REVIEW A July 2020 post on Quora, which is a question-and-answer website, went viral on Facebook after users began sharing screenshots or copies of the original post (see an example here). The post’s author, Franklin Veaux, attempts to answer the
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Truth or Fiction?→ Is this Durex Coronavirus Ad Real?
Chances are you’ve seen some version of this purported Durex advertisement in heavy circulation at some point during the COVID-19 pandemic, featuring and comparing a face mask with a condom: The screenshot above included commentary from a s
Health Feedback→ Nasal swab used for COVID-19 testing does not reach the brain
REVIEW A Facebook post shared more than 16,000 times claims that the nasopharyngeal swab (nasal swab), which is widely used to collect biological samples for testing for active SARS-CoV-2 infection (the virus responsible for COVID-19), scrapes and d
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Carsyn Davis Die After Attending a ‘COVID Party’?
In early July 2020, news of the death of Florida teenager Carsyn Leigh Davis began spreading on social media — alongside rumors the girl, who was purportedly medically fragile, was intentionally exposed to SARS-CoV-2 by her mother: A parent se
Truth or Fiction?→ Does ‘Qabalista’ by Selki Girl Trigger ‘Out-of-Body Experiences’?
In late June and early July 2020, a rumor on TikTok’s #witchtok hashtag held that the album Qabalista by Selki Girl “triggered astral projection” or other strange experiences; a video with hundreds of thousands of engagements involve
FactCheck.org→ Meme Misrepresents Florida Surgeon General’s Position on Face Masks
Quick Take Amid a surge in Florida’s COVID-19 cases, a Facebook meme dated June 24 falsely claims the state’s surgeon general recommended that people stop wearing face masks. The surgeon general actually issued an advisory two days earlier
Health Feedback→ COVID-19 is among the leading causes of death worldwide so far in 2020, but beware of incomplete graphs
An animated bar graph circulating on social media went viral in June 2020 and received more than 100,000 interactions on Facebook. The graph claims to report the number of deaths that have occurred worldwide from several causes, including COVID-19, bet
Truth or Fiction?→ This Photograph Does Not Show a Woman Who Was Beaten and Sexually Assaulted at a BLM Protest
In mid-June 2020, the following meme circulated on Facebook and Instagram, purportedly a screenshot of a Facebook post by a woman claiming she was “beaten and raped” by three people of color at a Black Lives Matter protest:
Full Fact→ Facebook post about Italy, coronavirus and 5G is almost all false
We’ve been asked by a reader to check a series of claims about Italy, Covid-19 and 5G. We’ve seen variations of the text being shared on social media and via blog posts. Almost all of the claims—that Covid-19 is caused by a bacteria,
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘This Fool Actually Tattooed Will Smith on His Face’
On May 15 2020, Facebook user Ed Lawson shared the following image, which purportedly depicted a man who had had Will Smith’s face tattooed over his own face: The post was extremely popular, but not every commenter was convinced that t
Truth or Fiction?→ Tamla Horsford’s Death Investigation Reopened: ‘This Picture Literally Gives Me the Chills’
On June 14 2020, a Facebook user shared the following post about the death of Tamla Horsford: Viral Posts about Tamla Horsford in June 2020 An appended image of eight women — seven white and one black — was captioned “This picture l
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Leaked IRS Tax Returns Did NOT show George Soros Wired $1.7M To Antifa
Did leaked IRS tax returns show George Soros wired $1.7 million to Antifa? No, that's not true: The Open Society Foundations, created by Soros, has made several large donations to The Center for Community Change, but that group is not affiliat
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: George Soros Did NOT Say He Is ‘Funding Black Hate Groups’ To ‘Bring Down’ The U.S.
