Georgia

Does a viral image show a large group of Ukrainian soldiers praying during the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict? No, that's not true: Although the image does show soldiers on their knees in prayer, the image was taken years before the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The claim was implied in a Facebook post (archived here) on March 6, 2022. It has an…

Were Russian and Ukrainian soldiers filmed dancing together, and is this evidence that there is no conflict between Russia and Ukraine and that the Russian army is actually in Ukraine to battle the Deep State? No, that's not true: This video showing unidentified soldiers dancing was posted online on February 18, 2022, a full week before Russia launched its attack…

Did a grand jury charge Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, with murder? No, that's not true: No legally recognized grand jury has been convened to indict Fauci on any charges. The fake court proceeding previously identified itself as the "Grand Jury of the World Criminal Court." No government recognizes the "World…

Is former President Donald Trump "OFFICIALLY" a candidate for president in the 2024 U.S. election? No, that's not true: Official candidates in federal U.S. elections must file with the Federal Election Commission, which Trump has not done as of February 3, 2022. The claim appeared in a Facebook post (archived here) by Freedoms 2021 on January 26, 2022. It opens:…

Did the so-called "Freedom Convoy" of Canadian truckers who were primarily protesting COVID-19 vaccine mandates make it into the Guinness World Records book for "longest convoy?" No, that's not true: A spokesperson for Guinness World Records told Lead Stories that the convoy was not an official attempt to break such a record. The claim appeared in an Instagram post on…

Ms. Susan Wojcicki, It's been almost two years since the COVID-19 pandemic started. The world has seen time and time again how destructive disinformation and misinformation can be for social harmony, democracy, and public health; too many lives and livelihoods have been ruined, and far too many people have lost loved ones to disinformation. As an international network of fact-checking…

Did Air Force Col. Joe Jackson die in 2020 with his death ignored by the public and media? No, that's not true: He died on January 12, 2019, according to multiple sources including the obituary from Jackson's hometown newspaper, The Washington Post, the Department of Defense website and an article in the Air Force Times. The claim appeared in a…

Does a 2021 Tennessee law make it illegal to teach Black history in the state? No, that's not true: While the law does not ban the teaching of Black history, or any ethnic group's history, it greatly restricts what public school teachers can discuss in Tennessee classrooms about racism, white privilege and unconscious bias. The claim appears in an opinion…

Is bathing in a mixture of borax, baking soda, "Indian healing clay" and Epsom salt a good way to "detox" the COVID-19 vaccine from your body? No, that's not true: There is no scientific evidence that bathing in a borax mixture will remove the vaccine from your body. Dr. William Schaffner, a professor of preventive medicine, told Lead Stories that…

Did Georgia election officials fall short of producing all the 2020 election ballot images required by law? Yes, that's true: A top Georgia election official says not all the scans of original ballots were transferred into the election management system. But that doesn't tell the full story. Election officials still have all the original ballots cast by 5 million Georgia…