Lead Stories
US icon US UK icon UK EU icon Europe & EU Democrats icon Blue Feed Republicans icon Red Feed Deepfakes icon Deep fakes Breaking icon Breaking News

News Punch

  • Fake News: Pope Francis Did NOT Compare Christians To Fungus

    Fact Check

    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…

    • Apr 6, 2019
    • by: Alan Duke
    Fake News: Pope Francis Did NOT Compare Christians To Fungus
  • Fake News: NO Unnamed Source Said Jussie Smollett Phone Records Showed Over 200 Calls And Texts From Kamala Harris and DNC operatives

    Fact Check

    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…

    • Mar 30, 2019
    • by: Maarten Schenk
    Fake News: NO Unnamed Source Said Jussie Smollett Phone Records Showed Over 200 Calls And Texts From Kamala Harris and DNC operatives
  • Fake News: Firefighters DID NOT Suffer Neurological Damage After Contact With 5G Cell Towers

    Fact Check

    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…

    • Mar 4, 2019
    • by: Alan Duke
    Fake News: Firefighters DID NOT Suffer Neurological Damage After Contact With 5G Cell Towers
  • Fake News: Putin Did NOT Ban Microsoft Products From Russia

    Fact Check

    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…

    • Mar 4, 2019
    • by: Maarten Schenk
    Fake News: Putin Did NOT Ban Microsoft Products From Russia
  • Fake News: Woman Did NOT Admit She Was Paid to Frame Cosby With Rape

    Fact Check

    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…

    • Feb 27, 2019
    • by: Maarten Schenk
    Fake News: Woman Did NOT Admit She Was Paid to Frame Cosby With Rape
  • Fake News: Pope Francis Did NOT Say World Government Must Rule U.S. 'For Their Own Good'

    Fact Check

    Did Pope Francis say a world government must rule the U.S. for their own good? No, that's not true: the story was made up by a website that attracts clicks and visitors by taking existing news reports out of context and adding an incendiary headline to it, often containing made up facts that are not found in the sources the…

    • Feb 14, 2019
    • by: Maarten Schenk
    Fake News: Pope Francis Did NOT Say World Government Must Rule U.S. 'For Their Own Good'
  • Old Fake News: NO NFL Lawyer Found Dead, Did NOT Claim Super Bowl Is 'Rigged'

    Fact Check

    Was NFL lawyer Dan Goodes found dead after claiming the Super Bowl is rigged? No, that's not true: an old copy of a fake story published in 2018 went viral again after being posted to several large Facebook groups and pages in 2019 but it is still not true. The copy of the story was an article published on Fabruary…

    • Jan 29, 2019
    • by: Maarten Schenk
    Old Fake News: NO NFL Lawyer Found Dead, Did NOT Claim Super Bowl Is 'Rigged'
  • Fake News: 10,800 U.S. Children Were NOT Raped By Illegal Immigrants in 2018

    Fact Check

    Were 10,800 U.S. children raped by illegal immigrants in 2018? Almost certainly not. The actual statistics haven't been published yet and the 10,800 number is just a very sloppy extrapolation based on data from one state that also includes non-rapes. The story went viral via an article published on January 2, 2019 titled "NCFIRE: 10,800 U.S. Children Were Raped By…

    • Jan 2, 2019
    • by: Maarten Schenk
    Fake News: 10,800 U.S. Children Were NOT Raped By Illegal Immigrants in 2018
  • Fake News: Angela Merkel Did NOT Say Nation States Must Give Up Sovereignty To New World Order

    Fact Check

    Did Angela Merkel say states must give up sovereignty to the "New World Order"? No, that's not true: while Merkel did call on states to surrender some sovereignty she did not mention a "New World Order" and she stressed the importance of parliamentary approval for this process. The article making the claim also contained several other doctored or made up…

    • Dec 30, 2018
    • by: Maarten Schenk
    Fake News: Angela Merkel Did NOT Say Nation States Must Give Up Sovereignty To New World Order
  • Fake News: 'Belgians' Did NOT 'Rise Up' & 'Overthrow' Government For Signing UN Global Migration Pact

    Fact Check

    Did "Belgian patriots" rise up and overthrow the Belgian Government for signing the UN Global Compact on Migration? No, that's not true. The Belgian cabinet did fall and it was over support for the UN pact but there was no "uprising" (just a demonstration of about 5,500 people) and most people marching in it would be offended to be described…

    • Dec 20, 2018
    • by: Maarten Schenk
    Fake News: 'Belgians' Did NOT 'Rise Up' & 'Overthrow' Government For Signing UN Global Migration Pact
8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

About Us

EFCSN International Fact-Checking Organization

Lead Stories is a fact checking website that is always looking for the latest false, misleading, deceptive or inaccurate stories, videos or images going viral on the internet.
Spotted something? Let us know!.

Lead Stories is a:

  • Verified signatory of the IFCN Code of Principles
  • Verified EFCSN member

Follow us on social media

WhatsApp Tipline

Have a tip or a question? Chat with our friendly robots on WhatsApp!

Add our number +1 (404) 655-4223, follow this link or scan the image below with your phone:

@leadstories

Subscribe to our newsletter

* indicates required

Please select all the ways you would like to hear from Lead Stories LLC:

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. For information about our privacy practices, please visit our website.

We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By clicking below to subscribe, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing. Learn more about Mailchimp's privacy practices here.

Most Read

  • Fact Check: Nancy Pelosi Did NOT Face $350 Million Lawsuit From 500 January 6 Defendants, in June 2025 Satire Origin

    Fact Check: Nancy Pelosi Did NOT Face $350 Million Lawsuit From 500 January 6 Defendants, in June 2025

    Fact Check

    • Jul 2, 2025
    • by: Lead Stories Staff
  • What We Know About a Viral Video That Claims ICE is Throwing Deported Immigrants Off Planes and Into the Ocean What We Know

    What We Know About a Viral Video That Claims ICE is Throwing Deported Immigrants Off Planes and Into the Ocean

    Fact Check

    • Jul 2, 2025
    • by: Uliana Malashenko
  • Fact Check: Video Of Big Woman Jumping Off And Sinking Boat IS NOT Real -- A Deepfake  Deep Fake

    Fact Check: Video Of Big Woman Jumping Off And Sinking Boat IS NOT Real -- A Deepfake

    Fact Check

    • Jul 1, 2025
    • by: Alan Duke
  • Fact Check: Pro-Trump Cuban Singer is NOT 'Janet Correa', Whose Husband Later Faced Deportation Wrong Person

    Fact Check: Pro-Trump Cuban Singer is NOT 'Janet Correa', Whose Husband Later Faced Deportation

    Fact Check

    • Jun 24, 2025
    • by: Lead Stories Staff
  • Fact Check: Video Does NOT Show Incinerators Being Installed At 'Alligator Alcatraz' Facility In Florida -- Old Video From Minnesota Old Footage

    Fact Check: Video Does NOT Show Incinerators Being Installed At 'Alligator Alcatraz' Facility In Florida -- Old Video From Minnesota

    Fact Check

    • Jul 4, 2025
    • by: Uliana Malashenko
  • Fact Check: Spoof 'Oscar Mayer Freedom Franks' Image Originated On Satirical Account Posting Fake Products Freedom Satire

    Fact Check: Spoof 'Oscar Mayer Freedom Franks' Image Originated On Satirical Account Posting Fake Products

    Fact Check

    • May 24, 2025
    • by: Maarten Schenk
  • Fact Check: Population of 'Tremont, Nevada' Did NOT Disappear in 1954 -- Town Never Existed Horror Fiction

    Fact Check: Population of 'Tremont, Nevada' Did NOT Disappear in 1954 -- Town Never Existed

    Fact Check

    • May 29, 2025
    • by: Lead Stories Staff

Most Recent

  • Fact Check: AI Video Did NOT Show 'White Auroras' Over Norway -- Generated With AI AI Phenomenon

    Fact Check: AI Video Did NOT Show 'White Auroras' Over Norway -- Generated With AI

    Fact Check

    • Jul 4, 2025
    • by: Maarten Schenk
  • Fact Check: Video Does NOT Show Incinerators Being Installed At 'Alligator Alcatraz' Facility In Florida -- Old Video From Minnesota Old Footage

    Fact Check: Video Does NOT Show Incinerators Being Installed At 'Alligator Alcatraz' Facility In Florida -- Old Video From Minnesota

    Fact Check

    • Jul 4, 2025
    • by: Uliana Malashenko
  • Fact Check: Image of 'Alligator Alcatraz' With A Moat Is NOT Real -- AI Photo No Moat

    Fact Check: Image of 'Alligator Alcatraz' With A Moat Is NOT Real -- AI Photo

    Fact Check

    • Jul 3, 2025
    • by: Alan Duke
  • Fact Check: Old Video Screencap Shows White House 'Turned All Red' -- 2022 Event For Gun Violence Awareness 2022 Screencap

    Fact Check: Old Video Screencap Shows White House 'Turned All Red' -- 2022 Event For Gun Violence Awareness

    Fact Check

    • Jul 3, 2025
    • by: Maarten Schenk
  • Fact Check: Video Game Footage Does NOT Show Actual Downing Of Israeli Plane -- Footage NOT Released by Iran Game Video

    Fact Check: Video Game Footage Does NOT Show Actual Downing Of Israeli Plane -- Footage NOT Released by Iran

    Fact Check

    • Jul 3, 2025
    • by: Maarten Schenk
  • What We Know About a Viral Video That Claims ICE is Throwing Deported Immigrants Off Planes and Into the Ocean What We Know

    What We Know About a Viral Video That Claims ICE is Throwing Deported Immigrants Off Planes and Into the Ocean

    Fact Check

    • Jul 2, 2025
    • by: Uliana Malashenko
  • Fact Check: Nancy Pelosi Did NOT Face $350 Million Lawsuit From 500 January 6 Defendants, in June 2025 Satire Origin

    Fact Check: Nancy Pelosi Did NOT Face $350 Million Lawsuit From 500 January 6 Defendants, in June 2025

    Fact Check

    • Jul 2, 2025
    • by: Lead Stories Staff

Share your opinion

Share Tweet
Home About IFCN Code of Principles How we work Satire Policy Privacy Policy Corrections Policy Corrections Archive Contact
Български English Espanol Magyar Română Русский Slovensky Українська

Lead Stories is a fact checking website that is always looking for the latest false, misleading, deceptive or inaccurate stories, videos or images going viral on the internet.
Spotted something? Let us know!.

Lead Stories is a:

  • Verified signatory of the IFCN Code of Principles
  • Verified EFCSN member
IFCN logo EFCSN logo
© 2015-2024 Lead Stories LLC - All rights reserved.

Lead Stories

  • Home
  • Fact Check
  • US icon US
  • UK icon UK
  • EU icon Europe & EU
  • Ireland icon Ireland
  • Canada icon Canada
  • War icon War 🇷🇺 & 🇺🇦
  • Coronavirus icon Corona Virus
  • Democrats icon Blue Feed
  • Republicans icon Red Feed
  • Deepfakes icon Deep fakes
  • Breaking icon Breaking News
  • Elections icon Elections 2024
  • Business
  • Current Events
  • Entertainment
  • Health
  • International
  • Politics
  • Science
  • Sports
  • Society
  • Technology
  • Corrections
  • Analysis
  • Explainer
  • Satire