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7472 | Lebanon to reinstate total lockdown amid spike in infections. | Lebanese rushed to food stores to stock up on vegetables and basic items, hours before the government reinstated a nationwide lockdown Wednesday, following a spike in reported coronavirus cases. | true | Virus Outbreak, Religion, Understanding the Outbreak, Health, General News, Lebanon, Financial markets, Iraq, Middle East | The government called on the public to stay home for four days starting Wednesday evening and until dawn on Monday, reversing measures that were gradually implemented since last month that phased out restrictions imposed since mid-March. The new shutdown is a rare reversal and comes as many countries have started easin... |
40156 | There are various versions of this one but all warn about an aggressive form of breast cancer called inflammatory breast cancer or IBC. Some of the messages also include a link to a video posted at the website of a Seattle television station. | Retired subway and bus driver Stanley De Freitas had just celebrated his 70th birthday when he started coughing, tiring easily and feeling short of breath. He was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis, a severe scarring of the lungs, and put on the wait list for a transplant. | true | Medical, Warnings | “Life became unbearable. From the time I got up in the morning until when I went to bed at night, I struggled through every breath of air,” De Freitas, now 74, told Reuters by phone from his home in Toronto. After two years, De Freitas was offered a lung, with one significant downside: The donor had hepatitis C. In Oc... |
24281 | Rick Perry Says his executive order requiring young girls to be vaccinated against HPV wasn't mandatory. | Perry says the HPV vaccine he mandated would have been optional | false | Families, Health Care, Texas, Rick Perry, | "When Gov. Rick Perry issued an executive order in 2007 requiring all Texas girls to receive a vaccine against the human papillomavirus before entering the sixth grade, lawmakers balked and blocked it. Critics said the vaccine, Merck & Co.'s Gardasil, was too new to declare safe. Some said too that Perry's order would ... |
25649 | “Covid-19 means ‘certificate of identification of vaccination with artificial intelligence.’” | COVID-19 is an abbreviation of “coronavirus disease 2019.” “CO” stands for “corona,” “VI” stands for “virus” and “D” stands for “disease.” The number 19 reflects the year the disease was identified — 2019. | false | Facebook Fact-checks, Coronavirus, Viral image, | "For months, misinformation about the novel coronavirus and vaccines has spread on social media — including about the meaning of the name assigned to the disease caused by the virus: COVID-19. Back in March, we debunked a claim that it ""literally stands for Chinese Originated Viral Infectious Disease."" Now, a new Fac... |
4645 | Clinic CEO: Republican health care bill inefficient, costly. | The Cleveland Clinic’s chief executive says he’s opposed to the Republican health bill in the U.S. Senate because he believes it will burden hospitals, throw people off insurance and fail to address the rising cost of health care. | true | Health care reform, Legislation, Bill Cassidy, Health, Lindsey Graham, Cleveland, Bills, Barack Obama | Dr. Toby Cosgrove said on Monday he believes doctors and insurers weren’t given enough time to assess the impact of the proposed legislation, which was revised overnight to win over wavering GOP senators. “The bill is changing even as we’re about to vote on it later this week,” Cosgrove said. “It’s really unreasonable ... |
3556 | US preschoolers less pudgy in latest sign of falling obesity. | Preschoolers on government food aid have grown a little less pudgy, a U.S. study found, offering fresh evidence that previous signs of declining obesity rates weren’t a fluke. | true | Nutrition, AP Top News, Health, General News, Obesity, U.S. News | Obesity rates dropped steadily to about 14% in 2016 — the latest data available — from 16% in 2010, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported. “It gives us more hope that this is a real change,” said Heidi Blanck, who heads obesity prevention at the CDC. The results were published Tuesday in the Journal o... |
7368 | U. Iowa researchers project hundreds more COVID-19 deaths . | University of Iowa researchers warned that the coronavirus would continue spreading through the state even before Gov. Kim Reynolds reopened restaurants and churches, a move they said would exacerbate the problem, documents released Friday show. | true | Iowa, Health, General News, Iowa City, Kim Reynolds, Infectious diseases, Virus Outbreak, Restaurants | The researchers, including some of the state’s top epidemiologists and infectious disease experts, also warned that hundreds more residents will likely die through the end of May even if widespread business closures remained in effect. “Evidence shows that COVID-19 will continue to spread in Iowa, likely at an increasi... |
11007 | Beta Blockers May Slow Spread of Breast Cancer | "This piece reports on preliminary results suggesting that there is an association between beta blockers and the decreased risk of dying from breast cancer or having a recurrence. The story could have been strengthened had it emphasized that the results have not yet been published in a medical journal, included a discu... | mixture | "There was no discussion regarding the cost of beta blockers. The story indicates that those taking beta blockers reduced their risk of dying by 71% compared to those not taking beta blockers. The story also suggests that beta blockers reduce the risk of recurrence by 57%; however, it is not apparent how this percentag... | |
9091 | Therapy proves effective in subgroup of COPD patients | This news release describes two studies published in the New England Journal of Medicine that looked at the benefit of using the drug mepolizumab to treat chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients who had an eosinophilic phenotype — an unusual proportion of eosinophils cells in the blood. Patients with a hi... | true | COPD,mepolizumab,University of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences | There is no mention of the costs of the drug mepolizumab in the news release. An online search reveals that the price for the drug can run from $2,800 to $4,200 per vial (a one month’s supply). Given that the drug appears effective only with some COPD patients, and its considerable price, readers would benefit from hav... |
2940 | Connect the dots: infant mortality, graft and elephant poaching. | What do infant mortality and elephant poaching have in common? Plenty, according to conservation groups. | true | Environment | Researchers have for the first time made clear connections between elephant poaching in Africa, which has been surging to meet soaring ivory demand in Asia, and factors such as poverty, as shown by high rates of child deaths, and corruption. These links have always been suspected but never pinned down with hard data. T... |
9257 | GSK's candidate shingles vaccine shows high efficacy against shingles and its complications in adults aged 70 years and over in phase III study published in NEJM | This news release summarizes the findings of a phase III clinical trial of an investigational vaccine for shingles, a painful skin rash that can affect anyone who has ever had chickenpox. The study, described in a NEJM article, involved 13,900 adults 70 or older from 18 countries in North America, Europe, Latin America... | true | GSK,shingles vaccine | The vaccine in question has not yet been submitted to the FDA for approval, so we wouldn’t expect to have a specific price for the vaccine. The price GSK will charge for the vaccine will vary by country. Still, GSK ought to have some idea of how much this vaccine would cost in one of the largest global markets. The rel... |
8019 | China defends against incoming second wave of coronavirus. | A growing number of imported coronavirus cases in China risked fanning a second wave of infections when domestic transmissions had “basically been stopped”, a senior health official said on Sunday, while eased travel curbs may also add to domestic risks. | true | Health News | China, where the disease first emerged in the central city of Wuhan, had an accumulated total of 693 cases entering from overseas, which meant “the possibility of a new round of infections remains relatively big”, Mi Feng, spokesman for the National Health Commission (NHC), said. Nearly a quarter of those came from arr... |
