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

FactChecking RFK Jr.’s V.P. Announcement

FactChecking RFK Jr.’s V.P. Announcement

In announcing his choice for vice president, independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his running mate, Nicole Shanahan, made statements that were false or misleading.

CDC, Experts Say Fluoridated Water Is Safe, Contrary to RFK Jr.’s Warnings

CDC, Experts Say Fluoridated Water Is Safe, Contrary to RFK Jr.’s Warnings

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and multiple expert groups endorse water fluoridation as a safe way to reduce tooth decay. However, independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. made a sweeping claim about fluoride’s effects on the nervous system, and promised to order the CDC to ban fluoride from tap water.

American Values 2024

A hybrid PAC supporting independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Injection Protects Babies from RSV Hospitalization, Has Not Been Linked to Deaths

Injection Protects Babies from RSV Hospitalization, Has Not Been Linked to Deaths

Each year, respiratory syncytial virus hospitalizes 58,000 to 80,000 children under age 5 in the U.S. The Food and Drug Administration recently approved an antibody injection for babies to protect them during the RSV season. There isn’t evidence the shots have killed any babies, contrary to social media claims.

RFK Jr.’s COVID-19 Deceptions

RFK Jr.’s COVID-19 Deceptions

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s battle against vaccines — and against the institutions that promote them — goes back to at least the mid-2000s, as we explain in the first article of this series. But the arrival of COVID-19 gave the environmental attorney fresh grounds to intensify his attacks and a timely platform to gain new followers and revenue.

What RFK Jr. Gets Wrong About Autism

What RFK Jr. Gets Wrong About Autism

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. makes a variety of incorrect or misleading claims about vaccines, COVID-19 and other health-related topics. But his views on vaccines rose to prominence when he began to advance the thoroughly debunked idea that they cause autism.

FactChecking Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

FactChecking Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a prominent anti-vaccine advocate, is running for president as a Democrat. Our SciCheck team has combed through his recent interviews to identify and correct some of his most common health claims in a three-part series. In this first installment, we address several of his talking points about vaccines.

Posts Make False Comparisons Between COVID-19 Immunity From Infections and Vaccines

Posts Make False Comparisons Between COVID-19 Immunity From Infections and Vaccines

Vaccination and infection both provide protective immunity to COVID-19, particularly against severe disease. But gaining immunity through infection is far riskier than vaccination. Posts citing a new Lancet study omit that important context and also misleadingly claim the study shows immunity after infection is superior to vaccination immunity.