Did the Canadian government publish data suggesting those triple-vaccinated against COVID-19 develop vaccine-associated enhanced disease (VAED) or antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE) and have higher COVID case rates than others? No, that's not true: The data does not show COVID vaccines make people worse. Instead, people who have had them are better protected from severe illness, hospitalization and death. COVID vaccines boost…

Does a video posted on social media show a man reacting to a news interview about gays in the military that says they're "too precious to risk in combat"? No, that's not true: The original piece was produced more than a decade ago by The Onion, a satirical news website that began publishing online in 1996. The video showing a…

Did this content creator prove there are microscopic insects in our food and drinks? No, that's not true: Entomologist Jody Gangloff-Kaufmann told Lead Stories that this video is "garbage click bait." Another entomologist, Brian Federici, said there is a possibility of seeing "small arthropods" in unprocessed foods, but they are typically killed once the food is processed. The claim appeared…

Did the "biggest drop in the DOW Stock Market Ever" occur during the Biden administration? No, that's not true: A professor of finance at Ivey Business School said the worst day for the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) was October 19, 1987. A finance professor at the School of Management at the University at Buffalo told Lead Stories, "the recent…

Are high U.S. gas prices in 2022 related to closed pipelines? No, that's not true: The high gas prices in 2022 are mostly attributed to the price of crude oil, along with global economics and world affairs. There is no evidence that closed pipelines have dramatically affected gas prices in 2022. Although President Joe Biden blocked the rest of the…

Did Republican turnout for the Pennsylvania primary on May 17, 2022, increase by some 500,000 votes over 2018? Yes, that's true: Election returns on the Pennsylvania Department of State's website through May 19, 2022, show an even bigger increase than that, topping 600,000 additional GOP ballots compared to 2018, depending on the race. More ballots for Democrats were cast, too,…

Did Ukrainian soldiers turn back a Russian incursion with paintball guns? Did Reuters represent a photo of soldiers training with paintball gear as an actual military conflict? No, that's not true: The photo originally included in a May 16, 2022, article was captioned to reflect that it showed a training simulation in Sumy, Ukraine, on April 15, 2022. This caption…

Did witnesses capture footage of a UFO over the Pentagon in December 2018? No, that's not true: A spokesperson at the Pentagon described the claim by telling Lead Stories, "This appears to be a hoax. There were no reports of unusual activity at the Pentagon for the date claimed in the alleged sighting." An artist who was credited with creating…

Are students in Wilkes County, North Carolina, identifying themselves as cat or "furries" and asking for litter boxes in school classrooms? No, that's not true: The public information officer for Wilkes County Schools in North Carolina told Lead Stories they have received no such requests from students. The claim appeared in a Facebook post by the page Wilkes Weather and…

Did conservative commentator Candace Owens quote a tweet made by Fox News about ivermectin's hidden cost -- that many are suffering long-term bowel and urinary incontinence? No, that's not true: Both of the tweets shown in the screenshot -- the one spoofing Fox News and the response spoofing Candace Owens -- are fake. The right border of the fake Fox…

Did Bill Gates launch "artificial breast milk" during the U.S. baby formula shortage in 2022? No, that's not true: Although Gates' investment fund Breakthrough Energy Ventures is an investor in BIOMILQ, a startup that is developing lab-grown breast milk, the product has not been launched and its availability is unrelated to the nationwide shortage. The claim appeared in a Facebook…

Do fibers in the eye indicate immune system strength? No, that's not true: The chief of ophthalmology at Yale Health told us, "It is not possible to determine overall immune health or strength by looking at the iris." A Mayo Clinic College of Medicine faculty member told Lead Stories that they have no knowledge of any kind of fibers in…

Did The Washington Post publish an article by technology columnist Taylor Lorenz titled, "This dog is the new face of online homophobia"? No, that's not true: This is not a screenshot of a real article but a spoof made to look like an "Internet Culture" feature in the Post. There is some confusion by design about who is the intended…

When President Joe Biden took office, was there no COVID-19 vaccine available? No, that's not true: The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine and the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine both received Food and Drug Administration (FDA) emergency use authorizations (EUA) in December 2021. The vaccines were available but not widely available to the public while former President Donald Trump was still in office. The…

Was the Titanic sunk intentionally in order to kill specific people who opposed a central banking system, thus clearing the way to establish the Federal Reserve? No, that's not true: This antisemitic conspiracy theory was already floating around the internet before it was promoted to followers of QAnon. There is no evidence to support this. In November 2017, a series…