A nonpolitical moment was made both political and misleading with the use of digital editing software.
Snopes→ Did Emma Raducanu Trademark Her Own Name Hours After US Open Win?
The English tennis player emerged as one of the most exciting young athletes in the world in September 2021.
FactCheck.org→ Social Media Post on Use of Ivermectin for Refugees Lacks Context
SciCheck Digest The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends the use of ivermectin as a treatment for arriving refugees to treat parasitic infections. But a social media post by Dr. Simone Gold, a proponent of ivermectin as a trea
The Dispatch→ Fact Check: ’A Fetus at 6 Weeks Has No More Brain Than a Grain of Rice’
A viral Facebook post claims that “A fetus at 6 weeks has no more brain than a grain of rice.” The post references the Texas heartbeat abortion law, which prohibits abortion when a fetal heartbeat can be detected, usually at six weeks.
Snopes→ FDA Advisory Panel Rejects Widespread Pfizer Booster Shots
The surprising vote by the committee of outside experts assembled by the Food and Drug Administration was 16-2, with members expressing frustration that Pfizer had provided little data on the safety of extra doses.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Oldest Working Nurse In U.S. Did NOT Endorse Humidifiers As Wintertime COVID-19 Prevention Method For Seniors
Did the oldest working nurse in the U.S. recommend that seniors use a specific brand of humidifiers to ward off COVID-19 during the winter? No, that's not true: The video that made the claim used fictional quotes and unrelated footage of
Snopes→ Tarp or Tossed? Ump Says He Didn’t ‘Eject’ O’s Grounds Crew
Even for baseball fans who've seen everything, this was a bizarre sight.
Health Feedback→ 1996 paper is about human evolution, not potential for genius
REVIEW On 10 September 2021, Facebook users shared posts (see here and here) that claimed that “in 1996, 9 geneticists discovered that Black Africans possessed more DNA series than any other group on earth”. The posts also claimed that “the mo
Snopes→ Did Biden Say Vaccines Protect Against Hurricanes?
Biden: "If you wind up having to evacuate, if you wind up having to stay in a shelter, you don’t want to add COVID-19 to the list of dangers that you’re going to be confronting."
Truth or Fiction?→ Gabby Petito Lodi Truck Stop Sighting Rumor
Late on September 16 2021, a Facebook user shared a screenshot which referenced missing woman Gabby Petito at a truck stop in Lodi, California: As of midday on September 17 2021, the post was rapidly spreading and circulating on Facebook. It appeared
Snopes→ Boston’s Famous Skinny House Sells for a Nice Fat Price
The home in the city's North End hit the market in August for $1.2 million, and the deal was closed for $1.25 million.
Snopes→ Yes, That New Insect Named for RuPaul Is Fabulous as Expected
Condragulations. Shantay, you stay.
Snopes→ Did Giuliani ‘Turn Down a Knighthood’ from Queen Elizabeth II?
The former New York mayor made an expletive-ridden speech in September 2021, at a commemoration of the 20th anniversary of 9/11.
Full Fact→ Universal Credit: Do politicians’ claims about working more hours add up?
Thérèse Coffey, secretary of state for the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), told BBC Breakfast on 13 September that the upcoming cut to the £20-a-week uplift to Universal Credit could be offset by a claimant working an extra
Snopes→ Is Dina Sanichar the ‘Real-Life Mowgli’?
The fantastical fictional work "The Jungle Book" may have some roots in the truth.
Snopes→ Sotheby’s Puts Rare U.S. Constitution Copy for Auction
A very special birth certificate will be auctioned off later this year — a rare copy of the U.S. Constitution.
Snopes→ Justice Department Reviewing Policies on Transgender Inmates
The Justice Department is reviewing its policies on housing transgender inmates in the federal prison system after protections for transgender prisoners were rolled back in the Trump administration.
Logically→ GPs are incentivized to inject the adult population with the COVID-19 vaccine.
There is no evidence that COVID-19 vaccination is a money-making exercise for doctors.
AllSides→ Ongoing Clinical Trials Will Decide Whether (or Not) Ivermectin Is Safe, Effective for COVID-19
https://www.factcheck.org/2021/09/scicheck-ongoing-clinical-trials-will-decide-whether-or-not-ivermectin-is-safe-effective-for-covid-19/
Logically→ There have been more deaths in 8 months due to the COVID-19 vaccines than there have been due to all other available vaccines in 21 years.
The claim is misleading as the Daily Expose is comparing unverified data from the Yellow Card Scheme and incomplete data from the MHRA to support it.
Logically→ In the Pfizer clinical trial, 1 in 9 children suffered severe adverse reactions, leaving them unable to perform daily activities.
