Business

Did professional soccer player Megan Rapinoe have a campaign with the breakfast cereal Wheaties that was canceled after she missed a penalty kick during the 2023 World Cup? No, that's not true: A spokesperson for General Mills, the parent company of Wheaties, confirmed that the claim is false. The claim also started on a satirical website. The claim originated in…

Did Pfizer employees in Australia receive a special batch of imported COVID-19 vaccines that were different from what the public was given? No, that's not true: Pfizer global media relations told Lead Stories that the pharmaceutical and biotechnology company imported "additional doses" for its staff that were evaluated and authorized by Australia's Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) but all the COVID…

Are seedless watermelons genetically modified organism (GMO) products, and are they poisonous? No, that's not true: A representative of Walmart, one of many stores that sell seedless watermelons, told Lead Stories that these claims are false. An article published by Michigan State University reported that "No current seedless plants are genetically modified organisms (GMOs)." Also, a previous Lead Stories fact…

Did Russian President Vladimir Putin prohibit 5G in Russia, tearing down all the towers delivering it? Not, that's not true: As of this writing, 5G is working in major Russian cities, and the government continues to invest in the expansion of the technology. The claim originated in an outlet known for publishing fictitious "news" stories. The claim originated from an…

Did U.S. professional soccer player Megan Rapinoe lose a "post-retirement broadcasting" position with ESPN and was she also dropped as a Nike partner following backlash after a missed penalty kick during the 2023 World Cup? No, that's not true: The claims are just two of many about Rapinoe that have been published by a satirical website. The claim about Rapinoe…

Did Martin Lewis, a popular British financial journalist, endorse an investment platform featuring Elon Musk? No, that's not true: Lewis himself confirmed this is a fake video. This video is a deepfake creation that used Lewis' head from a different video, changed how his lips moved and substituted fabricated audio for Lewis' voice. The authentic video of Lewis speaking on…

Did "The Simpsons" predict the new X logo for Twitter, which appeared as an icon on Homer Simpson's iPhone in an episode released on May 13, 2012? No, that's not true: This cartoon image has been altered to include the new "X" logo, but this is not what the cartoon showed originally. The 2012 cartoon did display an icon with…

Does a photo of Angelina Jolie in a wheelchair with an amputated leg confirm "very sad news" about the actress? No, that's not true: The photo appears to be a doctored image of Jolie's head on the body of a woman in Scotland whose leg was amputated in January 2023. News outlets published photos of Jolie in public as recently…

Does a social media video provide evidence of a "new odd blight on corn" that follows the path of a Chinese spy balloon that traversed sections of the United States from January 28, 2023, through February 4, 2023? No, that's not true: The video is a comedy skit by digital creator John Gerard Gillar. Also, there are no credible news…

Were DJ Avicii, Chester Bennington, Chris Cornell and Anthony Bourdain all killed because of their work on a child sex trafficking documentary called "The Silent Children"? No, that's not true: The producer of the movie told Lead Stories that any connection between the "long abandoned" documentary project and the four men in the social media post is "completely untrue, and…

Are a person with dementia named "Jackson Simmons" and his dog "Cami" missing and has there been a silver alert issued for "Simmons"? No, that's not true: The story has been posted on social media as a part of a bait-and-switch scam. Such scams use fake information to encourage others to share the posts. Once the posts receive sufficient engagement,…

Is "lab grown" chicken that was approved by U.S. regulators "grown from human cells"? No, that's not true: Neither of the companies that received regulatory approval to sell cell-cultivated meat in the U.S. use human cells in their products. Additionally, Lead Stories did not find evidence that human cells were used to test the safety of the cell-cultivated chicken products.…

Did country music star Jason Aldean file a defamation suit against host Whoopi Goldberg and the talk show "The View"? No, that's not true: This claim originated from a self-described satirical website aimed at trolling conservatives. That website, The Dunning-Kruger Times, has a disclaimer that describes itself as part of a network of "parody, satire, and tomfoolery" and says, "Everything…

Does a patent prove that Moderna's mRNA COVID-19 vaccines contain nanotechnology that interacts with 5G? No, that's not true: There is no evidence that mRNA vaccines or their contents interact with 5G technology, a molecular biologist told Lead Stories. A chemical engineer confirmed this, saying there is "absolutely no evidence at all" that such claims are true and that "there…

Did country star Jason Aldean fire his agent for agreeing to censor his "Try That in a Small Town" music video? No, that's not true: The claim about Aldean's video was published by a satirical website known for posting made-up stories. The story was reportedly based on an anonymous source "who may or may not be a random Uber Eats…

Is there a "secret stimulus" that provides $185,000 to U.S. homeowners? No, that's not true: The "benefit to homeowners" is just a marketing ploy to get home-owning online users to follow links and provide their personal information. Schemes like this are a common way to collect information about people that can be sold to companies that then provide pre-sifted lists…

Is Ellen DeGeneres appearing in an online video to endorse a free "Dental Relief card" for older Americans? No, that's not true: The video appears to be a deepfake creation. A spokesperson for the actress and comedian confirmed to Lead Stories that DeGeneres never endorsed such a product. The story originated in a post on Facebook on July 16, 2023.…

Was the film "Barbie" banned in Serbia because of a scene containing a map of "Greater Albania"? No, that's not true: The film was not banned in Serbia and such a map doesn't appear in the movie. The claim appeared in a video (archived here) posted to TikTok on July 5, 2023. It contained a supposed screenshot of an article…

Did Facebook add a new feature, a funny sound that is triggered by clicking the "like" button? No, that's not true: Memes suggesting that the new Facebook like button makes a sound so funny that people will laugh out loud are a practical joke. There is no new Facebook like button sound, this is just a way to trick people…

Did country music's Hank Williams Jr. resign from the Country Music Television's (CMT) board of directors to support fellow singer Jason Aldean? No, that's not true: The website this claim is from is satirical. Lead Stories could not find any evidence that Williams had left the board or even had been on the board, or evidence of a statement from…