Conspiracy theories linking new 5G mobile networks and the coronavirus pandemic are fueling arson attacks on cell towers.
Search Results (3748) for: pandemic
Washington Post→ Trump’s bizarre effort to tag Obama’s swine flu response as ‘a disaster’
The Obama administration earned high marks for its handling of the swine flu pandemic. But Trump repeatedly trashes it as a debacle.
Snopes→ Did the News Media Fake Photos of Jacksonville Beaches?
Jacksonville-area journalists were accused of lying to the public about photographs of the Jacksonville Beach partial re-opening during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: U.S. NOT ‘Sneakily’ Using Coronavirus As Cover to Pass Bill; Uncertain If It ‘Will Stop End-To-End Encryption, Allow Officials To See All Private Messages, Listen To All Calls’
Is the U.S. government using the cover of the coronavirus pandemic to remove end-to-end encryption so officials would be able to listen to everyone's calls and see everyone's private messages? No, that does not appear to be the case: A controv
Truth or Fiction?→ Did News Outlets Publish Old Photographs of Crowded Jacksonville, Florida Beaches in April 2020?
On April 18 2020, multiple news organizations published photographs purportedly showing newly-reopened beaches in Jacksonville, Florida, in articles with headlines such as, “Jacksonville beach packed as Florida coronavirus cases hit recordR
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Trump Did NOT Say ‘Hundreds Of Governors’ Are Calling Him
Did President Trump say that "hundreds" of state governors are calling him? No, that is false. This is a claim making the rounds on social media that takes the words of the president out of context. And it appears designed to make the presiden
FactCheck.org→ Trump’s Inaccurate COVID-19 Death Rate Comparison
Available data on confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths contradicts President Donald Trump’s recent claim that “the United States has achieved a significant lower mortality rate than almost all other countries.” As of April 16, there we
Snopes→ Did BBB Warn Against Sharing High School Senior Photos?
Facebook users started a posting trend to show solidarity with 2020's graduating seniors who are finishing high school at home due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Trump Tweet On Swine Flu Death Toll and Obamacare Website Is Misleading
Was President Trump correct in stating on Twitter that 17,000 people died during the swine flu, or H1N1, pandemic during 2009-2010? And does a second claim in the post -- that the Obamacare website cost $5 billion -- hold up to scrutiny? No, b
FactCheck.org→ Stimulus Checks Won’t Reduce Future Tax Refunds
Quick Take Social media posts falsely claim that federal payments from the COVID-19 stimulus package could reduce taxpayers’ future refunds. The Internal Revenue Service says the payment “will not reduce your refund or increase the amount y
Truth or Fiction?→ Facebook Activity for Right-Wing ‘Gridlock’ Protests Surges
Facebook groups supporting or organizing anti-government protests continued to appear on the platform in mid-April 2020, despite the platform reportedly shuttering at least two such events. We found several groups using the “Operation Gridlock&#
Snopes→ Trump Gives Governors 3-Phase Plan to Reopen Economy
President Donald Trump gave governors a road map for recovering from the economic pain of the coronavirus pandemic, laying out "a phased and deliberate approach" to restoring normal activity in places that have strong testing and are seeing a decrease
Snopes→ Is This ‘Shaun of the Dead’ Meme Mocking Real Ohio Protesters?
A viral photograph from a protest against stay-at-home orders during the COVID-19 pandemic was likened to the zombie movie "Shaun of the Dead."
Snopes→ Did Trump Praise China for Its ‘Transparency’ on COVID-19?
The president's opinion of China's handling of the coronavirus pandemic has changed over time.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Amazon’s Alexa Does NOT Say ‘The Government’ Released Coronavirus
Does Amazon's Alexa speaker say that "the government" released the coronavirus? No, that's not true: The Alexa app/device does not say that the government -- any government -- planned, created and released COVID-19, which has resulted in more
Truth or Fiction?→ Meme Comparing ‘Flattening the Curve’ of COVID-19 to Deploying a Parachute Goes Viral
In mid-April 2020, a meme appeared on Facebook, a “very appropriate analogy” about “flattening the curve” of the COVID-19 pandemic amid growing calls to lift social distancing measures (occasionally in the form of protests). Ve
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: A Barcode Does NOT Tell You A Product’s Country Of Origin
Can a barcode tell you what a product's country of origin is? No, that's not true: That claim is misleading. A barcode for a product really only reveals where the person or company that purchased the barcode is from; it does not reveal the whe
Truth or Fiction?→ Did the World Health Organization Tweet That There Was ‘No Clear Evidence of Human-to-Human Transmission of the Novel #Coronavirus’ on January 14 2020?
After United States President Donald Trump announced that he had discontinued funding to the World Health Organization, and presidential advisor Kellyanne Conway subsequently blamed the COVID-19 pandemic on the group on April 15 2020, a tweet attrib
FactCheck.org→ The White House Coronavirus Briefings
FactCheck.org Managing Editor Lori Robertson spoke with WHYY radio in Philadelphia about fact-checking the White House’s daily coronavirus task force briefings. She was a guest on WHYY’s “Radio Times” on April 15 for a discussio
Washington Post→ Biden’s sometimes fuzzy concept of time
Biden claims he called for specific steps to deal with the coronavirus pandemic much sooner than the record shows.
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Los Angeles and NYC Announce ‘No More Concerts In 2020’?
