Facts Check

Quick Take Social media lit up with a false claim that President Donald Trump referred to Italian President Sergio Mattarella as “President Mozzarella.” The transcripts and videos prove he didn’t. Full Story A false claim that President Donald Trump called Italian President Sergio Mattarella “President Mozzarella” in a joint appearance […]

Q: Do people with serious mental health disorders pose a greater risk of becoming mass shooters? A: People with mental illnesses are somewhat more likely to be violent than those without a diagnosis. But a majority are never violent, and very little is known specifically about mass murder. FULL QUESTION […]

Quick Take Social media posts falsely claim that former President Barack Obama signed a bill that made it permissible for “the media” to get “away with lying.” The bill had no bearing on private media outlets or what they can report. Full Story  A piece of legislation signed into law […]

Quick Take A popular Instagram post falsely claims “over 1,100 people died from reactions to the [flu] shot” in 2018, and suggests that the immunization gave some children polio. The flu vaccine cannot give anyone polio and there is no evidence to support the 1,100 figure. Full Story  Just as […]

Summary In two press appearances in the same day, President Donald Trump made several false claims and distorted the facts on issues ranging from Syria to trade: Trump claimed that former GOP House Speaker Paul Ryan “would never issue a subpoena,” because of his “respect for our country.” But subpoenas […]

In announcing “phase one” of a tentative trade deal with China, President Donald Trump wrongly stated that the “all-time high” for U.S. agricultural exports to China was “$16 or $17 billion.” Actually, it was nearly $26 billion in 2012. By misstating the record value of exports, Trump also greatly exaggerated […]

In this video, we highlight several claims made by some of the candidates in the Oct.15 Democratic presidential debate: Former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro wrongly claimed that the “latest jobs data” show that “Ohio, Michigan and Pennsylvania … have lost jobs.” All three states saw job growth […]

Summary We found several false and misleading claims in the October Democratic presidential debate: Former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro claimed that the most recent jobs data show that “Ohio, Michigan and Pennsylvania … have lost jobs not gained them.” In fact, total nonfarm employment in all three […]

In May 2018, three Democratic senators wrote to the Ukrainian prosecutor general, asking about a news report that he had frozen four Ukrainian investigations involving Paul Manafort to avoid angering President Donald Trump. Republicans have called the letter a “threat” to withhold support for aid to Ukraine, saying it’s similar […]

FactCheck.org Director Eugene Kiely appeared Oct. 11 on “Politics with Amy Walter,” a podcast produced by Public Radio International and WNYC. Walter, a veteran political journalist, and Kiely discuss fact-checking campaign ads in the 2020 campaign cycle, and what viewers can do to combat the flood of misinformation on the […]