&Quot;The View&Quot;

Are conservatives or Republicans now taking issue with "manufactured" rainbows that appear when there is water spray from a fountain? No, that's not true: This viral 2007 video of unscientific musings about rainbows was mashed up and posted to mock conservative Republicans in 2023. In the original video, the person's political party affiliation is not readily apparent. Remixed in 2023,…

Did the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) strip former University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas of her NCAA National Championship record and refer her case to the Indiana state attorney for "possible fraud charges"? No, neither of those claims are true: This claim is from a satirical website, The Dunning-Kruger Times. There is no evidence Thomas is being stripped of…

Did actor Kevin Costner file a lawsuit against the American Broadcasting Company's television talk show "The View" for hate speech? No, that's not true: This claim originated from a self-described satirical website aimed at trolling conservatives. Lead Stories could find no credible news reports or public statements confirming that Costner sued ABC or "The View." The website that posted the…

So you've probably read all those warnings from pundits, academics and researchers about how generative AI tools like ChatGPT are going to impact disinformation and fact checking. And you may have even seen some recent examples of a deep-faked pope in a puffer jacket or Donald Trump being arrested. But let me tell you the story of a real-life example…

Did former Fox News host Tucker Carlson file suit against Whoopi Goldberg and "The View," the TV talk show she moderates, for dehumanizing remarks? No, that's not true: This article was published by the Dunning-Kruger Times, one of several satire sites run by Christopher Blair, who describes himself as a "liberal troll." These websites have disclaimers explaining that "Everything on…

Does a test that supposedly extracts "chemtrail" and air-pollution nanoparticles from a person's saliva accurately show a diagnosis of Morgellons disease? No, that's not true: Food chemistry experts told Lead Stories that precipitates created after swishing cranberry juice in the mouth are not the result of nanoparticles from chemtrails and air pollution but a well-known reaction of saliva mixed with…

Did several videos in countries around the world accurately show that tiny sharp nails or pins were in medicine capsules sealed in tamper-evident blister packs? No, that's not true: In February 2021 several videos circulated on the internet showing adulterated medicine capsules. The medicines pictured, from different manufacturers, have limited distribution in several different countries. Aside from the suspicious videos…

Does a viral video portray Americans trying to escape real zombies? No, that's not true: There is no such thing as a zombie, outside fiction and cinema. The clip was recorded in Paris, France. The video captured a mass panic of shoppers following a loud noise caused by a suicide in a shopping center. The claim appeared in a video…

Do images circulating on social media show press photos of Anthony Fauci under arrest and in police custody? No, that's not true: Fauci, the former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, has not been arrested. These are not photos of a real incident but are images generated by an artificial intelligence program. Jack Posobiec posted the…

Did DirecTV, an American video programming distributor, say it "will drop ABC" if the TV channel continues to broadcast "The View," a talk show originally created by Barbara Walters and, of this writing, co-hosted by Whoopi Goldberg? No, that's not true: The story first appeared on a satire website. The claim originated in an article (archived here) published by the…