18441 | Every Florida teacher gets a pay raise. | "Rick Scott said ""every Florida teacher gets a pay raise."" Will every Florida teacher get a pay raise? It seems likely, with the influx of money poured into education this year. But Scott can’t decree it, and the budget is written so that it applies to high-performing educators. Plus, some superintendents have said t... | mixture | Corrections and Updates, Education, State Budget, Florida, Rick Scott, | "Update: We updated this story to reflect updated budget proviso language that leaders agreed to May 1. These changes include removing the requirement that raises be delayed until June 2014 and giving boards the option to come up with their own merit-pay plans. Gov. Rick Scott declared ""victory"" after legislative lea... |
27409 | A new division of the Department of Health and Human Services will allow doctors to refuse to treat LGBTQ patients for religious reasons. | The creation of an unnecessary new division that is likely to promote a license to discriminate diverts needed enforcement resources and encourages discrimination against LGBTQ people. Every American deserves access to quality health care, and that should not be determined by the personal opinions of individual medical... | true | Politics, lgbtq | On 18 January 2018, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that they would expand protections for health care providers who refuse to provide abortion-related care or apply anti-discrimination protections against certain clients for religious reasons: Today, the U.S. Department of Health and ... |
38205 | After committing to hiring Muslim refugees, Starbucks’ Muslim workers have been slipping feces into coffee and spreading tuberculosis. | Starbucks Muslim Workers Slip Feces into Coffee, Spread Tuberculosis | false | 9/11 Attack on America | A website known for spreading disinformation is behind false claims that Starbucks’ Muslim workers have been caught slipping feces into coffee. The story first appeared at USA Politics Today on August 11, 2017, under the headline, “Starbucks’ Muslim Workers Slipping FAR Worse Than Feces In Your Drinks – This ‘Extra’ Co... |
36327 | A cook and a janitor stayed at an abandoned care home without pay to ensure the safety of the residents. | Did the Cook and Janitor of a Bankrupt Assisted Living Home Stay to Care for Abandoned Residents? | true | Fact Checks, Viral Content | On June 16 2019, the Facebook page “Weird Facts” shared the following meme (archived here), about a cook and a janitor who purportedly refused to abandon the residents of a bankrupted care home:Atop an image of two unidentified men, the meme read:A Californian care home went bankrupt. About 16 elderly residents were ab... |
10214 | Cervical cancer shots are gaining reputation as painful | This article about reports of pain and fainting linked to Gardasil, the vaccine used to decrease risk of cervical cancer, fails to make the case for its publication. The suggestion that the vaccine stings and burns more than most may be accurate. But the article itself reports that the pain is often fleeting and in mor... | false | "The article states that the shots cost $120. The cost is around $120 per injection; three injections are required. Using only the $120 figure is misleading. Most media reports more accurately cite the total cost of $300 to $400 for the series. The article does not report the efficacy of the vaccine in preventing cervi... | |
7985 | No let-up in coronavirus deaths in Italy, new cases steady. | The death toll from an outbreak of coronavirus in Italy has climbed by 837 to 12,428, the Civil Protection Agency said on Tuesday, with the daily tally rising, albeit slightly, for a second day running. | true | Health News | The number of new cases was broadly steady, growing by 4,053 against 4,050 on Monday, and bringing total infections since the outbreak came to light on Feb. 21 to 105,792. Some 5,217 new cases were registered on Sunday and 5,974 on Saturday, suggesting the growth curve of new infections is flattening. The daily tally o... |
23930 | Bill McCollum on the Arizona immigration law. | Bill McCollum sends mixed signals on Arizona's immigration law | false | Immigration, Florida, Bill McCollum, | "Arizona's controversial immigration law has proven problematic for Florida Republicans, who in large part appear wary of fully endorsing a proposal that's supported by a majority of Floridians but one that also could cost votes among Florida's Hispanic population. The tightrope-walking act is perhaps no more apparent ... |
8555 | China seeks to contain 'silent carriers' of new coronavirus. | China took new measures on Wednesday to try to prevent asymptomatic “silent carriers” of the new coronavirus from causing a second wave of infections, as the country reported another modest rise in confirmed cases. | true | Health News | While new cases have declined from their peak since China imposed strict travel restrictions, authorities have called for continued vigilance amid fears of a fresh resurgence of infections as the economy cranks back to life and more people move around. Mainland China reported 63 new infections on Wednesday, up from 62 ... |
30231 | In the summer of 2018, President Donald Trump donated his entire $400,000 annual salary to the Department of the Interior for the purpose of rebuilding military cemeteries. | The news media has not reported on the president’s donation of his entire $400,000 annual salary for the reconstruction of military cemeteries due to the plainest reason of all: because it hasn’t happened. | false | Politics, donald trump, the gateway pundit, uncle sam's misguided children | During his 2016 presidential campaign, Republican candidate Donald Trump, a billionaire real estate developer, vowed that if elected he would forgo the $400,000 annual presidential salary. So far as president Trump has stuck to that promise, handing over checks every three months for various projects overseen by differ... |
15764 | "Say Michelle Obama ""mandates"" weighing children in day care." | "Bloggers say Michelle Obama ""mandates"" weighing children in day care. A law she supported -- that was passed by unanimous consent in the Senate -- has set in motion a proposed study of how children in day care are eating, and part of the monitoring would include periodically weighing the participating students. Howe... | false | National, Children, Corrections and Updates, Food Safety, Government Regulation, Public Health, Bloggers, | "First Lady Michelle Obama’s initiative on healthy eating and physical activity may have been intended to be noncontroversial, but it hasn’t turned out that way. She has faced pushback from critics who assail her call for healthier school lunches as forcing kids to eat unappetizing meals and who say she’s second-guessi... |
9876 | Ginkgo Won’t Slow Decline of Aging Brain | In a story that describes another study raising doubts about this product’s value, there was as much attention given to the remaining true believers as there was to the skeptical evidence. Many people (estimates of ~$100 million in annual US sales) buy this stuff. Evaluating the evidence about it is not only a health i... | mixture | "There was no mention of how much ginkgo biloba products cost. Even an NBC story, with limited broadcast time, mentioned that Americans spend more than $100 million on a year on these products. A USA Today story said US sales were $99 million in 2008. But what does it cost the individual? The story stated that the rese... | |
30953 | "Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay directed his entire staff to ""take a knee"" and refuse service to Miami Dolphins players over national anthem protests against police brutality." | Given the popularity of Gordon Ramsay and topical widespread debate over NFL “take a knee” protests, the story would have certainly made headlines were there any truth to it. But it was not reported by any credible news outlets and, like everything else on Last Line of Defense, the story is fictional. | false | Junk News, gordon ramsay, last line of defense, miami dolphins | Fake news site TheLastLineofDefense.org claimed on 1 October 2017 that celebrity chef and star of Kitchen Nightmares Gordon Ramsay aimed his notoriously biting rhetoric — typically reserved for fumbling new chefs — at Miami Dolphins players who had hoped to dine at one of his restaurants: Gordon Ramsay Has His Entire S... |
37951 | A photograph shows a mysterious patch or implant on the side of U.S. President Donald Trump's head during the September 2020 presidential debate. | A September 29 2020 debate night tweet featured an image from March 2016 or earlier, and did not show Trump’s hair during or before the debate — nor at any time in 2020. The image began circulating in March 2016 (or earlier), and was initially speculated to be a briefly visible hair extension track, then a shunt. In 20... | false | Disinformation, Fact Checks | On September 29 2020, during the first round of presidential debates ahead of the November 3 2020 U.S. election, a popular tweet purportedly showed a patch or implant on President Donald Trump’s head:First presidential debate question from Chris Wallace to Donald Trump: What is that thing on your head? pic.twitter.com/... |
