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18047 | "Scott Walker Says President Franklin Delano Roosevelt ""felt there wasn’t a need in the public sector to have collective bargaining because the government is the people." | "Walker said FDR ""felt there wasn’t a need in the public sector to have collective bargaining because the government is the people."" The governor relies -- to good effect -- on Roosevelt’s 1937 letter, which, along with other primary evidence, lays out in striking language FDR’s deep reservations about the need for a... | true | Federal Budget, Labor, State Budget, States, Unions, Wisconsin, Scott Walker, | "Reaction was swift and strong after Republican Gov. Scott Walker said the curbs he enacted on the collective-bargaining power of public-employee unions were philosophically in line with principles espoused by President Franklin Roosevelt, the liberal Democratic icon. Walker drew the comparison in a July 29, 2013 speec... |
11177 | Braeburn Pharmaceuticals and Camurus announce positive top line results from Phase 2 opioid challenge study with CAM2038 in subjects with opioid use disorder | This news release offers uniformly positive assessments about a trial of a drug that, theoretically, might help save thousands of lives. It is an important topic, but the release gave little in the way of meaningful data to support the assertions. It contains all the ingredients of what could be a useful news release —... | false | industry/commercial news releases | No mention is made of the projected cost of the treatment and it is likely to be significant. In addition to the cost of the medication, if it requires a health care professional to administer it — that will add to the cost. It is also not clear how long the treatment might last. If the treatment is successful, the cos... |
31368 | Photographs show a “new killer insect” that is able to spread a skin-altering virus when touched. | A warning about a “new killer insect” that is able to spread a skin-altering virus when touched is just a prank. | false | Fauxtography, Bugs | In January 2016, social media users began encountering an item warning that a “new killer insect” sighted in India harbored a virus spread through touch that was able to “circulate [throughout] the entire human system in minutes.” The insect and the deleterious effects of its virus were graphically shown in accompanyin... |
11392 | Surgeon’s trial study on cancer is hailed | This was an interesting story about an early trial to treat glioblastoma. It reported on partial results of a study. But it let the principal investigator get away with declining to reveal all of the survival data because he wanted to wait until he presented the data at a cancer meeting. Even when he presents the data ... | mixture | "There was no mention of costs associated with the two additions to current glioblastoma treatment strategies. How much does Temodar cost? How much does Avastin cost? Would insurance cover it? And why didn’t the story at least include a projection of how much the vaccine would cost? These are increasingly important iss... | |
9883 | Niacin shrinks artery plaque; Merck’s Zetia does not and may carry risks, new study finds | Overall, a reasonably complete story that addressed our criteria. The story provides a reasonable amount of information on the study and places it in context of other studies and in context of other treatment options. | true | A cost for the medications discussed was provided; in addition the story noted that niacin was available in a less expensive, generic version. The story adequately discussed the benefits observed in this study, in a somewhat scattered fashion. It mentioned the difference in heart attacks and other heart problems observ... | |
33044 | "The CDC linked a parasitic worm outbreak to the use of ""worm filler"" in McDonald's beef patties." | The site similarly snared social media users in November 2015 with a false report that 53 people had been killed in a Halloween “hatchet massacre” aboard the Queen Mary. | false | Junk News, breaking13news, fake news, ilyke.co | On 12 January 2016 multiple fake news sites published articles reporting that the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) had linked an outbreak of “parasitic roundworm disease” to the use of “worm filler” in McDonald’s beef patties. A version published on the fake news web site breaking13news (and republished by ILyke.co a ... |
34496 | Macy's pulled funding from Planned Parenthood in December 2016 under pressure from anti-abortion groups. | We have contacted Macy’s about the claim, but have not yet received a response. However, the December 2016 controversy would not be the first time that a company was erroneously accused of donating to Planned Parenthood. Olive Garden was falsely accused of donating to the organization in a similar social media frenzy; ... | unproven | Business, 2ndvote, donald trump, lifenews.com | On 7 December 2016, web site LifeNews.com reported that anti-abortion groups had pressured retail chain Macy’s into dropping its support for reproductive health organization Planned Parenthood: Another large corporation has decided to cease donations to the Planned Parenthood abortion business. After today, pro-life cu... |
26323 | "Young people ""have a greater chance of being killed by the HPV vaccine than COVID-19.”" | State Rep. Jeff Shipley wrote that young people have a higher risk of dying from the HPV vaccination than of COVID-19. No deaths have ever been linked to the HPV vaccine. While young people are less at risk of dying of COVID-19 than older adults, some younger people have died from the virus. | false | Health Care, Public Health, Iowa, Coronavirus, Jeff Shipley, | "Iowa state Rep. Jeff Shipley, R-Fairfield, is telling Iowans he wants younger Iowans to get back to work as the state begins to reopen, tweeting April 28 that ""seeing so many young people afraid of re-opening the economy because of the virus...Someone should tell them they have a greater chance of being killed by th... |
29576 | "Photographs of a six-year-old Happy Meal document that McDonald's food items don't break down or rot like ""real"" food." | "What's true: Under specific conditions, food items (and other organic matter) dry out quickly and don't decompose. What's false: It's not the case that McDonald's menu items alone ""don't rot,"" or that McDonald's food never ""rots"" under any condition, or that ""chemicals"" cause McDonald's food to not break down ov... | false | Fauxtography, Food Fauxtography, mcdonald's | On 3 February 2016, Facebook user Jennifer Lovdahl published the above-reproduced status update, to which were appended were two images of an otherwise unremarkable McDonald’s Happy Meal along with the following comment: A receipt was attached to the Happy Meal box, indicating that it had been purchased over six years... |
8475 | Forest fire around Chernobyl plant put out, Ukraine says. | A huge fire that tore through forests around the defunct Chernobyl nuclear plant has been put out, Ukrainian officials said on Tuesday, after hundreds of emergency workers used planes and helicopters to douse the flames. | true | Environment | Environmental activists said on Monday that the fire, near the site of the world’s worst nuclear disaster in 1986 and believed to have been started deliberately, posed a radiation risk. Officials said they registered short-term rises in Caesium-137 particles in the Kiev area to the south of the plant, but radiation lev... |
14396 | "Congress will begin its recess ""without having allocated one penny"" to fight Zika." | "Clinton said that Congress had not ""allocated one penny"" to fight Zika. In terms of targeting new dollars to deal with the Zika virus, that is correct. House Republicans say that they did provide money through the emergency Ebola appropriation. To the extent that those funds could be redirected, that holds up. But i... | true | Global News Service, Public Health, Hillary Clinton, | "Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton stepped into the Zika funding debate and chastised Congress for failing to step up to the plate. ""Congress should meet President (Barack) Obama’s request for $1.8 billion in emergency appropriations to fight Zika,"" Clinton said March 18, 2016 on Medium. ""The preside... |
30556 | Vibrant Body Company staged an online bra promotion as a front for human trafficking. | A Vibrant Body Company bra promotion has been linked to rumors of a human trafficking scheme. | false | Inboxer Rebellion, human trafficking, something for nothing, vibrant bra | In general, most people like getting something for nothing. But when word got out online that the Vibrant Body Company was offering a promotion code that allowed shoppers to purchase bras free of charge, some skeptical social media users expressed fears that the giveaway was a front for a human trafficking scheme. The ... |
