TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew listens to questions from U.S. representatives during his testimony at a congressional hearing on TikTok in Washington, D.C., on March 23rd, 2023. (Photo by Nathan Posner/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)And, at least this once, Cong
The Dispatch→ Rank Punditry Edition
Watch the video of our weekly livestreamed conversation.Continue reading Rank Punditry Edition »
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: ‘Ukrainian Soldiers’ Do NOT Terrorize Woman And Child — Video Was Staged In Occupied Donetsk
Did two Ukrainian soldiers driving a vehicle with a Ukrainian flag and a Nazi-style straight-armed cross on the tailgate stop a woman driving on a rural road and argue with her because she spoke Russian -- and then as she and her child be
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Video Does NOT Show Astronaut Karen Nyberg Faking Visit To International Space Station — It’s Someone Else
Does a video on social media show former NASA astronaut Karen Nyberg faking a visit to the International Space Station (ISS) in front of a green screen? No, that's not true: In the original version of the clip, the narrator never identifi
Truth or Fiction?→ Texas Journalists Rally to Save Progressive Magazine
The staff at the progressive Texas Observer magazine has raised more than $219,000 in an effort to stay open, less than a week after its managing board unilaterally voted to shut the publication down. The online fundraising effort, created on March 27
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Castor Oil Compresses NOT Proven To Cure Breast Cancer Or Tumors
Are castor oil compresses a proven effective treatment for tumors and breast cancer? No, that's not true: There is no scientific evidence that suggests castor oil has therapeutic benefits beyond its approved laxative properties. Claims th
PolitiFact→ Facebook posts – These are not real photos of a Vladimir Putin arrest
Images show “Putin has been arrested.”
The Dispatch→ Kamikaze Chris
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie on November 19, 2022, in Las Vegas. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)Would a Christie candidacy be good or bad for Trump?Continue reading Kamikaze Chris »
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Ruby Bridges’ Movie Banned in Florida School
On March 28 2023, popular posts on Reddit and Twitter referenced a controversy over a movie about Ruby Bridges at an elementary school in Florida. Journalist Judd Legum published a Twitter thread about the film Ruby Bridges, and summarized the events
PolitiFact→ Instagram posts – Grindr didn’t threaten to identify Republican politicians who use its app
“The gay dating app Grindr says if Florida doesn’t stop passing homophobic and transphobic laws, they’ll reveal every Republican legislator and party official who secretly uses the app.”
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: NO Evidence ‘Gays’ Commit 45% Of Child Sexual Abuse
Do gay men and gay women make up 2 percent of the world's population but commit 45 percent of all sexual assaults against children? No, that's not true: Experts in the field say there is not a greater risk that gay people will be child mo
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Images Of ‘Arrested’ Putin Are NOT Authentic
Do viral images of Russian President Vladimir Putin actually show him being arrested? No, that's not true: The "photos" were created by AI-based software, and, as of this writing, Putin is not under arrest, despite a warrant issued by the
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: NO Evidence Taliban Sent ‘Real Tweet’ Claiming To Have ‘Second-Largest Collection Of Humvees Behind’ US
Does a "real tweet" from a Twitter account called "Taliban Public Relations Department, Commentary" proclaim that Afghanistan has the second-largest collection of Humvees behind the United States? No, that's not true: There is no proof th
The Dispatch→ Dispatch Live: Rank Punditry Edition
Join our weekly livestreamed conversation.Continue reading Dispatch Live: Rank Punditry Edition »
The Dispatch→ Fact Check: Did Silicon Valley Bank Donate More Than $73 Million to Black Lives Matter?
A Silicon Valley Bank logo in Tempe, Arizona, on March 14, 2023. (Photo by Rebecca Noble/AFP/Getty Images) Claims are circulating online that Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) donated more than $73 million to the Black Lives Matter nonprofit organization befo
PolitiFact→ Tweets – A ban of TikTok? So far, that’s talk. The app isn’t banned for the U.S. public.
“Congress has officially banned TikTok.”
PolitiFact→ Facebook posts – Another false ‘Sam Hyde’ meme circulates after Nashville, Tennessee, shooting
The Nashville, Tennessee, school shooter was Samantha Hyde.