9993 | Antibiotic shows lasting effects against diarrhea-focused irritable bowel syndrome | "The 457 word story presents a glowing appraisal of a study reported in an abstract at a scientific meeting. The study has not been subjected to peer review and the abstract provided is, by its very nature, incomplete in many of the study details necessary to draw any definitive conclusions. Despite these limitations, ... | false | "Costs of this drug are not discussed – an interesting oversight since the drug is commercially available and the costs are known. This criterion shines a light on a significant flaw, and it’s a great example of why we ask this question. The story’s first sentence tell us that new research demonstrates that ""rifamixin... | |
21936 | Taxpayers pay for roughly 45 percent of all births in Wisconsin! And 60 percent of the births in Milwaukee!!! | Wisconsin GOP Rep. Michelle Litjens says taxpayers pay for 45 percent of births in state, 60 percent in Milwaukee | true | Health Care, Medicaid, Wisconsin, Michelle Litjens, | "Some of the biggest bashers of government entitlement programs are tea party folks, many of whom are newly elected officials. Among them is Wisconsin state Rep. Michelle Litjens, R-Oshkosh. While campaigning ahead of the November 2010 elections, she organized the tea party rally where another Oshkosh Republican, Ron J... |
14262 | In 2009 … Hillary Clinton was at the State Department working with U.S. corporations to pressure Haiti not to raise the minimum wage to 61 cents an hour from 24 cents. | "Camp said, ""In 2009 ... Hillary Clinton was at the State Dept working with U.S. corporations to pressure Haiti not to raise the minimum wage to 61 cents an hour from 24 cents."" Leaked cables show that the U.S. Embassy in Haiti opposed the minimum wage hike that the Haitian parliament passed in 2009, and discussed th... | mixture | Global News Service, Labor, Foreign Policy, Workers, Lee Camp, | "Hillary Clinton colluded with big business to maintain slave wages for workers in one of the world’s poorest countries, according to the host of an RT American comedy news show. Comedian and activist Lee Camp of RT’s Redacted Tonight mocked Clinton’s efforts to ""keep 37 cents per hour out of the hands of destitute Ha... |
15692 | "Hillary Clinton Says ""all my grandparents"" immigrated to America." | "Talking about immigration in Iowa, Clinton said, ""All my grandparents, you know, came over here."" It’s very clear from the evidence that not all of Hillary Clinton’s grandparents were immigrants. In fact, only one was. It’s possible she misspoke, but it doesn’t make her comment more accurate." | false | Immigration, National, Candidate Biography, Hillary Clinton, | "Hillary Clinton this week became the latest example of a politician flubbing her family’s ancestry while making the case for her presidency. Clinton was speaking at a business roundtable inside an Iowa produce store when she related her personal family heritage to the struggles of undocumented immigrants trying to wor... |
3178 | Trump says he went through ‘very routine physical’. | President Donald Trump said Tuesday he went through a “very routine physical” when he visited Walter Reed National Military Medical Center over the weekend. | true | Health, General News, Melania Trump, Politics, Donald Trump | The president complained that first lady Melania Trump and some of his staff members expressed concern about his health based on media reports about Saturday’s trip to the hospital. He said it’s the media that’s “sick.” Trump’s weekend hospital visit was not on his public schedule. It raised questions about his health ... |
22745 | "The nation's food supply is ""99.99 percent safe." | Georgia Congressman says food supply extremely safe | false | Georgia, Food Safety, Jack Kingston, | "Congress has passed major legislation aimed at making food safer, but that doesn't mean it will pay for it. Widely considered to be the first major overhaul of the agency's food safety provisions since 1938, the Food Safety Modernization Act tightens safety rules and boosts Food and Drug Administration inspections at ... |
22215 | Democratic Party of Wisconsin Says Wisconsin state Sen. Randy Hopper, R-Fond du Lac, has already been recalled. | Democratic Party of Wisconsin calls state Sen. Randy Hopper already “recalled” | false | Labor, State Budget, Wisconsin, Democratic Party of Wisconsin, | "He may not be widely known, but state Sen. Randy Hopper’s political fate could help write the final chapter in the historic Wisconsin legislative battle over the future of public employee unions. The Republican is one of eight GOP senators targeted by state Democrats for removal from office as part of a coordinated se... |
41807 | "Said of the National Climate Assessment: ""And you have to look at the fact that this report is based on the most extreme modeled scenario." | The Trump administration has inaccurately attacked the National Climate Assessment for lacking transparency and factual basis, and for focusing on an “extreme” climate scenario. | false | climate change, | Since the National Climate Assessment dropped on Black Friday, members of the Trump administration have inaccurately attacked the report for lacking transparency and factual basis, and for focusing on an “extreme” climate scenario. The EPA has also suggested — without evidence — that the Obama administration “pushed” t... |
25637 | Joe Biden Says he was the first person to call for invoking the Defense Production Act. | Biden was far from the first official to call for use of the Defense Production Act to boost manufacturing of urgently needed medical supplies. A full 18 days before Biden made his first public comment on the act, Trump’s Health and Human Services secretary had publicly floated the idea, and Trump made it official the ... | false | Military, Public Health, Coronavirus, Joe Biden, | "During an event to discuss school reopening amid the coronavirus pandemic, Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden repeated a talking point he’s used previously — that he was ahead of the curve in calling for the Defense Production Act to be used to boost manufacturing of high-demand health products, such as protect... |
9852 | Researchers Say Common Test For Prostate Cancer May Not Work | The imbalance in the story occurred in that it only discussed the perils of failing to treat prostate cancer aggressively enough because of a treatment course based on clinical staging. But the flip side is equally important and the story did not mention the pitfalls of treating a prostate cancer that was not destined ... | mixture | Cancer,NPR | There was no discussion of costs. What does clinical staging add to a man’s bill? Especially if this is a “wakeup call to those who are over-relying on the clinical staging system” – as the story states – what impact could that have on costs? The story covered a study that raised questions about clinical staging being ... |
10319 | Radiation From CT Scans May Raise Cancer Risk | Computed Tomography (CT) scans produce incredibly detailed high-resolution pictures of the body, making them invaluable tools for the detection and treatment of disease. However as doctors rely on them more and more for diagnosis and monitoring and patients demand them for every ache and pain, the utilization of these ... | true | The story does not mention costs of CT scans, which are substantial. It would not be necessary for the story to quantify the benefits of CT scanning. There is in fact no way to quantify the benefits of such a general test. The story does a good job of describing the harm of exposure to radiation due to CT scanning. The... | |
11622 | New method could make IVF more effective | This year’s Nobel Prize in Medicine went to Robert Edwards, a UK physiologist who, over 30 years ago, developed the technique for in-vitro fertilization (IVF). Since then, IVF has become an enourmous industry. An individual cycle of IVF can cost $10-15,000 but the average chance of success is roughly 1 in 5 (varying wi... | false | "The story makes no mention of costs of IVF, other than to point out the total revenues of the IVF industry. There is no estimate of the possible costs of (or even savings from) adding this test to standard IVF. The story suggests this test would benefit couples by reducing the number of IVF attempts needed to have a ... | |
