claim_id stringlengths 1 234 | claim stringlengths 14 491 | explanation stringlengths 1 4.18k | label stringclasses 5
values | subjects stringlengths 0 223 | main_text stringlengths 18 41.7k |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
6634 | GOP Congress rolls back rules on hunting, broadband privacy. | Hunters could soon target grizzly bears from the air on Alaska’s federal lands. Internet providers may get to sell the browsing habits of their customers. States will be able to deny federal family planning money to Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers. | true | Planned Parenthood, Bears, Politics, Environment, Michael Pence, Government regulations | Citing states’ rights, jobs and the right to bear arms, congressional Republicans are reversing dozens of Obama-era rules affecting the environment, education and the energy sector. The GOP is using a largely unknown but highly effective legislative tool that allows a simple majority in the House and Senate to overturn... |
26010 | “The CDC tried to develop clear guidelines about what the stages of re-opening should look like — the administration delayed and scaled them back. | The White House requested that the CDC revise its initial reopening guidelines because they were “too prescriptive.” The CDC later released around 60 pages of detailed reopening guidelines, but certain sections were cut. The CDC said that the review and revision were part of a standard process with the White House co... | true | Public Health, Coronavirus, Joe Biden, | "Joe Biden berated President Donald Trump’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, saying in a recent speech in Delaware that Trump failed to take the necessary steps to get the virus under control. Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, said the administration stifled and scaled back the Centers for Disea... |
5448 | State Health Department calls for requiring outbreak plan. | State authorities called Thursday for a law requiring long-term care facilities to develop disease outbreak plans in response to the deaths of 11 children at a New Jersey rehabilitation center last year. | true | Health, General News, Disease outbreaks, New Jersey | The call was included in a state Health Department report on the adenovirus outbreak at the Wanaque Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation. “Ensuring that all staff are regularly trained in proper handwashing protocols and other infection control procedures is the best way to prevent the spread of respiratory viruses in... |
31702 | Peanut oil is secretly present in childhood vaccines and flu shots. | Despite this, Fraser’s book is still often offered as the definitive source for the “fact” that childhood vaccines (or flu shots) contain peanut oil. | false | Medical | Among the many epidemiological trends blamed on vaccines, one of the lesser known fallacies is that they are the cause of an increased incidence of childhood peanut allergies in the United States and other nations. Alternative health website and “alien false flag” watchdog Natural News, for example, used this argument ... |
17820 | "Ann Kuster turned ""a blind eye to those in need of funding"" by voting ""against funding for our nation’s veterans, low-income women and children, the FDA and the National Institutes of Health." | "The NRCC said that Kuster has turned ""a blind eye to those in need of funding"" by voting ""against funding for our nation’s veterans, low-income women and children, the FDA and the National Institutes of Health."" The NRCC is correct that Kuster did vote against each of the resolutions that would have temporarily pr... | false | New Hampshire, Children, Federal Budget, Health Care, Public Health, Science, Veterans, Women, National Republican Congressional Committee, | "As the government shutdown continues into its third week, Republicans and Democrats are still exchanging jabs over who is to blame. The National Republican Congressional Committee -- the campaign arm of House Republicans -- asks Americans in a recent web video to tell U.S. Rep. Ann Kuster, D-N.H., along with six other... |
11629 | Folic acid might be losing its sheen | This story does a good job alerting readers to scientific debate about the benefits and harms of fortifying food with folic acid. It is a welcome contrast to stories that either adore or vilify vitamins. The writer neatly lays out the historical points about supplementation of the grain supply in 1998, the benefits wit... | true | The story includes one expert’s estimate of the cost of treating brain and spinal cord defects, but it does not discuss those costs may be affected by folic acid fortification or how the cost of fortification affects food prices. Though individuals don’t face a huge cost, the aggregate cost of fortification is substant... | |
5844 | Oklahoma follows national trend in increase in sex diseases. | Oklahoma is following a national trend with a sharp increase in the number of sexually transmitted diseases. | true | Sexually transmitted diseases, Health, Oklahoma, Syphilis | The Oklahoma State Department of Health says chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis cases rose from 29,716 in 2016 to 31,779 in 2017. The health department announcement came after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Wednesday that there were 2.3 million cases of STDs in 2017, an increase of more than 20... |
13093 | "Gavin Newsom Says Indiana Gov. Mike Pence ""advocated diverting taxpayer dollars to so-called conversion therapy." | In a glass-walled laboratory, chemists puff on vaping devices as they test liquid nicotine flavors. Nearby, staffers with cartons of instant noodles on their desks tap away at laptops, messaging suppliers and customers. | mixture | Civil Rights, Corrections and Updates, Gays and Lesbians, The 2018 California Governor's Race, California, Gavin Newsom, | Here at the Shenzhen offices of e-cigarette start-up RELX Technology, workers scramble to keep pace with the rush of firms vying for sales in the world’s biggest tobacco market. Their potential-customer base starts with 300 million Chinese smokers of traditional cigarettes – about nine times the number in the United St... |
6268 | Family history leads Kentucky candidates to different places. | As a child, Andy Barr watched his sister battle juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. She spent her childhood in and out of hospitals, undergoing at least 25 surgeries while his parents struggled to find affordable insurance coverage. | true | Health, Donald Trump, Kentucky, Andy Barr | Beginning in high school, Amy McGrath watched her parents battle cancer. Her mother had a mastectomy and her father had disfiguring surgery. She said her mother’s background as a doctor is the only thing that kept insurance companies from fleecing them. Now Barr and McGrath are running for Congress against each other i... |
2930 | Americans unlikely to move to get better Medicaid benefits: study. | Americans are unlikely to move to another state to obtain better medical coverage, according to a Harvard study released on Monday that debunks fears expanded Medicaid in some states under the U.S. Affordable Care Act will trigger big and costly migrations. | true | Health News | The study could scratch one item off a long list of complications plaguing President Barack Obama’s launch of his sweeping health care law, also known as Obamacare, which kicked in January 1. About half of U.S. states have opted to expand Medicaid eligibility to poor Americans under the law, raising concerns those stat... |
29690 | Mark Zuckerberg admitted or bragged that Facebook banned pro-life advertising, in particular, during Ireland's 2018 abortion-referendum campaign. | It was to this that Zuckerberg was referring in his Aspen remarks, when he said “leading up to that referendum, a bunch of pro-life American groups advertised … to try to influence public opinion there.” The prospect of undue influence from foreign actors, who happened to hold pro-life views, was one of the catalysts f... | false | Politics | During the summer of 2019, remarks by Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg prompted a wave of reports, mainly by right-leaning and pro-life websites, that the social network founder had “admitted” to having banned pro-life advertising in the lead-up to Ireland’s May 2018 referendum on abortion, and even that he had “bragged” a... |
14303 | The state that has the highest per capita number of … guns that end up committing crimes in New York come from Vermont. | "Clinton said ""the state that has the highest per capita number of … guns that end up committing crimes in New York come from Vermont."" Clinton’s specific statistical computation is accurate. But beyond the numbers, Clinton’s claim is misleading for a varied number of reasons. From a policy perspective, experts say r... | mixture | National, Crime, Guns, Hillary Clinton, | "As the April 19 New York presidential primary approached, Hillary Clinton sought to draw a contrast with rival Bernie Sanders on gun policy. During an April 11 appearance in Port Washington, N.Y., for what was billed as a ""conversation on gun violence,"" Clinton took issue with Sanders’ characterization of his home s... |
