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A Project of The Annenberg Public Policy Center

False Claim About Cause of Autism Highlighted on Pennsylvania Senate Panel

False Claim About Cause of Autism Highlighted on Pennsylvania Senate Panel

Studies have found the rate of autism is the same in vaccinated and unvaccinated children. But the false claim that vaccines are associated with the disorder persists. A prominent spreader of COVID-19 misinformation wrongly told legislators in Pennsylvania that autism is virtually nonexistent among the unvaccinated, citing the Amish population.

Thermography Is No Substitute for Mammograms, Contrary to Facebook Post’s Advice

Thermography Is No Substitute for Mammograms, Contrary to Facebook Post’s Advice

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration considers mammograms “the most effective primary breast cancer screening test” and says there is no evidence to indicate that thermography can replace mammograms. But an article shared on Facebook tells people to “stop getting mammograms” and try thermography instead.

Social Media Posts Fabricate a Political Endorsement by Altering Lady Gaga Photo

Social Media Posts Fabricate a Political Endorsement by Altering Lady Gaga Photo

Lady Gaga campaigned for Joe Biden during the 2020 election and performed at his inauguration. But viral social media posts use an altered photo to falsely make it appear she has endorsed Donald Trump for president in 2024. The performer, who has been highly critical of Trump, has not made a public endorsement in the 2024 race.

Posts Misleadingly Equate Gun Case Against Hunter Biden With Rapper Kodak Black

Posts Misleadingly Equate Gun Case Against Hunter Biden With Rapper Kodak Black

Hunter Biden, who has no prior criminal history, has reached a plea deal that would avoid jail time for a gun-related charge. Some conservative commentators claim the president’s son is getting special treatment, misleadingly equating his case with one involving a rapper who had a criminal record before getting a 46-month sentence for two gun-related charges.

FactChecking Trump’s Remarks at the Faith & Freedom Coalition Conference

FactChecking Trump’s Remarks at the Faith & Freedom Coalition Conference

In June 24 remarks, former President Donald Trump made misleading claims about the reach of the National Archives and Records Administration and the federal charges he is facing for allegedly retaining classified documents after he was no longer in office. Trump also made an unsubstantiated claim about President Joe Biden.

Posts Make False Claim About Cause of Gender Dysphoria

Posts Make False Claim About Cause of Gender Dysphoria

Recent research suggests that gender dysphoria is likely caused by a combination of factors, including hormone exposure before birth. But social media posts make the baseless claim that it could be caused by a vaccine containing DNA from an aborted fetus of the opposite sex. There is no scientific evidence for such a claim, experts said.

Online Posts Misrepresent Coin Commemorating Trump’s Second Indictment

Online Posts Misrepresent Coin Commemorating Trump’s Second Indictment

A privately owned company called the White House Gift Shop is selling a coin commemorating the second indictment of former President Donald Trump. But, contrary to a misleading tweet from Sen. Bill Cassidy, the online sales company is not affiliated with the White House in Washington, D.C.

FactChecking Chris Christie’s Presidential Announcement

FactChecking Chris Christie’s Presidential Announcement

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie kicked off his campaign for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination with a June 6 town hall in Manchester, New Hampshire. We fact-checked his remarks, which included false or misleading claims about former President Donald Trump, the current Republican front-runner, whom Christie attacked several times.

Biden Officials Have Taken Oaths of Office, Contrary to Social Media Claim

Biden Officials Have Taken Oaths of Office, Contrary to Social Media Claim

Officials serving in President Joe Biden’s administration have taken their oaths of office, and most can be seen in videos from their swearing-in ceremonies. But a video circulating on social media falsely suggests that they haven’t been sworn in and are “acting as elected officials without swearing an allegiance to the Constitution.”