3237 | Weight loss among fat-acceptance influencers a fraught topic. | Fashion and lifestyle blogger Maui Bigelow has always been curvy and built a social media presence by embracing every pound. | true | Fashion, Health, Media, General News, Entertainment, Social media, Lifestyle, New York, Weight loss surgery | Until the worst happened. At nearly 380 pounds, her health took a dive. She was diagnosed with a blood cancer and multiple uterine fibroids that couldn’t be treated due to her weight. That’s when she decided to have bariatric surgery, a weight loss procedure. She hadn’t yearned to be thinner, but she wanted to live at ... |
14722 | "I helped write"" the Affordable Care Act." | "Sanders said he ""helped write"" the Affordable Care Act. He deserves credit for one provision of it -- worth a not-insignificant $11 billion. But overall, he was hardly an inside crafter of the bill. Until his effort was blocked by a GOP procedural move, Sanders supported a more aggressive single-payer system, and mu... | false | National, Corrections and Updates, Health Care, Bernie Sanders, | "Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders sparred over health care policy during a debate in Charleston, S.C., on Jan. 17. At one point, Sanders rejected assertions by Clinton that a Sanders presidency could imperil President Barack Obama’s signature legislative initiative, the Affordable C... |
7591 | After bridge collapse, flashbacks, anxiety for one survivor. | Richie Humble says flashbacks and anxiety attacks have haunted him ever since a pedestrian bridge near a Florida university fell on the car he was riding in, killing six people including the college friend driving their vehicle. | true | Anxiety, Mental health, Florida International University, Miami, Florida, North America, Health, Bridge collapses, U.S. News | Humble said Monday that the collapse caused a fracture in his back, along with knee and neck problems. But he said his mental health has caused him to abandon all but one of his classes at Florida International University. The 19-year-old FIU student filed a negligence lawsuit last week against several companies involv... |
24165 | "My ""border security efforts have led to a 60 percent decrease in border crime." | Gov. Rick Perry says his border security efforts led to 60-percent drop in crime along Texas-Mexico border | false | Crime, Texas, Rick Perry, | "At a time when violence along the U.S.-Mexico border is again in the news, Texas Gov. Rick Perry makes an eye-catching claim on his campaign Web site: ""Governor Perry's border security efforts have led to a 60 percent decrease in border crime."" We had lots of questions about that, so we went looking for answers. In ... |
35254 | First daughter Ivanka Trump was granted a trademark on coffins in China and stands to profit from the COVID-19 pandemic. | What's true: Ivanka Trump's company holds a variety of trademarks in China, including one for coffins. What's false: However, this trademark was granted in 2018, well before the COVID-19 pandemic occurred. Moreover, Ivanka Trump shuttered her business in July 2018 to focus on work for the White House and there is no ev... | mixture | Politics, COVID-19 | In April 2020, as the global death toll from the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic surpassed 100,000, social media users started to post messages about how Ivanka Trump, U.S. President Donald Trump’s daughter and newly appointed member of the White House’s council to reopen America, had a trademark in China on coffins: Wh... |
16768 | Teenage births cost Texas taxpayers $1.1 billion in health care, foster care and lost tax revenue in 2010 alone. | "In the course of comparing the results of Colorado’s public contraceptives program to Texas’ high teen birth rate and abstinence-only program, Michael Eric Dyson said, ""Teenage births cost Texas taxpayers $1.1 billion in health care, foster care and lost tax revenue in 2010 alone."" Dyson’s stat comes from the Nation... | mixture | Abortion, Sexuality, PunditFact, Michael Eric Dyson, | "On July 3, 2014, Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper announced that his state has seen a 40 percent drop in teen birth rates since 2009, when Colorado began a program to provide discounted and free contraceptive devices to women. Pundits immediately compared Colorado’s contraceptive program to Texas’ abstinence-only effor... |
34584 | DNC speaker Khizr Khan, father of fallen Army Capt. Humayun Khan, is a Muslim Brotherhood operative. | What's true: Khizr Khan is a Muslim-American. What's false: No credible evidence supports the assertion that Khan is an operative of the Muslim Brotherhood. | unproven | Politics | An unexpected controversy took root after the July 2016 Democratic National Convention (DNC) involving key speaker Khizr Khan, who took to the convention stage to speak about Donald Trump, Muslims in America, and the loss of his son, U.S. Army Captain Humayun Khan: Khan’s speech was preceded by brief introductory foot... |
3516 | Connecticut lawmakers considering expanding seatbelt law. | Connecticut’s Department of Public Health is recommending state lawmakers require everyone riding in a vehicle to wear a seatbelt. | true | Transportation, Health, Transportation safety, Connecticut, Public health, Laws | It marks the second year the state agency has proposed such a measure. Connecticut is currently one of about 20 states that do not require all rear-seat occupants to wear a seatbelt. Republican Rep. Mitch Bolinsky of Newtown, testifying Monday before the General Assembly’s Public Health Committee, says people sitting i... |
9035 | NIH scientists adapt new brain disease test for Parkinson’s, dementia with Lewy bodies | Getty Images This news release describes how researchers are adapting a test they developed for rapid diagnosis of prion diseases to earlier detection of Parkinson’s disease and dementia with Lewy bodies. The news release gives data from the results, which appeared in a published study, and explains how a more rapid te... | mixture | dementia with Lewy bodies,National Institutes of Health (NIH),Parkinson's disease | There’s no mention of the cost. The study itself says having quicker results “markedly enhances the cost effectiveness and practicality” of these tests. The release says the test “correctly excluded all the 31 controls and diagnosed both Parkinson’s disease and dementia with Lewy bodies with 93 percent accuracy.” The a... |
10094 | Parkinson’s patients get relief from symptoms with Pilates | The goals of therapy in Parkinson’s include a broad range of coping strategies to help patients better manage the emotional and physical toll of their disease. Stretching, strengthening, and gait and balance training are among the therapies that may help to blunt symptoms, reduce disability, and improve patients’ sense... | false | "The story fails to discuss the cost of a Pilates' program. The story mentions a Pilates’ pilot study at Oregon Health and Science University that ""found improvement in the participants' rigidity and balance,"" but it makes no attempt to explain or quantify the benefits of that program (or any other) in a scientific f... | |
36376 | A proposed bill in Ohio would ban birth control pills and IUDs if it passes. | Does a Proposed Ohio Bill Make the Pill and IUDs Illegal? | unproven | Fact Checks, Politics | In May 2019, a number of posts about “heartbeat bills” in various American states circulated on social media. For example, a rumor about Georgia (archived here) subsequently appeared that proposed legislation would purportedly ban birth control pills and IUDs.One popular Facebook post about a provision of yet another b... |
10887 | Dose reduction strategy can substantially reduce high cost of TNF inhibitor therapy in RA | This news release lays out in clear, lay language the findings of a study looking into whether reducing the amount of tumor necrosis factor inhibitor (TNFi) administered to patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) diminishes its effectiveness. It goes beyond the study to include quotes from the lead author that do a goo... | mixture | Association/Society news release,Health care costs | The news release includes a quote from the lead author, Dr. James Galloway, saying that his study findings offer “a more cost-effective option by substantially reducing the high drug costs associated with TNFi maintenance therapy.” But it does not specify how much the drug costs or how much might be saved with the new ... |
2308 | Pope Francis warns on 'evil' of drugs, opposes legalization. | Pope Francis warned on Friday against legalizing drugs, calling addiction an “evil” which he said had to be resisted without compromise. | true | Health News | Setting himself against the trend in several western countries to allow the use of so-called soft drugs like marijuana, Francis said narcotics were putting more and more young people in danger. “Drug addiction is an evil, and with evil there can be no yielding or compromise, he said in remarks to a drug enforcement con... |
27089 | "The U.S. government ""subsidizes"" medications for erectile dysfunction." | For context, we asked the DoD for a cost breakdown of how much it spends on birth control, but we did not receive a response by the time of publication. We will update when further information becomes available. | true | Politics | In May 2019, readers questioned whether the federal government pays for erectile dysfunction medications such as Viagra, after the following image was circulated on social media: Both the image and the dollar amount it cited were dated as of this writing. The image shows a woman at a 2017 International Women’s Day ral... |
1643 | In rise of U.S. vape shops, owners eye new marijuana market. | When Matt and Jen Osmun opened their vape shop in Bethel, Connecticut, last December, they didn’t expect to get a boost from the local medical marijuana outlet. | true | Health News | “Sales are going really well, and getting better every month,” said Jen Osmun, who started the business with her husband, a former plumber, after he was injured in an accident. Most customers at Grassy Plain Vape & Smoke buy electronic cigarettes to help them quit smoking tobacco, but a growing number are referred by m... |
8706 | Ventilator receives first approval in UK's coronavirus battle. | Britain has given regulatory approval to a ventilator which will be made by a group of companies including Airbus, Ford and McLaren, the first such go-ahead as part of efforts to combat the coronavirus. | true | Health News | Governments around the world are trying to boost the number of available mechanical breathing devices that can supply air and oxygen, crucial for the care of people who suffer lung failure, which can be a complication of COVID-19. The modified version of an existing design by medical devices company Penlon will join a ... |
6575 | Colorado OKs electric car requirement to fight air pollution. | Colorado tightened its air quality regulations on Friday, requiring that at least 5% of the vehicles sold in the state by 2023 emit zero pollution. | true | U.S. News, Transportation technology, Colorado, Health, General News, Air pollution, Automobiles, Business, Denver, Technology, Air quality, Electric vehicles, Pollution | The state Air Quality Control Commission, which passed the rule on an 8-1 vote, said the requirement applies to auto manufacturers, not buyers. It’s intended to boost the number of electric vehicles in a state struggling to control ozone pollution in its most heavily populated area. The minimum rises to 6.23% in 2025. ... |
20332 | Lean, finely textured beef is the proper name [not pink slime], and it is a safe, widely used product. | Don't call it pink slime, Georgia official says | true | Georgia, Food Safety, Gary Black, | "There’s a meaty political campaign going on across the nation with slimy accusations being hurled -- and it has nothing to do with the race for the White House. It began in earnest April 2, when the governor and lieutenant governor of Iowa sent letters to their colleagues in other states to fight against what they sai... |
22750 | "Under current U.S. immigration policy, ""literally one person with a green card"" can, in the extreme, bring in more than 270 of his relatives." | Marietta Republican says a single immigrant can lead to more than 270 others | false | Georgia, Immigration, Phil Gingrey, | "U.S. Rep. Phil Gingrey wants Georgians to know that even a trickle of immigration can lead to a deluge. The Marietta Republican explained just how bad he thinks it can get during a state legislative committee meeting on immigration. Speaking via a video conference transmission from Washington on Dec. 16, he put blame ... |
8755 | Mini antibodies: biotech's next big thing?. | GlaxoSmithKline Plc’s head of biotech research is excited about a new generation of “slimline” antibody medicines that may be successors to current blockbusters such as Avastin and Rituxan. | true | Science News | That’s no surprise, perhaps, given Ian Tomlinson headed the next-generation antibody firm Domantis until Glaxo snapped it up for 230 million pounds in 2006. But the fact the world’s second-largest drugmaker has put the technology centre-stage shows how a coming wave of ultra-small antibody products — capable of working... |
33344 | Drinking cold water after meals causes unpleasant and lasting side effects. | The Japanese subsidiary of Pfizer Inc is recalling a drug for high blood pressure which was found to contain a carcinogenic substance in its active ingredient valsartan, the drugmaker said on Friday. | false | Medical, cancer, heart attack, Medical Myths | More than 763,000 tablets of the drug Amvalo, manufactured from April to July in Mylan Laboratories Limited in India, are the subject of recall, Pfizer Japan Inc said in a statement, adding there were no reports of any damage to health. “We will fully pay careful attention to our manufacturing and quality control to pr... |
33488 | College cafeteria food is laced with laxatives. | Less common versions of the legend aim it at the military and fast food restaurants, with the fast food tellings citing the reduction of food poisoning risk as the reason for the addition of laxatives to those edibles. (However, laxatives generally aid in the process of evacuating waste material from the bowels; they d... | false | College | College life is hard, say students, with one of its most trying aspects being the sorry state of food foisted upon them by their chosen institutes of higher education. Jokes about cafeteria food are legion, but there are also persistent beliefs not just about the taste of college food, but about its very nature. One of... |
9134 | Uterine fibroid embolization helps restore fertility | The news release describes a research study that assessed pregnancy rates in women with uterine fibroids after they’d undergone a treatment called uterine fibroid embolization (UFE). UFE involves injecting an agent into the uterine arteries to block the blood supply to the uterus and fibroids which causes the fibroids ... | mixture | fertility,Radiological Society of North America (RSNA),uterine fibroid embolization | The costs of the three treatments considered — conventional UFE, partial UFE, myomectomy — are not discussed in the news release. The news release does a good job providing absolute numbers in describing the trial results: After an average follow-up of almost six years, 149 of the 359 women, or 41.5 percent, had become... |
33834 | Gangster John Dillinger's exceptionally large penis is housed in one of the Smithsonian museums in Washington, D.C. | In the 1988 Jay McInerney’s novel Story of My Life, we found this: “I remember I read somewhere that outlaw guy John Dillinger had one that was about a foot and a half long and it’s preserved in the Smithsonian or someplace. Now that’s what I call the Washington Monument.” | false | Risqué Business, Phallacies | One of the more bizarre celebrity legends is the claim that notorious bank robber John Dillinger was not only the proud possessor of an unusually large penis, but that this portion of his anatomy was removed post-mortem and put on display at one of the Smithsonian museums in Washington, D.C. (Some versions state that t... |
31590 | Attorney General Jeff Sessions said using marijuana leads to more sex, thus causing more unwanted pregnancies and more abortions. | "A report that the U.S. Attorney General said that marijuana caused more unwanted pregnancies was a hoax from a ""hybrid"" news site." | false | Junk News, jeff sessions, marijuana, newslo | On 19 March 2017, Newslo.com published an article appearing to report that U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions had said that using marijuana leads to more sex, along with heavier use of condoms but also a higher number of abortions: “When you get high on pot, I’m told it amplifies your sensory perception and even makes... |
9021 | Eating pecans had significant effect on biomarkers of heart disease and type 2 diabetes | This release summarizes a small 4-week study of 26 middle-aged adults with overweight or obesity. Researchers from Tufts University examined the effects of eating 1.5 ounces of pecans daily on the volunteers’ cardiovascular biomarkers. The release notes pecans produced “significantly improved insulin sensitivity and ha... | false | cardiovascular disease,National Pecan Shellers Association,pecans | The release does not mention the cost of pecans. More expensive than some other tree nuts, the ballpark price of pecans should be known to the average reader. The release does not give us numerical measures of the benefits it reports from the study. Instead, the release uses the phrase “significantly improves” in relat... |
37913 | BREAKING: Autopsy reveals that Kyle Rittenhouse’s first victim was shot in the back multiple times. Rittenhouse did not act in self-defense. | A popular and widely-shared Facebook post asserted that an autopsy of “Kyle Rittenhouse’s first victim” Joseph Rosenbaum determined Rosenbaum “was shot in the back multiple times”; ergo, “Rittenhouse did not act in self-defense.” Milwaukee’s Medical Examiner in fact determined Rosenbaum was shot once in the back, and s... | mixture | Disinformation, Fact Checks | On August 28 2020, a Facebook user shared the following post about 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse, charged with shooting and killing two protesters in Kenosha, Wisconsin:It read:BREAKING: Autopsy reveals that Kyle Rittenhouse’s first victim was shot in the back multiple times. Rittenhouse did not act in self-defense.That... |
7470 | US report indicates broad risk of COVID-19 at wildfire camps. | Outbreaks of the coronavirus could sweep through large camps where crews typically stay as they fight wildfires across the U.S., according to a federal document obtained by The Associated Press, and the problem is likely to get worse the longer the fire season lasts. | true | Wildfires, Virus Outbreak, Understanding the Outbreak, General News, Forests, Health, Fires, Idaho, U.S. News | The U.S. Forest Service’s draft risk assessment suggests that even in a best-case scenario — with social distancing followed and plenty of tests and protective equipment available — nearly two dozen firefighters could be infected with COVID-19 at a camp with hundreds of people who come in to combat a fire that burns fo... |
11632 | Alternative to Statins Shows Promise | "Headlines matter. When a story begins under the banner, ""Alternative to Statin Shows Promise,"" it leads readers to immediately believe that an alternative exists. This drug isn’t even on the market yet. Does it hold promise? How much promise can be established in a small, 12-week trial? Why is the hyperbolic languag... | false | "There was no discussion of costs – not even a projection. If you can label something as an ""alternative to statins"" in the headline, then you can certainly at least project for readers what this ""alternative"" might cost. A major weakness of the story: it did not quantify the effects seen in the study in any way. ... | |
31437 | A Popeye's manager in Brunswick, Georgia was caught lacing chicken with cocaine to drive business. | Channel22News is a prank news generator site, one that claims to enable social media users to play jokes on their friends. But not uncommonly, the outputs of prank news sites spread rapidly and widely in the online world, essentially turning their creators into operators of fake news sites. | false | Junk News, channel22news, cocaine, news generator sites | On 3 May 2017, what looked to be a news item reported that the manager of a in Brunswick, Georgia, outlet of the Popeye’s Louisiana Kitchen restaurant chain was caught lacing chicken with addictive substances in order to increase sales: Popeyes’ in Brunswick, Ga (3319 Altama Avenue) is under investigation after a man a... |
25969 | Facebook post Says COVID-19 testing could be done with mouth swabs, so maybe deeper swabbing is “implanting something.” | Nasal swabs are preferred over mouth swabs as a more accurate way of testing for COVID-19. There’s no evidence nasal swabs are used for “implanting something.” | false | Public Health, Facebook Fact-checks, Coronavirus, Facebook posts, | "Could coronavirus testers be doing more than just testing with their nasal swabs? An ominous Facebook post suggests that instead of just retrieving a sample with a swab to test for the presence of COVID-19, testers are ""implanting something."" The post, shared 320,000 times, argues it this way: ""1) Modern Science ca... |
20285 | We are at a 40-year low in our crime rate in our state. | Rick Scott said Florida crime rates are at a 40-year low | true | Crime, Florida, Rick Scott, | "Florida crime rates are at 40-year lows. Forty-year lows? That’s the kind of dramatic statement that makes fact-checkers sit up and say, ""Really?"" Gov. Rick Scott has made that statement several times when asked about the killing of Trayvon Martin, an unarmed black teenager in Sanford, Fla. His comments seem intende... |
8051 | 'Like wartime' - Philippine doctors overwhelmed by coronavirus deluge. | Private hospitals in the Philippines capital Manila have stopped accepting coronavirus patients in the face of surging numbers of sufferers and people seeking tests, the hospitals said. | true | Health News | The Philippines has reported relatively fewer infections than many other countries in Southeast Asia, but medical experts say a lack of testing has meant that the scale of the epidemic has gone undetected. “It’s like wartime,” said Eugenio Ramos, a doctor and head of The Medical City, a Manila private hospital, which w... |
35529 | The U.S. Department of Justice issued a card that exempts holders from wearing face masks on the grounds that it poses a health risk to them due to medical conditions they aren't required to disclose by authority of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). | "What's true: The ADA requires that businesses with mandatory mask rules for customers due to COVID-19 also must accommodate people who may not be able to wear masks due to medical conditions or disabilities. In many cases individuals do not need to disclose or provide proof of those medical conditions. What's false: H... | false | Medical, COVID-19 | Mandatory mask-wearing in public gradually became the law of the land in regions across the United States in 2020 due to the COVID-19 coronavirus disease pandemic. Seemingly in response to such regulations, images of cards and flyers citing the Department of Justice (DOJ) began cropping up across the internet, proclaim... |
4258 | Talc verdict winner: Money can’t make up for lost health. | When Deborah Giannecchini was diagnosed with stage 4 ovarian cancer four years ago, it didn’t make sense. She had no family history, nor did she seem a high risk. | true | AP Top News, Cancer, St. Louis, Lawsuits, Ovarian cancer, Health, Business, Modesto, California, U.S. News, U.S. News | But months later, when her daughter saw a TV ad for a law firm asking ovarian cancer victims who used talcum powder to come forward, Giannecchini realized a possible link: She had been using Johnson & Johnson’s baby powder for most of her life. “I used it for 45 years, from age 15,” Giannecchini, now 63, said Friday. “... |
29173 | Entering the wrong PIN into a card reader will protect you against debit card fraud. | It is also unlikely, he said, that someone could have “all her bank accounts emptied” after a single transaction. While it is probable that consumers would lose some money after their banking information was compromised, most financial institutions are able to detect and flag suspiciously large or frequent transactions... | false | Fraud & Scams | In November 2018, a bit of “helpful advice” circulated via social media promoting the claim that consumers could stymie the theft of money from their debit cards via card readers through the use of a simple technique. The most common version of the post read: This is from a friend who just had all her bank accounts em... |
4794 | French women demand action amid high domestic violence rate. | Sylvia. Dalila. Aminata. Céline. Julie. Their names are plastered on buildings and headlines across France, calling attention to their shared fate: Each was killed, allegedly by a current or former partner this year. | true | AP Top News, Emmanuel Macron, General News, Violence, France, International News, Domestic violence, Health, Europe, Weekend Reads | More than 130 women have died from domestic violence this year alone in France, according to activists who track the deaths. European Union studies show France has a higher rate of domestic violence than most of its European peers. And frustrated activists have drawn national attention to a problem President Emmanuel M... |
38776 | Bananas purchased at Walmart and other stores in the U.S. have been injected with HIV blood. | Beware of Bananas Injected with HIV Blood | false | Food / Drink | Don’t worry about reports about bananas injected with HIV. Reports of HIV bananas that were bought at supermarkets in the U.S. began popping up on social media sites in the fall of 2015. One such report claimed that a bunch of bananas purchased in Grand Rapids, Michigan, was injected with HIV infected blood. In another... |
32429 | A 12-year-old Wisconsin girl in died as a result of receiving the Gardasil HPV vaccine. | Although the autopsy results weren’t yet available when Health Impact News claimed Prohaska’s death was caused by the vaccine, neither has that page on the web site been updated to reflect the true cause of death. | false | Medical, gardasil, HPV vaccine, vaccine misinformation | On 11 August 2014, the alternative medicine web site Health Impact News posted an inaccurate and poorly documented article entitled “Gardasil Vaccine: One More Girl Dead,” which blamed the death of 12-year-old Meredith Prohaska of Waukesha, Wisconsin — whose mother had found her face-down on the floor and unresponsive ... |
15699 | U.S. police killed more people in just one month than the U.K.’s did in over a century. | "Addicting Information said that ""U.S. police killed more people in just one month than the U.K.’s did in over a century."" This comparison was based on an incomplete Wikipedia list. While hard figures for the number of police-related deaths in the United Kingdom over more than a century are impossible to come by, our... | false | PunditFact, Guns, Addicting Information, | "As the country learned about the shooting death of Walter Scott in North Charleston, S.C., a comparison between police in the United States and the United Kingdom began to spread across the Internet. The liberal website Addicting Info put up a graphic under the headline ""U.S. Police killed more people in just one mon... |
27942 | Some symptoms of a heart attack are subtle and can be mistaken for indigestion. | A viral message lists some of the more subtle symptoms of a cardiac arrest, such as signs of indigestion. | true | Medical, american heart association, ASP Article, Disease | Heart attacks come with a variety of symptoms, some subtle and seemingly mild, others severe. To further muddy the waters, the symptoms often present in a very different way for women than for men. As a result, there have been various attempts to educate people on the more unusual signs of a cardiac arrest. The e-mail ... |
27992 | Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Dock Ellis hurled a no-hitter while under the influence of LSD. | An unfortunate aspect of Dock Ellis’ admission is that he is now remembered by many people (especially those too young to have seen him play during his heyday with the Pirates) as “the guy who pitched a no-hitter on drugs,” a characterization which not only slights a baseball career that included some very fine moments... | true | Sports, baseball | Dock Phillip Ellis, best remembered as the winningest pitcher on the champion 1971 Pittsburgh Pirates baseball club, was also one of his sport’s more colorful personalities, although his exploits were generally overshadowed by those of players (Curt Flood, Richie Allen, Reggie Jackson) more talented and more controvers... |
8081 | Locked-down French Catholics mark holy mass via YouTube. | Coronavirus restrictions meant Catholic priest Guillaume Le Floc’h officiated at Wednesday evening’s mass in front of empty pews, so to make sure his flock could celebrate the holy feast of Annunciation, he had the service livestreamed on YouTube. | true | Health News | The virus outbreak and government restrictions on all gatherings, intended to curb the spread of the virus, have forced many people in France and around the world to innovate, including the Catholic church in Carquefou, in northwest France. For Wednesday’s mass, the only people taking part in the service in person were... |
1994 | "New York Earth Day celebrates with ""virtual"" forests." | A “virtual” forest sprouting on Times Square’s renowned billboards, 1,000 free rain barrels for gritty city backyards and a parade of clean energy vehicles including hybrid garbage trucks are all helping New Yorkers go green for Earth Day on Friday. | true | Environment | Earth Day New York’s managing director Joanne Black said accompanying giant forest images of dense vegetation and nature in the quintessential lit-up, crowded and chaotic urban landscape of Times Square will be “a visual call to action.” On Saturday, supporters of the environment can text message “tree” to the number... |
11236 | Antidepressants linked to major personality changes | There are a few important holes in this story. We think the story misinterpreted the study’s findings. We think any story about SSRI antidepressant medications should discuss potential harms, and this story did not. We wish the story had placed the findings in context with the broader literature in regards to effects o... | mixture | "While the story mentions how much the US spends on antidepressants and generally discusses ""cost-effectiveness"" questions, it never describes the cost of these medications for the individual. We’ve already commented in the ""Evidence"" criterion about how we think the story partially miscommunicated the study’s find... | |
41871 | We’ve got the cleanest country in the planet right now. There’s nobody cleaner than us. | President Donald Trump recently said “we’ve got the cleanest country in the planet right now” when it comes to “clean air” and “clean water.” Rankings compiled by researchers at Yale and Columbia universities say otherwise. | false | environment, | President Donald Trump recently said “we’ve got the cleanest country in the planet right now” when it comes to “clean air” and “clean water.” Rankings compiled by researchers at Yale and Columbia universities say otherwise.Out of 180 countries studied, the U.S. comes in at No. 27 on the 2018 Environmental Performance I... |
24688 | "Sotomayor thinks ""that one’s sex, race and ethnicity ought to affect the decisions one renders from the bench." | Sotomayor's comment about Latina women versus white men | mixture | National, Sotomayor Nomination, Supreme Court, Judicial Confirmation Network, | "If you've been following the story of Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor via cable news, you've undoubtedly heard this sound bite from a 2001 Sotomayor speech: ""I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn'... |
36227 | Breastmilk effectively treats many conditions, including abrasions, cuts, insect bites, diaper rash, eczema, acne, and burns. | Can You Use Breastmilk Topically to Treat Various Conditions? | unproven | Fact Checks, Viral Content | In August 2018, a post from “Parents R Us” about topical use of breastmilk to treat various conditions (archived here) appeared and has made the rounds online since, showing claims that have long been around in other forms as advice shared between parents:Underneath a photograph of a ziplock bag full of breastmilk in s... |
3931 | Porter County to offer genetic tests for juvenile offenders. | The juvenile court for northwestern Indiana’s Porter County is partnering with a laboratory to offer genetic testing for young offenders to help see what psychiatric medications might help them. | true | Genetic testing, Medication, Mental health, General News, Courts, Indiana | The county’s juvenile court will collaborate with Valparaiso-based Great Lakes Labs to offer self-styled pharmacogenetic tests to youths in the criminal justice system, The (Northwest Indiana) Times reported. “Mental health for our kids is really, really important for us, because they grow up,” Porter County Circuit Co... |
10220 | The promise of proton-beam therapy | This story reports on the hype, the promise and the controversies around proton beam therapy. The potential benefit of proton beam therapy is that it can accurately target deep-seated cancers without damaging surrounding tissues. For this reason it is an attractive idea for certain rare and serious tumors such as tumor... | true | Although the story mentions the high upfront cost of proton therapy, it does not describe the cost of treatment compared to other alternatives. The story points out that there have been no controlled treatment trials for proton therapy in prostate cancer–increasingly the targeted use–so there really are no good data on... | |
31991 | When the Germans ordered Jews in occupied Denmark to identify themselves by wearing armbands with yellow stars during World War II, King Christian X of Denmark and non-Jewish Danes thwarted the order by donning the armbands themselves. | The legend of non-Jewish Danes donning yellow stars in solidarity with Jews during the Nazi occupation of Denmark is a touching story but not historically accurate. | false | History, ASP Article, Government, World History | The legend of Denmark’s King Christian X and his wearing of the yellow star is our most stirring example of non-violent opposition to evil: ordinary citizens (following the example of a courageous leader) defy their military overlords by selflessly putting themselves in harm’s way to prevent the persecution of a defen... |
