Do these photos show former President Donald Trump being arrested by a group of New York City law enforcement officers? No, that's not true: At the time these images appeared online, on March 20, 2023, and March 21, 2023, Trump had not been indicted or arrested. These images were generated with an artificial intelligence program that produces images from text…

Was the "Teletubbies" television show based on a story of four psychotic children who purportedly were abused and who ultimately died horrifying deaths in a mental health institution? No, that's not true: The creators of the show said they were inspired by astronauts from the moon landing in creating their characters and by British comedians. The claim appeared in a…

Does a photo of a helicopter airlifting a large creature show evidence that Bigfoot is real? No, that's not true: This image has been edited. The silhouette of the Bigfoot that appears below the helicopter was pulled from a popular 2006 edited-photo hoax. "The Dead Bigfoot Photo" was debunked in 2015 when the original, unedited photo of an Alaskan hunter…

Can simply answering three or four questions and paying a nominal handling fee qualify people to redeem tickets, receive expensive products, $500 or even $1,000 gift cards, store credit or compensation from well-known brands? No, that's not true: In the first quarter of 2023, Lead Stories tracked a large-scale phishing operation on Facebook that manipulatively tricks people into divulging personal…

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…

Does a "previously censored video" show antifa members dressing up as supporters of Donald Trump in Washington, D.C., on January 6, 2021? No, that's not true: The video found on social media was not censored before and features a short clip from a much longer video by actor Walter Masterson, who was out that day to record comedy bits but…

Is there evidence that shilajit, a substance originating from high mountain rocks, can cure any form of cancer in two days? No, that's not true: While some rodent studies testing the effects of shilajit along with proven cancer treatments seem promising, and while cell culture studies using shilajit also seem promising, there has not been any consensus among medical professionals…

Are self-administered coffee enemas an effective way to remove toxins in the body and safe enough to be considered "not that big of a deal"? No, that's missing context: The claim that do it yourself at-home coffee enemas are a safe and effective way to cleans toxins from the body is not proven by any scientific or medical data. A…

Does a video on social media show a genetically modified (GM) mosquito with a number stamped on it? No, that's not true: An insect expert at the University of Wisconsin-Madison said the bug shown in the video "does not appear to be a mosquito." He added that the markings on the insect are "almost certainly natural," not manmade. The claim…

Does ankle massage relieve migraines and headaches "instantly"? No, that's not true: It is not a widely accepted scientific consensus. While there is some research suggesting that massage may be beneficial to alleviate the impact of stress, one of the migraine's major triggers, the National Institute of Integrative and Complementary Health explains that existing studies show inconclusive results. More importantly,…