We use the word "lie" only once a year. We reserve that designation for the most egregious and harmful claim w
Snopes→ Snopes Looks Back on Eventful Year, Prepares for Upcoming Trial
Our fact-checking team has been energized by court victories, including penalties ordered against our opponents.
Snopes→ Mistletoe – Famous for Stolen Holiday Kisses – is a Parasite That Steals Water and Nutrients from Other Plants
Turns out, there are 1,300 species of this evergreen plant worldwide.
Truth or Fiction?→ Mayfield, Kentucky Theater Image
In the aftermath of a deadly series of tornadoes on December 10 2021, a purported photograph of a damaged theater in Mayfield, Kentucky spread virally on Twitter: This picture from the aftermath of the Kentucky tornadoes has to be the picture of the
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: NO Evidence That Mixing Grapefruit And Antidepressants Can Cause Fatal Overdose — Combo MAY Cause Other Adverse Effects
Can eating grapefruit while on antidepressants cause a fatal overdose? Probably not: Grapefruit can increase, or in some cases decrease, the effect of dozens of prescription and over-the-counter drugs. However, only a few antidepressants
Snopes→ All from US Missionary Group Freed in Haiti, Police Say
The remaining members of a missionary group who were kidnapped two months ago have been freed.
Full Fact→ Why might vaccinated people account for a bigger share of Covid-19 deaths than infections?
An article from the blog, The Exposé, claims that fully vaccinated people accounted for nine in 10 Covid-19 deaths in Scotland over the past four months. Screenshots of the article’s headline, including this claim, have also circulated on
Full Fact→ Actor pretended to have Covid-19 for hospital training exercise, not for propaganda
A Facebook post claims to have proof an actor was contracted to pretend they were a hospital patient with Covid-19. The post includes a screenshot of a tweet. It says the actor “shows her contract detailing her role” and that it requi
Snopes→ Did a Dog Paint a Portrait of a Dog?
It took a lot of talent to make this video.
Full Fact→ UK booster roll out level twice the EU average
"We've done almost double the percentage [of boosters] of any other European country" Boris Johnson, 15 December 2021. During Prime Minister’s Questions, Boris Johnson said that the percentage of the UK population who have received a booster vac
Snopes→ Army: 98% of Active Duty Got COVID-19 Vaccine by Deadline
More than 3,800 soldiers flatly refused and could start being removed from the military next month.
Snopes→ Is ‘My First Hookah’ a Real Toy?
My first hoax? No, this content creator is known for making fake funny products.
Full Fact→ The FDA recalls drugs for a wide range of reasons
A Facebook post claims that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recalled 12,787 drugs and that “1,270 drugs every year that were formerly approved get recalled because they were subsequently deemed unsuitable. These drugs were pre teste
Full Fact→ What we know about the alleged Downing Street parties so far
The biggest political story of the last month has been a series of reports on parties allegedly held late last year in Downing Street and Westminster at a time when strict Covid-19 restrictions were in force. Much of the coverage so far has been based
AllSides→ No Credible Evidence COVID-19 mRNA Vaccines ‘Dramatically Increase’ Heart Attack Risk, Contrary to Flawed Abstract
https://www.factcheck.org/2021/12/no-credible-evidence-covid-19-mrna-vaccines-dramatically-increase-heart-attack-risk-contrary-to-flawed-abstract/
PolitiFact→ Facebook posts – No, Microsoft and Bill Gates didn’t develop a video game called Omikron in 1999
Microsoft and Bill Gates created a 1999 video game called “Omikron.”
PolitiFact→ Instagram posts – BBC reporting error is not proof the network was part of an ‘inside job’ on 9/11
A video from British public broadcaster BBC shows the network was part of a 9/11 conspiracy.
Logically→ Fatality rates among the fully vaccinated are higher than the unvaccinated in the U.K.
COVID-19 vaccines work. According to the UKHSA, death and hospitalization rates are lower in fully vaccinated across all age groups.
Snopes→ Colorado Dog That Was Missing for 2 Weeks Rescued from Ledge
An animal control officer with the Humane Society anchored herself to a wooden fence and rappelled down to the dog using a mountaineering harness.
FactCheck.org→ No Credible Evidence COVID-19 mRNA Vaccines ‘Dramatically Increase’ Heart Attack Risk, Contrary to Flawed Abstract
SciCheck Digest The COVID-19 vaccines administered in the U.S. are not known to increase the risk of heart attack. But social media posts are misinterpreting an abstract in an American Heart Association journal as proof that the vaccine kills. The publ
Logically→ The unemployment rate in Uttar Pradesh went from over 17 percent to under 5 percent during Yogi Adithyanath’s tenure.