9501 | DRUG SHOWS PROMISE AGAINST VISION-ROBBING DISEASE IN SENIORS | Credit: National Eye Institute This story discusses research findings about a drug that may slow the progression of geographic atrophy, a type of macular degeneration that leads to vision loss. The story provides a careful, reader-friendly explanation of the mechanism by which lampalizumab is likely to work, and a conc... | mixture | vision loss | Even if we can’t know the exact cost of what this drug might be (if it’s approved–that’s TBD), we can surmise that it will be very high based on the price tags of every other drug in this class, known as immunotherapies. The story should have noted this. The story tells us that patients who had the genetic variation an... |
1071 | Health funding gap means 1,700 in Gaza may face amputations: U.N. | A lack of health funding in Gaza means 1,700 people shot by Israeli security forces may have to have amputations in the next two years, Jamie McGoldrick, the U.N. Humanitarian Coordinator for occupied Palestinian territory, told reporters on Wednesday. | true | Health News | McGoldrick said 29,000 Palestinians had been wounded in protests in the past year, and 7,000 of them had gunshot wounds, mostly in the lower legs. “You’ve got 1,700 people who are in need of serious, complicated surgeries for them to be able to walk again,” McGoldrick said. “These are people who have been shot during t... |
41045 | This new virus is not heat-resistant and will be killed by a temperature of just 26/27 degrees. It hates the Sun. | There’s no evidence for this. There’s evidence that similar viruses transmit less well in the heat, but many countries with reported Covid-19 cases are experiencing temperatures higher than this. | unproven | online | If the new coronavirus gets into your mouth, drinking water or other liquids will wash them down through the oesophagus. Once they’re in the stomach, the acid will kill the virus. If you don't drink enough water more regularly, the virus can enter your windpipes and into the lungs. If you have a runny nose and sputum, ... |
2993 | China reports 1st death from new type of coronavirus . | Health authorities in a central Chinese city on Saturday reported the country’s first death from a new type of coronavirus, as the government braced for the Lunar New Year travel boom amid concerns over a possible outbreak similar to that of the SARS virus in the early 2000s. | true | Health, General News, Wuhan, Pneumonia, China, Asia Pacific | The Wuhan Municipal Health Commission said seven other people were in critical condition among a total of 41 who were suffering from pneumonia caused by a “preliminarily determined new type of coronavirus” as of Friday. That was down from the earlier figure of 59. The others were in stable condition and at least two ha... |
3134 | Mexico City plastic bag ban to take residents back in time. | For centuries, Mexico City residents brought warm tortillas home in reusable cloths or woven straw baskets, and toted others foods in conical rolls of paper, “ayate” mesh or net bags, or even string bundles. | true | Caribbean, Mexico, International News, General News, Latin America, Environment, Mexico City, Laws | People in Mexico’s massive capital city may have to return to those old ways starting Wednesday, when a new law takes effect banning the plastic bags that became ubiquitous over the last 30 years. Some say they are ready and willing, and grocery stores are promising to promote reusable synthetic fiber bags, but others ... |
180 | Biotech is going to the dogs - and big profits await. | For Jessica Lescault there is no question that her 6-year old English bulldog “Moose” deserves cutting-edge biotechnology cancer treatment as much as any human patient. | true | Health News | “Pets are your loved ones, pets should be your family, pets are not something you keep on a chain in the backyard,” the intensive-care nurse from Somers, Connecticut, said. Lescault, 43, who enrolled Moose in a clinical trial of an experimental drug designed to help his immune system fight his cancer, represents the t... |
31231 | "Health officials announced in June 2017 that Donald Trump's health is ""deteriorating." | “The key thing is how any person lives with the stress,” said Gordon Lithgow, a professor of geroscience at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging in California, which studies ways to increase healthspan. “Some people absolutely thrive on the edge of stress.” | false | Junk News, donald trump, nc scooper, nevada county scooper | On 21 June 2017, the Nevada County Scooper published a satirical article appearing to report that President Donald Trump’s health is quickly deteriorating because of the stressors of his job: “When he took office, let’s be honest, he was no spring chicken,” said one White House insider who spoke on condition of anonym... |
7538 | Fauci warns of ‘suffering and death’ if US reopens too soon. | Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, is warning Congress that if the country reopens too soon during the coronavirus pandemic, it will result in “needless suffering and death.” | true | AP Top News, Understanding the Outbreak, Health, Anthony Fauci, General News, Politics, Infectious diseases, Pandemics, Donald Trump, Virus Outbreak, Economy | Fauci is among the health experts testifying to a Senate panel. His testimony comes as President Donald Trump is praising states that are reopening after the prolonged lock-down aimed at controlling the virus’ spread. Fauci, a member of the coronavirus task force charged with shaping the response to COVID-19, which has... |
7254 | Nebraska eyes county facility to treat juvenile offenders. | Lancaster County officials and the state of Nebraska are discussing a way to provide intensive behavioral health services to juvenile offenders who need the help, the head of the state Health and Human Services Department said. | true | Lincoln, Health, General News, Nebraska, Kearney | Department CEO Danette Smith made the pronouncement at a Lincoln news conference Monday while discussing her department’s efforts to better serve the teenage girls sent to the Geneva center that she emptied last week. Two dozen female juvenile offenders were moved to the boys center in Kearney after department official... |
33962 | "Astronaut and former NFL player Leland Melvin wrote an open letter to Donald Trump concerning the President's comments about the ""Take a Knee"" protest." | An open letter to President Trump addressing his comments about football players truly originated with astronaut and former NFL player Leland Melvin. | true | Questionable Quotes, donald trump, leland melvin, nfl | As tensions rose in September 2017 in response to football players’ protesting police brutality and inequality by kneeling during the U.S. national anthem, astronaut and former football player Leland Melvin jumped into the fray with a lengthy open letter to president Donald Trump. During a September speech in Alabama, ... |
3366 | Health officials: At least 2 Idaho kids have died from flu. | Idaho state health officials say at least two children have died of influenza-related causes recently and a third child’s death is under investigation because it appears to be flu-related. | true | General News, Flu, Public health, Idaho | Officials with the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare announced the deaths Friday, saying they are unusual because most influenza-related deaths occur among older adults. “This flu strain appears to be impacting some children in Idaho heavily, and we want to make sure that Idahoans are taking precautions to stay sa... |
9650 | Teen Feels 'Hopeful' After Experimental Stem Cell Procedure on Damaged Heart | This is a story about one young man receiving an experimental infusion of stem cells into his heart, to help with tissue scarring due to muscular dystrophy. Despite booming research around potential stem cell treatments for a wide range of conditions, the list of diseases for which stem cell therapy has been shown to b... | false | anecdotes over evidence,muscular dystrophy,stem cell therapy | The cost of this procedure and the potential for health insurance coverage are not addressed. The costs of high-tech interventions such as stem cell infusions are likely to be high and given their experimental nature are not likely to be covered by insurance. Quantifying long term benefits at this point may not be poss... |
