As Democrats attempted to push for the impeachment of outgoing United States President Donald Trump on January 11 2021, the U.S. State Department’s website drew attention online for apparently listing that day as the end of both his term and tha
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The Dispatch→ Does the Pfizer/BioNTech Vaccine Cause Infertility?
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Lead Stories→ Fact Check: President Donald Trump Did NOT Invoke or Sign The Insurrection Act
Did President Trump invoke or sign the Insurrection Act following the events of January 6, 2021 (or before that)? No, that's not true: President Trump has never made use of the Insurrection Act up to the time of writing of this article on
The Dispatch→ Does a Viral Photo Show Evidence of Shredded Ballots From the Georgia Runoff?
Earlier this week, in the midst of Georgia’s Senate runoff elections on January 5, a viral social media post was widely shared allegedly showing a photo of “shredded ballots” in Georgia. The original tweet, which has been retweeted mo
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Rush Limbaugh Has NOT Been Suspended From Twitter — Deleted Own Account
Was radio host Rush Limbaugh suspended from Twitter in the wake of President Trump's suspension from the plaform? No, that's not true: in an email to Lead Stories, Twitter has confirmed it was the user behind the @RealRLimbaugh account wh
The Dispatch→ Debunking the Conspiracy Theories Claiming That Antifa Led the Attack on the Capitol
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Truth or Fiction?→ Zip Ties and the Capitol Riots
On January 8 2021, “zip ties” became a topic of discourse around the January 6 2021 Capitol riots as the public began to unpack and come to terms with the events of that chaotic day: Many are wondering about this USA TODAY photo –
FactCheck.org→ FactChecking the Electoral College Debate
The process of certifying Joe Biden as the 46th president of the United States occurred in the early morning hours of Jan. 7, after being disrupted by rioters and delayed by Republicans who repeated false and misleading claims about the election result
The Dispatch→ Fact Checking Donald Trump’s Speech From the ‘Save America March’
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Health Feedback→ The CDC reports more than 2.9 million deaths in the U.S. in 2020; at least 377,000 more deaths in 2020 compared to previous years
REVIEW A screenshot of a tweet made by rapper and activist Maj Toure on 31 December 2020 (see the original tweet archived here), claiming that there were fewer deaths in America in 2020 compared to 2019, was published in numerous Facebook posts and
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: PCR Tests Do NOT Have An Accuracy of 0% When More Than 35 Cycles Are Used
Do PCR tests have an accuracy of 0% when more than 35 amplification cycles are used? No, that's not true: Multiple infectious disease experts confirm polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, ac
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Delta Force Did NOT Raid Biden Compound in Ukraine — Recycled 2017 Hoax Story
Did Delta Force raid a "Biden compound" in Ukraine and did they recover gold bullion, drugs and weapons? No, that's not true: the story was put out by an anonymously operated website that had only been active for about a week, it quoted n
Health Feedback→ German study did not find wearing face masks harms children; study wasn’t designed to accurately test these effects
REVIEW An article published on 2 January 2021 by GreenMedInfo, promoting “a German study” that purportedly found wearing face masks causes “major negative impacts” on children, went viral on Facebook in early January 2021 and received more t
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: There Is NOT A New York Bill Intended To Round Up COVID Patients, Put Them In Camps, Or Forcibly Vaccinate, Projected To Pass On January 6
Is there a bill projected to pass on January 6, 2021, that will allow the state of New York to round up COVID patients and put them in camps? No, that's not true: The hype surrounding this bill is not supported by evidence. The New York S
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: There Were NOT Fewer Deaths In 2020 With COVID-19 Versus 2019 Without The Virus
Were there fewer deaths in 2020, despite the COVID-19 pandemic raging, versus 2019 when there wasn't the virus? No, that's not true: A meme went viral with the false claim that the number of deaths in the United States in 2020 was approxi
Snopes→ If I’ve Already Had the Coronavirus, Can I Get It Again?
Evidence is growing that people whose bodies mounted a strong defense to the virus are unlikely to test positive again for at least several months and maybe longer.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Georgia Ballots Were NOT Printed Differently for GOP Areas Versus Democrat Areas To Enable Election Rigging
Were ballots used in Republican areas of Georgia different from ballots used in Democratic areas of the state, resulting in a rigged election? No, that's not true: A purported elections expert -- who the Georgia secretary of state's offic
The Dispatch→ Fact Checking Trump’s Claims From His Call With Brad Raffensperger
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Truth or Fiction?→ Why a Wisconsin Pharmacist Allegedly Destroyed COVID-19 Vaccines
Wisconsin pharmacist Steven Brandenburg was arrested on December 31 2020 after he reportedly destroyed 57 vials (or more than 500 doses) of coronavirus vaccine, possibly intentionally. On January 4 2020, Ozaukee County District Attorney Adam Gerol add
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Rep. Emanuel Cleaver Say ‘Amen and Awomen’ During a Congressional Prayer?
On January 3 2021, Rep. Emanuel Cleaver led a Daily Congressional Prayer, drawing intense scrutiny from certain circles for purportedly concluding with “amen and awomen” (or “awoman”) in lieu of the standard “amen”
Health Feedback→ Asymptomatic and presymptomatic people can spread COVID-19
REVIEW The respiratory disease COVID-19, which is caused by the virus SARS-CoV-2, spread around the world in 2020. COVID-19 has caused more than 85 million confirmed cases and more than 1.8 million confirmed deaths globally as of 4 January 2020. In
Snopes→ UK Judge Refuses US Extradition of WikiLeaks Founder Julian Assange
District Judge Vanessa Baraitser said Assange's precarious mental health would likely deteriorate further under the conditions of “near total isolation” he would face in a U.S. prison.