11131 | Asthma treatment alternatives promising | A recent study in the New England Journal of Medicine evaluated different approaches to the treatment of mild asthma. The goal of the study was to identify the minimum therapy that can be used to manage mild asthma with the fewest negative effects. Adherence to medication for mild asthma is far from optimal for many re... | true | Costs of the different treatments are not mentioned in the story. This is a major limitation given the differences in costs between the treatments. Furthermore, because these drugs need to be taken long-term, costs can really add up. The story adequately quantifies the benefits of the treatment by providing actual perc... | |
7197 | Health care, Trump among diverse stands of Colorado hopefuls. | Republican treasurer Walker Stapleton has attacked his opponent in the race for Colorado governor, Democratic U.S. Rep. Jared Polis, as too radical and extreme for the rapidly growing state as the GOP tries to prevent a complete Democratic takeover of the Statehouse. | true | Colorado, Health, Jared Polis, Universal health care, Denver, Elections, Campaigns, Bernie Sanders, Politics, Gun politics | Stapleton’s repeated criticism of the liberal Polis underscores Republican fears that the party could lose control of the state Senate in Tuesday’s election. The Senate has acted as a check on attempts by the Democratic-led House to restrict gun rights and raise taxes for public schools. “Colorado does not want a socia... |
8251 | Britain brings in army to get protective kit to health workers. | Britain brought in the army on Monday to help deliver supplies of protective equipment to healthcare workers after doctors said they felt like “cannon fodder” and pleaded with the government to provide the right kit. | true | Health News | The distribution and delivery of millions of items of personal protective equipment (PPE) including masks will now be carried out by the army who will drive trucks throughout the day and night, health minister Matt Hancock said in a statement. Millions more items have been provided to hospitals, ambulance trust, GP pra... |
28043 | A photograph showing U.S. President Donald Trump awarding a purple heart to a wounded veteran went unreported by the mainstream news media. | When you make a contribution to this fund, you will help ease this transition. Money raised with this fundraiser will be used to cover gaps in coverage for care outside of hospital bills, to include vehicle modifications, traveling costs for family members, moving expenses, and construction costs to ensure their house ... | true | Politics | On 16 March 2019, an image of President Donald Trump bestowing a Purple Heart decoration on a wounded veteran named Clint Trial went viral after a Facebook user shared it along with the claim that the event “didn’t make the news”: The text of the meme reads: “The President Awarding a Purple Heart to Marine MSGT Clint ... |
9111 | A new HER2 mutation, a clinical trial and a promising diagnostic tool for metastatic breast cancer | This news release describes the effects a new drug, neratinib, had on a very small subset of patients with metastatic HER2+ positive breast cancers. Neratinib (marketed as Nerlynx) very recently received FDA approval as an add-on treatment for early stage HER2+ positive cancer, but this information was left out of the ... | false | Baylor College of Medicine,HER2,neratinib | There was no mention of cost in this release. Neratinib (marketed as Nerlynx) was approved July 17, 2017 for the treatment of early-stage HER2+ breast cancer so cost estimates should be available. The release mentioned that about five patients in the trial had a “meaningful clinical response showing significant disease... |
8131 | New Zealand prepares to enter lockdown as coronavirus cases surge. | New Zealand said on Monday it will move to its highest alert level imposing self-isolation, with all-non-essential services, schools and offices to be shut over the next 48 hours as the number of coronavirus cases more than double. | true | Health News | Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the decisions will place the most significant restriction on New Zealanders’ movements in modern history, but it was needed to save lives and slow the virus. “We are all now preparing to go into self isolation as a nation,” Ardern said in a news conference, adding that tens of thousan... |
13242 | "Department of Veterans Affairs doctors ""are prohibited from recommending medical marijuana." | "The ad claimed, ""VA doctors are prohibited from recommending medical marijuana."" That’s on the mark. Veterans can still seek medical marijuana on their own -- where it’s legal -- and VA health care." | true | Arizona, Marijuana, Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol, | "The effort to legalize recreational marijuana in Arizona has seen millions of dollars in contributions opposing the initiative -- and political advertisements on both sides of the issue. A recent ad from the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol, a pro-pot group, tells the story of a post-9/11 veteran, Bruce Lai... |
3920 | New Mexico school district adopts medical marijuana policy. | A northern New Mexico school district’s board has approved a policy allowing the administration of medical marijuana to students enrolled in the state’s medical marijuana program. | true | Medication, Medical marijuana, Farmington, Marijuana, New Mexico | The policy adopted by the Aztec district’s board Tuesday brings the district into compliance with a 2019 state law, the Farmington Daily Times reports. The law mandates that districts allow students access to medically prescribed marijuana on school grounds, as long as it is not administered via smoke or vapor and not ... |
31412 | An American Muslim man raped a 13-year-old girl in Ohio, and then was beaten by Trump supporters. | Ironically, before it was employed by RedInfo.com, Ayad’s story and image in the hospital bed had been circulated in 2013 by numerous far-right and anti-Muslim blogs like BareNakedIslam.com and GatewayPundit.com to drum up anti-Muslim sentiment against his attackers. | false | Politics | On 26 April 2017, RedInfo.us posted a grisly picture of a badly battered man in a hospital bed with the inflammatory headline, “BREAKING: This is American Muslim who rape 13 years old girl in Ohio he was beaten by Trump supporter. Do you support this?” The story contains only one line of text, written in poor English: ... |
10867 | A Genetic Test for Prospective Parents | "This Wall Street Journal story hits many of the right marks when describing a test created by a Silicon Valley start-up, Counsyl Inc., that allows prospective parents to determine whether they carry genes that could lead to their children having specific hereditary diseases. Such tests have been available previously.... | mixture | "This story is particularly complete, if brief, on the subject of costs. The story explains that previously, a single genetic test might cost anywhere from $500 to $1,000. The company’s new test, which covers approximately 100 different genetic conditions, costs about $350. The story also points out that most insurance... | |
7575 | Battered by floods, U.S. river communities try new remedies. | Hollywood Beach Road was once such prime real estate that the neighborhood had its own airstrip, enabling well-heeled residents to zip back and forth between homes in nearby St. Louis and weekend cottages on the Meramec River in suburban Arnold, Missouri. | true | Mississippi, Michael Brown, Science, Weekend Reads, Floods, General News, Wetlands, AP Top News, Mississippi River, U.S. News | Floods eventually took their toll. Nowadays, all that remains of those waterfront dwellings are crumbling concrete foundations amid a tangle of skinny trees and beaver-gnawed stumps. Nature is reclaiming the area — and is welcome to it, local leaders say. Instead of building levees to keep floodwaters out, Arnold has u... |
228 | Patient groups push back against Gilead's pricey HIV prevention treatment. | Gilead Sciences Inc (GILD.O) hopes to soon introduce a pricey new pill to prevent HIV in people at risk of contracting the infection, but the drugmaker faces opposition from an unusual source: patient advocates. | true | Health News | Such groups have traditionally lobbied for insurance coverage of newer HIV drugs regardless of expense. But at least three U.S. organizations now question whether Gilead’s Descovy would be the best option for most people at risk of exposure. A generic version of the current prevention pill, Truvada, is due in the Unite... |