5744 | Summer camp is newest front in battle with measles outbreak. | The battle to contain the worst U.S. measles outbreak in 27 years has a new front: summer camp. | true | AP Top News, Immunizations, New York City, New York, Measles, General News, Health, U.S. News, Religion | Vaccinations have been made mandatory this summer for campers and staff in several counties north of New York City that annually fill up with kids from the Orthodox Jewish communities that have been hit hardest by measles. Ulster County took the extra step of mandating the measles vaccine or proof of immunity at all da... |
3112 | Bloomberg health plan aims to lower costs, cover more people. | Putting his stamp on the top issue for Democratic voters, Michael Bloomberg on Thursday unveiled a health care plan that would expand coverage and cut people’s costs by building on the current system, not replacing it. | true | Michael Bloomberg, Health, General News, Legislation, Politics, Joe Biden, Campaigns, New York, Business, Medicare, Nancy Pelosi | The former New York mayor and Democratic presidential candidate embraced a new government-run “public option” to compete with private insurance and called for Medicare to negotiate drug prices, using an approach similar to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s recent legislation. “It’s in the Biden-Buttigieg world rather than S... |
34194 | Georgia's House Bill 481 would, when implemented, leave women open to prosecution for criminal abortion, murder, or second-degree murder for having abortions or miscarriages. | In fact, Georgia had declared unborn children to be persons, something that may or may not open up the possibility of murder prosecution against those who intentionally end the life of a fetus, or second-degree murder prosecution for those who act recklessly with the result of ending the life of a fetus. And in order f... | unproven | Politics | In May 2019, a cluster of news reports and social media postings asserted legislators in the state of Georgia had passed a law that could subject women to significant prison sentences for having abortions or miscarriages. On 7 May, for example, Slate published an article with the headline “Georgia Just Criminalized Abo... |
17919 | Since sequester began federal employment has been subtracting 6,000-7,000 jobs per month | Math on sequester job cuts doesn't add up | false | Georgia, Federal Budget, Jobs, The Political Line, | "There has been a renewed focus on jobs and how many the economy has lost as Republicans and Democrats continue to do battle and threat of a government shutdown looms. Recently a political commentator took to Twitter highlighting job losses since across-the-board, automatic federal budget cuts -- known as sequestration... |
7535 | Health officials: It’s time to give flu vaccine another shot. | The flu forecast is cloudy and it’s too soon to know if the U.S. is in for a third miserable season in a row, but health officials said Thursday not to delay vaccination. | true | AP Top News, Health care industry, Health, General News, Flu, U.S. News | While the vaccine didn’t offer much protection the past two years, specialists have fine-tuned the recipe in hopes it will better counter a nasty strain this time around. “Getting vaccinated is going to be the best way to prevent whatever happens,” Dr. Daniel Jernigan, flu chief at the Centers for Disease Control and P... |
8042 | Spain acts to prevent layoffs as rising coronavirus death toll stabilises. | Spain’s government approved measures on Friday to prevent employers using the coronavirus outbreak as an excuse to fire staff after health officials said the rising death toll was stabilising. | true | Health News | Spain, which has recorded more coronavirus deaths than any other country except Italy, said the national death toll had increased overnight by 769 to 4,858, a rise of around 19%. “In percentage terms, today’s increase is roughly equivalent to that of the past three days, in which we seem to see a clear stabilisation,” ... |
7354 | New Zealand plans spending spree to counter virus job losses. | New Zealand’s government plans to borrow and spend vast amounts of money as it tries to keep unemployment below 10% in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. | true | Health, General News, New Zealand, Financial markets, Business, Pandemics, Asia Pacific, Virus Outbreak, Grant Robertson, Economy | Finance Minister Grant Robertson on Thursday unveiled a budget unlike any in the nation’s history. Debt would shoot up from just over 20% of GDP to 54% by 2023, and thousands of jobs created by putting people to work building homes and improving the environment. Still, the increased spending will not be enough to offse... |
15342 | "The five Guantanamo detainees swapped for Bowe Bergdahl ""are right now back on the battlefield." | A jury award that hit Johnson & Johnson (JNJ.N) with $8 billion in punitive damages for a case involving its anti-psychotic drug Risperdal highlights the risks of the drugmaker’s all-or-nothing legal strategy, several legal experts told Reuters on Wednesday. | false | National, Terrorism, Donald Trump, | The jury in a Philadelphia court awarded the $8 billion to a man who previously won $680,000 over his claims that it failed to warn that young men using Risperdal could grow breasts. J&J called the sum “grossly disproportionate with the initial compensatory award” and said it was confident it would be overturned. Legal... |
11305 | You’ve Got Mail About Quitting Smoking | This story by U.S. News & World Report highlights the results of a trial of a digital aid to quit smoking: tailored emails. Researchers sent multiple encouraging messages, which also included links to information on how to quit, to willing smokers, then followed up six months later to see if the recipients had resumed ... | true | U.S. News & World Report | The cost isn’t provided, since the work is not available to the public. But like most other digital aids for smoking cessation, we presume this method would be free. We’re told 36 percent of smokers who received multiple encouraging and informative emails said they didn’t smoke 6 months after the trial, whereas single-... |
35942 | In September 2020, Dr. Li-Meng Yan, a former post-doctoral student at Hong Kong University, appeared In multiple televised interviews claiming that she had proof SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, was manufactured by the Chinese Communist Party in a Wuhan Lab. | In actuality, 89% of genetic similarity is very low. Previous research found that the human genome is almost 99% identical to chimpanzees and bonobos, yet there are very obvious differences between the two species. In terms of Yan’s genetic mapping, 89% would suggest that there are roughly 3,300 nucleotides not shared ... | true | Politics Medical, COVID-19 | Controversial and outright false claims made by Chinese Virologist Dr. Li-Meng-Yan, a former post-doctoral student at Hong Kong University, reignited viral internet rumors surrounding the origins of SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus responsible for COVID-19 and the 2020 pandemic. Yan appeared as a featured guest on the Sept.... |
7350 | Karen Pence: ‘It’s OK to not be OK’ during pandemic. | Karen Pence says it’s OK to not be OK during the coronavirus pandemic. | true | Anxiety, Karen Pence, Health, General News, Politics, Pandemics, Virus Outbreak, Michael Pence | While Vice President Mike Pence runs the White House coronavirus task force, his wife is leading a parallel effort to help people deal with anxiety and other unsettling emotions brought on by the pandemic. Two months into the crisis, millions of Americans are struggling to cope with the fallout, whether it’s losing lov... |
28002 | A photograph shows a small car loaded down with hundreds of pounds of lumber and other building supplies. | A photograph captures a small car impossibly loaded down with hundreds of pounds of lumber and other building supplies. | true | Fauxtography | The following item is a good example of the pitfalls of allowing pure skepticism to overwhelm ordinary evidence: The stupidity of some people in this world never fails to amaze me. This attached picture is real — not doctored in any way — and was taken last week in Waldorf, MD by a Transportation Supervisor for a comp... |
