Does breast milk "leakage" contain "all the impurity that's in the mother's body"? No, that's not true: "This claim is false and is not grounded in science," Dr. Christopher M. Zahn, chief of clinical practice and interim chief of health
FactCheck.org→ FDA-Approved ‘Electronic Pill’ Isn’t Evidence That COVID-19 Vaccine ‘Microchip’ Conspiracy Is ‘Proven’
SciCheck Digest COVID-19 vaccines don’t contain microchips and have readily available ingredient lists. But social media posts use an old clip of the Pfizer CEO talking about an “electronic pill” to leave the false impression he was confirming a
PolitiFact→ Facebook posts – Video of a drone attacking a Russian base is from a game
Video shows “Russian desert base and infrastructure hit by Bayraktar TB2 drone.”
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: NO Evidence Texas School Shooting Was A False Flag
Was the May 2022 Texas school shooting a "false flag"? No, there's no evidence that's true: A false flag is an operation, or attack, that's made to look like it was carried out by someone other than the person who is responsible. Authorit
Snopes→ Police: Texas Gunman Was Inside the School for over an Hour
According to other details revealed at a news conference, the shooter entered through an unlocked door.
Snopes→ Netflix Text Message Scam Claims Payment Issue, Account ‘Locked’
We strongly advise against clicking links in text messages from unknown users.
Health Feedback→ Monkeypox outbreak triggers conspiracy theories on social media claiming that it was planned or incorrectly linking it with COVID-19 vaccines
REVIEW On 13 May 2022, the U.K. Health Security Agency (UKHSA) notified the World Health Organization (WHO) of two confirmed cases of monkeypox in patients from the same household and without recent travel history to areas where the virus circulates
Snopes→ Paris: Ex-Leader of Louvre Charged with Money Laundering
The former president of the Louvre museum has received preliminary charges for alleged antiquities trafficking during his tenure as head of the famous Paris museum.
PolitiFact→ Facebook posts – Fact-checking claim that plastics can help combat climate change
Studies show plastics can help combat climate change.
Health Feedback→ No reliable scientific evidence supports the use of dietary supplements marketed as weight loss and blood pressure aids in viral Facebook posts
REVIEW Numerous videos posted to Facebook in May 2022 publicized various health-promoting supplements (see examples here and here), claiming that these could aid in weight loss and reduce high blood pressure (hypertension). It’s unclear who or wha
PolitiFact→ Instagram posts – CNN did not report that Kellogg’s made one of its mascots a transgender character.
A CNN story reported that Rice Krispies added a transgender mascot.
Snopes→ How Many US School Shootings Have Taken Place in 2022?
Another deadly mass shooting occurred in Texas in May 2022.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Company With White Leaders Does NOT Own Trademark For ‘Juneteenth’ — But It DID File Application For Trademark
Does Balchem Corporation, a company with white leadership, own a trademark of the word "Juneteenth"? No, that's not true: Although Balchem submitted an application to trademark the word, that application was dead by the time this claim wa
PolitiFact→ Facebook posts – Florida uses semitrucks as patrol vehicles, but they’re marked
“Florida Highway Patrol has a semi-truck … The FHP uses a fleet of three such ‘hidden in plain sight’ trucks to snitch on bad drivers.”
PolitiFact→ Tweets – ICE está en Uvalde, Texas, apoyando las investigaciones después del tiroteo, no deportando personas
ICE está en Uvalde, Texas, “entonces los padres indocumentados tienen que temer la deportación antes de verificar si sus hijos están vivos".
Snopes→ Kevin Spacey Charged in UK with 4 Counts of Sexual Assault
British prosecutors said they have charged actor Kevin Spacey with four counts of sexual assault against three men.
Snopes→ Crypto Scammer with 452K Followers Stole Photos, Advertised on Instagram
The scammer with the fake name "Melissa Jackson" (@melissa_jacks0n) was allowed by Meta to advertise on Instagram.
PolitiFact→ Facebook posts – Shingles-monkeypox claim misleads with false flu-COVID-19 theory
They passed the flu off as COVID-19, and “they’re going to do the same thing with monkeypox and shingles.”
Snopes→ Rumors of Threat Against Black People at Walmart Unfounded, Police Say
A piece of copypasta spread baseless rumors around social media.
Snopes→ How College Students Can Help Save Local News
College journalists are already helping to serve the communities where their universities are located by making sustained contributions to local media.
PolitiFact→ Ted Cruz – Research: Armed campus police do not prevent school shootings
“We know from past experiences that the most effective tool for keeping kids safe is armed law enforcement on the campus.”
