Do worms cause autism? No, that's not true: An expert told Lead Stories that there is "no scientific evidence" that supports the claim, made in a video on TikTok, that worms cause autism. There is no definitively known cause of Autism Spe
PolitiFact→ Viral image – Another altered video appears to show an outburst during a Biden speech, but that didn’t happen
Video shows hecklers shouting profanities at President Joe Biden.
PolitiFact→ Facebook posts – Parody account criticizing Aretha Franklin’s ‘Natural Woman’ sparks confusion
“Aretha Franklin’s 1968 song ‘A Natural Woman’ deemed ‘offensive’ by trans community.”
PolitiFact→ Facebook posts – No, this video doesn’t show Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez crying over Ted Cruz’s remarks
Video shows Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez crying after “Ted Cruz gets up and humiliates her to her face.”
PolitiFact→ Instagram posts – Titanic sinking was an accident that caused over 1,500 deaths, not an inside job to kill three men
The sinking of the Titanic was orchestrated by the Rothschilds and J.P. Morgan to kill prominent businessmen who opposed the creation of the Federal Reserve.
PolitiFact→ Public Interest Legal Foundation – Millions of California ballots were simply unused, not ‘unaccounted for,’ experts say
In California, there were “10 million mail ballots unaccounted for” in the November midterm election.
PolitiFact→ Scott Adams – No, ‘Dilbert’ creator is wrong about unvaccinated, they face more risk of COVID-19 infection, death
People not vaccinated against COVID-19 “came out the best."
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: ‘Dr. Derek Knauss’ Did NOT Prove 1,500 COVID-19 Samples Were Actually Influenza
Did a medical expert named Dr. Derek Knauss (or Knaus) prove that 1,500 COVID-19 diagnostic tests did not actually contain traces of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, but did test positive for influenza A and B? No, that's not true: Lead Stories foun
The Dispatch→ Feeding the Troll
Donald Trump’s Facebook account has been restored. (Photo by Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto/Getty Images.)On Trump’s return to Facebook.The post Feeding the Troll appeared first on The Dispatch.
Truth or Fiction?→ Is Paprika ‘Just Dried Bell Pepper’?
A popular January 24 2023 Facebook post showed a screengrab of a viral tweet claiming that paprika is nothing more than “just dried and crushed red bell peppers,” describing the purported news as “really shocking”: Learning th
FactCheck.org→ Viral Tweet Misrepresents NOAA Report on Rising Global Temperature
SciCheck Digest The warming trend in global temperature continued in 2022, which was the sixth-warmest year on record, according to a recent report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association. But a viral tweet — using just a small
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: WHO Is NOT Forcing Member-States To End Human Rights And Freedoms Worldwide
Is the World Health Organization (WHO) compelling member states, through an amendment to its International Health Regulations, to abandon "the dignity of human beings, the human rights of human beings and fundamental freedoms"? No, that's
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: The City Council in Oxford, England, Did NOT Pass A ‘Plan’ Confining Residents To Their Neighborhoods
Did the city council in Oxford, England, approve regulations that restrict residents to their neighborhoods? No, that's not true: The claim misrepresents and conflates two proposals. One is a plan to install traffic filters; the other is
PolitiFact→ Instagram posts – Electrically charged stones found in Congo? Science says it’s not possible
Electrically-charged stones discovered in Congo
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Scientists Did NOT Warn Eggs Are Causing Thousands Of People To ‘Suddenly’ Form Blood Clots
Did scientists warn that eggs are causing thousands of people to "suddenly" form blood clots? No, that's not true: The 2017 study by Cleveland Clinic researchers that is supposed to support this assertion makes no such connection. The med
Truth or Fiction?→ Do Dishwasher Pods Go in the Door or on the Bottom?
In January 2023, a popular Facebook Reel making the rounds claimed that dishwasher pods (that is to say, detergent) were being universally, incorrectly applied; the video in question was “stitched” with a viral September 2022 TikTok post:
FactCheck.org→ Polio Elimination Due to Vaccination, Not End of Pesticide Use
SciCheck Digest Polio, a paralytic disease caused by a virus, has been eliminated in the U.S. — and nearly wiped out globally — thanks to vaccines. But social media posts are reviving old, false claims that polio is instead caused by pe
PolitiFact→ Facebook posts – Sen. Josh Hawley didn’t tell professor he refused to use her pronouns
Sen. Josh Hawley told professor, “I will not use your pronouns.”
Full Fact→ Large asteroid is not set to collide with the Earth
NASA says the object is small and will miss the planet by 2,500 miles.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: NO Evidence Beyoncé Is In Critical Condition After Dubai Performance
Was American singer-songwriter Beyoncé hospitalized in critical condition after her January 21, 2023, performance in Dubai? No, that's not true: There is no evidence she was admitted to a hospital after her Dubai concert. Although the ti
Logically→ The World Economic Forum is demanding unvaccinated pilots to man its members’ flights to Davos.