18517 | The Social Security disability fund is going belly up in 2016. | Sen. Rob Portman says the Social Security disability fund soon will run dry | true | Ohio, Social Security, Rob Portman, | "You hear it often: Social Security is going broke. What you hear less often is an analysis of Social Security’s components -- its old-age retiree program and its disability program. Sen. Rob Portman discussed both parts during a newsmaker breakfast on April 9 sponsored by Politico, the Washington-based newspaper and w... |
4966 | Booker urges activists, leaders to heed social justice call. | On his first trip to Iowa as a presidential candidate, New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker urged Democratic activists and black leaders on Friday to heed his call for social justice and apply it to the fight for universal health care coverage and a fair criminal justice system. | true | Cory Booker, Iowa, Race and ethnicity, New Jersey, Health, Universal health care, Iowa City, Cedar Rapids, Mason City, North America, Politics, Waterloo | In a Mason City church basement, in a meeting with city leaders in racially diverse Waterloo, at a town hall-style meeting in Cedar Rapids and in a packed home in Iowa City, Booker continually likened domestic problems to the denial of civil rights. “You cannot have life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness if you don... |
13525 | "Barack Obama Says Donald Trump's foundation ""took money other people gave to his charity and then bought a six-foot-tall painting of himself." | "Obama said that Trump’s ""foundation took money other people gave to his charity and then bought a six-foot-tall painting of himself."" Fahrenthold verified the anecdote about the painting with the painter, and his reporting found that, at the time the painting was auctioned, the vast majority of funds in the foundati... | true | National, Candidate Biography, Barack Obama, | "President Barack Obama went to Philadelphia on Sept. 13 to campaign for Hillary Clinton, who was recovering from pneumonia. In his speech, Obama didn’t hold back in his critique of Clinton’s opponent, Donald Trump. In one particularly vivid line, Obama took a shot at Trump’s foundation, contrasting it with the Clinton... |
3179 | Trump backing off banning vaping flavors popular with teens. | When President Donald Trump boarded Air Force One to fly to a Kentucky campaign rally two weeks ago, a plan was in place for him to give final approval to a plan to ban most flavored e-cigarettes. | true | AP Top News, Health, General News, Politics, Kellyanne Conway, Campaigns, Epidemics, Business, Ivanka Trump, Vaping, Melania Trump, Public health, Tobacco industry regulation, Donald Trump | By the time Trump landed back at Joint Base Andrews outside Washington a few hours later, the plan was off. And its future is unclear. For nearly two months, momentum had been building inside the White House to try to halt a youth vaping epidemic that experts feared was hurting as many as 5 million teenagers. Both firs... |
4015 | Measles outbreak that sickened 312 in Rockland declared over. | Officials have announced an end to the measles outbreak that infected 312 people since last October in Rockland County in New York City’s northern suburbs. | true | New York City, Health, Measles, General News, New York | The state Health Department says Tuesday that 42 days have passed with no new cases in Rockland. That’s the equivalent of two incubation periods and the timeframe when measles outbreaks are typically declared over. The nation’s worst measles epidemic in 27 years emerged a year ago, with most of the cases centered in Or... |
9726 | Genetic tests for psychiatric drugs spur hope, doubts | This story, originally reported by the New England Center for Investigative Reporting and published in partnership with the Boston Globe, describes the history and ethical implications of a loophole allowing genetic tests to bypass FDA approval before doctors prescribe them. Specifically, it outlines concerns regarding... | true | antidepressants,genetic testing | While the story looks at genetic tests for prescribing psychiatric drugs broadly, it also uses one test in particular as a focal point. The story notes that this test, called GeneSight, cost one patient $3,800. The story also notes that GeneSight is covered by Medicare. Those are great points to make in a story like th... |
20340 | As the usage [of synthetic marijuana] has dramatically increased, instances of violence, bodily harm and even death have risen with it. | "Deal: Fake marijuana use rising, connected to death, violence and ""bodily harm""" | true | Georgia, Drugs, Marijuana, Nathan Deal, | "Phony marijuana targeted by recent state legislation sounds worse than the real thing, if you believe Georgia’s governor. Chase’s Law strengthens a ban on ""synthetic marijuana,"" ground-up plant material laced with chemicals that mimic marijuana. Chase Burnett, the bill’s namesake, was found dead in March in a hot tu... |
11111 | Safe form of estrogen helped Multiple Sclerosis patients avoid relapses in UCLA led clinical trial | This news release from UCLA Health Sciences uses a story-telling approach to inform readers how scientists observed that women with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) experienced lower rates of relapses during their third trimester. The story told here is well-written, engaging, and effective. The researcher... | mixture | Academic medical center news release,Multiple Sclerosis | The release could have used some explicit indication of the potential cost of adding estriol to treatment with injectable glatiramer acetate. The text suggests that the hormone is widely available and thus likely to be simpler and less costly to take. In the United States estriol is available only as a vaginal cream, n... |
8715 | Miracle cures? UK investigators go after fake coronavirus medicines. | British authorities said on Saturday they were clamping down on bogus cures for the coronavirus, which currently has no specific licensed treatment. | true | Health News | The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said it was investigating 14 fake or unlicensed products to treat COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the coronavirus. So far 3,605 Britons have died from the coronavirus, the latest data show, and experts have said deaths will continue to rise unti... |
9053 | Weekly fish consumption linked to better sleep, higher IQ | Getty Images This observational study drawing a link between higher fish consumption, better sleep and higher scores on an IQ test has many potential variables that could influence the research results. Those variables as well as alternative explanations for the outcomes observed should have been included in the news r... | false | fish diet,University of Pennsylvania | No details are provided that would let a reader estimate the cost of including more fish in a diet such as type of fish or the amount to be consumed. We are told that children who said they ate fish weekly “scored 4.8 points higher on the IQ exams than those who said they “seldom” or “never” consumed fish.” The childr... |
2964 | France's Carmat implants its first artificial heart in human. | France’s Carmat said on Friday it had carried out its first implant of an artificial heart that can beat for up to five years, adding that the operation had gone smoothly. | true | Health News | The implant operation was performed on Wednesday at the Georges Pompidou European Hospital in Paris, the biomedical firm said in a statement. It said that the male patient was awake and talking and he was being monitored in the intensive care unit. “We are delighted with this first implant, although it is premature to ... |
11032 | Blood Test May Spot Alzheimer’s Before Symptoms Appear | So many reports of potential tests for Alzheimer’s Disease have been announced recently that one might wonder what exactly is newsworthy about yet another announcement of a small study proclaiming preliminary results, particularly when the source is the founder of the company developing this test. This story about a bl... | true | Alzheimer's,WebMD | The story includes a tentative estimate of what this sort of blood test might cost if it is approved. It would be difficult for readers to get a true sense of the value of this test from this story. Readers should have been told more clearly that in this study, the test failed to correctly identify 4 percent of the Alz... |
9557 | Marisa Tomei opens up about her struggle with chronic dry eye | The Fox News story includes a link to the drug company’s page, where celebrity Marisa Tomei “shares her experience.” This is a celebrity-focused story on actress Maria Tomei’s use of Restasis, a prescription drug to increase tear production. The story is problematic on many fronts. Medically, it fosters confusion about... | false | disease mongering | Costs are not mentioned in this story. A quick internet search shows that two packets of 30 vials of Restasis costs more than $300. For comparison purposes, a bottle of generic artificial tear drops costs about $10. Also, there is no mention of the issue of insurance coverage for the cost of Restasis. Some insurers lim... |