16784 | "The U.S. Supreme Court is ""five guys who start determining what contraceptions are legal." | "Pelosi said, ""We should be afraid of this court, the five guys who start determining what contraceptions are legal."" This sweeping claim was a misstatement, her spokesman acknowledged to PolitiFact. The Hobby Lobby decision didn’t turn on whether certain types of contraception should be legal, but rather on the ques... | false | National, Health Care, Sexuality, Women, Nancy Pelosi, | "More than 10 days after the Supreme Court decided Burwell vs. Hobby Lobby, the landmark case was still sending shockwaves through Washington and the political world. In the decision, a 5-4 majority ruled that a closely held, private corporation, such as the craft retailer Hobby Lobby, could decline on religious ground... |
4805 | Illinois gets federal grant to improve maternal health. | Illinois is getting $450,000 in federal funds to improve maternal health and reduce the number of women and babies who die during or shortly after pregnancy. | true | Infant mortality rate, Health, General News, Illinois, Tammy Duckworth, United States | Sens. Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth say the Illinois Department of Public Health will use the funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to review maternal deaths and find opportunities for prevention. The U.S. maternal and infant mortality rate has been rising, especially for women and babies of col... |
41843 | "Rep. Marsha Blackburn ""voted to give members of Congress health care for life." | A Democratic TV ad in the Tennessee Senate race spins the facts on votes that Rep. Marsha Blackburn cast on health care. | mixture | Affordable Care Act, American Health Care Act, health insurance, maternity coverage, | A Democratic TV ad in the Tennessee Senate race spins the facts on votes that Rep. Marsha Blackburn cast on health care:The TV ad was launched in early October by Majority Forward, a 501(c)(4) organization that is affiliated with the Democratic super PAC Senate Majority.Blackburn is running against Democrat Phil Bredes... |
22877 | "There are ""10 or 20 deaths a year from foodborne illness"" in the United States." | Tom Coburn says that only 10 to 20 people die annually from foodborne illnesses | false | Agriculture, National, Health Care, Regulation, Tom Coburn, | "On Nov. 30, 2010, the Senate, by a 73-25 vote, passed the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act, a landmark bill that would expand food-safety regulations. The House had earlier passed a different version, and the two chambers are now trying to reconcile the measures before the congressional session ends. Almost two weeks... |
7909 | Like the flu? Trump's coronavirus messaging confuses public, pandemic researchers say. | The coronavirus is not as bad as the seasonal flu. President Donald Trump is not worried about having had direct exposure to the virus. The United States is in far better shape than other countries. | true | Health News | Those are some of the messages from Trump to the American public in recent days On Monday, when Trump tweeted that the coronavirus was not as perilous as the flu, he said, “So last year 37,000 Americans died from the common Flu. It averages between 27,000 and 70,000 per year. Nothing is shut down, life & the economy g... |
17953 | We've seen priests beheaded by the Islamic rebels on the other side. We've also seen an Islamic rebel eating the heart of a soldier. | Paul said Islamic rebels have decapitated priests, and one was seen eating the heart of a Syrian soldier. News reports show that Islamic rebels gunned down a priest but did not behead him. The murder of a priest speaks to religious warfare and that carries great weight. However, thousands of innocent people have died f... | mixture | National, Corrections and Updates, Foreign Policy, Military, Terrorism, Rand Paul, | "A major conundrum facing the United States in Syria is the prevalence of Islamic extremists, some with links to al-Qaida, among the rebel forces. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., said Syrian President Bashar Assad is probably a war criminal but some of his opponents are equally dangerous. ""We've seen priests beheaded by the Is... |
10391 | UT Southwestern research shows 98 percent cure rate for prostate cancer using SBRT | This news release draws from a Phasel/ll safety study of 91 patients who were given a concentrated form of higher-dose radiation known as stereotactic body radiation therapy, or SBRT, instead of typical radiation therapy for early-stage prostate cancer. The study was designed to test the toxicity of increasing levels o... | false | Hospital news release,Prostate cancer | The release does not discuss costs. We find this disappointing, but also ironic. In a very quick search, we discovered that one of the major topics regarding SBRT is its low-cost relative to the existing therapies. In the Journal of Oncology Practice, authors in 2012 directly compared it cost-wise to another method and... |
11381 | Eye Tracking Has High Sensitivity as a Biomarker for Concussion; Eye Tracking Detects Concussion with Sensitivity Comparable to that of Blood Tests for Heart Attack | This news release is a wonderfully detailed summary of a study of a novel eye-tracking measure of brain injury, one with the potential to significantly advance the accuracy of tests to detect the severity of traumatic brain injuries, whose consequences can range from a temporary and mild concussion to permanent damage ... | true | Academic medical center news release,Diagnostic tests | The release, (surprisingly, given its overall thoroughness) does not supply any information about the estimated costs of traumatic brain injury, the costs (in time and money) of providing the eye tracking technology, or even the costs of CT scans. This information, even in rough numbers, would have added another layer ... |
9046 | Boston Scientific Receives U.S. FDA Approval for Spectra WaveWriter™ Spinal Cord Stimulator System | Getty Images Millions of Americans suffer from chronic pain. The primary non-opioid strategy for treating that problem are nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS), like aspirin, acetaminophen, ibuprofen, naproxen and celecoxib. The alternative described here — electrical nerve stimulation — uses a small generato... | false | Boston Scientific,Spectra WaveWriter,Spinal Cord Stimulator | Although the purpose of the news release is to signal federal approval of a treatment, cost does not make an appearance. For uninsured patients, typical out-of-pocket costs for spinal cord stimulation are $15,000- $50,000 or more. While the release touts the recent FDA approval of this spinal cord stimulator system, it... |
6950 | Bill would charge fee to help combat invasive aquatic plants. | Boaters will pay a new fee to help cover the cost of combatting invasive aquatic plants if proposed legislation becomes law. | true | Legislation, Environment, Connecticut, Invasive species, Bills | The House of Representatives on Saturday voted 131-10 in favor of a bill that imposes a $5 fee for Connecticut residents and a $20 fee for out-of-state individuals who register vessels intended to operate on state waters. The General Assembly’s Office of Fiscal Analysis estimates the fee will generate approximately $40... |
37915 | "Authorities found ""39 missing children in a double wide trailer"" in Georgia, but the media suppressed the story." | ‘How is Finding 39 Missing Children in a Double Wide Trailer in Georgia NOT the Biggest News Story in America?’ | false | Disinformation, Fact Checks | "An August 28 2020 Facebook post claiming authorities in Georgia found 39 missing children in a double wide trailer in Georgia went massively viral, apparently by pondering why it was not the biggest story in the United States:That post racked up an astonishing one million shares in just three days, and it read:How is ... |
9797 | Prevention: Fish Helps Reduce Risk of Polyps in Women | The headline says “fish helps reduce risk” and the body of the story talks about “effect.” Both are inaccurate. You can’t establish cause and effect – such as risk reduction – in an observational study. You can point to a statistical association. Period. If that’s too wordy or geeky, don’t report the story. Because to... | false | colonoscopy,Omega-3 | Not applicable. The cost of fish in the diet is not in question. The language matters. The story states: “The researchers found no effect in men, and no effect of omega-3 consumption on hyperplastic polyps.” (emphasis added) Observational studies can’t prove cause and effect, so language like this just confuses the c... |
4030 | State orders shutdown over lead levels at Water Gremlin. | Authorities shut down production of goods containing lead at a Twin Cities-area manufacturing company Monday amid concerns about lead poisoning among plant workers’ children. | true | Lead poisoning, Health, General News, Minnesota, Environment, Poisoning | Water Gremlin hasn’t done enough to limit workers’ exposure to lead dust at its White Bear Township facility, Minnesota’s health and labor commissioners told reporters on a conference call. The company, which makes lead fishing sinkers and battery terminals, has been penalized in the past for other environmental safety... |
