Fact Checking

The Economist Should Hire A Fact Checker

Fake News is nothing new. No less than George Orwell was well aware of this phenomenon. Indeed, during his Spanish civil war days in 1936, he wrote these pithy remarks: “Early in life I had noticed that no event is ever correctly reported in a newspaper, but in Spain, for the first time, I saw …

Economy

Facebook's fact checking effort is failing say journalists working with the social media giant to contain fake news

Earlier this year, Facebook had announced that it would be using <b>third-party fact-checking websites</b> such as Snopes and Politifact to assess the …

Journalism

Could Luther Strange run as a write-in candidate in Alabama?

With Republican Alabama Senate nominee Roy Moore reeling from allegations of sexual improprieties with teenaged girls in the late 1970s, political …

Elections

How the Daily Nation used fact-checking as an antidote to poisoned election coverage

The Nation Newsplex, the data team of the Daily Nation, the highest circulation daily newspaper in Kenya, decided to use fact-checking to focus its …

Journalism

Is This a Marijuana Grower Hiding From Law Enforcement?

A video purportedly showing a marijuana grower hiding from police is not genuine footage.

Cannabis

Trump’s Bizarre Plane Story

President Donald Trump left a false impression that a plane carrying former President Barack Obama “came close but it didn’t land” in the Philippines …

Donald Trump

FACT CHECK: Edward Mordrake, the Man with Two Faces

CLAIM<p>A nineteenth-century British man named Edward Mordrake (also spelled "Mordake") was born with a rare medical condition in the form of a extra …

Sydney Ferry Christened 'Ferry McFerryface' After 'Boaty McBoatface' Overruled

A new Sydney Harbor ferry will be christened Ferry McFerryface — Sydney’s second favorite choice after the now famous jokey Mc-moniker, Boaty …

Australia

Fact file: Can a computer mark NAPLAN essays better than a teacher? - Fact Check - ABC News

Some call it "robo-marking" and it's about to be put to the test. Next year, for the first time, essays written by school children as part of their …

University of Melbourne

FACT CHECK: Is This a Group of Deported United States Military Veterans?

CLAIM<p>A photograph shows a group of deported veterans in the Mexican border city of Ciudad Juárez.<p>RATING<p>TRUE<p>ORIGIN<p>In November 2017, during the …

Veterans

Fact Check Were Any Clinton or Obama Judicial Nominees Deemed 'Not Qualified' by the ABA?

Four recent judicial nominees from President Donald Trump have received “not qualified” ratings from the American Bar Association, most notably Brett …

U.S. Politics

FACT CHECK: Did a Woman Say the Washington Post Offered Her $1,000 to Accuse Roy Moore of Sexual Abuse?

CLAIM<p>An Alabama woman claimed the Washington Post tried to pay her to come forward and make accusations of sexual abuse against Roy …

Roy Moore

Journal silently fixes emergency care paper - after misleading press coverage

Last month, a colleague of emergency medicine doctor Daniel Waxman sent him some newly reported findings that took him by surprise. Waxman knew from …

Health Care

Trump raised more dollars from small donations

Republican National Committee spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany wanted to highlight some good news: Trump’s "underreported" success with small dollar …

Elections

FACT CHECK: President Trump Abruptly Shuts Down Dogs for Wounded Warriors Program?

CLAIM<p>President Trump abruptly closed the Dogs for Wounded Warriors program.<p>RATING<p>MIXTURE<p>WHAT'S TRUE<p>Walter Reed National Military Medical Center …

Veterans

FACT CHECK: Did Saudi Arabia Behead Its First Robot Citizen?

CLAIM<p>An angry mob in Saudi Arabia beheaded "Sophia," a robot recently awarded citizenship.<p>RATING<p>FALSE<p>ORIGIN<p>Saudi Arabia caused controversy in October …

FACT CHECK: Is This Andre the Giant Holding a Beer Can?

CLAIM<p>A photograph shows Andre the Giant holding a 12 oz can of beer.<p>RATING<p>TRUE<p>ORIGIN<p>Andre the Giant has huge hands and you know what that means: He …

Andre the Giant

FACT CHECK: Does a Video Show Needlessly Wasted Food at an Ohio Walmart?

CLAIM<p>A Facebook Live video shows careless food waste at a Celina, Ohio Walmart.<p>RATING<p>MISCAPTIONED<p>ORIGIN<p>On 6 November 2017, user Gary Joe Ahrns shared …

Sustainability

Facebook’s Fact-checkers Say They’re Little More Than a P.R. Ploy

After the election, Facebook announced a fact-checking initiative to combat its fake-news problem. A year later, one said, “I don’t feel like it’s working at all.”<p>Mere minutes after the Sutherland Springs, Texas, church gunman was identified as <b>Devin Patrick Kelley,</b> posts surfaced on Twitter, …

Mike Cernovich

FACT CHECK: Was an Aquarium Employee Emasculated After a Sexual Assault on an Octopus?

CLAIM<p>A San Diego Zoo employee was hospitalized after trying to have sex with an octopus and sustaining heavy damage to his genitalia.<p>RATING<p>FALSE<p>ORIGIN<p>…

California

Fact Checker from The Washington Post

<b>No, the House GOP tax plan isn’t ‘so bad’ for rich people</b><p>President Trump made a personal appeal from an ocean away to ask moderate Senate Democrats to support the Republican tax plan. Calling National Economic Council Director Gary Cohn, who was in a meeting with the Democrats, Trump reportedly …

Ronald Reagan

Would Cruz amendment have prevented the church shooting?

Reacting to the church shootings in Sutherland Springs, Texas, Sen. Ted Cruz said there could have been laws on the books to prevent what happened, …

Ted Cruz

Fact check: Can you overdose from fentanyl left on shopping carts?

NEW YORK (CBS News) — A warning about the dangers of drug residue on shopping carts went viral this week — but experts were quick to cast doubt on …

Fentanyl

Fact check: Can you overdose from fentanyl on shopping cart handles?

(WHDH) – An Arkansas police department released a warning about potentially overdosing from fentanyl on shopping cart handles. However, some …

Fentanyl

FACT CHECK: Did Roy Moore Say Muslims Shouldn't Be Allowed to Serve in Congress?

CLAIM<p>U.S. Senate candidate from Alabama Roy Moore said that a practicing Muslim should not be allowed to serve in Congress by reason of his …

Mein Kampf

Malia Obama arrested for Antifa attack? Fake news

Fake news sites spread false rumors that former first daughter Malia Obama was arrested for participating in an Antifa attack — and to notch up the …

Malia Obama

AP FACT CHECK: China-US business deals are largely gloss

BEIJING (AP) — U.S. and Chinese officials have signed a seemingly significant package of trade and investment deals during President Donald Trump's visit. They say it's worth more than $250 billion.<p>But an AP Fact Check finds that the package is more about the art of diplomacy than the art of the …

China

Fake news story says Supreme Court issues bogus warrant

A fake news story spread by a liberal troll website said the U.S. Supreme Court issued a bench warrant for the arrest in a fictional case against the …

Censorship

Fact check: Has assisted dying been a legal slippery slope overseas? - Fact Check - ABC News

The claim<p>The right to die remains a fiery issue in Australia, with the Northern Territory the only jurisdiction to have legalised euthanasia, …

Assisted Suicide

Fact Check: Is Trump the First President Not to Take Questions in China?

After reports came out that President Donald Trump did not take questions during a press conference in China, several pundits, journalists, and …

Donald Trump