15929 | There are countries in Africa where they have higher vaccination rates than here in the United States. | "Kay said, ""There are countries in Africa where they have higher vaccination rates than here in the United States."" We found ample evidence to back up her point, with several African countries boasting better vaccination rates than the United States. Mauritius, Tanzania and Morocco have nearly complete vaccination of... | true | Health Care, Public Health, PunditFact, Katty Kay, | "Sunday show talking heads continued to debate vaccinations of children -- specifically, how there should be no debate -- as they analyzed political missteps from the past week. BBC World News America anchor Katherine ""Katty"" Kay made a startling comparison to highlight how Americans have been less diligent in making... |
17917 | More than 400 car crashes occur each year on the current, congested Columbia River Bridge. | Are there 400 crashes on the Interstate Bridge each year? | false | Oregon, Infrastructure, Transportation, Dennis Richardson, | "The Columbia River Crossing -- the maybe-dead-maybe-not proposed bridge project to connect Oregon and Washington -- is nothing if not controversial. Even the folks who agree that it’s needed can’t agree on how to pay for it. In a recent newsletter to his constituents, Oregon Rep. Dennis Richardson argued against Democ... |
6075 | Flint hospital wants hearing on order over Legionella risks. | A Flint hospital ordered by the state to take steps to reduce the risk of exposure to Legionella bacteria wants a hearing on the matter. | true | Health, General News, Flint, Legionnaires disease, Michigan | McLaren Flint Hospital on Friday requested an administrative hearing before the state enforces the terms of an order over issues with the bacteria that causes Legionnaires’ disease. The Flint Journal reports McLaren’s attorneys say the order issued Wednesday by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and D... |
8195 | Coronavirus cluster in Japan's Nagoya tied to elderly day care center. | A cluster of coronavirus cases in Japan’s Nagoya city has been linked to an elderly day care facility, underscoring the difficulty of shielding the aged from the outbreak in a country with the world’s oldest population. | true | Health News | Elderly people are especially susceptible to serious illnesses caused by the virus and aged care facilities have been linked to coronavirus outbreaks in other countries including the United States and Australia. Nagoya, the capital of Aichi prefecture in Japan’ central industrial heartland, has 99 confirmed cases of th... |
4788 | New lab trains welfare workers who probe child abuse claims. | The troubling scene inside the dingy Chicago apartment seems real: dangling exposed wires, open pill bottles near a sleeping baby and a kitchen strewn with dog feces and cockroaches. | true | AP Top News, Chicago, Health, General News, Child welfare, Illinois, Child abuse, U.S. News | But the mock apartment — with a lifelike infant doll, candles emitting foul smells and plastic insects — is part of a new simulation lab to train workers who investigate child abuse claims across Illinois. “Sometimes textbooks, they sugarcoat things. Teachers sugarcoat things, but this is real life,” said Beth Brown of... |
32375 | A customer discovered a deceased and discarded baby in a Kentucky Walmart's discount DVD bin. | Associated Media Coverage expanded its scope into darker fabrications, promulgating upsetting falsehoods about a transgender bathroom controversy-related shooting (while the issue was a hot-button one nationwide) and falsely asserting Casey Anthony was opening a home daycare center. Although many fake news sites featur... | false | Junk News, associated media coverage | On 13 August 2016, the Associated Media Coverage website published a disturbing account of the discovery of a deceased and discarded newborn baby girl in a “discount DVD bin” at a Kentucky Walmart: 42-year old Diane Jessop received the surprise of her life while shopping at her local Roy County, Kentucky, Walmart Satu... |
25975 | “There is no science or data to suggest that kids are at risk from COVID.” | A California state lawmaker claimed there is “no science or data to suggest that kids are at risk from COVID.” Medical experts say that’s just plain wrong. There are studies that have examined children and found they are at risk of COVID-19, albeit less risk than adults. There’s also a lack of data and uncertainty a... | false | Education, Public Health, California, Coronavirus, Melissa Melendez, | "A California state lawmaker jumped into the national debate on whether to reopen schools this fall amid the rapid spread of COVID-19, by claiming there’s no evidence children are in harm’s way. ""There is no science or data to suggest that kids are at risk from COVID,"" Republican state Sen. Melissa Melendez tweeted o... |
22664 | General Beauregard Lee Says he predicts the weather better than Punxsutawney Phil. | Metro Atlanta groundhog boasts more accuracy than Punxsutawney Phil | true | Georgia, Weather, General Beauregard Lee, | "Politics, step aside. The Truth-O-Meter must address a matter of Southern pride. The honor and reputation of our local groundhog General Beauregard Lee. For three decades, the South’s most esteemed weather prognosticator has lived in the stout and lumpy shadow of Punxsutawney Phil. Phil makes the rounds yearly on the ... |
8325 | UK group calls for grounded planes to be used as intensive care wards. | Airlines, airports and regulators have given their backing to a plan to turn large passenger aircraft into intensive care wards during the coronavirus pandemic, a UK-based group working on the idea said on Monday. | true | Health News | The group, calling themselves Caircraft, believe that big aircraft like A380s and A340s, which are grounded due to coronavirus travel restrictions, could be stripped down and refitted with ICU beds and equipment in seven to ten days. Between 100-150 beds could fit on each aircraft depending on the size of the jet under... |
6538 | Lower-cost biotech drug gets thumbs up from FDA panel. | The second-biggest selling drug in the world could get some cheaper competition in the U.S., after a federal panel endorsed an alternative version of the pricey medication used to treat rheumatoid arthritis and other inflammatory diseases. | true | Health, Medication, Rheumatoid arthritis, Arthritis, Patents | A panel of Food and Drug Administration advisers voted unanimously in favor of Amgen’s version of AbbVie’s Humira, a biotech drug that raked in nearly $15 billion last year, according to IMS Health. While not binding, the recommendation likely paves the way for FDA approval of the knockoff drug. For years, biotech drug... |
10302 | Heart study: Most angioplasties not needed | The news that stents do not prolong life or prevent heart attacks in patients with stable heart disease came as a big surprise to many this week, as the results of a large randomized clinical trial were presented at the week's American College of Cardiology meeting and published in The New England Journal of Medicine. ... | true | While the story does describe the cost of stenting, it does not provide the cost of the medication for comparison. The story does give the rate of heart attack or death as 19% within 7 years for both the stent and the medication group. Although the study mentions the risk of clotting with drug-coated stents, this is no... | |
22059 | Unions don’t have to comply with Obamacare. | In ruling on this statement, we understand that the Obama administration would hardly admit to it if it were giving unions special treatment. But looking at the numbers of waivers that have been given to both union and non-union groups, we don’t see any pattern that would support a case for special treatment. The numbe... | false | National, Health Care, Unions, Crossroads GPS, | "An ad from the Republican controlled campaign group Crossroads GPS asserts that unions are exempt from the new health care law as a political favor from President Barack Obama. The ad shows union leaders and Obama speaking in favor of health care reform, then shows a Fox News anchor asking, ""Is the Obama administrati... |