Poynter→ MediaWise’s Teen Fact-Checking Network expands to Brazil and Germany
The social-first digital media literacy program MediaWise of the nonprofit Poynter Institute is expanding its Teen Fact-Checking Network internationally. The TFCN was launched in 2019 with a goal of reaching […] The post MediaWise’s Teen Fact-C
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Photos Of John Fetterman Do NOT Show Evidence That He Has Been Replaced By Body Double
Do recently released photos show some inexplicable changes to John Fetterman's appearance -- evidence that a clone has been substituted for the real senator from Pennsylvania? No, that's not true: Fetterman has been out of the public eye
The Dispatch→ House Republicans Clash Over Immigration
Rep. Tony Gonzales speaks on the steps of the Capitol in 2021. (Photo by Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)Plus: GOP senators respond to Trump’s rhetoric, a Democrat wants other senators on the record on gun bills, and Blinken misses McCa
Truth or Fiction?→ Google Maps ‘Shooting in Nashville’ Marker
Following the March 27 2023 Covenant School shooting in Nashville, Tennessee, a purported Google Maps screenshot referencing the incident was shared to Reddit’s r/ABoringDystopia: Dystopian Maps Alert. Welcome to the US. by u/take
The Dispatch→ Voters Will Have the Final Say on Alvin Bragg
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)Will the Manhattan district attorney come to regret his investigation of Donald Trump?Continue reading Voters Will Have the Final Say on Alvin Bragg »
PolitiFact→ Tony Evers – Evers’ Brewers stadium funding proposal is not exactly a bipartisan plan
The money for upgrades to the Milwaukee Brewers stadium in Evers’ budget is "a bipartisan plan."
AllSides→ NPR Challenges Readers to Disregard Their Eyes and Common Sense on Trans Sports
https://www.mediaite.com/opinion/npr-challenges-readers-to-disregard-their-eyes-and-common-sense-on-trans-sports/
AllSides→ NPR Issues Correction, Admits There Is Evidence Proving Male Athletes Have Advantage over Females
https://www.nationalreview.com/news/npr-claims-limited-scientific-evidence-men-have-physical-advantage-over-women-in-sports/
AllSides→ NPR Issues Correction After Claiming There’s ‘Limited Scientific Evidence’ Men Have Physical Advantages In Sports
https://dailycaller.com/2023/03/27/npr-correction-men-advantages-sports/ National Public Radio (NPR) is
AllSides→ Have All Attackers in U.S. School Shootings Been Men?
https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/female-school-shooter/ On March 27, 2023, a shooter entered The Coven
AllSides→ Altered image shows Donald and Melania Trump standing with Stormy Daniels
https://www.reuters.com/article/factcheck-donald-trump-stormy-daniels/fact-check-altered-image-shows-donald-and-melania-trump-standing-with-stormy-daniels-idUSL1N35Z1QU
Health Feedback→ Vaccination recruits both the innate and adaptive immune system; COVID-19 vaccines are safe for children
REVIEW In May 2021, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized the use of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines for children aged 12 to 15. The FDA later extended its authorization for children from five to 11 in October 2021 and from six months of age
Logically→ An old video of Kurdish protests in France has been falsely attributed to recent protests against President Macron’s pension reforms.
Poynter→ What the pope’s Balenciaga puffer jacket says about AI and misinformation
This weekend, we may have seen the first big artificial intelligence misinformation moment — featuring the pope and a puffer jacket. An image allegedly showing a swagged-out Pope Francis in […] The post What the pope’s Balenciaga puffer jacke
The Dispatch→ France Rages Over Pension Reforms
Youth in France take part in a demonstration Tuesday after the government pushed a pensions reform through parliament without a vote. (Photo by NICOLAS TUCAT / AFP) (Photo by NICOLAS TUCAT/AFP via Getty Images)‘It’s perhaps not the moment to take a
The Dispatch→ Free Speech Re-Education Camp
We sure do like our buckets. Continue reading Free Speech Re-Education Camp »
The Dispatch→ Dave McCormick Poised to Mount Another Senate Run
Pennsylvania GOP Senate Candidate Dave McCormick speaks during a rally on May 16, 2022. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)The former U.S. Senate candidate shores up support from Pennsylvania Republicans.Continue reading Dave McCormick Poised
The Dispatch→ Israel Sidesteps a Crisis—For Now
Protesters block a road during a rally against the Israeli government's judicial reform in Tel Aviv, Israel, on March 27, 2023. (Photo by AHMAD GHARABLI / AFP) (Photo by AHMAD GHARABLI/AFP via Getty Images)Benjamin Netanyahu delays his judicial re
The Dispatch→ Grasping at Nuclear Straws
Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin in Moscow on March 25, 2023. (Photo by Gavriil Grigorov/ Sputnik/AFP/Getty Images)Vladimir Putin is trying to manipulate the West by deploying weapons to Belarus.Continue reading Grasping at Nuclear Straw
PolitiFact→ Facebook posts – Did Trump release a ‘bombshell’? No, Stormy Daniels quickly recanted this 2018 letter
“Trump just shared a bombshell letter from Stormy Daniels debunking DA Bragg's case.”
PolitiFact→ TikTok posts – Alvin Bragg didn’t say he would drop charges against Donald Trump; this video’s a deepfake
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg announced that his office “has decided to drop all charges against Donald Trump.”
PolitiFact→ Facebook posts – No, this photo doesn’t show a John Fetterman body double. Here’s why.
Photo shows Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman has a body double.
PolitiFact→ Facebook posts – Video of robot attacking people is computer-generated parody. 29 people did not die
“At a top robotics company in Japan this week, four robots being developed for military applications killed 29 humans in the lab.”