Are cigarettes approved by the FDA? No, that's not true: The Food and Drug Administration does not "approve" tobacco products, but it does regulate the manufacturing, marketing and distribution of tobacco products. There is a difference b
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Fluoride Does NOT ‘Sterilise Humans’ — And Was NOT Used In Nazi Germany
Did Nazi Germany concentration camps sterilize prisoners with fluoridated water? No, that's not true: This is a recycled conspiracy theory, and an expert in this field told Lead Stories it didn't happen. In addition, water fluoridation ha
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: An Online Certificate May NOT Qualify A Person For A Permit To Carry A Concealed Firearm
Does an online course completion certificate qualify a person to obtain a concealed carry permit in a specific state mentioned in a targeted ad campaign? That's frequently not true: Individual state laws on carrying concealed weapons vary
Snopes→ Kabul Airport Attack Kills 60 Afghans, 13 US Troops
Two suicide bombers and gunmen attacked crowds of Afghans flocking to Kabul's airport, transforming a scene of desperation into one of horror in the waning days of an airlift for those fleeing the Taliban takeover.
Snopes→ PAWS Act Will Help Veterans with PTSD Get Service Dogs
Biden signed the legislation with bipartisan support.
Snopes→ Can You Die of COVID-19 if You Are Vaccinated?
In short, no vaccine is 100% effective.
The Dispatch→ Is It True That Military Members Have to Be Vaccinated but White House Employees Don’t?
A viral Instagram post, based on a video from Charlie Kirk, claims: “The White House doesn’t mandate the vaccine for its employees but is making active military get the vaccine.” a.image2.image-link.image2-609-671 {
FactCheck.org→ Exposing the Holes in a California Recall Election Conspiracy Theory
Quick Take Videos on social media suggest that holes in the return envelopes being used for mail-in ballots in California were designed to allow election officials to peek inside and toss out ballots in favor of recalling Gov. Gavin Newsom. Officials s
Health Feedback→ The development of mRNA vaccines was a collaborative effort; Robert Malone contributed to their development, but he is not their inventor
REVIEW As of 23 August 2021, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorized two and approved one COVID-19 vaccines: the Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and Janssen vaccines. The Janssen vaccine is an adenovirus-based vaccine, where the instruct
Snopes→ Japan Suspends 1.63M Doses of Moderna over Contamination
Japan suspended use of about 1.63 million doses of Moderna vaccine Thursday after contamination was found in unused vials, raising concern of a supply shortage as the country tries to accelerate vaccinations amid a COVID-19 surge.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: A Study Does NOT Say Fully Vaccinated Health Care Workers Carrying 251 Times Viral Load of Unvaccinated Workers Pose Threat To Unvaccinated Patients, Co-Workers
Does a study say fully vaccinated health care workers carry 251 times the viral load of unvaccinated and pose a threat to unvaccinated patients and co-workers? No, that's not true: This is a distortion of what the published paper actually
Health Feedback→ Study in Vietnam showed that Delta infection results in a higher viral load compared to earlier strains, not that vaccinated people are more infectious than unvaccinated people
REVIEW An article published on 24 August 2021 by Children’s Health Defense, an organization that opposes vaccination, claimed that research showed “vaccinated individuals carry 251 times the load of COVID-19 viruses in their nostrils compared to
Snopes→ Were Body Bags Transported in Gov. Abbott’s Campaign Truck?
Texas did request additional mortuary trailers in August 2021, but they weren't adorned with Gov. Abbott's campaign logo.
Truth or Fiction?→ 9/11 Stair Climb Treadmill Post
In late August 2021, a September 2018 Facebook post recirculated — purportedly a candid image captured at a gym, depicting a firefighter “on the stair climber in full equipment” ascending 110 floors in memory of the firefighters kille
Snopes→ Does This Pic Show What Jupiter’s Southern Pole Looks Like?
The images prompted comparisons to dosa, an Indian crepe.
Snopes→ 2 Suicide Attacks Outside Kabul Airport; Russia Says 13 Dead
Several Marines were killed and a number of other American military were wounded, a U.S. official said.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Unlabelled Satire Meme’s Math Used To Lay Claim To Bezos’ Bucks For Every Earthling Is Laughably NOT Right
Could Amazon founder Jeff Bezos' fortune be divided amongst all earthlings, netting each of us $1 billion and leaving Bezos still wealthy? No, that's not true: Assuming it could all be reduced to cash, Bezos' net worth distributed equally
Snopes→ Capitol Police Officers Sue Trump, Allies over Insurrection
The suit in federal court in Washington alleges Trump “worked with white supremacists, violent extremist groups, and campaign supporters to violate the Ku Klux Klan Act, and commit acts of domestic terrorism in an unlawful effort to stay in power.”