Did George Soros say in a 2014 interview with Bild, Germany's largest and most popular tabloid newspaper, that he was "going to bring down the United States by funding Black Hate groups"? No, that's not true: A spokesman for Bild told Lead Sto
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘George Floyd Challenge’ Image Spreads Virally, Provenance Unknown
On May 31 2020, a Facebook screenshot of an Instagram post circulated virally, purportedly depicting two white teenagers grinning as they engaged in what was labeled a “George Floyd challenge” — a tasteless recreation of the circum
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Coronavirus Is NOT Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation; NO Pathophysiological Diagnosis Error
Has "the whole world" gotten the pathology of COVID-19 wrong -- that it's thrombosis, a blood-clotting problem, that should be treated with "antibiotics, antivirals, anti-inflammatories and anticoagulants" and not a viral infection that leads
Health Feedback→ Mortality in the U.S. noticeably increased during the first months of 2020 compared to previous years
SUMMARY A post shared on Facebook on 13 May 2020 compared the number of deaths in the U.S. during the first 17 weeks of 2019 (30 December 2018 to 27 April 2019) to those during the same period in 2020 (29 December 2019 to 25 April 2020)@. The post sta
Truth or Fiction?→ There’s No ‘New Evidence’ Face Masks Pose Health Risks to Healthy People During the COVID-19 Pandemic
On May 18 2020, ScienceTimes.com posted a story with a frightening and shocking headline: “New Evidence Shows Wearing Face Mask Can Help Coronavirus Enter the Brain and Pose More Health Risk, Warn Expert.” The page picked up quite a lot o
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: BLM Did NOT Release A Plan To Annihilate America’s Wild Horse And Burro Herds
Did the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) release a plan to annihilate America's wild horse and burro herds? No, that's not true: The plan calls for management of the wild horse and burro population over the coming 15 years through "population g
FactCheck.org→ False Claim of Forced Removals Under Contact Tracing Bill
Quick Take Viral posts on social media falsely claim that a House bill would “give the government the power to forcibly remove” children from their homes. That’s not true. The bill actually provides $100 billion to fund COVID-19 contact trac
Truth or Fiction?→ Did U.S. President Donald Trump Tweet That Obama Didn’t ‘Prepair’ for the Coronavirus Pandemic?
On May 12 2020, a screenshot of a purported tweet from United States President Donald Trump circulated — in which he purportedly lashed out at Barack Obama and said that his predecessor didn’t “prepair” for the coronavirus pa
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Venice in Quarantine’: Did Flamingos Flock to Quiet Canals?
Quirky or uplifting news was in high demand as the COVID-19 pandemic dragged on, which was likely the reason that a Facebook post (“Venice … in quarantine,” archived here) purportedly showing flamingos in the deserted canals of Venic
Truth or Fiction?→ The Viral Death of Kat Restin
Segments of Twitter are alight with rumors surrounding the April 2020 death of Virginia teenager Kat Restin and the alleged circumstances regarding her demise. An obituary for Restin, 19, was published on April 23 2020. Restin’s Obituary In that
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Dear Georgia IDGAF’ Meme
On April 21 2020, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp made the controversial decision to “re-open” some of his states non-essential businesses in spite of a spreading COVID-19 pandemic; that night, a meme addressed to Georgia residents advised,
Truth or Fiction?→ Was This Illusion ‘Created by a Japanese Neurologist’ to Identify Stress Levels?
Like many other memes, a roundly-debunked graphic continued to make the online rounds in 2020, though one version did gain more traction earlier in the year. The photograph itself shows an optical illusion, but the caption often accompanying it is mis
FactCheck.org→ Social Media Posts Make Baseless Claim on COVID-19 Death Toll
Quick Take Viral posts wrongly suggest that the COVID-19 death toll is exaggerated because “the state” has instructed that “anyone who didnt die by a gun shot wound or car accident” be listed as a coronavirus victim. Experts say
Truth or Fiction?→ Is a ‘Coronavirus Challenge’ on Social Media Prompting Teens to Infect Themselves With COVID-19?