While the unemployment rate of Uttar Pradesh reached a high of 18 percent in 2016, it was at 3 percent when Yogi Adityanath took office in March 2017.
FactCheck.org→ Our Annual Fundraising Appeal
It is that time of year when we ask for you to help support fact-based reporting on major public policy issues. This year, we have brought you reports on the Capitol riot, including a same-day fact-checking article of then President Donald Trump’s fa
Snopes→ Jaguars Fire Urban Meyer After 13 Games, Countless Missteps
Urban Meyer never fit in the NFL.
Logically→ Uttar Pradesh has the highest crimes against Scheduled Tribes.
In the latest NCRB report, Madhya Pradesh recorded the highest number of atrocities against Scheduled Tribes in 2020, followed by Rajasthan.
Logically→ Instances of serious crimes in Uttar Pradesh in 2020 were the lowest since 2013.
The rate of serious crimes across India saw a decline in 2020 and not just in Uttar Pradesh. The COVID-19 restrictions may have played a part in it.
Logically→ Former U.S. President Donald Trump is taller than Joe Biden.
President Biden's official records state that he is 5 feet 11.65 inches, making him shorter than Trump, who is approximately 6 feet 2 inches tall.
Poynter→ An anti-vaccine website is misusing VAERS data to spread fears about vaccine’s impact on fetal health
An article from an anti-vaccine website claims that thousands of fetuses died after their mothers were administered the COVID-19 vaccine during pregnancy. “2,809 Dead Babies in VAERS Following COVID Shots […] The post An anti-vaccine websit
Full Fact→ Boris Johnson’s mum did not call him ‘an idiot with no common sense’
A Facebook post claims Boris Johnson’s mother said her son is “an idiot with no common sense”, “has very little in the way of social skills” and claims she hoped “he never goes into politics.” The post attribut
Logically→ The Omicron variant has not killed a single person worldwide.
The first known death was reported in the U.K due to the Omicron coronavirus variant on December 13, 2021.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Air Force Colonel Joe Jackson Did NOT Die In 2020 Ignored — He Died in 2019 Remembered By Hometown, Dept. of Defense
Did Air Force Col. Joe Jackson die in 2020 with his death ignored by the public and media? No, that's not true: He died on January 12, 2019, according to multiple sources including the obituary from Jackson's hometown newspaper, The Washi
Snopes→ Pro-Trump Commentator Melissa Tate Suspended by Twitter
In an email, Twitter confirmed to us that @TheRightMelissa was permanently suspended from the platform.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Most Of 158,000 ‘Adverse Events’ In Pfizer Data Common Side Effects, Not Deadly
Do records from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) subpoenaed by an attorney show over 158,000 adverse "events" in the first 2½ months of COVID-19 shot trials? Yes, but that number is misleading. While "158,000 adverse events" were n
Snopes→ Questions Raised Over Candle Factory Decisions Before Tornado Collapse
Some workers have stated that work should have been called off that night.
Snopes→ Yes, 3 Residents of The Villages Retirement Community Have Been Accused of Voter Fraud
All three are innocent until proven guilty. But the incident was seen as ironic by many.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Trump’s ‘Rally’ Did NOT Feature ‘Only 5 People’
Did former President Donald Trump hold a rally that drew only five people? No, that's not true: The claim in the clickbait headline is not supported in the video. The information in the video was taken from a national news article that di
Snopes→ Did Coca-Cola Announce Change to ‘More Relevant’ Black Santa Claus?
Did the company's CEO James Quincey really say "The time has come for a Santa Claus that's more relevant to our times"?
Snopes→ Did Oprah Winfrey Endorse Whoopi Goldberg’s CBD Line?
We've seen unauthorized, foreign-run schemes like these before.
PolitiFact→ Hillsborough County Republican Executive Committee – A Florida county GOP says a Tampa Democrat is a communist. That’s bogus.
Rep. Kathy Castor, D-Fla. is a communist
PolitiFact→ Facebook posts – Story about California store owner pricing items at $951 to prosecute thieves is satire
“California store owner prices all items at $951 so thieves can be prosecuted.”
Snopes→ 2021 in Review: Highlights From Snopes.com
If this year taught us anything, it's this: A dire need remains for fact-based, explanatory journalism.