There is no evidence that 1 in 9 children suffered severe adverse reactions that left them unable to perform daily activities.
Snopes→ Hundreds of Migrating Songbirds Crash into NYC Skyscrapers
This week's avian death toll was particularly high.
Logically→ Rajasthan government passed a new law to safeguard mosques and madrasas.
The Rajasthan government has not made such a decision. Rajasthan Police and OSD Lokesh Sharma clarified that the viral post was fake.
Logically→ There is high risk of myocarditis in children due to the Pfizer Vaccine.
Myocarditis in children is a rare side effect of mRNA vaccines. However, the risk of myocarditis from COVID-19 is higher.
Snopes→ Milley: Calls to China Were ‘Perfectly’ Within Scope of Job
Gen. Mark Milley such said calls are “routine” and were done "to reassure both allies and adversaries in this case in order to ensure strategic stability.”
Logically→ Vaccines are unsafe – more than 30,000 women in the U.K. have reported disrupted periods after their COVID-19 vaccine.
Reports about changes in women's menstrual cycles are being used to falsely claim that vaccines negatively affect fertility. An article published by the Daily Mail is doing the rounds on Facebook. It concerns reports that 35,000 women in Bri
Logically→ In August, there were more deaths from suicide than COVID-19.
This is unverifiable, but likely false. There are ~800,000 deaths/year from suicide, and there have been ~4 million deaths so far from COVID-19.
Logically→ 30,305 people died within 21 days of having COVID-19 vaccine in England between January and June 2021.
Only 4,570 people died within 21 days of a vaccine dose during this period. These deaths were by no means linked to the vaccine.
Logically→ The risk of children developing serious illness due to COVID-19 is extremely low.
Children without pre-existing medical conditions are unlikely to develop serious illness from COVID-19. Vaccinating young people is still important.
Logically→ The JCVI refused to recommend the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine for children.
The JCVI did not recommend COVID-19 vaccines for all children. It had already recommended COVID-19 vaccines for some children.
Poynter→ If you’ve been vaccinated, what are the odds of a breakthrough COVID infection?
Ample evidence shows that the COVID-19 vaccines dramatically reduce the risk of serious illness, but stories about breakthrough infections continue to spark fear among people who are vaccinated — and resistance among those who aren’t. President Joe
Logically→ Vaccines are unsafe – more than 30,000 women in the U.K. have reported disrupted periods after their COVID-19 vaccine.
Reports about changes in women's menstrual cycles are being used to falsely claim that vaccines negatively affect fertility.
Washington Post→ President Biden’s claim of an interview for a job in Idaho
Whether Biden ever got a job offer from Boise Cascade is unclear, but in the past he has spoken of nearly practicing law in Idaho.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: ‘Kabala’ Harris Did NOT Admit COVID Vaccine Doesn’t Work
Did Vice President Kamala Harris "admit" that COVID-19 vaccines don't work? No, that's not true: Her tweet that is the basis for the claim is a summary of public health recommendations that reflect reality: No vaccine is 100% effective an
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Joe And Jill Biden Do NOT Own 10% Of A Leading Chinese Lithium-Ion Battery Company, Which Could Have Influenced Afghanistan Policy — But Hunter Biden DOES Have Ties To It
Do President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden own 10% of Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Ltd (CATL), a leading lithium-ion battery development and manufacturing company based in China, a country with financial interests in Afghani
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Hurricane Hunters Did NOT ‘Abandon Their Mission’ After Crack In A Plane’s Window A Day Before Ida Made Landfall
Did the hurricane hunters of the Air Force Reserve "abandon their mission" because their aircraft suffered cracked windows while chasing Hurricane Ida in late August 2021? No, that's not true: An aircraft used by the hurricane hunters had
Snopes→ COVID-19 Surge Forces Health Care Rationing in Parts of West
In another ominous sign about the spread of the delta variant, Idaho public health leaders expanded health care rationing statewide and individual hospital systems in Alaska and Montana have enacted similar crisis standards amid a spike in the number o
Truth or Fiction?→ Biden ‘Fellow Down Under’ Controversy
On September 16 2021, Trendolizer identified a Hannity.com post (“???????: Biden Seemingly Forgets Australian Prime Minister’s Name, Calls Him ‘That Fella Down Under’”) as showing signs of viral popularity. It began: President Biden s
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: NO Evidence Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Have Divorced ‘In Bitterness’
Have Meghan Markle and Prince Harry divorced, and was it "in bitterness"? No, that's not true: This claim has been circulated from an unverified "news" account that provides no substantive evidence that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have
Logically→ There have been at least 1.18 million adverse reactions to COVID-19 vaccines in the U.K. alone.
This claim misrepresents unverified data to suggest that vaccines caused 1.18 million adverse reactions. This is false.