Quick Take A video by country singer Jason Aldean was pulled by Country Music Television after critics called it offensive and racist. Some Aldean fans have responded by calling for the “Bud Light treatment” of CMT and falsely claiming that, in solidarity, singer Luke Bryan removed his own videos from […]
Facts Check
Social Media Posts Misrepresent Kamala Harris Error
Quick Take While announcing an investment in clean energy programs, Vice President Kamala Harris mistakenly said “reduce population” when she meant “reduce pollution.” Online posts shared a video of the gaffe and misleadingly claimed “her goal is to reduce population to fight climate change.” The transcript of her remarks shows […]
False Claim About Cause of Autism Highlighted on Pennsylvania Senate Panel
SciCheck Digest Studies have found the rate of autism is the same in vaccinated and unvaccinated children. But the false claim that vaccines are associated with the disorder persists. A prominent spreader of COVID-19 misinformation wrongly told legislators in Pennsylvania that autism is virtually nonexistent among the unvaccinated, citing the Amish population. Full Story […]
Thermography Is No Substitute for Mammograms, Contrary to Facebook Post’s Advice
SciCheck Digest The U.S. Food and Drug Administration considers mammograms “the most effective primary breast cancer screening test” and says there is no evidence to indicate that thermography can replace mammograms. But an article shared on Facebook tells people to “stop getting mammograms” and try thermography instead. Full Story Each […]
The Twitter Debate About Biden’s Wages Claim
A reader’s note temporarily attached by Twitter to a claim by President Joe Biden — that “real wages for the average American worker is higher than it was before the pandemic” — said that statement “contains a factual error.” But it turns out it doesn’t. The fact check from Twitter’s […]
Bogus Claim About Miss USA Originated on Satirical Website
Quick Take The Miss USA crown was passed to the runner-up earlier this year, and the Miss Netherlands title went to that country’s first transgender winner in July. Both will compete to be Miss Universe in December. But a Facebook post spreads a bogus claim about Miss USA boycotting the […]
U.S.-Acquired Malaria Cases Spark False Claims of Links to Gates-Funded Research
SciCheck Digest The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation supports research into fighting malaria, including funding a company that releases genetically modified mosquitoes that are incapable of carrying the disease. But reports of locally acquired cases of malaria in the U.S. have sparked social media posts that baselessly suggest Gates was […]
Trump Appointed Weiss with Democrats’ Blessing
Democrats’ response to Republican claims that Hunter Biden got a “sweetheart deal” has been to note that former President Donald Trump appointed U.S. Attorney David Weiss – the prosecutor who allowed Biden to plead guilty to misdemeanor tax charges and enter a pretrial diversion program on a gun charge. Trump […]
Social Media Posts Fabricate DeSantis High School Yearbook Quote
Quick Take Earlier this year, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ high school yearbook photo was posted to Reddit by a person claiming to be a former schoolmate. But Instagram posts show an altered version of the yearbook entry that includes a fake quote from DeSantis referencing rapper Sir Mix-a-Lot and Nintendo […]
Online Post Misrepresents 2020 Wisconsin Voter Data, Turnout
Quick Take Nearly 3.3 million votes were cast in the 2020 presidential election in Wisconsin, which the state calculated as a record turnout of 73%. A social media post tries to cast doubt on the results by citing incomplete data and claiming it shows “a registered voter turnout of 94%.” […]