9041 | Prompt clot-grabbing treatment produces better stroke outcomes | This news release describes a study — the DAWN trial — which found that ischemic stroke patients that meet specific criteria may benefit from stroke clot removal (a procedure called a thrombectomy) up to 24 hours after the onset of a stroke. The release is strong on context and explaining the procedure but would have b... | mixture | American Heart Association,clot removal,DAWN trial,stroke | The cost of a thrombectomy procedure isn’t addressed. Even through the study is comparing the procedure within 6 hours vs. within 24 hours, it would help readers if they knew how much this procedure runs. From a health policy standpoint, expanding the treatment window for more people would certainly cost more, but just... |
14902 | Since we last debated in Las Vegas, nearly 3,000 people have been killed by guns. | "Clinton said, ""Since we last debated in Las Vegas, nearly 3,000 people have been killed by guns."" We found a few problems with her statement. First, we don’t actually know how many people have died in the last month. Clinton’s statement is based on 2013 data from the CDC, which tallied nearly 3,000 gun deaths per mo... | mixture | National, Corrections and Updates, Guns, Hillary Clinton, | "At the Democratic presidential debate in Des Moines, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called for more gun control. ""Just think about this -- since we last debated in Las Vegas, nearly 3,000 people have been killed by guns,"" she said. The Iowa debate took place Nov. 14, and the Las Vegas debate happened on O... |
3993 | Coldilocks, the oldest captive polar bear in the US, dies. | The oldest captive polar bear in the U.S. has died. | true | Polar bears, Animals, Bears, Philadelphia, Animal health, North America, Health, U.S. News | The Philadelphia Zoo on Tuesday said that the 37-year-old bear, Coldilocks, was in declining health and was euthanized. Zoo officials said Coldilocks had a variety of age-related medical issues, including problems with her kidneys and eyesight, but that visitors wouldn’t have been able to tell as the bear pounced playf... |
39476 | A television reporter in Detroit investigated the costs of generic drugs. He accused some pharmacies of price-gouging, with mark ups of as much at 3,000 percent. Generic drugs cost less than name brands of the same medications, but the reporter says the lower price may still represent a high mark-up. He also found ... | High mark-ups on prices of generic drugs | true | Household | There seems to have been a rash of TV reports on this subject in various cities. The report in Detroit was in July, 2002 by Steve Wilson of channel 7, the ABC affiliate. He went from store to store to check on prices of a drug that cost the pharmacy $2. Prices ranged up to $100. He says the blood pressure medication Va... |
4319 | State: Proposed deal with company would reduce air pollution. | An Alabama chemical plant has been emitting sulfur dioxide and sulfuric acid mist into the atmosphere, state and federal authorities say in court documents. | true | Technology, General News, Air pollution, Environment, Mobile, Alabama, Air quality, Pollution | A complaint recently filed in federal court accuses Nouryon Functional Chemicals of polluting the air from its sulfuric acid plant in the Axis community, north of Mobile. The company did a major modification of its sulfuric acid unit without obtaining the proper permits or installing required technology, among other th... |
2656 | "Fitness-Buffet"" serves up a smorgasbord of sports." | Turned off by the treadmill and bored by the bike, but know you need to get in shape? | true | Health News | Instructor Alvaro Ramirez from Uruguay relaxes in a circus studio in Athens January 16, 2008. REUTERS/Yiorgos Karahalis A start-up firm may have the answer: an array of coupons for fitness and sports programs, at bargain prices, to tempt aspiring athletes into trying a little of everything to see what really works for ... |
9109 | Breakthrough device heals organs with a single touch | Researchers at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and Ohio State’s College of Engineering have published a research letter in Nature Nanotechnology showing that a new technology, called Tissue Nanotransfection (TNT), is able to reprogram skin cells to become vascular cells in mice who had badly injured leg... | false | Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center,regenerative medicine | There are no discussions of cost, but because this is a technology already being touted as a “breakthrough” with wide applications costs should have been broached as part of the description. We are told that “..it is achievable, successfully working about 98 percent of the time,” yet there’s no accompanying description... |
29955 | "The newly-formed Muslim Community Patrol Services group in Brooklyn, New York, is enforcing ""Sharia law." | During the ceremony, Adams called for additional funding to be offered to community patrol groups. | false | Politics, sharia law | The appearance of a new volunteer patrol group in New York City spurred familiar but false accusations. Vehicles bearing the Muslim Community Patrol Service’s name (MCPS) and emblem were first spotted in parts of Brooklyn in December 2018, prompting media personality Laura Loomer to post a photograph of one of the vehi... |
22684 | Veterans can now download their electronic medical records with a click of the mouse. | President Obama says veterans can now access their electronic medical records online | false | National, Health Care, Technology, Veterans, Barack Obama, | "State of the Union addresses often seem interminably long. But with so much ground to cover and so many members of the public tuned in -- not to mention intense media scrutiny -- economic use of words is crucial. And so, after interest groups hear what's in the speech for them, they are often left to parse the meaning... |
6627 | Court issues temporary stay on flavored vaping ban in Oregon. | Oregon’s Court of Appeals on Thursday put a halt to the state’s ban on flavored vaping products two days after it took effect. | true | Kate Brown, Health, General News, Oregon, Courts, Vaping | The Oregonian/OregonLive reports the temporary stay issued appears to apply only to tobacco-based vaping products, sold under the oversight of the Oregon Health Authority. It leaves the ban in place on marijuana vaping products regulated by the Oregon Liquor Control Commission. On Oct.4, Gov. Kate Brown ordered a six-m... |
8160 | Malaysia expects coronavirus cases to spike as more worshippers traced. | Malaysia’s coronavirus cases jumped to 1,183 on Saturday with eight deaths, and officials warned of a spike next week as they track down people who attended a large religious gathering linked to most of the cases. | true | Health News | The Health Ministry reported five more deaths and 153 new infections on Saturday, 90 of which were connected to the event at a mosque late last month that was attended by people from more than two dozen countries. The four-day religious “tabligh” event near the capital, Kuala Lumpur, has now been linked to 714 cases i... |
7407 | Lab-made “mini organs” helping doctors treat cystic fibrosis. | Els van der Heijden, who has cystic fibrosis, was finding it ever harder to breathe as her lungs filled with thick, sticky mucus. Despite taking more than a dozen pills and inhalers a day, the 53-year-old had to stop working and scale back doing the thing she loved best, horseback riding. | true | Health, Netherlands, Europe, Genetic Frontiers, Cystic fibrosis | Doctors saw no sense in trying an expensive new drug because it hasn’t been proven to work in people with the rare type of cystic fibrosis that van der Heijden had. Instead, they scraped a few cells from van der Heijden and used them to grow a mini version of her large intestine in a petri dish. When van der Heijden’s ... |
10907 | FDA panel says Avandia should stay on the market | "This broadcast segment presents a fundamentally accurate report of a federal panel’s recommendation to keep the diabetes drug Avandia on the market. It does a good job describing the controversy surrounding it. The piece falls short in two ways. First, the segment in places uses language that, given the panel’s decisi... | mixture | The broadcast reports total annual sales of the drug, but does not say how much a patient pays–around $1,600 per year for Avandia, according to prices on drugstore.com, compared to about $500/year for the older drug metformin. (A recent study of 10 diabetes drugs, published in Annals of Internal Medicine prior to the A... | |
