Skit Video

Was a child saved from being abducted by the actions of a street-smart ice cream vendor who saw something suspicious? No, that's not true: This is a dramatic skit produced as if it were a security-camera view of a close call caught on tape. Although filmed from an elevated perspective, the footage does not appear to be from a mounted…

Is mixing four drops of oregano oil in water a good natural antibiotic? No, that's not true: Joan Salge Blake, a clinical nutrition professor at Boston University, told Lead Stories that this mixture is not an antibiotic. Abbey Sharp, a registered dietitian, also told us that while oregano oil has some antimicrobial properties, it should not be used as a…

Did several Drug Enforcement Administration agents accept the assistance of two men they pulled over who were in a purportedly stolen vehicle to then go into the woods and bust an active drug-cooking operation? No, that's not true: This video depicts a fictional scenario, one of a series made by video creator PhilTheThrill. The video was published on Facebook by…

Did a police officer, believing there was a domestic incident, knock for 10 minutes on the door of a house where no one lives until the homeowner arrives and tells her the house was empty? No, that's not true: This video is a scripted skit. There are several indications that this security camera-style footage does not show a real police…

Is the ESPN tweet about "a noose found in Bubba Wallace's stall at Talladega Superspeedway" correct? Yes, but it is missing context that makes it clear the noose's message was not likely intended for Wallace. The tweet is a 2:54 video trailer for an ESPN TV special documentary titled, "E60: Fistful of Steel: The Rise of Bubba Wallace," that includes…

Wanted for Defamation On November 5, 2021, a website named Conservative Beaver published a false story about the CEO of Pfizer being arrested for fraud. It wasn't the first false story published by the website and it wouldn't be the last: Only a few days later the site falsely claimed Myriam Bourla (the wife of Pfizer's CEO Albert Bourla) died…

Did a scene between a passenger, flight attendant and airline captain erupt on a plane about the passenger not wanting to sit next to someone who had not been vaccinated? No, that's not true: The scene was staged and filmed, and listed on Internet Movie Database (IMDb). Both the passenger and the captain are actors who have profiles on IMDb…

Does a widely shared video show a real instance of a woman in a wheelchair pretending to have lost her leg to collect money and then being confronted about her fakery? No, that's not true: The video shows several signs of being staged. The claim appeared in a Facebook post (archived here) from August 27, 2021. It featured a video…

Does a video show a "Karen"-like woman stealing mail? No, that's not true: The video is a skit made by the person behind a well-known TikTok account. The claim appeared as an Instagram video (archived here) on July 1, 2021. It opened: this lady keeps stealing my mail Social media users saw this: (Source: Instagram screenshot taken on Fri Jul…

Did a police officer help a homeless man who was trying to take a shower in a car wash? No, that's not true: This three-minute video drama was originally posted by Blake K, a video producer who makes short skits for social media. This video was originally posted with the disclaimer: "The events that take place in this particular short-film…