26441 | Herd immunity is probably why California has far fewer COVID-19 deaths than New York. | Once a high percentage of people have been infected with a virus or vaccinated — in other words, herd immunity is achieved — spread of the virus can be stopped or greatly slowed. Despite having a population twice that of New York State, California has experienced only a fraction of the number of COVID-19 deaths. There’... | false | Public Health, Facebook Fact-checks, California, New York, Coronavirus, Facebook posts, | "There is no vaccine to protect against COVID-19. So, is it possible a naturally occurring ""herd immunity"" has, in effect, inoculated much of California, keeping the number of the state’s coronavirus deaths a fraction of those in New York? That’s the claim of a lengthy Facebook post, titled ""CV-19 Hoax Update."" It ... |
7359 | Things to Know: Face covering rules vary by jurisdiction. | Health authorities want people to wear masks or face coverings outdoors to help prevent spread of the coronavirus, but is it a hard and fast rule? It depends. Here are things to know: | true | Los Angeles, Health, General News, Virus Outbreak, Eric Garcetti | WHY WEAR A MASK? Health experts say face coverings help prevent the spread of COVID-19. Cloth coverings cannot block the virus itself. However, they can provide some protection from droplets from breath and saliva that can carry the disease. Some people don’t realize they are infected because they have no symptoms. If ... |
37481 | The cities of Los Angeles and New York City announced that no concerts or sporting events would be held until 2021. | Did Los Angeles and NYC Announce ‘No More Concerts In 2020’? | mixture | Disinformation, Fact Checks | 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,” the user — who registered on the platform in March 2020 — claimed that the two ... |
6475 | Continued protection sought for medical-marijuana states. | Two members of Congress — one an Oregon Democrat and the other a California Republican — are pushing to ensure that protections against federal intervention remain for another year for 46 states, Washington DC, Guam and Puerto Rico that allow some form of medical marijuana. | true | Earl Blumenauer, Medical marijuana, Oregon, Dana Rohrabacher | Rep. Earl Blumenauer of Oregon and Rep. Dana Rohrabacher of California have sent a letter with the signatures of 64 colleagues to congressional leaders supporting the Rohrabacher-Blumenauer Amendment that prevents federal officials using public funds to enforce federal laws against medical marijuana. “The provision, wh... |
16194 | According to recent reports, a group of death panels organized under Obamacare ordered their first execution. | The chain email claimed that Dorothy Zborknak was ordered executed by an Obamacare death panel. We ruled on this topic five years ago, but we’ll repeat it again: Death squads are not a part of the Affordable Care Act, and you can still catch Dorothy on Golden Girls reruns most nights. | false | National, Health Care, AmericanNews.com, | "An old piece of Affordable Care Act mythology has come back from the dead: death panels. A reader sent us a link to a September American News article that claims an 86-year-old woman was ordered executed after a panel established by the Affordable Care Act determined that ""she is no longer useful."" ""According to re... |
36541 | A Facebook post shows a huge turnout (of at least 650,000 people) at 2019's March for Life demonstration. | Does This Photograph Show the 2019 ‘March for Life’? | false | Fact Checks, Viral Content | On January 20 2019, a Facebook user shared the following photograph and caption:Estimated 650,000 MARCH FOR LIFE IN D.C.! So thankful that we are seeing so many stand up for the innocent babies being killed every day in this nation. Over 2500 babies a day are killed in the USA. Over 61 million have been murdered since ... |
6080 | Legionnaires’ disease found in adjacent California prisons. | Legionnaires’ disease bacteria that killed one inmate and sickened another is more widespread than expected in a California state prison, officials said Wednesday, citing new test results. | true | Stockton, Prisons, Health, Legionnaires disease, North America, California | Preliminary results found the bacteria in the water supply at a prison medical facility in Stockton and at two neighboring youth correctional facilities, Corrections Department spokeswoman Vicky Waters said. Officials had thought it was isolated to one housing unit where the two inmates lived. They restricted water use... |
2990 | Australian wildfire smoke stokes health fears in cities. | Fire alarms have been sounding in high-rise buildings across downtown Sydney and Melbourne as dense smoke from distant wildfires confuse electronic sensors. Modern government office blocks in the Australian capital Canberra have been closed because the air inside is too dangerous for civil servants to breathe. | true | Climate, Australia, Climate change, Canberra, International News, General News, Wildfires, Melbourne, Health, Fires, AP Top News, Science, Sydney, Asia Pacific | The sun has glowed an eerie red behind a brown shrouded sky for weeks over Australian metropolitan areas that usually rank high in the world’s most livable cities indexes. It’s an unprecedented dilemma for Australians accustomed to blue skies and sunny days that has raised fears for the long-term health consequences if... |
18159 | "Gilberto Hinojosa Says if Texas abortion measure passes, ""someone living in El Paso would have to drive 550 miles each way to San Antonio for something as simple as cervical cancer screening." | Hinojosa said that if the abortion legislation passed, an El Paso resident would have to make a 550-mile trip to San Antonio for simple services like a cervical cancer screening. That’s not so; such services will continue to be available in El Paso, local experts say. This statement misses the mark so badly, it’s ridic... | false | Abortion, Health Care, Texas, Gilberto Hinojosa, | "The Texas Democratic Party sent out an email blast July 3, 2013, seeking signatures on a petition calling (ultimately without success) for hearings to be held around the state on a legislative measure tightening restrictions on abortion in Texas. Signed by party chairman Gilberto Hinojosa, the letter said, ""If this b... |
3497 | Judge won’t compel health system to fund doctor’s defense. | A federal judge declined for now to compel a Michigan-based health system to advance legal costs for a doctor’s defense against murder charges in the deaths of 25 Ohio hospital patients. | true | Columbus, Michigan, Health, General News, Ohio, Lawsuits | U.S. District Judge George Caram Steeh in Michigan concluded Wednesday it’s in the public interest to deny the preliminary injunction sought by William Husel. The Columbus-area Mount Carmel Health System fired the intensive care doctor after concluding he ordered excessive painkillers for dozens of patients who died. H... |
28707 | Jellyfish and lobsters are considered biologically immortal, meaning they don’t age and will never die unless they are killed. | What's true: One species of jellyfish, Turritopsis nutricula, is considered biologically immortal as it can—and does—revert to its immature state even after reaching sexual maturity. What's false: Despite not showing the typical signs of aging during their lives, lobsters can and do die from old age. | mixture | Science, immortality, jellyfish, lobsters | Memes like the one presented above, containing the very cool-sounding claim that both jellyfish and lobsters are biologically immortal, have been popular on the internet for years. Biological immortality is usually defined as an organism that will not die from senescence, the scientific term for aging. However, as repo... |
4254 | Record $417M award in lawsuit linking baby powder to cancer. | A Los Angeles jury on Monday ordered Johnson & Johnson to pay a record $417 million to a hospitalized woman who claimed in a lawsuit that the talc in the company’s iconic baby powder causes ovarian cancer when applied regularly for feminine hygiene. | true | Los Angeles, Cancer, Health, Lawsuits, North America, Business, California, Ovarian cancer, U.S. News | The verdict in the lawsuit brought by the California woman, Eva Echeverria, marks the largest sum awarded in a series of talcum powder lawsuit verdicts against Johnson & Johnson in courts around the U.S. Echeverria alleged Johnson & Johnson failed to adequately warn consumers about talcum powder’s potential cancer risk... |
11122 | Preventing cancer: Study finds dramatic benefits of weight-loss surgery | The news release provides a good summary of the methods behind the study, the benefits found, and where the findings fit in the larger issue of how weight contributes to poor health. It could have been improved with an exploration of costs and the potential harms from bariatric surgery. In addition, it’s not clear that... | mixture | Academic medical center news release,Cancer,Weight loss | There is no mention of costs in the release (or in the study). This release does something wonderful. It sums up the main findings from the study – including a quantification of some benefits – at the very top of the release. What would have made the quantification even better would have been breaking down the raw numb... |