3205 | Shutdown of nuke plant has a surprising stinging consequence. | The shutdown of one of the nation’s oldest nuclear power plants last year is having a surprising, stinging consequence for a New Jersey bay considered one of the nation’s most fragile. | true | New Jersey, General News, Jellyfish, Environment, Nuclear power, U.S. News, Fish, Science | The environmental group Save Barnegat Bay held a conference Wednesday where scientists noted the increase of tiny jellyfish near the Oyster Creek nuclear power plant. The stinging sea nettles that had been sucked into the plant and killed by heated water are now thriving and multiplying. The influx has some worrying ab... |
22799 | We're worse than a Third World country in terms of water quality and the way we treat our sewage. | Cleveland Councilman Mike Polensek rails that sewage treatment system amounts to mistreatment of Lake Erie | mixture | Environment, Ohio, Infrastructure, Mike Polensek, | "Industrial pollution made national news and made Cleveland the butt of jokes in 1969 after the Cuyahoga River caught fire -- not for the first time -- and did $50,000 damage to bridges. The fire helped focus attention on environmental problems and contributed to passage of the Clean Water Act in 1972. Water pollution ... |
11047 | For pregnant women with flu, the earlier the better for antiviral treatment | This news release focuses on an observational study, published in The Journal of Infectious Diseases which reports that treating pregnant women hospitalized with severe influenza in the early stages of illness with oseltamivir (sold under the brand name Tamiflu) appears to significantly reduce the patient’s time in the... | mixture | Association/Society news release | The release focuses primarily on using the antiviral drug oseltamivir to treat pregnant flu patients who have been hospitalized. A course of oseltamivir often costs more than $100. For patients with limited resources, or without good insurance coverage, cost could be a factor. And because the drug is on the market, the... |
29074 | U.S. Olympic medal winners have to pay taxes of up to $9,000 for each gold medal they earn. | What's true: U.S. winners at the Olympic Games are required to pay taxes on their prize money and medals. What's false: All such winners are obligated to pay thousands of dollars in taxes. | mixture | Uncategorized, ASP Article, olympic medals, olympics | One aspect of the Olympic Games many U.S. viewers remain unaware of is the fact that U.S. medalists (like those from many other countries) receive cash prizes along with their medals: $25,000 for gold, $15,000 for silver, and $10,000 for bronze. These rewards are not paid by the International Olympic Committee (which f... |
6171 | China closes live poultry markets amid deadly flu outbreak. | China is ordering the closure of live poultry markets in its south-central regions as it grapples with the worst outbreak of bird flu in years that has killed at least 87 people. | true | Health, Asia Pacific, Bird flu, China, Flu | State media reported Friday that the National Health and Family Planning Commission ordered closures anywhere with cases of the H7N9 strain. Most reported cases have been found in the densely populated Yangtze and Pearl river deltas from Shanghai to Hong Kong. Those areas generally experience mild, wet winters that are... |
3301 | Cargill says 25K pounds of ground beef may be tainted. | U.S. agricultural officials say Fort Morgan, Colorado-based Cargill Meat Solutions is recalling nearly 25,300 pounds (11,400 kilograms) of ground beef that might be contaminated with E. coli. | true | U.S. Department of Agriculture, Health, Fort Morgan, Agriculture, Meat processing, Colorado | The recall notice by the U.S. Department of Agriculture says the meat was shipped to warehouses in California and Colorado. It’s labeled “Excel 93/7 Fine Ground Beef” and was produced Aug. 16 with a Sept. 5 expiration date. The notice says the meat processing plant discovered the problem Aug. 22 after a records review ... |
33552 | A man in China has sued his wife for bearing him ugly children. | We’d guess that someone originally created this tale as a moral lesson on the follies of excessive vanity, and in typical urban legend fashion it quickly made the transition from being an instructive fable to a “this really happened” news story. | false | Media Matters, Not Necessarily The News | This item about a Chinese man named Jian Feng who supposedly sued his wife for bearing him ugly children has been kicking around the Internet since at least 2004. Example: A Chinese man divorced and then sued his ex-wife for giving birth to what he called an extremely ugly baby girl, the Irish Times reported. Initiall... |
9771 | Here's new evidence that widespread breast cancer screening isn't effective | This story reports on a new study looking at breast cancer screening rates across hundreds of counties in the United States. It found that while higher breast cancer screening rates were associated with increased rates of breast cancer detection, more screening was not associated with reduced breast cancer mortality. T... | true | mammography,overdiagnosis,overscreening | There was no discussion of costs in this story or of insurance coverage for mammography. While many readers may understand that screening mammography is generally covered by insurance, it would have been helpful to state explicitly that mammograms in the U.S. are covered by the Affordable Care Act. More broadly, given ... |
23852 | Oil companies showered regulators (at the Minerals Management Service) with gifts and favors, and were essentially allowed to conduct their own safety inspections and write their own regulations. | Obama blames MMS for being captive to oil industry | true | National, Corporations, Energy, Environment, Ethics, Oil Spill, Regulation, Barack Obama, | "In his June 15, 2010, Oval Office address responding to the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, President Barack Obama touched on the dysfunctional record of the Minerals Management Service, the Interior Department office responsible for both collecting revenues from resource extraction on federal property and regulating... |
28717 | Coverage under Obamacare can costs more than $1,200 a month for a family of four. | What's true: A variety of coverage options are available, and monthly costs vary according to plans selected. Consumers at certain income levels are not eligible for subsidies and pay more. What's false: The majority of consumers won't be affected by the hike due to a tax credit, and most people covered by Obamacare ge... | mixture | Politics, aca, affordable care act, american health care system | On 24 October 2016, health insurance broker Tyler McClosky created a phenomenon on Facebook when he posted a screen shot of what it would cost for a family of four with a total household income of $98,000 in Lee County, Florida, to buy insurance on the Affordable Care Act’s marketplace: We were able to recreate McClos... |
36049 | Lyft requires that matters related to sexual harassment or sexual assault be settled through arbitration as part of its terms of service. | Lyft’s Unclear Terms of Service for Sexual Assault Survivors | unproven | Fact Checks, Viral Content | Ride-sharing company Lyft came under increased scrutiny online in November 2019 as social media users spotted an apparent discrepancy in its policies regarding its treatment of sexual assault victims.“I think what we saw happen in the last 24, 36 hours is you see what happens when someone like myself or other survivors... |
36577 | A barber mistakenly shaved a play button into a client's hair because he was shown a paused video as an example. | Did a Barber Mistakenly Shave a ‘Play’ Button on a Client’s Head Because of a Paused Video? | unproven | Fact Checks, Viral Content | In January 2019, 9Gag shared a post titled “Barber Mistakenly Shaves A Play Button Into Client’s Hair After Being Shown A Paused Video.” It was light on details and included several amusing images:9Gag had very little to say about the circumstance purportedly shown in the photographs and didn’t include any links to sub... |
1830 | WHO urges China to tackle state tobacco monopoly in battle on smoking. | China must separate the conflicting promotion and prevention roles of its state tobacco monopoly to reduce smoking-related deaths, which number as much as 1 million a year, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday. | true | Health News | With more than 300 million smokers, China is the world’s largest producer and consumer of tobacco. The government has pledged to curb smoking but its efforts have had little success. The country’s State Tobacco Monopoly Administration controls the world’s single largest manufacturer of tobacco products, China National ... |