29295 | "In September 2017, authorities in Houston, Texas warned residents to use gas masks as they sprayed the area with a neurotoxic insecticide that ""causes brain damage""." | What's true: Authorities in Harris County, Texas did spray for mosquitoes using the insecticide naled, which can be considered a neurotoxin, though these effects are dose dependent. What's false: Authorities did not warn residents to don gas masks; the risk of neurotoxic damage in humans is limited to exposure to naled... | false | Science, EPA, harvey, houston | In September 2017, the “Stranger Than Fiction News” Facebook page claimed in a post and video that authorities in Houston, Texas had warned residents to put on gas masks while aircraft sprayed for mosquitoes in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey: HOUSTON WARNS RESIDENTS TO USE GAS MASKS AS C-130 GUNSHIPS RAIN DOWN TOXI... |
38420 | Mattel is releasing “Public Assistance Barbie” for the holidays. | Mattel Releasing Public Assistance Barbie | false | 9/11 Attack on America | An old fake news report from 2014 that a Public Assistance Barbie would be released in time for Christmas began circulating again in 2016. The report was published by fake news website Empire News on November 19, 2014, under the headline, “Mattel Releasing ‘Public Assistance Barbie’ in Time for Holidays.” It begins: In... |
4876 | 2 cases of meningococcal disease detected in Boston. | Two young children in Boston have been diagnosed with meningococcal disease. | true | Marty Walsh, Meningitis, Health, Boston, General News, Homelessness | The Boston Public Health Commission and Mayor Marty Walsh announced the two cases on Wednesday. Officials say both cases have been associated with daycare centers specializing in serving children experiencing homelessness. It is not known if the two cases are connected. The disease is highly infectious and can lead to ... |
5209 | No questions about reproductive rights at Democratic debate. | The absence of issues such as women’s reproductive rights and the gender pay gap from the Democratic presidential debate is prompting criticism Friday from several candidates and other Democrats who argue the focus of the evening was misplaced. | true | South Bend, Reproductive rights, Beto ORourke, General News, Politics, Election 2020, AP Top News, Indiana, Health, Pete Buttigieg, Kamala Harris | California Sen. Kamala Harris, one of three women on the debate stage, said Friday that, “yet again, women’s access to reproductive health care is under full attack,” and that the issue “should have been brought up last night — it wasn’t.” Harris was not the only candidate to note the absence in the Thursday night deba... |
36505 | The real-life Lone Ranger was a black man, a freed slave named Bass Reeves. | Was the Original ‘Lone Ranger’ a Black Man? | unproven | Fact Checks, Viral Content | In January 2019, a meme that appeared to be a screenshot of an older post asserting that the real Lone Ranger was a black man named Bass Reeves spread on social media:Above what appeared to be an archival photograph of a black man and the television character the Lone Ranger, a screencaptured Facebook post read:Did you... |
9445 | Blood Thinners May Also Protect Brains of A-Fib Patients | A Swedish study of people who take anticoagulants suggests that these drugs are associated with lower rates of dementia. While some limitations of the study were noted, this HealthDay story neglected to mention important details such as the costs of treatment, the magnitude of the treatment effect, and the potential fo... | false | anti-clotting drug,dementia | No mention of costs, which is unfortunate because there can be substantial costs associated with anticoagulation, especially with the newer anticoagulants. The story reported only the relative benefits, that “people taking anticoagulants were 29 percent less likely to develop dementia than were those who were not takin... |
10256 | From dance to treadmills, exercise may aid Parkinson’s Disease | This story on the possible benefits of exercise for people with Parkinson’s disease does not provide information in a context that allows the reader to evaluate the claims made. Though the anecdotal stories are positive, they are not in a context with a framework to allow to judge how generalizable these stories are. W... | false | No mention of the costs associated with the type of physical therapy discussed or whether such therapy is covered by insurance or Medicare. Examples of benefit are presented in very general terms (walked a little faster, fewer falls) without any frame of reference for the magnitude of improvement or whether the change ... | |
8854 | Medicare spending triggers new funding proposal. | Medicare spending is increasing so quickly that the president will be required to propose new benefit cuts or higher taxes, trustees for the U.S. senior citizen health care program said on Tuesday. | true | Health News | President George W. Bush speaks about the Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit in Sun City Center, Florida May 9, 2006 Medicare spending is increasing at such a fast pace that the president will be required to propose new benefit cuts or higher taxes, trustees for the U.S. senior citizen health care program said on Tuesd... |
4299 | Pesticide criticized in bee deaths could also kill birds. | Scientists studying a widely used pesticide say even small doses of the chemical can have crippling health effects on migrating birds, and it might be contributing to declines in their overall populations. | true | Biology, Insects, Saskatchewan, General News, Maine, Health, Bees, Birds | The researchers with the University of Saskatchewan are set to publish their research about the insect-killer imidacloprid in the journal Science on Friday. The insecticide is among a class called neonicotinoids that has been widely studied for its health impacts on bees. The scientists studied white-crowned sparrows t... |
5220 | Takeaways from the Democratic presidential debate. | Democrats hoping that Wednesday night’s first presidential debate of the 2020 campaign would be clarifying probably came away disappointed. There were no major stumbles but few standout moments as 10 candidates vied for the nation’s attention. | true | AP Top News, Health care reform, General News, Immigration, Politics, Campaigns, Election 2020, Elizabeth Warren, Julian Castro | Takeaways from the prime-time event: WARREN, CASTRO LEAD THE WAY Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren dominated the debate’s opening moments, calling for systemic change to the nation’s economy and the end to the private insurance system. Warren was the highest-polling candidate on stage and NBC moderators repeatedly tr... |
18783 | Three in four low-income workers don’t have any paid sick days available. | Sen. Sherrod Brown says three-quarters of low-income workers don’t have paid sick days | true | Ohio, Health Care, Income, Labor, Public Health, Workers, Sherrod Brown, | "Typhoid Mary was a cook. Working at that job made her single-handedly responsible for multiple outbreaks of typhoid fever, in and around New York City, about a century ago. PolitiFact Ohio couldn't help recalling that bit of history recently after reading advice for the flu season from the Centers for Disease Control,... |
2593 | "London sanitation show aims to make ""poo"" hot topic." | Human defecation remains a taboo subject, despite the fact that 2.5 billion people lack toilets, causing a global health crisis that kills more than a million children each year. | true | Health News | The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) hopes a new exhibition opening on Thursday will make sanitation easier to discuss. The show is part of its efforts to help fight diseases causing diarrhea, which kill more children than malaria, HIV/AIDS and measles combined. “People don’t talk about poo enough, ... |
31346 | The same crying woman appears in photos taken at the scenes of massacres in Sandy Hook, Aurora, Boston, Oregon, Paris, and Manchester. | Shortly after the Umpqua tragedy, Soto remarked that the continued use of the photograph seen above in the media exacerbated her pain tremendously, and all four of the women initially depicted were likely deeply distressed by the appropriation of their personal mourning for the purposes of advancing a conspiracy narrat... | false | Fauxtography, amanda medek, ariana grande, carlee soto | On 1 October 2015, ten people (nine innocent victims plus the gunman) died in a mass shooting at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Oregon. The incident marked the 294th mass shooting in 2015 alone and prompted yet another renewal of a national gun control debate in the U.S. Folks on both sides of that political deb... |
37887 | The United States accounts for four percent of the world's population, and 25 percent of global COVID-19 deaths. | Does the United States Have 4 Percent of the World’s Population and 25 Percent of the Deaths from COVID-19? | true | Fact Checks, Viral Content | On April 18 2020, Tia Barracini published a tweet claiming that the United States accounted for four percent of the world’s population, but 25 percent of its deaths from novel coronavirus or COVID-19:Why does the US, with 4% of the world's population, have 25% of the deaths from Coronavirus.It's almost like someone fuc... |
