Qanon

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…

Did former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton say that "man-machine hybrids could live for centuries"? No, that's not true: A meme that users are sharing contains a made-up quote, and the accompanying image has been put through a filter to make Clinton appear older. The quote originated from a meme (archived here) published by qanonofficial on December 13, 2019. It…

Did a "high-level exercise" conducted three months ago show that a coronavirus pandemic could kill 65 million people? No, that's not true: The organizers of the event, which was held in October 2019, have issued a statement saying that they made no such prediction during the "tabletop exercise." The claim appears to have originated from an article published by The…