FactCheck.org→ FactChecking the Georgia Senate Runoffs
Two months after Election Day, control of the U.S. Senate in the 117th Congress comes down to two races in Georgia on Jan. 5. None of the four candidates on the ballot garnered 50% of the vote on Nov. 3, which forced separate runoffs. In one of the con
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: New York Times Election Report Did NOT Reveal 104,984 Stolen Votes in Ga, 347,768 in PA — Also NOT Published In "European paper"
Did a "New York Times Election Report" reveal 104,984 Stolen Votes in Georgia and 347,768 in Pennsylvania? And was this report published by a "European paper" because the rest of the world gets different news? No, that's not true: the hea
Snopes→ Does a Tent Hide Abandoned Skyway Steps in Disneyland?
Disney Parks fanatics might know all about the abandoned attractions, but it's likely that a majority of the park's guests have no idea about these steps.
Health Feedback→ COVID-19 antigen tests are highly accurate, but incorrect use on food items such as fruits or Coca-Cola can produce false positive results
REVIEW During a 10 December 2020 parliamentary speech, Michael Schnedlitz, a member of the National Council of Austria, shared a live video showing how Coca-Cola tested positive in a COVID-19 antigen test. Based on this result, Schnedlitz claimed in
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Mad Max is Set in 2021’
In late 2020 a set of memes began spreading, all of which contained wording to the effect of, “I don’t want to be [a pessimist,] but Mad Max was set in 2021″: It wasn’t clear where the combination of image and phrasing above a
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Trump Got 74 Million Votes With 133 Million Registered Voters in the USA … There’s Only 59 Million Votes Left for Biden, How Did He Get 81 Million?’
On December 19 2020, the following screenshot was shared by someone going by the name Thor Arne to Facebook, questioning the math of the 2020 presidential election, which delivered Democratic Party candidate Joe Biden a resounding victory over Republi
Poynter→ Researchers developed an AI system that predicts the likelihood people will spread misinformation based on words they use
Lee en español University of Sheffield researchers Yida Mu and Dr. Nikos Aletra report they’ve developed an artificial intelligence system to help identify Twitter users who are more likely to share unreliable news sources. In their study published
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: This Is NOT A 2020 National Geographic Photo Of The Star of Bethlehem
Did National Geographic send a photographer to northern Alaska to capture this photo of the Star of Bethlehem in December of 2020? No, that's not true: This image has been circulating online since at least 2014 and is not credited to Nati
Lead Stories→ Merry Christmas From Lead Stories Despite Erroneous Automated Facebook Flags
Several people reported to us that Facebook erroneously added a "Missing Context" warning notice to posts wishing people a "Merry Christmas". The notice included a link to our fact check about certain items that were supposedly in the "St
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Sam Hyde Was NOT Driving The RV That Exploded in Nashville
Did authorities release an image of the RV that exploded in Nashville on December 25, 2020 that showed comedian Sam Hyde behind the wheel? No, that's not true: blaming the comedian for being the perpetrator of all sorts of terror attacks,
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Purported Evidence in ‘The Plot To Steal America’ Video Does NOT Support Election Fraud Claims — Mostly Consists of Rehashed Hoaxes
Does an advertising video titled "The Plot To Steal America" contain hard evidence of election fraud? No, that's not true: the 18-minute pitch contains allegations based on video clips purporting to show "evidence" but several of these cl
Health Feedback→ PragerU video contains misleading claims about COVID-19 deaths, falsely claims 94% of COVID-19 deaths had pre-existing conditions
REVIEW A video published by PragerU on Instagram, titled “How many Americans have died from COVID-19?” shows interviews with various people, purportedly to determine whether “everyday Americans have an accurate perception of COVID-19.” The v
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Birthmarks NOT Caused By MTHFR Gene Variants, Which Rarely Cause Disease, Are NOT Harmful For Those Receiving Vaccines
Do variants of the MTHFR gene cause disease and increase the likelihood of vaccine reactions? No, that's not true: In rare circumstances, a MTHFR (methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase) gene variant causes neural tube defects in newborn bab
FactCheck.org→ Perdue’s Shaky Claim of a Nonexistent ‘Investigation’
A TV ad from Republican Sen. David Perdue’s campaign claims a supposed “China scandal” involving his challenger, Democrat Jon Ossoff, “keeps getting worse.” But it’s the distortions of the facts that are getting wors
Full Fact→ 2020, the year QAnon aligned with the UK’s fears
In late Summer of 2020, amidst an ease of lockdown, protesters marched through central London apparently in aid of abused children. The congregation travelled through the city, eventually settling at Buckingham Palace, where, in a now-viral moment, gr
AFP Fact Check→ Social media posts share outdated findings about Pompeii volcano victim
An image of a man’s remains at the volcanic eruption site of Mount Vesuvius in Pompeii, Italy, has been shared repeatedly in multiple posts on Facebook and Twitter that claim he was killed by a stone during the volcanic explosion in 79 BC. The clai
FactCheck.org→ A Guide to Moderna’s COVID-19 Vaccine
Moderna’s mRNA vaccine is the second COVID-19 vaccine authorized for use in the U.S. Here, we give a rundown of basic facts about the vaccine and an overview of how it works. Quick Summary Vaccine name: mRNA-1273 Design type: mRNA Dose number: 2 dose
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Stimulus Pork’
A long-rumored “second stimulus” check of $600 was announced on December 21 2020 and widely deemed to be paltry to the point of insulting; not long after that, a screengrab of a chart labeled “Stimulus Pork” began spreading on