Did American country folk singer Oliver Anthony file a cease-and-desist order against Tim Walz for using one of Anthony's songs? No, that's not true: This story first appeared on a Facebook page that says it is all about satire and parodies. Its website has a disclaimer that says "Nothing on this page is real" and a Google search brought up…
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 Netflix's stock drop almost 40 percent after a "big campaign donation announcement"? No, that's not true: The story originally came from a network of satirical websites and Facebook pages. A representative for Netflix confirmed public records showing the company's stock had not dropped 40 percent. Reed Hastings, Netflix's co-founder and executive chairman, did make a major personal donation to…
Did Caitlin Clark replace Brittney Griner on the Team USA women's Olympic basketball team due to rule-breaking by Griner? No, that is not true: The website the claim originated from is self-described as satirical and says on its "About Us" page that its content is "the freshest fake news." As of publication date, rookie sensation Clark had not been offered…
Did the U.S. Olympic Committee say that American swimmer Lia Thomas, the first openly transgender athlete to win an NCAA swimming championship Division I title, is "welcome to try out for the men's team," as a post on Facebook claimed? No, that's not true: The spoof article that made the claim was published by SpaceX Arena, a satirical website. SpaceX…
Did the Country Music Hall of Fame make a statement announcing that it would not consider Taylor Swift for induction because her music "is bubblegum, not country"? No, that's not true: The story came from a satirical website but then was reposted on social media without a disclaimer indicating that it was not a real news article. Lead Stories found…
Did swimmer Lia Thomas say she's leaving the United States for a "More Tolerant Country"? No, that's not true: This claim originally appeared in an article on a satirical website known for publishing fabricated content. The website where this claim originated has a disclaimer that reads, "Everything on this website is fiction." The claim reappeared in an article (archived here)…
Did professional wrestler and actor John Cena lose four sponsors "worth millions" after "humiliating himself" at the Oscars? No, that's not true: This claim is from an article on a satirical website known for publishing fabricated content. This website has a disclaimer that reads, "Everything on this website is fiction." The claim appeared in an article published by The Dunning-Kruger…
Did "Budweiser brands" not get invited to The Great American Beer Festival for the first time since 1982? No, that's not true: A representative from The Great American Beer Festival told Lead Stories that this claim was "incorrect." There is also a sentence in the article making this claim that says that what the satire site posts is not "necessarily…
Did the Kansas City Chiefs say they won't be re-signing Travis Kelce's contract and that they have "had it with the sideshow"? No, that's not true: This claim is from an article on a satirical website known for publishing fabricated content. This website has a disclaimer that reads, "Everything on this website is fiction." The claim appeared in an article…
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.
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