Lia Thomas

Can a shopper at Walmart opt out of wearing a protective face mask by presenting a numbered reference code at the door? No. The nation's largest retailer and its affiliate, Sam's Club, on July 15, 2020, issued a "masks-on" rule for all shoppers and employees. The "reference number" posted on social media that would purportedly allow you to opt out…

Do PCR (polymerase chain reaction) tests for coronavirus pierce the blood-brain barrier? No, that's not true: There's no way for a nasal swab to reach the barrier without going through bone, according to a leading public health expert who has studied the Covid-19 virus. The claim appeared as a Facebook post (archived here) on July, 6, 2020. It opened: This…

Is it true that you cannot catch the novel coronavirus, as a viral video suggests? No, that's not true: Viruses are contagious. The video is filled with inaccuracies and medically false information. Lead Stories reached out to a medical doctor in Atlanta who called the video "total garbage." The claims appeared in a post (archived here) published on Facebook by…

Are countries or U.S. states with a high rate of childhood vaccinations the hardest-hit with the novel coronavirus? No, that's not true: In fact, some of the countries with the lowest spread of the virus are those that have higher vaccination rates than the United States. The claim originated in a post (archived here) published on Facebook by Thomas Miller…

Did Fox News win a Pulitzer Prize for its reporting during the coronavirus crisis? Not, that's not true: The claim was made in a post on a site clearly labeled as satire and part of a well-known network of satirical websites that trolls conservatives with fiction to rile up their base. The claim appeared in an article (archived here) published…

Are fish antibiotics the same as human antibiotics and, therefore, perfectly safe for human consumption? No, that's not true: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration warns that drugs shouldn't be shared "between species" because, among other reasons, pet antibiotics aren't evaluated the same way for safety and aren't required to meet the same standards. The claim that the antibiotics are…

Did the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency arrest an undocumented citizen working at California's drivers' license facility who illegally registered thousands of voters? No, that's not true: This claim was published on a satire site and copied and republished by others sites who failed to note the satirical nature of the original. This did not happen. ICE made no…

Did the FBI ignore evidence that Hillary Clinton put a hit out on Associate Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh? No, that's not true: This is a work of satire put out by a site that trolls conservatives with fabricated stories in hopes they will be gullible enough to believe and share it as real news. The claim originated from an…

Did the U.S. Department of Justice order a raid on former President Barack Obama's compound after an audit detected a massive fraud? No, that's not true: The story is a work of satire, and the author of the post is trolling conservatives into believing and sharing these made-up stories as though they were real. The false claim originated from an…

Did President Trump invoke Article 9 of the U.S. Constitution to begin the prosecution of Democrats for treason? No, that's not true: First, there is no Article 9 to the U.S. Constiution, which has seven articles. And this is a satirical story created by a website that publishes fake content aimed at a conservative audience. The claim originated from an…