Health

Is a video that shows an elderly Michael Jackson sitting on a bus in Brazil legitimate? No, that's not true: The video was originally posted by an account with a bio that states it is an artificial intelligence portal. An AI-generated content detection tool rated the video 94.2% likely to be AI-generated. Jackson died in 2009 and Lead Stories obtained…

Does a document show hantavirus as a side effect of COVID-19 vaccines? No, that's not true: The document shows a government-required adverse event (AE) report prepared by pharmaceutical companies. It is not a list of side effects proven to be caused by or associated with the vaccine but a broad list of health conditions that researchers want to look out…

Did X user @iamasoothsayer write in 2022, "2026: Hantavirus"? Yes, that's true: The original post, from June 2022, read, "2023: Corona ended" and "2026: Hantavirus." A copy of the post was archived by The Internet Archive's Wayback Machine in 2022. X's user documentation does not currently list a way for users to retroactively edit the publication date or time of…

Is a viral video showing President Donald Trump falling asleep during a press event at the White House real and did he actually hit his head on his desk? No, that's not true: The video and screenshots of it shared by social media users originated from a self-described meme account. The clip was digitally altered, likely using AI. The claim…

Did Colonel Richard Whitmore give his wheelchair-bound daughter Eleanor to Josiah Freeman, a 7-foot-tall enslaved man, after she was deemed unmarriageable? No, that's not true: This story is not based on true historical events, but is a fictional romance, illustrated with AI-generated images and details that may seem like real documentation. The earliest mention of a story involving people by…

Is a paper by Dr. Drew Pinsky, Dr. Peter McCullough, Dr. Harvey Risch, and nine others claiming that ivermectin and mebendazole improve cancer outcomes in 84.4% of cases a proper medical study? No, that's not true: Research experts told Lead Stories that the paper relies on an uncontrolled, self-reported survey with major bias, no independent verification of diagnoses or outcomes,…

Did dozens of celebrities suddenly all post a "positive update" on Facebook after a recent medical procedure or treatment? No, that's not true: The posts, often accompanied by images of the celebrity in question and a quote about "pushing through" a "few health challenges" or asking to "spare a prayer" were mass produced by a network of Facebook pages and…

Was a video about "Malcom tongue condoms" a real ad for a real product? No, that's not true: As of this writing, there was no such product available in the U.S. The clip, first uploaded by a digital creator, was generated by AI. The claim appeared in a post (archived here and here) published on March 17, 2026. It opened:…

Is a video that shows a "woman who identifies as a dog" being attacked by a dog real? No, that's not true: An online AI video detection tool determined that the clip is 97.3 percent likely to be AI generated. There are several telltale signs of AI in the video. The claim appeared in a March 17, 2026, video posted…

Does a mid-twentieth-century photograph capture the consequences of a transorbital lobotomy performed on a man named "James Peterson" for being gay in 1948? No, that's not true: The image is not a photograph -- it's an image generated by the AI tool Grok, as a barely visible watermark in the bottom right corner indicated. The content of the picture contradicts…