Amid wall-to-wall reporting on a novel coronavirus and COVID-19 in late March 2020, articles breathlessly claimed that a “coronavirus challenge” or “COVID-19 challenge” was spreading on platforms like TikTok and Twitter, inciti
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Cristiano Ronaldo Did NOT Buy Private Island To Escape Coronavirus Crisis
Did Cristiano Ronaldo buy a private island to escape the coronavirus crisis? No, that's not true: The legendary Portuguese soccer star has been hit with another fake story as the coronavirus threatens people around the globe. Social media post
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Cristiano Ronaldo NOT Turning His Hotels Into ‘Hospitals’ To Fight Coronavirus
Is Cristiano Ronaldo turning his CR7 hotels Into 'hospitals' to combat the spread of the novel coronavirus? No, this is not true. The Portuguese soccer legend's management company told Lead Stories that the claim - which has already been debun
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Cristiano Ronaldo’s Mother, Dolores, Is NOT Dead
Did Delores Aveiro, the mother of footballer Cristiano Ronaldo, experience a fatal second stroke days after being admitted to the hospital after she experienced an initial stroke? No, that's not true. This story originates from a website with
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘He’s 18’: Twitter Trending Topics Amplifies Quaden Bayles Conspiracy Theory
Not long after Quaden Bayles became the virally popular star of an anti-bullying campaign, Twitter’s trending topics boosted a conspiracy theory under “He’s 18,” linked to tweets alleging the nine-year-old boy was a much olde
Lead Stories→ Fake News: NO Evidence That Instant Noodles Are Linked to Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s
Are instant noodles linked to chronic inflammation, weight gain, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's? No, that's partly false: While ramen noodle consumption has been linked to heart diseases and diabetes in women in at least one study, there is no ev
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Trump Did NOT Win 3,084 Counties In 2016, While Clinton Did NOT Win Only 57
Did President Trump win 3,084 counties, while Hillary Clinton won only 57 in the 2016 presidential election? No, that's not true: The post has been copied and pasted multiple times since 2016, but those numbers are not correct. The claims orig
Truth or Fiction?→ Prolific Web Artist Qinni Dies at 29
Well-loved DeviantArt and social media artist Qing Han, known to fans as Qinni, has died. She was 29. DeviantArt, a platform on which Qinni maintained a massive following (and which honored Qinni in 2017), confirmed Qing Han’s death in a tweet:
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Ravi Shankar, Indian Sitar Maestro, Died IN 2012
Did Indian sitar maestro Ravi Shankar recently die? No, that's not true: Shankar died in December of 2012, in a San Diego hospital - not in January of 2020 as many Facebook posts would lead you to believe. A BBC obituary reporting Shankar's pa
FactCheck.org→ Q&A on the FDA’s Flavored E-Cig Policy
After months of considering a complete ban on flavored electronic cigarettes, the Trump administration announced a new policy on Jan. 2 that soon will forbid the sale of some, but not all, flavored vapes. According to the Food and Drug Administration,
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Mike Bloomberg Campaign Did Not Make #MovesLikeBloomberg Dance Video
Did a Mike Bloomberg presidential campaign intern record and release a video of staffers and supporters doing a #MovesLikeBloomberg dance at a rally in Beverly Hills? No, that's not true: The viral video of an awkward group dance was produced
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Teenager Does NOT Die Of Stomach Cancer After Eating Instant Noodles Every Day
Did a Taiwanese teenager die of stomach cancer after eating instant noodles every day? No, that's not true: There is no medical research drawing a direct link between daily consumption of instant ramen noodles and cancer. The story making they
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Pedophilia NOT Being Taught As ‘Sexual Orientation’ In California Schools
Is pedophilia being taught as a sexual orientation in California public schools? No, that's not true: The claim stems from a short video clip of a local school official answering an activist's question and the official's response was taken out
Lead Stories→ Bernie Sanders At Dem Debate Did NOT Say The Planet Only Has ‘8 or 9 Years’ Before Major Cities Go Underwater
Did Bernie Sanders say at a Democratic debate that the planet has only eight or nine years before major cities go under water? No, that's not true: What the Democratic presidential hopeful said was that, unless "we get our act together within
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘$60 Women’s Self-Defense Kit Sold by a Black-Owned Business’ Facebook Post
A popular November 17 2019 Facebook post purportedly shows a women’s self-defense kit in the style of a makeup bag, and the collection of stylish items was described as being sold by a black-owned business: Its image showed iridescent brass kn