2022

Does a 2017 paper on resveratrol suggest it could be used to stop or treat monkeypox as part of the public health emergency declared in August 2024? No, that's not true: An author of the paper told Lead Stories that resveratrol was never tested on humans or animals in their research, and it's "unclear if it suppresses poxvirus replication." An…

Were NFL referees given authority to disqualify football players who kneeled during the U.S. national anthem? No, that's not true: The claim is from a satirical website whose articles Lead Stories has debunked before. Lead Stories found no actual news articles mentioning such change to the authority of NFL referees. The claim appeared in a post on Facebook (archived here)…

Did Michael Jordan say that kids who "can afford $8 cups of coffee" can also afford "to pay their own student loans" as a viral post on Facebook said? No, that's not true: the quote first appeared on a Facebook page that is part of a network of self-described satire websites and pages known for publishing made-up stories. If a…

Does an image of a post-blast orange cloud confirm that the Ukrainian Armed Forces used chemical weapons during their August 2024 incursion into Russia's Kursk region? No, that's not true: The picture shared on social media was taken in Iraq in 2015. It's unrelated to Ukraine's surprise cross-border attack on Russian territory. The claim appeared in a post (archived here)…

When former President Barack Obama described a metaphorical plan in 2022 to "flood" the public square with "raw sewage," did he present it as either his own or as that of the Democratic Party? No, that's not true: He was describing how propaganda works, not what he or the party was planning to do. He said this in a speech…

Did Fox News broadcast a segment about online influencer MrBeast starting his own online casino "where everyone wins"? No, that's not true: The video contained signs of digital manipulation, and an AI-detection tool further confirmed that the segment was not authentic. A Fox News spokesperson denied that the network aired such a segment. Lead Stories found no traces of the…

Does a viral picture prove that U.S. citizens participated in Ukraine's incursion into the territory of Russia in August 2024? No, that's not true: The photo predates the attack by roughly two years. It has been online since the fall of 2022. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) on X, formerly known as Twitter, by @aussiecossack on August…

Did Tim Walz coach the ninth-grade football team instead of the high school team that won a state championship and was he fired from that coaching position after getting a DUI? No, that's not true: Walz was one of the coaches for the Mankato West High School team that won the Minnesota state championship in 1999. He was never fired…

Did a girl named "Nora" go missing after she left for school, and will it help to find her if the local community shares a post on social media? No, that's not true: Posts like these are part of a scam that starts with an appeal to urgently share a post, which the spammers will edit later to become something…

Did American basketball player Brittney Griner make a public statement announcing she is leaving the United States? No, that's not true: Griner's long-time agent refuted the claim in an email to Lead Stories and there are no stories about any such announcement on any news websites. The rumor first appeared in an AI-generated article published by what appeared to be…