26276 | “Bill Gates Explains That The COVID Vaccine Will Use Experimental Technology And Permanently Alter Your DNA” | Bill Gates explained in his own blog post that there were many different types of vaccines being tested to create a COVID-19 vaccine, including experimental RNA and DNA vaccines There is still no way of knowing what the COVID-19 vaccine will look like | false | Public Health, Facebook Fact-checks, Coronavirus, Facebook posts, | "We’ve seen many social media posts lately that ly claim Bill Gates is responsible for, or will somehow profit from, COVID-19. Most claims are focused on the coronavirus vaccine. The Gates Foundation has been financially supporting the development of a vaccine and posting articles explaining the projected vaccine timel... |
22680 | Rick Perry Says there have been 50 million abortions since Roe v. Wade was decided. | Rick Perry says there have been 50 million abortions since Roe | true | Abortion, Texas, Rick Perry, | "Gov. Rick Perry marked the 38th anniversary of what he called ""the tragedy"" of the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark Roe v. Wade decision by speaking to fellow abortion opponents at the Jan. 22 Texas Rally for Life outside the Capitol building. Perry said that since the 1973 decision, which established abortion as a con... |
4664 | Eighth, final medical marijuana dispensary opening in ND. | The final medical marijuana dispensary is set to open this week in North Dakota. The eighth dispensary is expected to open in Dickinson on Friday. | true | Devils Lake, Medical marijuana, Bismarck, General News, Grand Forks, Marijuana, Fargo, North Dakota, Dickinson, Minot, Jamestown, Williston | Jason Wahl, director of the Division of Medical Marijuana, says opening the final dispensary is a milestone for the program. The state has issued more than 1,850 identification cards to qualifying patients, Wahl said. North Dakota is the first in the nation to add an electronic card option for patients, caregivers and ... |
7586 | State to consider 6 conditions to treat with medical pot. | The state medical board is reviewing six additional conditions that can be treated with medical marijuana use in Ohio, including autism and chronic anxiety. | true | Ohio, Medical marijuana, Anxiety, Marijuana | Cannabis products are becoming available in Ohio dispensaries over the next few months following delays in rolling out the program last year. Patients need a physician’s recommendation to buy medical marijuana from such dispensaries to treat allowable conditions, which currently include AIDS, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’... |
8631 | Trump: 'Going to be a lot of death' in U.S. next week from coronavirus. | President Donald Trump told Americans to brace for a big spike in coronavirus fatalities in the coming days, as the country faces what he called the toughest two weeks of the pandemic. | true | Health News | “There’s going to be a lot of death,” Trump said at a briefing with reporters. He pushed back on criticism that the federal government has not done enough to get ventilators that many critically ill coronavirus patients need to survive to the states, saying some governors are asking for more machines than they will nee... |
2664 | Working long hours? Watch out for your heart. | People who regularly work long hours may be significantly increasing their risk of developing heart disease, the world’s biggest killer, British scientists said Monday. | true | Science News | A trader watches the electronic board on the floor of the Philippine Stock Exchange, which closed up 3.08 percent in today's trading in Makati City, Metro Manila November 14, 2008. REUTERS/John Javellana Researchers said a long-term study showed that working more than 11 hours a day increased the risk of heart disease ... |
9173 | Pembrolizumab shows promise in treatment of mesothelioma | Denmark sourced almost half its electricity consumption from wind power last year, a new record boosted by steep cost reductions and improved offshore technology. | false | mesothelioma,pembrolizumab,University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine | Wind accounted for 47% of Denmark’s power usage in 2019, the country’s grid operator Energinet said on Thursday citing preliminary data, up from 41% in 2018 and topping the previous record of 43% in 2017. European countries are global leaders in utilising wind power but Denmark is far in front of nearest rival Ireland,... |
10530 | Study Suggests Osteoporosis Drug Might Treat Loss of Bone in Jaw | The story summarizes two articles published in a peer review journal. One of the articles present the results of a randomized clinical trial of the use of tereparatide in the treat of osteonecrosis of the jaw related to severe periodontal or gum disease. The other is a case report of the use of teriparatide in the trea... | false | There’s no discussion of costs. Forteo at the doses described costs about $250/week. Given the severity of the osteonecrosis described in the letter of a single case, the costs are relatively nominal since the treatments were of fairly brief duration. The benefits described in the clinical trial were not quantified or ... | |
8326 | South Korea reports fewer than 50 new infections, earning WHO praise. | South Korea reported fewer than 50 new coronavirus cases for the first time since its peak in late February, earning the praise of the World Health Organization for combatting the spread in one of the first countries to be hard-hit by the disease. | true | Health News | The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said there were 47 new infections as of midnight on Sunday compared with 81 recorded a day earlier, taking the national tally to 10,284. The death toll rose by eight to 191, while another 135 people have recovered from the virus for a total of 6,598. South Kor... |
10247 | Implanted Heart Devices Have ‘Real-World’ Benefits: Study | If you are a candidate for one of these devices, you would be hard pressed to take information from this story and ask your cardiologist any good questions about how you should proceed. Clinical trials examining the utility of medical devices or drugs are, by definition, artificial. The patient population selected tend... | false | Devices,HealthDay | There is no mention of the costs of the devices, which is a shame for two reasons. First, these devices are costly, and the procedures to put them in are costly. Costs can run as high as $50,000 for the device along with hospital and physician charges. The costs of the remote monitoring program would have been a welcom... |
16211 | We’re above 800 million Muslims radicalized, more than half the Muslims on Earth That’s not a minority. That’s now a majority. | Shapiro said that a majority of Muslims are radicals. To make his numbers work, he had to cherry-pick certain results from public opinion surveys. Given the choice between two possible percentages, he chose the higher one. Shapiro also relied heavily on the idea that anyone who supported sharia law is a radical. Some o... | false | Islam, Terrorism, PunditFact, Ben Shapiro, | "The rise of the Islamic State group and its strategic use of grisly beheadings has stirred a heated debate in this country about the nature of Islam. Some critics say core Muslim beliefs invite violence. Defenders of religious tolerance say extremists represent only a tiny minority of Muslims. Conservative pundit Ben ... |
32393 | Sharia law has been established in a jurisdiction in Texas. | "The existence of voluntary religious tribunals for conflict resolution is not the equivalent of imposing ""Sharia law.""" | false | Politics, sharia law | On 27 January 2015, the website Breitbart published an article titled “ISLAMIC TRIBUNAL CONFIRMED IN TEXAS; ATTORNEY CLAIMS ‘IT’S VOLUNTARY. '” While the article’s details were novel, the premise was not: A number of locations in the U.S. (Dearborn, Michigan, is frequently mentioned) have been rumored to be partially o... |
15856 | "On immigration, ""the president said 22 times, 22 times, that he couldn't do what he eventually did." | "Boehner said, ""The president said 22 times, 22 times, that he couldn't do what he eventually did."" Boehner's broader point -- that Obama said one thing about executive action but did another -- is accurate. But he should refrain from the rhetorical flourish of saying Obama said it 22 times." | true | Immigration, National, John Boehner, | "Republican House leaders fanned out on the Sunday shows to defend a stop-gap measure to fund the Department of Homeland Security in their ongoing fight against President Barack Obama's executive action on immigration. They did not stray from talking points. TV audiences Sunday heard one specific number several times a... |