A newly-created Twitter account’s unsubstantiated claim was still shared widely on the platform by readers perhaps dreading the long-term ramifications of the COVID-19 pandemic on Los Angeles and New York City. Touting it as “BREAKING NEWS
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Michigan Governor Did NOT Violate State’s Social Distancing Order; TV Station Used File Footage
Did Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer violate the state's social distancing order at the same time she was signing the stay-at-home orders? No, that's not true: A TV news report used file footage from January 2019 of a completely different bill s
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: CDC Did NOT Confess To Lying About COVID-19 Death Numbers
Did the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confess to lying about COVID-19 death numbers? No, that's not true: The headline inaccurately suggests that the CDC made a "confession." Instead, a viral video offered one doctor's allegation
FactCheck.org→ FactChecking Trump’s Attack on the WHO
In announcing that his administration would halt funding for the World Health Organization, President Donald Trump made a series of false, misleading and unsubstantiated claims about the WHO: Trump inaccurately said the WHO stated that the novel coron
Truth or Fiction?→ Did a Man ‘Die Twice’ From COVID-19?
Conspiracy-hungry social media users possibly itching for a chance to slam what they call “fake news” shared a morbid attempt at a joke on Facebook — and in doing so, ended up making light of an actual death resulting from the COVID-
Truth or Fiction?→ Viral ‘Ohio State House COVID-19 Protest’ Image
On April 14 2020, images of a large crowd gathered in Ohio to protest COVID-19 social distancing measures (while clearly violating those measures) circulated on social media: Trump supporters protest against #Quarantine policies in Ohio. #Covid_19
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Kellyanne Conway Say ‘This Isn’t COVID-1, Folks’ on Fox News?
On April 15 2020, a viral tweet asserted Trump White House advisor Kellyanne Conway appeared on Fox News, stating “this isn’t COVID-1” when discussing challenges posed by the novel coronavirus and COVID-19: Kellyanne Conway: "
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: There Is NO Evidence China Created, Then Unleashed Coronavirus As Bioweapon
Did China's Communist government create the novel coronavirus in a laboratory and release it into the world as a deadly bioweapon? No, there is no evidence to back up this claim: While President Trump said on April 15, 2020, that the White Hou
Truth or Fiction?→ Will ‘Nebulized Hydrogen Peroxide’ Help You Avoid Contracting COVID-19?
A self-proclaimed “health activist” with a history of incurring warnings over his practices from the federal government used Twitter to push another questionable treatment idea involving COVID-19 (also called SARS-CoV-2 or “the coron
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Biological Engineer Did NOT Offer Medically-Supported Information In Viral Video
Did a viral video "crush" Dr. Anthony Fauci and expose Dr. Deborah Birx and the White House coronavirus task force as members of the so-called "Deep State"? No, that's not true: The man who appeared in an online newscast interview has a histor
Snopes→ Liberty University Sued for Not Refunding Student Fees
Liberty University has profited from the COVID-19 pandemic by refusing to refund thousands of dollars in room and board and other fees owed to students after the school moved classes online, a federal lawsuit alleges.
FactCheck.org→ Conspiracy Theory Misinterprets Goals of Gates Foundation
Quick Take A conspiracy theory falsely claims Bill Gates is plotting to use COVID-19 testing and a future vaccine to track people with microchips. The Gates Foundation has advocated for expanded testing and has funded vaccine research, but neither of t
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Soap And Hand Sanitizer Can’t Be Used to Kill Coronavirus Inside Your Body
Why is it so difficult to kill the novel coronavirus once it is inside of the body, especially since simple soap and sanitizer can kill it outside the body? A meme that went viral asks just that question. While medical officials do recommend s
Truth or Fiction?→ Did the CDC Order All Deaths Be Recorded as a Result of COVID-19 — Even Heart Attacks and Accidents?
In April 2020, a conspiracy theory spread on Facebook and Twitter which maintained that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) explicitly ordered that all deaths in the United States, regardless of their true cause, be attributed to t
Snopes→ Coronavirus: Black Death Rumours and Remedies Show How Little People Have Changed
As the globe faces a new pandemic in COVID-19, some of our actions are eerily similar to those of our ancestors.
FactCheck.org→ Constitutional Experts: Trump Lacks Power to ‘Open Up the States’
Constitutional experts say President Donald Trump is wrong that he, not governors, has the power to “open up the states” where businesses were closed or residents were ordered to stay at home as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. On Apri
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Choose’ or ‘Pick’ Your ‘Quarantine House’ and Other Engagement Bait During COVID-19
Chances are in early April 2020 you saw many “choose your quarantine house” or “pick your quarantine house” memes on social media, the global pandemic version of “would you live in a cabin with no wifi for a month for a m
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Sex Lines Do NOT Have Stimulus Checks Information
Does Calling 1-800-382-5277 or 1-800-746-6373 give Americans information on their coronavirus stimulus checks? No, that's not true: Calling those numbers -- something being pushed on social media -- instead directs callers to sex phone lines.
Truth or Fiction?→ Is This a Photograph of Someone’s Kitchen After Microwaving Coronavirus Masks?
On April 7 2020 — in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic — a post began spreading on Facebook, warning people against microwaving face masks to sterilize them (alongside a photograph of the aftermath of a kitchen fire): Please don’t pass
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: COVID-19 Stimulus Checks NOT An Advance On Next Year’s Tax Refund
Are the stimulus checks, meant to provide financial relief during the coronavirus pandemic, an advance on 2020 tax refunds -- meaning people who get the checks might see lower refunds next year? No, that's not true: This is a misinterpretation