FactCheck.org→ Chiropractor Again Peddles False, Misleading COVID-19 Claims
SciCheck Digest The delta variant of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 is more transmissible than previous forms of the virus, and has helped spur an increase in cases, including in children. But a chiropractor in a Facebook video wrongly claims th
Snopes→ Did a Bug That Lives on Soda Cans Infect This Person’s Lip?
This video is disturbingly real. But the caption...?
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Some Federal Agencies, Health Organizations Do NOT Require Employees To Be Vaccinated Against COVID-19
Do seven well-known agencies and pharmaceutical companies listed in a social media post not require their employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19? Partially, that claim is true: but the list lacks context. The agencies and organizatio
Snopes→ Are Llama Cells Being Tested in Humans as Possible COVID Treatment?
Wait to alpaca your masks away.
Health Feedback→ Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine demonstrated its efficacy and safety in several stages of clinical trials before been authorized for emergency use, and therefore isn’t experimental
REVIEW In December 2020, the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine became the first COVID-19 vaccine authorized for emergency use in the U.S. Since then, the country has administered more than 202 million doses of this vaccine to its population. On 23 Au
Full Fact→ Video of ‘QR code’ detected in arm is not evidence of vaccine microchips
A video posted on Facebook shows someone holding a phone in camera mode in front of another person’s arm; after a few seconds a pop-up appears on the phone which says “View Product – 19313734”. Someone in the background can be h
Full Fact→ No evidence Kabul airport video is faked
A video on Facebook suggests recent footage of people attempting to flee Kabul by clinging to the outside of a US Air Force plane while it taxied down the runway is fake, as the people in the video are not blown away by the aircraft’s jet engines
Full Fact→ NHS Test and Trace has not spent as much as war in Afghanistan yet
A Facebook post claims that the cost of 20 years in Afghanistan came to 59% of the cost of the NHS Covid-19 Test and Trace system. This seems to be comparing the military cost to the UK up to 2014 with the total budget for two years of the Track and Tr
Snopes→ Pentagon: Blast Outside Kabul Airport, No Word on Casualties
Several countries urged people to avoid the airport, where an official said there was a threat of a suicide bombing.
Logically→ COVID-19 is not contagious because there are no biohazard bins for the disposal of used masks and gloves.
Masks and gloves used to contain COVID-19 are not considered infectious waste and can be disposed of as trash.
Logically→ Bill Gates is the primary funder of the MHRA and owns major shares in Pfizer and BioNTech.
Investments originating from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation are unrelated to COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccines.
Logically→ In the U.K., everyone is required to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
COVID-19 vaccines will be compulsory for those working in care homes. COVID-19 vaccines are not compulsory for the rest of the population.
Snopes→ Cruise Lines Require Vaccinations, Tests, Amid Virus Surge
Companies are offering full refunds if people test positive for COVID-19 or decide to cancel after a cruise line shortens the length of a planned trip.
Logically→ A video shows Ashraf Ghani fleeing Afghanistan as the Taliban takes control of the country.
An older footage of the Afghanistan president boarding a plane is falsely captioned that it depicted him fleeing the country on August 15.
Logically→ Cyber Polygon 2021 is part of The Great Reset to shut down the internet worldwide.
Cyber Polygon 2021 is an online initiative centered on the secure development of digital ecosystems. It is unrelated to the "Great Reset" conspiracy.
Snopes→ Australian Mourns Beloved Aunt with Heart-Shaped Love Ewes
Drone-shot video of pregnant ewes munching barley in a paddock while unwittingly expressing Ben Jackson’s affection for his beloved Auntie Deb was viewed by mourners at her funeral in the city of Brisbane .
Logically→ A photo shows a Taliban fighter holding a group of women and children against a wall outside Kabul airport.
The image of people waiting outside Kabul airport was taken out of context and shared with false headline.
Full Fact→ Breastfeeding after Covid-19 vaccine is recommended as safe
We have been asked on WhatsApp about the effect of the Covid-19 vaccines on breastfeeding. Although there is limited data regarding breastfeeding and the vaccines as pregnant and breastfeeding women were not included in clinical trials, all evidence co
The Dispatch→ Fact-Checking Donald Trump’s Claim About Afghan Refugees
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Poynter→ Evidence shows that COVID-19 variants are largely spread among unvaccinated people
A Facebook post authored by someone touting toxicology credentials joined the growing field of inaccurate claims that falsely blame the vaccine for a pandemic that has stretched into a second year. The Aug. 13 post was a screenshot of information tha
Washington Post→ Youngkin’s claims about Virginia crime rates under McAuliffe
The Republican nominee says crime went up when Terry McAuliffe was governor, but that's not the whole story.
Snopes→ Man Gets 6 Years in Prison in Michigan Governor Kidnap Plot
A man upset over state-ordered coronavirus restrictions was sentenced to just over six years in prison for planning to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.