SciCheck Digest A nonprofit recently reported that, since 2009, the National Institutes of Health and many of its scientists received an estimated $350 million in royalties for developing experimental treatments. Some kept the money, but Dr. Anthony Fa
Snopes→ After String of Adventures, Ancient Gold Ring Back in Greece
It was the latest in a series of coups by Greek authorities seeking the return of works plundered from the antiquities-rich country.
Snopes→ Publishers Clearing House Scam Targets Victims by Phone
An old Publishers Clearing House sweepstakes phone scam usually asks for taxes and various fees to be paid up front in order to claim a supposed prize.
FactCheck.org→ Post Misleadingly Blames Shipments to Ukraine for Baby Formula Shortage in U.S.
Quick Take A Mississippi-based nonprofit has sent shipments of baby formula to Ukraine since Russia invaded the country. A social media post misleadingly suggests the shipments are responsible for the formula shortage in the U.S. But the shortage has b
Snopes→ German Farm Owner Saves Fuel Money with Horse-Drawn Carriage
Stephanie Kirchner's journey to work has got longer but, she says, cheaper: she has left her SUV at home and switched to real horse power.
PolitiFact→ Tweets – Image of Clarence and Ginni Thomas enjoying bottle of wine predates Roe v. Wade draft opinion leak
Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and his wife Ginni posted a photo of themselves enjoying a $5,135 bottle of wine “as American women despair about abortion rights being taken away from them.”
The Dispatch→ Fact Checking Claims About an Alabama Abortion Law
Pro-choice protesters in front of the Alabama Capitol in 2019. (Photo by Seth Herald/AFP via Getty Images)Viral social media posts claim that “if a 12-year-old girl is raped and impregnated by her father, she must carry to term, or be thrown in p
Truth or Fiction?→ Texas Governor Tweets, Quietly Deletes ‘@ElonMusk Picked the Right State to Move to’
On May 20 2022, journalist Kara Carlson tweeted an apparent screenshot of a deleted tweet from Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R), in which Abbott retweeted Musk and addressed Musk’s relocation to Texas: now deleted: pic.twitter.com/QYtGbZhpp1 —
Snopes→ Is This Kevin Bacon Getting David Lee Roth’s Autograph?
Not everyone has six degrees of separation from actor Kevin Bacon.
Snopes→ Finland Brewery Launches NATO Beer with ‘Taste of Security’
A small brewery in Finland has launched a NATO-themed beer to mark the Nordic country’s bid to join the Western military alliance.
PolitiFact→ Facebook posts – No, this isn’t real footage of downed helicopters during an ambush
Video shows helicopters in Ukraine “being picked off in ambush - Short range air-to-air missile”
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Video Is NOT Real News Interview About Gays In The Military — It’s 2007 Satire
Does a video posted on social media show a man reacting to a news interview about gays in the military that says they're "too precious to risk in combat"? No, that's not true: The original piece was produced more than a decade ago by The
Snopes→ Did Adele Endorse Keto Weight Loss Gummies on ‘Ellen’?
We looked into the origins of an article with the headline, "Adele Told Us About Her Daily Keto Routine That Melted 87 Pounds In Just Few Weeks!"
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Video Does NOT Prove Presence of These Microscopic Insects In Our Food, Drinks — It’s Clickbait
Did this content creator prove there are microscopic insects in our food and drinks? No, that's not true: Entomologist Jody Gangloff-Kaufmann told Lead Stories that this video is "garbage click bait." Another entomologist, Brian Federici,
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: ‘Biggest Drop In The DOW Stock Market Ever’ Did NOT Happen During Biden Administration
Did the "biggest drop in the DOW Stock Market Ever" occur during the Biden administration? No, that's not true: A professor of finance at Ivey Business School said the worst day for the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) was October 19,
PolitiFact→ Facebook posts – No, this isn’t a real video of Russian tanks getting destroyed
Video shows “Russian tank column totally destroyed by attack helicopter.”
Snopes→ Bill Pushes Feds to Notify Families of Sick, Dying Inmates
The legislation is the latest step by members of Congress to further oversight of the beleaguered federal prison system, which has lurched from crisis to crisis in recent years.
Full Fact→ Smallpox not the only infectious disease eradicated by humans
A story published in The Times about the rising number of monkeypox cases claims that smallpox is “the only disease eradicated by humans”. This is not the case, despite similar statements being made elsewhere. Rinderpest—also known as
The Dispatch→ Fact Check: Does the Moderna COVID Vaccine Contain Pesticides?
(Photo by Miyer Juana/Long Visual Press/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)An article from Real Raw News claims that the military found pesticides in Moderna COVID-19 vaccines. According to the article, “U.S. Special Forces und
Full Fact→ How many jobs has Crossrail created?