7195 | Sanders Institute gathering a pep rally for liberal ideas. | Supporters of U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders were in Burlington on Friday as part of a three-day pep rally for many of the policy issues, such as universal health care, protecting the environment and economic and criminal justice reform, that defined the Vermont independent during his 2016 run for the presidency. | true | Vermont, Bernie Sanders, Health, Universal health care, North America, Medicare, Burlington, Nina Turner | In the first sessions of the day, people heard presentations on how activists could work together to push for Medicare for All, a system that would guarantee health care for everyone in the country, including a study on how it to pay the cost. “Only all that we love is on the line,” said Nina Turner, a fellow of the Sa... |
29721 | More than 50 people contracted herpes from drinking bathwater sold to them by the Instagram star Belle Delphine, in July 2019. | Belle Delphine herself refuted the hoax on Instagram, writing “You’re a [clown] if you believed that” in response to a commenter who had repeated the “herpes” rumor. | false | Junk News | A bizarre story emerged from video game culture and social media in July 2019, when a widely-shared tweet claimed that dozens of people had contracted herpes from drinking bathwater they purchased from the Instagram star Belle Delphine. The tweet was posted on July 7 by the @BakeRises account, which at that time bore t... |
11140 | The Case for Universal Cholesterol Screening in Kids | The lead sentence of this story contains a factual error about the results of a study that looked at the percentage of children with elevated cholesterol who are likely to be missed by common screening guidelines. It also states that the “U.S. government” recommends screening children with a family history of heart dis... | false | The story includes one comment that national screening would be expensive, but it does not provide a dollar figure. It also does not mention the potential cost of treatments. Cost is clearly relevant to the story. The researchers blame the lack of health care insurance for the high proportion of parents and grandparent... | |
37902 | Seven women died despite being treated at Glen Eagles (or Gleneagles) Hospital after inhaling perfume samples they received in the mail. | Did ‘Glen Eagles Hospital’ Send a Warning About Poisonous Perfume Arriving in Homes by Mail? | false | Disinformation, Fact Checks, Warnings | A hoary old online hoax gained new visibility by invoking an actual agency and a medical facility to continue spreading its falsehoods.Circulating either as a graphic or as copypasta, the message presented itself as a warning about a threat by mail:URGENT news from Glen Eagles Hospital URGENT!!! !Seven women have died ... |
2004 | Study shows Europe's alcohol-linked cancer burden. | Almost 10 percent of all cancers in men and 3.0 percent in women in western Europe are caused by people drinking too much alcohol, scientists said on Friday. | true | Health News | People wearing traditional Bavarian clothes toast with beer during the opening day of the 177th Oktoberfest in Munich September 18, 2010. REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger German researchers analyzed data from France, Italy, Spain, Britain, The Netherlands, Greece, Germany and Denmark and found 50,400 out of a total of 79,100 ca... |
679 | U.S. vaping-related deaths rise to 12, illnesses climb to 805. | U.S. health officials on Thursday reported 805 confirmed and probable cases and 12 deaths so far from a mysterious respiratory illness tied to vaping, with the outbreak showing no signs of losing steam. | true | Health News | Last week, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported 530 cases and seven deaths due to severe lung illnesses. U.S. public health officials have been investigating these illnesses, but have not linked it to any specific e-cigarette product. As of Sept. 24, the confirmed deaths were reported in ... |
9478 | New ALS drug Radicava comes with new questions as well | This ABC story undertakes a worthy goal — throwing a dose of reality on a new drug for ALS, Radicava, that’s being billed as the first to be approved in 22 years. This story attempts to ground the glowing headlines by right away focusing on the drug’s high cost, intensiveness of administering, and importantly, to remin... | mixture | ALS | We applaud the story for tackling the costs of not just treatment but of the nursing care that would be required. From the article: “the cost is around $1,000 per infusion – and treatment, which involves multiple infusions, may total about $146,000 per year” — and that’s just for the drug, not the in-office visit to ge... |
34676 | Asparagus has miraculous cancer-fighting properties. | No evidence supports the popular rumor that asparagus has miraculous cancer-fighting properties. | unproven | Medical, asparagus, cancer | An item about the supposedly miraculous cancer-fighting properties of asparagus has been bruited about the Internet since October 2006: Asparagus/Cancer Several years ago, I had a man seeking asparagus for a friend who had cancer. He gave me a photocopied copy of an article, entitled, ‘Asparagus for cancer’ printed in... |
3950 | Flu blamed for death of another child in Washington state. | A Pierce County child under the age of five died from flu-related complications according to the Tacoma Pierce Health Department, and doctors say it’s the same strain of virus that led to the death of a child in King County last week. | true | Health, Washington, General News, Tacoma, Flu | KIRO-TV reports the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department noted the child who died there also suffered from underlying health conditions. “Sadly, flu strains currently in circulation this season have hit the young very hard,” said Nigel Turner, division director for the Communicable Disease Control Division. Adrian P... |
12539 | "Americas PAC Says Tammy Baldwin was told by a whistleblower about ""overmedicated veterans,"" she made ""deadly mistakes"" and ""three veterans died"" at the Tomah VA hospital." | "Americas PAC says Baldwin was told by a whistleblower about ""overmedicated veterans,"" she made ""deadly mistakes"" and ""three veterans died"" at the Tomah VA hospital. Baldwin has acknowledged mistakes in the handling of an inspection report and a whistle blower’s emails about veterans being over prescribed opioid ... | false | Drugs, Health Care, Public Health, Veterans, Wisconsin, Americas PAC, | "When seeking re-election in 2018, U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin could be vulnerable to criticism of how she responded to an opioid painkiller scandal at the Tomah VA Medical Center in western Wisconsin. But an attack ad from Americas PAC that began airing April 27, 2017 claims Baldwin was told by a whistleblower about ""ove... |
26359 | "There was no real scientific basis for believing that"" social distancing would be necessary, ""since it had never been studied." | Experts in public health and epidemiology said Ingraham’s claim is wrong. There’s plenty of science behind social distancing. Two influential 2007 studies looked at the 1918 influenza pandemic and found that places with layered and sustained social distancing policies were generally better off. The coronavirus is belie... | false | Public Health, Pundits, Science, PunditFact, Coronavirus, Laura Ingraham, | "Fox News host Laura Ingraham ly claimed on her TV show that there’s ""no real scientific basis"" behind social distancing, the practice of keeping distance from others to reduce the spread of infectious diseases like COVID-19. ""Although intuitively I think it probably seemed like social distancing would be necessary,... |
17898 | "Tom Graves Says President Barack Obama ""has amended, delayed, or repealed 19 components of his very own (health care) law." | "Graves said Obama ""himself has amended, delayed, or repealed 19 components of his very own law."" Based on the analysis by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service, Graves has the right number. However, he simplifies the way that many of those 19 changes came about, and by doing that, makes it seem as though th... | mixture | National, Health Care, Tom Graves, | "The Republican effort to defund Obamacare threatens a government shutdown at the end of the month. U.S. Rep. Tom Graves, R-Ga., is one lawmaker who believes the dangers of the health care law justify extreme measures. Over the summer, Graves called the Affordable Care Act ""destructive"" and a ""job killer."" ""We nee... |
