News Punch

Was a 42-year old man man named Joel Miller in Omaha, Nebraska arrested after killing thirty pedophiles (or "just" registered sex offenders)? No, that's not true: the story originated from a site that has a disclaimer which says it only publishes fiction and the photo used to illustrate the story actually was taken in Glendale, California years earlier. The story…

Did an a Muslim commit "honor murders" of his wife and two daughters in Arizona and then claim that "Allah told him to do it?" No, that's not true: A murder suspect in Phoenix did tell police God told him to kill his wife and children because he suspected she was having an affair, but investigators confirmed to Lead Stories…

Did the FBI admit that President Barack Obama lied to the nation about Hillary Clinton's email? No, that's not true: The article making the claim misrepresents a Judicial Watch report that an FBI official disclosed in a deposition that one of the sources for recovered Clinton emails was the server for the Executive Office of the President. The official did…

Did over 30,000 scientists declare global climate change a hoax? No, that's not true: The "scientists" referenced in a story making the claim were people who signed an online petition that said there was "no convincing scientific evidence" of global warming caused by human release of gases. The petition did not call it a "hoax." The signers' qualifications as "scientists"…

Did Democrats say that American taxpayers must pay reparations to illegal aliens? No, that's not true: The claim is a distortion of a statement made by a member of congress in reference to children separated from parents after arriving at the border to apply for asylum in the United States. Rep. Pramila Jayapal said the federal goverment must "make reparations"…

Did Pope Francis compare Christians to a fungus during an address in Morocco? No, that's not true: The speech quoted in misleading stories included the pope quoting a biblical passage in which Jesus responds to a question about the nature of the Kingdom of God by saying "It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three…

Did an "unnamed source" say Jussie Smollett's phone records showed over 200 calls and texts from Kamala Harris and DNC operatives? No, that's not true: the source of this rumor appears to be a Reddit post by someone speculatively making a joke about a possible coverup but without any evidence to back up that assertion. The story seems to have…

Did firefighters in Northern California suffer neurological damage after contact with 5G cell towers? No, despite claims in several trending reports there is no "new university study" or other scientific evidence to support the claim that installation of the latest evolution of mobile communication towers -- known as 5G -- has caused such harm. An indepth look at the sourcing…

Did Russian President Vladimir Putin ban all Microsoft products from Russia? No, that's not true: a 2016 article was reposted to Facebook by website that has a reputation for making up unsubstantiated claims in its headlines that are not backed by the content of the articles it links to. The story originated from an article (archived here) on NewsPunch where…

Did an unnamed woman admit she was paid to frame Bill Cosby with rape? No, that's not true: a South African website copied an old conspiracy article from NewsPunch/YourNewsWire but the theory it comes up with does not make sense from a timing perspective. It also relies on unnamed sources that can't be verified. The story recently went viral again…