Fact Check on Wednesday, March 13, 2024

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 a fire on a Texas farm kill 12 million chickens in January 2024? No, that's not true: The figure circulating on social media reflects the total number of hens the current owner of the farm has in six different locations nationwide. In 2020, the farm partially damaged by the January 2024 fire housed roughly one million chickens. The claim…

Did U.S. Special Forces destroy a DEW, which stands for directed energy weapon, plane? No, that's not true: A Pentagon duty officer told Lead Stories the story is "false." The website that made the claim regularly publishes completely fabricated content. The claim appeared in an article published by Real Raw News on March 10, 2024, titled "Special Forces Destroy DEW…

Did officers with the U.S. Marshals service closely shadow President Joe Biden at the State of the Union address on March 7, 2024, and would the presence of the U.S. Marshals demonstrate that Biden is not the real president or that the man is not the real Joe Biden? No, that's not true: The president of the United States is…

Did vaccines cause an "explosion in autoimmune diseases"? No, that's not true: Only in rare cases has vaccination been associated with autoimmune diseases. Vaccines are rigorously tested for safety before being approved for use, and extensive research has shown that vaccines are not linked to an "explosion of autoimmune diseases." The claim appeared in a post and video (archived here)…