Facebook Twitter Tumblr Close Skip to main content
A Project of The Annenberg Public Policy Center

Posts Misrepresent U.N. Panel’s Guidance on Consensual Sex Between Adolescents

Posts Misrepresent U.N. Panel’s Guidance on Consensual Sex Between Adolescents

An international judicial panel working with the United Nations’ AIDS agency issued recommendations in March on laws related to sexual conduct, including consensual sex between adolescents. Social media posts misrepresented the recommendations, with one falsely claiming, “UN wants to decriminalize sex between minors and adults.”

Warming Beyond 1.5 C Harmful, But Not a Point of No Return, as Biden Claims 

Warming Beyond 1.5 C Harmful, But Not a Point of No Return, as Biden Claims 

It’s increasingly likely that the planet will reach 1.5 degrees Celsius, or 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit, of warming, probably within the next two decades. But while that level of warming comes with a variety of dangerous effects, it’s not a point of no return, scientists say, and it doesn’t mean “we’re done,” as President Joe Biden has claimed. 

FactChecking Biden’s Reelection Remarks

FactChecking Biden’s Reelection Remarks

President Joe Biden announced on April 25 that he would run for reelection in the 2024 campaign. In his video announcement and a speech later that day to a union group, Biden repeated several claims we’ve fact-checked before.

Masking Has Minimal Effects on Respiratory System, Does Not Cause Long COVID

Masking Has Minimal Effects on Respiratory System, Does Not Cause Long COVID

Long COVID is a collection of health problems caused by COVID-19 that remain or appear following the initial infection. It is implausible that face masks cause long COVID, contrary to claims made online. Mask use can temporarily cause discomfort, but physiological effects are not biologically meaningful.

We’re a Webby People’s Voice Winner

We’re a Webby People’s Voice Winner

Thanks to our loyal readers who voted, FactCheck.org has won the 2023 Webby People’s Voice Award in the category for Websites and Mobile Sites: News & Politics.

Posts Mislead on Rules for Guns at NRA Convention, Utah GOP Event

Posts Mislead on Rules for Guns at NRA Convention, Utah GOP Event

The three-day National Rifle Association convention in Indianapolis allowed attendees to carry firearms, except for a two-hour period when former President Donald Trump and other leaders spoke in a hall secured by the Secret Service. Yet, social media posts from a Democratic advocacy group misleadingly claimed that “guns were BANNED at the NRA convention.”

Dueling Ads: Trump and DeSantis on Social Security and Medicare

Dueling Ads: Trump and DeSantis on Social Security and Medicare

Former President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis both say they do not support cuts to Social Security. But dueling ads from super PACs supporting their presidential bids say past statements or actions suggest they once did, and therefore seniors should not trust them.

FBI Access Request Is Not Evidence White House ‘Lied’ About Not Being ‘Involved’ in ‘Mar-a-Lago Raid’

FBI Access Request Is Not Evidence White House ‘Lied’ About Not Being ‘Involved’ in ‘Mar-a-Lago Raid’

There’s no evidence the White House aided or had prior knowledge of the FBI’s search of Mar-a-Lago in August 2022. By law, the White House requested access for the FBI to review the classified documents that former President Donald Trump turned over seven months earlier. That doesn’t mean the White House was “involved” in the “raid” that came later and “lied” about it, as a conservative commentator claimed.

No Evidence Excess Deaths Linked to Vaccines, Contrary to Claims Online

No Evidence Excess Deaths Linked to Vaccines, Contrary to Claims Online

COVID-19 vaccines substantially reduce the risk of dying from COVID-19, and serious side effects are very rare. Excess deaths among working-age adults in 2021 and 2022 were due to COVID-19 and other factors, not vaccination. Faulty logic underlies claims that vaccines caused mass disability and economic harm.