18990 | A man using bath salts reported that raccoons had set fire inside his home and stolen his cell phone. | Mike DeWine says abuse of bath salts led man to make bizarre claim about racoons | true | Ohio, Criminal Justice, Drugs, Crime, Mike DeWine, | "Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine recently told some disturbing and odd stories about bath salts – an emerging drug that he said is a growing problem in Ohio. The stories were part of DeWine’s announcement last month that his office will target bath salts in its ongoing fight against drugs. Bath salts and other synthe... |
16056 | Newly Elected Republican Senators Sign Pledge to Eliminate Food Stamp Program in 2015. | "More than 115,000 social media users passed along a story headlined, ""Newly Elected Republican Senators Sign Pledge to Eliminate Food Stamp Program in 2015."" But they failed to do due diligence and were snookered, since the story came from a publication that bills itself (quietly) as a ""satirical, parody website.""... | false | National, Federal Budget, Welfare, Facebook posts, | "In December 2014, some Internet users were passing along links to a story with a striking headline: ""Newly Elected Republican Senators Sign Pledge to Eliminate Food Stamp Program in 2015."" Here’s the text of the story, originally published at a website called the Daily Leak: One hundred percent of newly elected Repu... |
3899 | Mental health services a concern in rural Nebraska schools. | The president of Nebraska’s public-school teachers’ union says she’s hearing concerns from rural schools about a lack of mental health services and state equalization aid. | true | Mental health, Health, General News, Nebraska, Scottsbluff, Education | The Star-Herald in Scottsbluff reports that many schools are also concerned about retaining qualified teachers, particularly in rural areas. Nebraska State Education Association President Jenni Benson says she hopes to tackle those issues and others in the upcoming legislative session. Benson says she heard the concer... |
3455 | Moroccan journalist denies charges of illegal abortion. | A judge ruled that a Moroccan journalist remain in custody after she appeared Monday in a packed courtroom on charges that she had an illegal abortion after becoming pregnant while single. | true | Journalists, Health, Middle East, Rabat, Africa, Morocco, General News, International News | The case has gained attention among journalists and rights groups. The 28-year-old Hajar Raissouni has been jailed since Aug. 31. She denies having had an abortion and claims she was married to her Sudanese fiancé under Islamic law. The fiancé, a gynecologist and two others also were jailed. They appeared in court as d... |
30203 | Police executing a search warrant at the home of a Bloomington, Illinois, mortician discovered 218 embalmed human penises. | This is surely not the last we’ll see of the smokey-eyed miscreant. | false | Junk News | In August 2018, an article recounting a grisly discovery during a police raid in Bloomington, Illinois, appeared on a website purporting to be affiliated with the Fox News Channel. The report said a local mortician was being held for psychiatric evaluation in connection with charges of organ trafficking: Police made an... |
16782 | "On the last night of the General Assembly, ""by 11 o'clock 95 to 98 percent of the business was done. So we really didn't have that late-night session. We were just holding on one bill." | "Nicholas Mattiello said that ""by 11 o'clock 95 to 98 percent of the business was done. So we really didn't have that late-night session. We were just holding on one bill."" It's true that one issue -- Newport Grand and its associated bills -- was holding things up on the last night of the session. It's much less true... | false | Rhode Island, History, Voting Record, Nicholas Mattiello, | "Some things in life are a certainty -- death, taxes and members of the Rhode Island General Assembly staying up until the early morning hours to pass a flurry of legislation on the final day of the session. On the edition of WPRI-TV's ""Newsmakers"" program that aired July 6, 2014, reporter Tim White was talking to Ho... |
38297 | Prayer requests for a boy named Dakota who was suffering from continuous seizures and was airlifted to a hospital in Dallas made the rounds on social media in December 2016 and May 2017. | Prayer Requests for Dakota, Boy Airlifted with Repeated Seizures | unproven | Prayers, Religious | Prayer requests for a boy named Dakota who was reportedly suffering from continuous seizures have been widely circulated on social media, but we weren’t able to verify that the boy actually exists. Different versions of the prayer request for Dakota have been circulated since December 2016. These different post make re... |
40332 | A video from the Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) television network reports on a Florida physician who is promoting the use of pure coconut oil as possible treatment for Alzheimer’s symptoms. She tells the story of helping her own husband overcome some Alzheimer’s symptoms. | Coconut Oil May Help Alzheimer's Victims | unproven | Medical | The video is authentic and features the story of Dr. Mary Newport from Tampa, Florida. Newport is a physician who runs a neonatology ward but became concerned when her husband seemed to be showing signs of early Alzheimer’s. She discovered that her husband had what she calls “diabetes of the brain,” which preve... |
9380 | For advanced lung cancer, immune therapy plus chemo prolongs survival | This story is one of two we reviewed about lung cancer immunotherapy studies presented at the American Association for Cancer Research meeting. Our other review is of TIME’s coverage. The three drugs mentioned in the story — Keytruda, Yervoy and Opdivo — are known as checkpoint inhibitors, which remove the ability of s... | mixture | immunotherapy,lung cancer | Costs of these drugs weren’t given. Checkpoint inhibitors run about $150,000 a year, according to some published news reports. With 140,000 people in the U.S. diagnosed annually with non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer — the type in the Keytruda trial — the cost of treating people with this drug could easily run in... |
33735 | "Singer ""Mama"" Cass Elliot experienced an increase in her vocal range after she was hit in the head by a pipe." | Although the “knocked in the head with a pipe” tale may not have originated as a television sitcom plot, it featured the upbeat, positive ending of one: Even the reluctant John Phillips eventually acknowledged the value of Cass Elliot’s vocal abilities and personality, and she was a key element in the tremendous popula... | false | Entertainment, music | A book of canonical television sitcom plots might include an entry like the following: 34) Character is hit on head by solid object. Hilarity ensues when character: Oddly enough, although that last entry might seem a bit goofy even for a sitcom plot, it’s something that has been claimed as happening in real life. Th... |
30694 | A Chinese engineer contracted an STD after having sexual intercourse with a sex robot prototype. | This report was false. As should be obvious from contextual clues (such as the name of the putative engineer), Huzlers is a well-known satire web site with a long history of publishing fantastic fabrications. They carry a disclaimer in their article footer stating that “Huzlers.com is the most infamous fauxtire & satir... | false | Junk News, huzlers | On 18 January 20178, the Huzlers web site published an article reporting that a Chinese engineer has contracted a sexually-transmitted disease (STD) after having sexual intercourse with a sex robot prototype: CHINA – A Chinese engineer has reportedly contracted an STD after having sexual intercourse with a sex robot p... |
9340 | EXPERIMENTAL DRUG VISTUSERTIB COULD SHRINKS TUMORS IN 50% OF OVARIAN CANCER PATIENTS, STUDY SUGGESTS | This story reported on a phase 1b trial of a drug called vistusertib, which is being tested in tandem with chemotherapy on ovarian and lung cancer patients whose disease had been unresponsive to other treatments. The purpose of the trial was to establish dosing and get a preliminary look at the drug’s effectiveness. Fi... | false | ovarian cancer | There’s no discussion of the potential cost of this drug, which is likely to be significant due to the high cost of new cancer therapies. As a comparison, a recently approved new cancer drug also made by Astra Zeneca, Imfinzi, costs $180,000 a year. The story said that over “half of patients with ovarian cancer and ove... |
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