15576 | "EMILY's List Says Jeb Bush ""once held $1 million in family planning grants hostage until the programs receiving the money agreed not to discuss birth control at all." | "Emily’s List said, ""Jeb once held $1 million in family planning grants hostage until the programs receiving the money agreed not to discuss birth control at all."" There are a handful of news stories that say Bush in 2001 asked the Legislature to set aside $1 million for chastity programs out of the state’s almost $5... | false | Education, Women, Florida, EMILY's List, | "A Democratic political action committee ripped Jeb Bush’s presidential campaign, saying his positions as Florida’s governor preview what he’d be like as commander in chief -- particularly when it comes to women’s issues. Stephanie Schriock, president of the group Emily’s List, said in an essay on Medium that Bush spen... |
36259 | The night Jeffrey Epstein died, cameras malfunctioned inexplicably in parts of Metropolitical Correctional Center (MCC). | Did Cameras Malfunction in Prison the Night Jeffrey Epstein Died? | unproven | Disinformation, Fact Checks | "On August 10 2019, news broke that jailed financier and convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein died by suicide in a Metropolitan Correctional Center jail cell, immediately prompting a flood of conspiracy theories:Among those rumors was a claim that cameras mysteriously malfunctioned at MCC that night, and thus no footage... |
30488 | A 19-year-old college student in Kenya purposefully infected 324 men with human immunodeficiency virus in an act of revenge. | The claim that a woman in Kenya infected 324 men with human immunodeficiency virus over the span of a few months and that she plans on infecting hundreds more by the end of the year is based entirely on a years-old anonymous Facebook post filled with inaccurate statements, fearmongering rhetoric, and unsubstantiated cl... | false | Junk News, aids, fake news, HIV | During the 1980s and 1990s, at the height of the HIV and AIDS crises, rumors ran wild about people deliberately spreading the virus to their clueless sexual partners. Although the stigma over HIV has somewhat subsided over the ensuing decades, the rumors about “AIDS Mary” are still alive and well. A modern version of t... |
36296 | Menthol shaving cream or shaving foam is beneficial for sunburned skin. | Is Menthol Shaving Cream (or Foam) a Remedy for Sunburned Skin? | false | Fact Checks, Viral Content | A June 2018 Facebook post recommending menthol shaving cream (or shaving foam, as it is called in the UK) to alleviate the pain of sunburns has accrued more than 230,000 shares. A repost by another person with the same photographs was also shared thousands of times:The original post has since been edited based on the l... |
16177 | "No one was taken into custody"" for feeding the homeless." | "Seiler said that ""no one was taken into custody"" for feeding the homeless. Seiler is correct that Abbott wasn’t taken into custody -- the activist was not handcuffed or taken to jail but was instead given a notice to appear in court. But his carefully worded claim glosses over the fact that Abbott was indeed arreste... | true | City Government, Crime, Florida, Jack Seiler, | "The city of Fort Lauderdale’s latest attempt to regulate outdoor homeless feedings made international news when police nabbed ""Chef Arnold"" -- a 90-year-old caught in the act of such a public feeding. ""One of the police officers said, 'Drop that plate right now,' as if I were carrying a weapon,"" Arnold Abbott said... |
31112 | "Researchers at the Russian Institute for Medical Science discovered a new vaccine that may ""prevent"" or ""cure"" homosexuality in humans." | So, no, these nonexistent Russian scientists did not discover a “vaccine” or “cure” for homosexuality (which is neither a disease nor a medical condition in the first place). | false | Junk News, fake news, homosexuality, world news daily report | On 6 August 2017, the fake news web site Loyalys posted an article in which it was reported that Russian scientists have discovered a “cure to [sic] homosexuality”: Novosibirsk | Dr. Dimitri Yusrokov Slamini of the Russian Institute for Medical Science in Novosibirsk and his team of researchers have discovered what the... |
32315 | "The CDC has proposed a new rule enabling the agency to ""apprehend and detain anyone, anywhere, at any time, without Due Process or any right of appeal"" and ""administer forced vaccinations." | An alarmist rumor misleadingly claimed the CDC was planning to apprehend and detain Americans to administer forced vaccinations. | false | Politics Conspiracy Theories, cdc, department of health and human services, dhhs | On 1 September 2016 the web site Red Flag News published an article reporting that the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) proposed a 15 August 2016 rule newly granting the agency the power to apprehend, detain, and vaccinate by force any American citizen. The article’s composition suggested that the CDC had simply sough... |
13824 | "Donald Trump Says Hillary Clinton ""wants to essentially abolish the Second Amendment." | "Trump said, ""My opponent wants to essentially abolish the Second Amendment."" The addition of the word essentially doesn’t change the accuracy of this claim. We found no evidence of Clinton ever saying verbatim or suggesting explicitly she wants to abolish the Second Amendment. The bulk of her comments suggest the op... | false | National, Guns, Donald Trump, | "In officially accepting the GOP presidential nomination, Donald Trump tried to finesse one of his favorite but attacks on the campaign trail: ""My opponent wants to essentially abolish the Second Amendment,"" Trump said July 21 in Cleveland. It’s nice that Trump added the word ""essentially,"" but the charge is stil... |
11824 | "Wisconsin's Lincoln Hills youth prison has a ""66 percent recidivism rate,"" while ""states like Missouri, that have more of a regional model -- 8 percent." | "Hintz says Wisconsin's Lincoln Hills youth prison has a ""66 percent recidivism rate,"" while ""states like Missouri, that have more of a regional model -- 8 percent."" He is essentially correct on Wisconsin. The latest figures show that 63 percent of Lincoln Hills offenders are returned to either a juvenile correctio... | false | Children, Criminal Justice, Crime, States, Wisconsin, Gordon Hintz, | "For two years, Wisconsin’s youth prison for males has been under an FBI-led criminal investigation into allegations of prisoner abuse, child neglect, sexual assault, intimidation of witnesses and victims, strangulation and tampering with public records. Should the facility, Lincoln Hills School, be shut down? That que... |
39724 | This is a YouTube video that is circulating the Internet allegedly by a 15 year old girl called Amanda Todd. She tells how someone on the Internet coaxed her into flashing her chest in a webcam session and how the events that followed led to depression, addiction and her suicide. | Amanda Todd's YouTube Video on Struggling, Bullying, Suicide and Self Harm | true | Computers, Crime / Police, Miscellaneous | The YouTube video is real according to an October 12, 2012 news article by ABC News Nightline. The article said, “Amanda Todd, 15, posted the video called ‘My story: Struggling, bullying, suicide, self harm’ on Sept. 7 and was found dead in her home town of Port Coquitlam, British Columbia, just over a month later.” ... |
25644 | “In some of these other states, some of their deaths can be attributable to the fact that they were having a hard time getting an ICU bed or a ventilator to a patient.” | North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said some COVID-19 patients have died because they couldn't access a ventilator or bed in an Intensive Care Unit. Studies have shown that mortality rates rise when hospitals are overwhelmed, and some news articles suggest that has happened during the pandemic. However, the American Hospit... | false | North Carolina, Coronavirus, Roy Cooper, | "North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper says one of his goals is to prevent hospitals from becoming overwhelmed. While that may be a noble cause, Republicans are questioning a claim he made during a recent briefing. ""In some of these other states, some of their deaths can be attributable to the fact that they were having ... |
18268 | A hidden provision in Obamacare taxes sporting goods as medical devices. | Chain email claims the health care law contains a hidden tax on sporting goods | false | Ohio, Health Care, Taxes, Chain email, | "PolitiFact started checking claims about the three-year-old Affordable Care Act, the health care law often called Obamacare, before the legislation became law. The checked statements have rated from True to ! on the Truth-O-Meter, but falsehoods have often drowned out the truths.Though some of the law's provisions hav... |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.