Society

Is New York City, one of the world's culinary capitals, "trying to ban meat"? No, that's not true: The rumor followed a Mayor's Office announcement about the reduction of food-related carbon emissions, not a complete prohibition of meat. Moreover, the emissions-reduction program focuses predominantly on the city's spending on food; as of this writing, the private sector does not have…

Did a photo recently surface that shows Jeffrey Epstein posing with four children on a tropical beach? No, that's not true: This is not a real photo but an image created with the AI program Midjourney. This image, and another in the same vein showing a likeness of Epstein posing with five children, were posted on Instagram by an account…

Does a map circulating on social media prove 3-year-old children can get a gender-affirming surgery in the United States? No, that's not true: There is no evidence that such surgeries have ever been performed on patients of this age, and the existing standards for gender-affirming care do not recommend any medical interventions before a person reaches puberty. The claim appeared…

Do tampons pull "moisture out of the vagina" to cause reproductive disorders such as tumors, ovarian cysts and fibroids? No, that's not true: Medical experts told Lead Stories there is no evidence that pulling "moisture out of the vagina" would result in reproductive disorders like tumors, ovarian cysts or fibroids as those are genetic and cell-driven processes unrelated to tampons…

Did President Joe Biden "push away" or snub U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak when Biden arrived in Belfast, Northern Ireland, on April 11, 2023? No, that's not true: The video in this post has been digitally edited. It was shortened to seem as if Biden did not recognize Sunak and instead mistook a British military member in uniform as the…

Did scientists find a "dimensional gateway" in Antarctica? No, that's not true: The evidence of the portals are computer-generated imagery, or CGI. Multiple photos used as background for these "dimensional gateway" photos are from stock image websites. There is no evidence from credible news outlets that scientists have found a dimensional gateway in Antarctica. The claim appeared in an article…

Can HIV be permanently cured by ingesting papaya leaf and black seed tea? No, that's not true: At the time of writing, no cure for HIV has been discovered by medical professionals. Although several false claims of a cure have been made since the emergence of the chronic disease in the 1970s, medical professionals have only found ways to treat…

Does fenbendazole cure cancer? No, that's not true: While there have been some experimental studies, it has not been approved as a cancer treatment in the United States. The claim appeared in a post republished from TikTok to Facebook on April 9, 2023. Its title said: Dog Dewormer Cures Lung, Brain, Liver Cancer!! This is what the post looked like…

Did the state of Ohio introduce a new death penalty procedure that "quickly and humanely rips off the heads of death row inmates using powerful robotic arms"? No, that's not true: This spoof news video is from ONN, the Onion News Network -- the video branch of theonion.com, a satire news website. The two-minute-long spoof news video titled "Ohio Replaces…

Did U.S. Army helicopters carrying troops in hazmat suits land on the campus of Utah State University and arrest five people for manufacturing ricin in April 2023? No, that's not true: The helicopters that landed on the campus on April 11, 2023, were involved in a demonstration by the school's Army ROTC program, the military science department head told Lead…

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 bill passed by the Washington State Legislature allow the "government to take minor children away" from their parents if "they refuse to agree to gender transition surgery"? No, that's not true: The legislation has no provision for removing children from their parents if they don't agree to gender affirmation surgery. The statute deals specifically with children who have…

Does a video circulating on social media show mixed martial arts fighter Fallon Fox speaking in a "male" voice? No, that's not true: The clip appears to have been digitally altered to make it sound lower. Fox, who is an openly transgender female athlete, denied that the recording reflects the way she speaks. Other videos of the same event show…

Did Michael Jordan turn down a $120 million deal with Disney on April 3, 2023? No, that's not true: This story originated from the website The Dunning-Kruger Times, which has a disclaimer stating, "Everything on this website is fictional." This website is in connection with the satirical network, "America's Last Line of Defense." America's Last Line of Defense has a…

Does a social media video prove that the advent of radio wave and mobile phone technology ushered in flu, COVID and other viral outbreaks from the 1900s on? No, that's not true: The emergence of these viruses is a natural process and not caused by technology itself. In addition, the timeline provided in the social media video doesn't establish cause…

Did then-presidential candidate Joe Biden claim that the biggest problem during the Revolutionary War was the fact that they did not have airports? No, that's not true: Biden was referring to something then-President Donald Trump had said in a speech. The Facebook video where this claim originated is misrepresenting Biden's speech by leaving out the context. The claim appeared on…

Is there a video clip of Russian President Vladimir Putin speaking in English to Americans and saying that they are interfering with their own democracy? No, that's not true: The clip is a "deepfake," a form of artificial intelligence used to appear as if it represents an actual event. The clip was created as a part of a voting campaign…

Does a photo show a sculpture named "Woman of our times" in Oxford, UK? No, that's not true: The artwork, which has a different name, has been displayed on streets of The Hague, Netherlands, since 2017. There is no evidence that it was relocated to Oxford. Also, the sculptor doesn't refer to the subject of this statue as a woman.…

Does this video show a crowd running from gunfire in Dadeville, Alabama, after a shooting at a birthday party on April 15, 2023? No, that's not true: This video footage of a large crowd running was filmed in Mobile, Alabama, on New Year's Eve 2023. The footage was posted on TikTok on January 1, 2023, by the man who filmed…

Did John F. Kennedy Jr. write a letter to Donald Trump following the 38-year-old magazine publisher's death on July 16, 1999? No, that's not true: former President Trump wrote in his book "The America We Deserve," published in 2000, that the letter was penned by JFK Jr. the day before Kennedy's death. Kennedy's official day of death is July 16,…