The claim relies on a deliberate misrepresentation of an unrelated quote from an interview first shared six months before.
The Dispatch→ The Turkish Roadblock to an Expanded NATO
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addresses the parliament last October. (Photo by ADEM ALTAN/AFP via Getty Images)Sweden and Finland still want to join the alliance, but Turkey stands squarely in the way.The post The Turkish Roadblock to an Expa
Poynter→ Sudden arrhythmic death syndrome and seasonal stroke risk concerns long predate the COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic ushered in an era of significant change, medical and social, for people worldwide. But not everything is new — despite what some social media posts claims. “None of […] The post Sudden arrhythmic death syndrome and
The Dispatch→ Why Are Eggs So Expensive?
A note apologizing to customers for egg price increases in a New York grocery store. (Photo by Fatih Aktas/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)The bird flu isn’t the only factor driving up prices of the kitchen staple: A Dispatch Eggsplainer.The post Why
The Dispatch→ ‘If You Lose Control of the Rules Committee, You’ve Lost Control of the Floor’
Rep. Chip Roy, Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., right, and Rep. Jim Jordan on the House floor of the U.S. Capitol before a vote. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)What the new makeup of the House Rules Committee—and other key panels
The Dispatch→ The National Security Implications of Charles McGonigal’s Arrest
Charles McGonigal, the former head of counterintelligence for the FBI’s New York office, stands silently as his attorney Seth Ducharme gives a statement to the media after leaving Manhattan Federal Court on January 23, 2023 in New York City. (Photo b
The Dispatch→ Don’t Praise Olaf Scholz for Finally Doing the Right Thing
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced that he will send battle tanks to Ukraine. (Photo by Michael Kappeler/picture alliance/Getty Images.)Throughout the war in Ukraine, Western leaders have been celebrated for doing the bare minimum.The post Don’
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: ‘Green Mile’ Actor Michael Clarke Duncan Did Die … In 2012
Did actor Michael Clarke Duncan, famous for his role in the 1999 movie "The Green Mile," die? Yes, that's true... but it happened in 2012. News of his death went viral again in 2023 after a clickbait website (likely from Pakistan) reposte
Washington Post→ Peter was already robbed. He can’t pay Paul.
Spending cuts to balance the budget will require difficult choices that Congress has avoided.
The Dispatch→ Say It Loud
"Elite media is an extension of campus culture."The post Say It Loud appeared first on The Dispatch.
The Dispatch→ Spies, Shredders, and Mistaken Identities
Looks at documents. Glances at shredder. Looks at documents.The post Spies, Shredders, and Mistaken Identities appeared first on The Dispatch.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: 1/4 Million Failed Voting Attempts Did NOT Result in Uncounted Arizona Votes In November 2022 Election
Did nearly a quarter of a million voting attempts fail in the November 8, 2022, election in Arizona and did that impact the vote count? No, that's not true: The communications director for the Maricopa County Elections Department called t
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: NO Evidence Toby Keith Is ‘Fighting For His Life’ As Of January 25, 2023
Was country music star Toby Keith "fighting for his life" and hospitalized as of January 25, 2023? No, that's not true: While Keith has been diagnosed with cancer, the image attached to this post does not show him hospitalized. He has als
The Dispatch→ Reading, Writing, and … Black Queer Studies?
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. (Photo by Paul Hennessy/SOPA Images/LightRocket/ Getty Images.)The debate over AP African American Studies ignores that schools are struggling to make students proficient in math, science, and reading.The post Reading, Writin
PolitiFact→ Facebook posts – Andrew Tate remains in Romanian custody but he hasn’t been charged, convicted or sentenced
“Andrew Tate officially gets sentenced to 15 years in prison! (Found guilty).”
PolitiFact→ Joe Biden – Joe Biden blames Donald Trump for one quarter of today’s debt, ignores context
“One quarter” of today’s $31.4 trillion federal debt “was accumulated in the four years of my predecessor,” Donald Trump.
PolitiFact→ Bloggers – Fabricated story falsely claims Vladimir Putin destroyed an adrenochrome lab in Ukraine
“Putin destroys adrenochrome lab in Ukraine.”
PolitiFact→ Joe Biden classified documents timeline: Where, when were files found?
There are many unanswered questions about the documents found at President Joe Biden’s home and office. Here is a timeline of the events, based on news reports and statements by Biden, his lawyers and White House officials.
PolitiFact→ 'Indoctrination'? Banning Black history? Unraveling competing claims about rejected Florida AP class
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and his education department's rejection of a new AP course on Black studies spurred talking points from both sides of the political aisle. We cut through the spin to give Floridians the full story.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: A&W Did NOT Put Pants On Company’s Mascot Bear ‘Rooty’ In Response To Complaints
Did the A&W chain selling American food and root beer admit that its mascot, Rooty the Great Root Beer Bear, was "polarizing" for his pantlessness? Did the company decide to portray him wearing jeans from now on? No, that's not true: