Qanon

Did Melania Trump wear a dress to the Mount Rushmore event on July 3, 2020, that featured drawings made by young sex trafficking victims? No, that's not true: The first lady's dress features sketches by university students from a London arts school taking part in a project at the Alexander McQueen store in London. There is no connection between the…

Is actor Matt Damon planning to leave the United States for Australia to get away from Donald Trump? No, he's not: That's a two-year-old rumor that has been debunked but still keeps circulating. His spokesman denied Damon was moving in 2018. The old claim reappeared as an article published by West News Studio on June 14, 2020, (archived here)…

Was a man serious when he told a journalist that George Soros invited him to lunch, paid him by personal check to protest, and made him rich? No, that's not true: A video of the "paid protester" is a 3-year-old spoof, according to the man who conducted the faux interview and posted the original two-minute video. Furthermore, the man featured…

Did Bill Gates tell a CNBC interviewer that he's made or will make $200 billion from the $10 billion his charitable foundation invested in vaccines? No, that's not true: in an interview Gates estimated that the economic benefits to the world from his $10 billlion in charitable investments totalled $200 billion, he did not say that he personally profited or…

Did the New York Times publish a video featuring an ER physician at Elmhurst Hospital who was peddling lies and doesn't even work at the hospital? No, that's not true: Dr. Colleen Smith does work at the Queens, New York, hospital and offered insight into the overwhelming conditions hospitals face in combatting COVID-19. The idea that she isn't legitimate is…

Has hotel giant Marriott International effectively denied employees unemployment and health benefits by saying the company had not laid them off, instead putting them on a zero-hour schedule? No, that's misleading: The person who initially posted this claim went on to provide updates to clarify the situation, but not before his original post went viral, prompting some to demand a…

Was Tom Hanks arrested for pedophilia? No, this is not true: Hanks, who was being treated after contracting the novel coronavirus, was not arrested for pedophilia and being held in a hotel room in Australia as claimed as part of the QAnon conspiracy theory that Hanks and others are pedophiles or financial criminals being round up for alleged roles in…

Did several guests at the recent State of the Union wear American flag pins with the "Q" logo on them? No, that's not true: While supporters of the so-called QAnon conspiracy theory claimed that several guests were wearing "Q" flag pins, we enhanced the images in question. The pins actually featured what appears to be a presidential seal, not the…

Did members of the media falsify an FBI intelligence bulletin that warned conspiracy theories are a new domestic terrorism threat? No, that's not true: The FBI has commented to Lead Stories about the document, and multiple members of the media, including The New York Times, NBC News, and The Hill, have all reported on its existence. The claim originated from…

Did billionaire philanthropist and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates help fund a patent for the Wuhan coronavirus? No, that's not true: The Pirbright Institute addressed the conspiracy theories and said the patents involve infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) only, and the Gates Foundation did not fund that work. The claim originated from an article (archived here) published by Natural News on January…