Snopes→ Ray Liotta, ‘Goodfellas’ and ‘Field of Dreams’ Star, Dies
Ray Liotta, the actor best known for playing mobster Henry Hill in “Goodfellas” and baseball player Shoeless Joe Jackson in “Field of Dreams,” has died. He was 67.
Snopes→ Is Instagram Down? Login Issues Reported by Users.
Instagram users reported on Twitter and the Down Director website that they were unable to access the service.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: NO Truth To Claim Of Planned Racial Attack In Bowie, Maryland, Walmart On May 24, 2022
Did two white men walk into a Walmart location in Bowie, Maryland, on May 24, 2022, planning to carry out a hate crime plot against Black people? No, that's not true: A spokesperson from the Bowie Police Department said this story is fals
The Dispatch→ Fact Check: A Viral Tweet About Early Retirement Is Satire
A viral tweet claims to show screenshots from a Telegraph article about a man who achieved financial independence and retired in his 40s, by getting a high-paying job, living in his grandfather's vacation home, and accepting a $500,000 gift from an unc
Snopes→ Nearly 6 Years Later, Man Indicted in Mother’s Death at Sea
The indictment offers no clues and no new information on the case, which included a dramatic rescue at sea and the suspicious deaths of two members of a wealthy New England family.
FactCheck.org→ TV Ads About Cheri Beasley’s Record on Violent Crime Lack Context
Democrat Cheri Beasley’s record in North Carolina Supreme Court cases involving violent crime is the subject of competing TV ads in the state’s U.S. Senate race. But neither ad gives viewers all of the necessary context for the claims portr
Snopes→ Snopestionary: The Ad Hominem Logical Fallacy
Logical fallacies are behind many of the harmful misunderstandings, rumors, and conspiracy theories our newsroom investigates.
Snopes→ Did Justice Burger Call Gun Lobby’s Take on 2nd Amendment a Fraud on the American Public?
Warren Burger was appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court by President Richard Nixon in 1969.
Full Fact→ Not everybody is getting their passports issued in four to six weeks
“To the best of my knowledge, everybody is getting their passport within four to six weeks.” Boris Johnson, 25 May 2022. During Prime Minister’s Questions, Boris Johnson responded to questions from Labour leader Keir Starmer about de
Full Fact→ Dyson clearance sale on Facebook has nothing to do with Dyson
A post on Facebook claims that online retailer AO is hosting a clearance sale, meaning the price of the Dyson Supersonic hairdryer—usually £399, according to the image in the post—is just £1.78. In fact, both Dyson and AO have t
Snopes→ FDA Chief Struggles to Explain Slow Response on Baby Formula
FDA Commissioner Robert Califf laid out a series of setbacks in congressional testimony that slowed his agency’s response, including a COVID-19 outbreak at the plant and a whistleblower complaint that didn’t reach FDA leadership because it was appa
Snopes→ Did ‘The View’ Settle with Rittenhouse for $22 Million?
Kyle Rittenhouse has threatened lawsuits against the news media, but there was no pending case involving the ABC talk show.
Snopes→ Scientists Will Set 1,000 Traps for Murder Hornets This Year
Scientists will set about 1,000 traps this year in their quest to wipe out the Asian giant hornet in Washington.
PolitiFact→ Republican Party of Wisconsin – Wis. Gov. Evers didn’t cause slowdown of state crime labs
On Gov. Tony “Evers’ watch…the efficiency of the state crime lab has plummeted.”
Logically→ Australia has approved a bill that prohibits people from growing their own food.
The Agriculture Amendment Bill 2022 does not outlaw people from growing their own food, but focuses on potential biosecurity issues.
Logically→ Australia has approved a bill that prohibits people from growing their own food.
The Agriculture Amendment Bill 2022 does not outlaw people from growing their own food, but focuses on potential biosecurity issues.
Snopes→ Burn-Proof Edition of ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ Up for Auction
Margaret Atwood and Penguin Random House announced that a one-off, unburnable edition of “The Handmaid’s Tale” would be auctioned through Sotheby’s New York.
Poynter→ In Brazil, Telegram adds measures to block misleading information ahead of elections
Factually is a newsletter about fact-checking and misinformation from Poynter’s International Fact-Checking Network. Sign up here to receive it in your email every other Thursday. Telegram was evading emails from Brazilian authorities for months,
Snopes→ States Divided on Gun Controls, Even As Mass Shootings Rise
Gun control measures are likely going nowhere in Congress, and they also have become increasingly scarce in most states.