25687 | "Police are ""20.8 times more likely to kill than be killed by a criminal." | Statistics from the Federal Bureau of Investigation show that 89 U.S. law enforcement officials were killed on the job in 2019, 48 of them stemming from criminal acts. Also in 2019, police killed 999 Americans, according to a database from the Washington Post. Black Americans were more than twice as likely to be shot a... | true | National, Legal Issues, Wisconsin, Chris Larson, | "Widespread condemnation of police brutality has picked up once again after Kenosha police shot Jacob Blake, a 29-year-old Black man, seven times at close range as he attempted to get into his SUV late in the afternoon of Aug. 23, 2020. As Blake remained at a Milwaukee hospital, where his family’s attorneys say he is p... |
11312 | Robotic assist eases less-invasive hysterectomies | It’s complicated for journalists who have to explain data from a systematic review of eight studies comparing three different surgical approaches to endometrial cancer. This story gave an adequate overview. But we would have hoped for a stricter evaluation of the quality of the evidence. And more details on costs. Abou... | true | Reuters Health,women's health | The story only cites the researchers’ statement that the robotic approach adds “a few thousand more dollars to the procedure’s price tag.” But why not give an estimate of actual costs? One surgeon’s definition of a “few thousand” may differ greatly from a patient’s definition. There was also no discusison of whether i... |
5095 | Schools reckon with social stress: ‘I’m on my phone so much’. | High school biology teacher Kelly Chavis knew smartphones were a distraction in her class. But not even her students realized the psychological toll of their devices until an in-class experiment that, of course, was then spreading on social media. | true | Stress, Smartphones, Health, Media, General News, Social media, Buffalo | For one class period, students used a whiteboard to tally every Snapchat, Instagram, text, call or other notification that popped up. Teachers around the country have run similar experiments, typically recording dozens of trips to the board. “One girl, just during the one hour, got close to 150 Snapchat notifications. ... |
36196 | "Sean Taggart was ""euthanized"" in August 2019 after living with ALS and failing to receive enough funding to maintain his standard of living." | Was a Canadian Man ‘Euthanized’ After Not Receiving Enough Home Care Funding? | mixture | Disinformation, Fact Checks, Health / Medical | A 41-year-old Canadian man’s choice to undergo assisted suicide in August 2019 was used as blog fodder by an anti-abortion group based out of England.Sean Tagert first drew media coverage in September 2018, when he spoke to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation about the trouble he faced maintaining his standard of liv... |
34814 | A photograph published in December 2019 showed a boy forced to sleep on a hospital floor in Leeds, England, due to overcrowding. | Two waves of social media posts cast doubt in the minds of some over the authenticity of a story that proved a major moment in the 2019 U.K. general election. | true | Politics | "In the final days of the U.K. general election campaign in December 2019, controversy erupted over a photograph taken at Leeds General Infirmary, in the northern county of Yorkshire, which appeared to show a young boy sleeping on the floor due to a lack of available beds. However, a wave of Facebook and Twitter posts ... |
24595 | "Ezekiel Emanuel, one of President Obama's key health care advisers, ""says medical care should be reserved for the nondisabled. So watch out if you're disabled." | Bachmann says Obama health adviser thinks health care ought not to be extended to the disabled | false | National, Health Care, Michele Bachmann, | "Update: After we published this item, Ezekiel Emanuel responded at length to these claims in an interview with ABC News. See the interview here . You know Rahm Emanuel, President Barack Obama's intense chief of staff. And maybe you've heard of his brother, Ari Emanuel, a Hollywood talent agent who provided the inspi... |
6970 | A look at Children’s Museum set for New Orleans’ City Park. | Even before families step inside the huge new Louisiana Children’s Museum building slated to open in New Orleans City Park this summer, they’ll already have encountered some of the whimsical and playful exhibits that museum leaders hope will inspire and educate visitors of all ages. | true | Museums, New Orleans, Louisiana, Parks, Environment, Childrens museums, Sculpture | A carved stone labyrinth will stand on one side of the museum. In front of that entrance, families will step on a footbridge and wade through fog and mist generated by an interactive sculpture created by Japanese artist Fujiko Nakaya. Both the footbridge and a parking lot overlooking the New Orleans Museum of Art’s scu... |
30805 | The world's most-pierced person, Gerard Rogers, was killed while passing through a metal detector at LAX airport. | In other words, everything they publish — include the grisly death of poor “Gerard Rogers” — is fake. | false | Junk News, deaths, empire news, fake news | What happens when someone with body piercings goes through a metal detector? Generally nothing. Most body jewelry is made of a type of metal that doesn’t even set off metal detectors, but some jewelry does, occasionally causing inconvenience. Does magnetic attraction between the piercings and the detector cause rings a... |
9808 | New Drug Treats Fibroids With Fewer Side Effects | Both stories had overall strengths, but both missed the cost question and could have done more to explain both harms and benefits. In all, though, they took a dispassionate look at studies that easily could have been hyped. Whenever you have a drugmaker moving into the naming phase on a product line, you know the marke... | mixture | WebMD,women's health | No mention of costs. If the drug is awaiting marketing approval in Europe, some estimate could have been obtained. And, since the drug has the active chemical of the Ella contraceptive drug – only in smaller doses – at least the cost of Ella could have been cited. Adequate discussion of benefits as seen in the two publ... |
30349 | President Trump is signing a law legalizing marijuana across the United States. | We contacted NORML — the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws — for further clarification and interpretation on what effect, if any, the Right to Try Act of 2017 would have on the use of medical marijuana “in all 50 states,” but have not yet received a response. However, the claim as presented is fals... | false | Medical, herb.co, marijuana, medical marijuana | On 27 May 2018, the web site Your News Wire published an item appearing to report that President Trump planned to sign a law legalizing medical marijuana in all 50 states: President Trump is set to sign legislation which will make medical marijuana federally legal for terminally ill patients. The bill, known as the “Ri... |
9651 | Aggressive 'mini-stroke' therapy may cut serious stroke risk by half | The story reports on a study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, which reported that patients who had transient ischemic attacks (TIAs or mini-strokes) subsequently had a “lower-than-expected” incidence of serious strokes if they were treated at a hospital with a specialized TIA unit. The study itself ha... | mixture | mini-strokes,NEJM,TIA | Cost isn’t addressed. Emergency room costs can be expensive, particularly for uninsured patients. And the costs associated with TIA treatment can vary widely, because treatment options can vary depending on the diagnosis. For example, a patient may be given drugs to “bust” a blood clot, or the patient may need to perfo... |
33117 | "A teenager named Hector Cruz contracted herpes by participating in the ""condom challenge"" social media trend." | Earlier Huzlers hoaxes included claims that semen was found in Starbucks drinks nationally, that McDonald’s used “human meat” in their food, that Chipotle was busted serving cat and dog meat, and that an Ebola victim rose from the dead as a zombie. Satire notwithstanding, the likelihood of contracting herpes from conta... | false | Junk News, condom challenge, hector cruz, huzlers | On or around 3 December 2015, the web site Huzlers published an article titled “17 Year-old Does ‘Condom Challenge’ With Used Condom Gets Herpes,” saying: The “Condom Challenge” craze has claimed another victim. 17 year-old Hector Cruz contracted herpes after using a used condom he found in his fathers bedroom. Most re... |
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