“I thought it was fantastic by the way, yesterday, to see Her Majesty the Queen open Crossrail. 72,000 jobs that has already delivered”. Boris Johnson MP, 18 May 2022. During Prime Minister’s Questions on 18 May, the Prime Minister B
PolitiFact→ Rebecca Kleefisch – Democrat Evers is not ‘a big proponent' of defunding police, as GOP challenger Kleefisch claims
Says Gov. Tony Evers is “a big proponent of this defund the police movement.”
Snopes→ Do Laws Banning Abortion Actually Decrease the Rate of Abortions?
Restricting access to abortions does not necessarily end demand.
Full Fact→ A picture of the sky does not show ‘chemtrails’
A Facebook post which claims that a number of long white lines of vapour in the sky are “chemtrails” is inaccurate. The post includes a photograph with the caption “I've got a beautiful feeling those are chemtrails not clouds in my wa
Snopes→ Musk Denies Sexual Misconduct Allegation by Flight Attendant
A report by Business Insider said SpaceX paid the woman $250,000 in severance in 2018 in exchange for her agreeing not to file a lawsuit over her claim.
Snopes→ Senate Ships $40B Ukraine Aid Bill to Biden for Signature
The legislation, approved 86-11, was backed by every voting Democrat and most Republicans.
Health Feedback→ No scientific evidence supports the claim that consuming apple cider vinegar and thermogenic supplements produces significant and rapid weight loss
REVIEW Posts promoting a weight loss beverage went viral on Facebook in May 2022. Multiple Facebook pages shared similar video clips of a cup containing a dark tea in which someone poured a spoon of apple cider vinegar and a spoon of an unidentified
Full Fact→ Facebook post does show real images of the sun
A Facebook post featuring detailed images of the sun has been the subject of some scepticism, with many comments on the post claiming that the images are not real photographs, calling them “CGI” and “artwork”. In actual fact, th
Snopes→ Vangelis, the Greek ‘Chariots of Fire’ Composer, Dies at 79
Vangelis, the Greek electronic composer who wrote the unforgettable Academy Award-winning score for the film “Chariots of Fire” and music for dozens of other movies, documentaries and TV series, has died at 79.
Full Fact→ Most Britons are not projected to be obese by 2040
"Most Britons will have lost obesity battle in 20 years." Daily Express, 19 May 2022. A headline in the Daily Express on 19 May, also published online, claims that most Britons will have “lost obesity battle” in 20 years. While the wording
Logically→ Putin said that he will uncover the U.S. and Europe’s plans for depopulation.
A quote supposedly from the Russian President, featured on an Instagram post, is entirely fabricated.
Snopes→ Oklahoma Passes Strictest Abortion Ban; Services to Stop
Oklahoma lawmakers approved a bill prohibiting all abortions with few exceptions, and providers said they would stop performing the procedure as soon as the governor signs it.
Snopes→ Rep. Ocasio-Cortez Says She’s Engaged to Longtime Partner
U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said she's engaged to her longtime partner Riley Roberts, a marketing professional she met over a decade ago while they were undergraduates at Boston University.
Logically→ The Biden administration’s proposed amendments to the pandemic treaty would allow WHO to supersede U.S. federal laws.
The proposed amendment does not contain any provision that compromises the sovereignty of the U.S.
Logically→ A video shows a Muslim woman being beaten for being in a relationship with a non-Muslim man in the United States.
A woman was beaten by her family in Russia for having a relationship with a Ukrainian man. There is no proof of an Islamophobic motive.
Health Feedback→ Event 201 isn’t evidence that authorities knew or planned the COVID-19 pandemic
REVIEW Health Feedback and other outlets debunked the recurring claim that the COVID-19 pandemic was planned or expected on multiple occasions. Still, this didn’t stop Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a prominent opponent of vaccination who has been banned
Logically→ The Azimuthal Equidistant map of the world, used by the USGS and the United Nations, is a clue that the Earth is flat.
The Azimuthal Equidistant projection is helpful, but like all 2D maps, it creates distortions because the Earth is an oblate spheroid.
Poynter→ No, this news interview doesn’t prove the Buffalo supermarket shooting was staged
The day before the deadly shooting at a Buffalo, New York, supermarket, a patron of the store had spoken to the man who police have charged in the attack. An […] The post No, this news interview doesn’t prove the Buffalo supermarket shooting wa
Climate Feedback→ Water scarcity in a changing climate: will drought get worse with warming?
A recent U.N. report notes that drought was responsible for approximately 650,000 deaths between 1970 and 2019, with 90% occurring in developing countries. Economic losses associated with drought have also been counted in the hundreds of billions USD o
Washington Post→ Ron Johnson’s flimsy evidence that Democrats seek to ‘change the electorate’
The Wisconsin senator is taking out of context remarks from almost 10 years ago to make his case.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: High U.S. Gas Prices In 2022 Are NOT Related To Closed Pipelines
Are high U.S. gas prices in 2022 related to closed pipelines? No, that's not true: The high gas prices in 2022 are mostly attributed to the price of crude oil, along with global economics and world affairs. There is no evidence that close