFact and other fact-checkers work independently on the project Meta designed to investigate false claims and hoaxes on its platforms, while continuing to fact-check claims by politicians and pundits and on other platforms.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Elon Musk Did NOT Launch Public Campaign To Cancel ‘The View’ As of January 9, 2025
Did Elon Musk start a public campaign in early January 2025 to cancel "The View"? No, that's not true: Lead Stories found no confirmation that Musk posted what was attributed to him. No media organizations indexed by Google News reported
The Dispatch→ Collision, Collusion, Conclusion
Giving the people what they want (whether they know it or not).
The Dispatch→ Images of the Hollywood Sign Engulfed in Flames Are Fake
The sign is not under threat from the ongoing Palisades and Eaton fires.
Full Fact→ 5G has not been shown to be harmful
Claims about the dangers of 5G technology are not supported by available scientific evidence.
Full Fact→ How our fact checking work with Meta makes a real-world difference
Full Fact has been a proud contributor to the Third Party Fact Checking initiative. Since January 2019 we’ve checked 2,596 cases of misleading, faked, or potentially harmful posts on Meta platforms.
Full Fact→ Guardian article suggesting white people should be treated last by the NHS is fake
A screenshot implying a columnist has argued white people should be at the back of the queue for NHS treatment has been shared online, but it’s not real.
Full Fact→ Video of ‘UFO’ in Germany is CGI
The video has been circulating since at least 2021 and has previously been debunked.
The Dispatch→ What’s Next for Canada After Trudeau’s Resignation?
Coming elections appear poised to deliver a Conservative victory.
The Dispatch→ The Anti-Episode
Does junior high drama ever end?
The Dispatch→ The Egg Shortage, Explained
Grocery shoppers are facing empty store shelves and another spike in prices.
The Dispatch→ The View From the Back Office
Part 4 in a series.
The Dispatch→ Fact-Checking and Our Business
A message from Steve Hayes.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Polio Does NOT Only Spread Through Direct Contact Between ‘Fecal Matter’ And Mouth
Does the polio-causing poliovirus infect people exclusively through direct contact between "fecal matter" and "facial orifices"? No, that's not true: While multiple health agencies say that the fecal-oral route is common, that includes a
The Dispatch→ Assessing Trump’s Latest Claims About the January 6 Capitol Attack
The president-elect made a series of misleading and false claims during his Tuesday press conference.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: 15-Year-Old ‘Natallia Goodman’ Is NOT Missing From Several Locations — It’s A Real Estate Scam
Are several social media posts truly expressing concern over an actual missing teen named "Natallia Goodman"? No, that's not true: "Natallia Goodman" was supposedly missing in multiple locations, indicating that this is a made-up story. T
The Dispatch→ Claims That Ousted Syrian Dictator Was Poisoned Are Unverified
The claim originated from an anonymous Russian Telegram account.
PolitiFact→ Facebook posts – No, Elon Musk didn’t say the Boeing Starliner astronauts ‘won’t come back’
Says Elon Musk said, “The Boeing Starliner’s stranded astronauts are not with us anymore,” and “they won’t come back.”
PolitiFact→ Social posts target Democrats’ vote on migrant offenders bill. Here’s why they say they opposed it.
Did 158 Democrats vote against a bill that would bar from the U.S. migrants who have committed sex offenses and domestic abuse? That was the vote count, but there’s more to this story than online posts are sharing. Here’s some context.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Birth Certificate ‘Quote’ Is NOT From Woodrow Wilson
Is a quote describing birth certificates as enslaving tools really found in Woodrow Wilson's private papers or those of his adviser Edward Mandell House? No, that's not true: Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library staff said they found no s
PolitiFact→ Threads posts – No, Mark Cuban didn’t move his operations to California because he ‘can’t operate in red states’
“Mark Cuban shifts company from Texas to California: ‘Can’t operate in red states.’”
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: House Resolution 7 Will NOT Require Women To Get Permission For Birth Control, Abortion
Will House Resolution 7 force women to get permission from their husbands, fathers or priests to use birth control or have an abortion? No, that's not true: The legislation wouldn't require women to get anyone's consent for reproductive h
The Dispatch→ Claims About Donations to Trump’s Inaugural Fund Are Missing Context
Some donors didn’t contribute to Biden’s fund, but the outgoing president received big donations from other companies.
PolitiFact→ Threads posts – Claim Denmark offered to buy U.S. and give free health care originated as satire
After Donald Trump offered to buy Greenland, “Denmark clapped back saying they’d buy the USA, give us free healthcare, and actually make America great again.”
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: UK Taxi Driver NOT Sentenced To 7 Years Because Of ‘Social Media Posts’ — From Other Offenses
Was a man in England sentenced to 7½ years in jail just because of his social media posts? No, that's not true: He was sentenced based on charges involving violence, according to the police organization handling his arrest. The man, a ta
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: LA Fire Department Did NOT Ask Public For Help In Fighting Wildfires On January 7, 2025
Did the Los Angeles Fire Department ask "anyone with firefighting experience" to assist in fighting wildfires in the area on January 7, 2025? No, that's not true: The department said it is "NOT requesting assistance from the public" in a
PolitiFact→ Facebook posts – No, the New Orleans Saints aren’t replacing Mickey Loomis with former quarterback Drew Brees
“DEAL DONE: New Orleans Saints owner Gayle Benson make(s) a handshake deal of $789.5 million contract with former Saints QB Drew Brees as new general manager following Mickey Loomis departure…”
The Dispatch→ Some of My Big 2025 Questions
What the year might bring regarding U.S. productivity, manufacturing, and China’s economy.
PolitiFact→ Viral image – No, this isn’t a video of Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs riding a motorcycle in prison
Video shows Sean “Diddy” Combs “riding a bike in jail.”
Full Fact→ Keir Starmer video calling some Savile claims ‘slightly frivolous’ is deepfake
A video is being shared on social media with claims it supposedly shows Mr Starmer saying some claims in the Jimmy Savile investigation were “slightly frivolous”.
PolitiFact→ Does crowdsourced fact-checking work? Experts are skeptical about Meta’s plan
As Meta ends its partnership with U.S. fact-checkers, CEO Mark Zuckerberg says the company will adopt a Community Notes model similar to X, where fact-checkers say misinformation often goes unchecked.
Full Fact→ How many children have been the victims of grooming gangs in the UK?
A widely shared estimate that a million children have been victims is not reliable, but the true total remains unclear.
The Dispatch→ A Near-Nuclear Iran Awaits Trump
The incoming administration weighs options to foil a regionally weakened Tehran’s nuclear advances.
Health Feedback→ New study from Brazil doesn’t show that COVID-19 vaccines increase risk of death in the long term
REVIEW Since their rollout in December 2020, the safety of COVID-19 vaccines has been a frequent target of misinformation. Science Feedback repeatedly addressed claims about the alleged dangers of these vaccines, showing that many such assertions we
The Dispatch→ Cross and Country
Where have all the WASPs gone?