South Africa

Did a major tsunami hit Turkey soon after the February 6, 2023, earthquake? No, that's not true: Turkey's Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency reported on February 6, 2023, that there was no danger of a tsunami striking the country's Eastern Mediterranean coastline. The International Tsunami Information Center gave Lead Stories a report that showed no significant rise in sea levels.…

Is Hellmann's mayonnaise being discontinued in the United States, Canada and other countries around the globe? No, that's not true: Hellmann's will not be available for sale in South Africa, but there is no change in any other country, a spokeswoman for Hellmann's told Lead Stories. The claim appeared in a Facebook post (archived here) published January 30, 2023. It…

Are Black Americans descended from the original indigenous inhabitants of North America and not from enslaved persons taken from Africa? No, that's not true: This notion descends from the Moorish Science Temple, a pseudoscience organization that argues without evidence that Black people are of "Moorish" descent and the original indigenous group of North America. Black Americans are descendants of enslaved…

Did Elon Musk announce, as of December 24, 2022, that he is running for president? No, that's not true: As one of the most-reported-on persons of 2022, any such announcement would have been a top story for dozens of credible professional news organizations. No such reporting existed as of December 27, 2022. Nor had Musk, who owns Twitter and uses…

Does this short video of a dramatic layered cloud demonstrate "what the end of the world looks like" -- is it an impending scary natural disaster? No, that's not true: While we can't predict what the end of the world will look like, the clouds in the photo are Altocumulus Standing Lenticular (ACSL) clouds, which are typically formed by strong…

Does the song "Jingle Bells" make a hidden reference to slaves forced to wear bells so they could be easily tracked if they tried to escape under the cover of night? No, that's not true: The song "Jingle Bells," originally named "One Horse Open Sleigh," is a song about the fun of a winter sleigh ride. The song is not…

Was the statement that HIV causes AIDS "made Up"? No, that's not true: It's an established fact, proven by numerous scientific studies. However, posts on social media continue to claim otherwise. A recent example appeared on Facebook on December 15, 2022, under the text line: SHARE THE SHIT OUT OF THIS!!!! A video opened with a narrator saying: Under the…

Does a map showing "Terra-Infinita" show a real place composed of 178 worlds that exist beyond the domed territory of the "Known Lands" of Earth, ringed by a giant wall of ice and guarded by "custodians"? No, that's not true: This detailed map is an illustration from a science fiction series written and published by Claudio Nocelli, also known by…

Does the misspelled, separated name of fashion house Balenciaga as "Baal enci aga" translate to "Baal is the king" in Latin? No, that's not true: The claim arises from bugs in Google Translate. In Latin, "Baal is the king" would be "Baal est rex". In Latin, "enci" is not a word and "aga" is the root of several words but…

Did Pope Francis write an inspirational quote that begins, "Rivers do not drink their own water"? No, that's not true: A Vatican spokeswoman told Lead Stories the quote was not authentic. The same quote is attributed to other spiritual leaders, and scholars say the quote probably has roots in an old Sanskrit proverb. The claim appeared in an Instagram post…