Fact Check

Did former Wyoming Representative Liz Cheney, a Republican, post on X that Republican leaders are "satires of men"? No, that's not true: This post is fabricated, using Liz Cheney's name and likeness but a subtly misspelled handle of "Liz_Choney." At the bottom of the "Choney" post are the words, "Parody by Back Rub." The "Choney" post originated on an X…

Are social media posts about a teenager named "Seven Whiteman," who supposedly went missing in several locations simultaneously, authentic? No, that's not true: This bait-and-switch post flips to a real estate ad. While the teen in the post's photos is a real girl who went missing, she was found on August 28, 2024, and was missing only in Tennessee. The…

Did police in Aurora, Colorado, issue a shelter-in-place order for the city on September 4, 2024, in response to Venezuelan gang violence? No, that's not true: Police told Lead Stories that the shelter-in-place order was due to a SWAT operation to arrest a man wanted on a felony menacing warrant. Residents were asked to stay inside for their safety while…

If elected to serve as Ireland's president, can MMA fighter Conor McGregor force legislators to convene and face questioning about their policies? No, that's not true: Ireland's Constitution does not grant such powers to any president. A professor of Ireland's constitutional law told Lead Stories McGregor's tweet claiming these powers was "constitutionally illiterate." The incorrect assertion about presidential powers in…

Did the NFL replace the U.S. national anthem with the "Black national anthem" at the 2024 NFL season opener? No, that's not true: The U.S. national anthem was sung by R&B artist Coco Jones, finishing to fireworks and a flyover of a B-2 stealth bomber. Before that, "Lift Evry Voice and Sing" was sung by gospel singer Tasha Cobbs Leonard.…

Is a screenshot that shows Apalachee High School shooting suspect Colt Gray as transgender and a supporter of Kamala Harris authentic? No, that's not true: The person behind the account frequently changes their profile picture and bio. A previous version of the account warns journalists, lawyers and others that "this context is all fake and made up." The screenshot is…

Did the TV network ABC sign a $400 million deal to give former Fox News host Tucker Carlson a late-night show that would replace current ABC talk show host Jimmy Kimmel? No, that's not true: The claim is from an online article labeled "Parody News," with a headline that said "SATIRE." A representative for ABC told Lead Stories the claim…

Does a photo on Facebook really show Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz in blackface? No, that's not true: This image came from the Facebook account for a satirical website that labels itself as all about fake content. The photo in the post is of actor John Slattery, not Walz. The photo appeared in a post on Facebook on August…

Did social media posts share the true story of a 79-year-old dad named Scott Doucette who was missing in Bristol, Connecticut, and several other places? No, that's not true: There is no active silver alert in Connecticut for a man named Scott Doucette. The posts are part of a known deception to trick people into sharing a post that will…

Does a viral video of "National Guard troops" prove that New York is about to declare martial law? No, that's not true: The particular unit captured on camera has been patrolling transportation hubs in New York City since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. According to the spokesperson for the New York State Division of Military and Naval Affairs,…

Does the appearance of people's hands in the "Walz's for Trump" picture confirm that the image was generated by artificial intelligence? No, that's not true: That conclusion appears to have been drawn from the examination of a low-quality version of the image that obscured some of the details present in the original post. A better-quality version of the picture does…

Did Kamala Harris say she would shut down X if elected, as posts on social media claimed based on a video where she said "He has lost his privileges"? No, that's not true: The video clip on social media is from an interview she did with CNN in 2019. A transcript of her remarks shows her comments were about Trump…

Does a video posted on X authentically show New York Gov. Kathy Hochul unable to open her left eye? No, that's not true: Lead Stories traced the clip back to its original version on YouTube, which showed Hochul with both eyes open and blinking normally while recording a public service announcement for the COVID-19 vaccine. The video was digitally altered.…

Does the plan to address prison overcrowding in England and Wales cut short sentences for sexual offenses? No, that's not true: Under current law many inmates typically serve 50% of their sentence in prison, followed by a probation period. A new plan would reduce that to 40% but with exceptions for certain convictions like sexual or violent offenses. Offenders with…

Was the Apalachee High School shooter identified as a trans girl named Samantha Hyde? No, that's not true: An internet hoax that misidentifies the suspect in mass shootings as "Sam" or "Samantha Hyde" has been going around since 2015. The 14-year-old suspect in the Georgia school shooting was identified by authorities as 14-year-old Colt Gray. The meme reappeared on X…

Did former NBA star Michael Jordan turn down a $200 million offer to do a commercial with current NBA star LeBron James, saying he would "never [work] with this woke creep?" No, that's not true: This story came from a website that calls itself satirical and "fake news." A representative for Jordan told Lead Stories there was "no truth" to…

Does a video show vice presidential candidate and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz dancing in a cowboy hat and revealing two-piece outfit? No, that's not true: The original video features another person. The face in the video was altered to look like Walz. The claim was implied in a post (archived here) published on X on September 4, 2024. The post…

Did the Minnesota Vikings football team denounce Tim Walz as a man whose values they do not support? No, that's not true: The comment comes from a satirical Facebook page that explicitly warns readers not to take it seriously. America -- Love It Or Leave It categorizes its Facebook page as satire/parody. The claim appeared in a post on Facebook…

By: Uliana Malashenko and Alan Duke Does an image showing eight people in "Walz's for Trump" T-shirts prove that the majority of the Democratic vice presidential nominee's family supports the Republican presidential candidate? No, that's not true: The image portrays a fraction of the dozens of Tim Walz's extended family members identified by Lead Stories through analysis of census records…

Does posting a statement ensure that users of Meta services will not have their data used in Meta's artificial intelligence training? No, that's not true: Posting the viral statement, or any other statement, doesn't mean that Meta will not use that data for AI training, but users in Europe can object via a form in their account settings. The statement…