Fact Checking

Is President Trump vindicated on his claim of ‘wires tapped’ by Obama?

<i>“Terrible! Just found out that Obama had my ‘wires tapped’ in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found. This is McCarthyism!”</i><p><i>“How low has President Obama gone to tapp [sic] my phones during the very sacred election process. This is Nixon/Watergate. Bad (or sick) guy!”</i> <b><br>–President Trump,</b> …

AP FACT CHECK: Kimmel's take on health care harder to refute

WASHINGTON (AP) — Who are you going to believe when it comes to the Republican health care bill?<p>An AP Fact Check finds that TV host Jimmy Kimmel's highly critical take is harder to refute than President Donald Trump's or Sen. Bill Cassidy's. None of the three has captured the complexity of the …

FACT CHECK: Did the Red Cross Steal Donations in Texas, Empowered by an Obama-Era Executive Order?

CLAIM<p>In September 2017, the Red Cross stole donated items from churches in Houston, Texas, and then sold some of the items and burned the others — …

Seeing Is Believing - Can A London Startup Solve The Fake News Problem?

Almost everyone agrees that ‘fake news’ is a problem. We all want to see accurate and truthful reporting and few of us take kindly to being deliberately misled.<p>The problem is that there is no absolute consensus on what constitutes fabricated reporting. Fake news can take many forms. At its most …

Fact checking: How to think like a journalist

Today, getting information is as easy as opening a browser on your computer or phone, typing in a question and waiting a nanosecond for a long list …

How strong has job growth been on Donald Trump's watch?

While presidential speeches to the United Nations usually focus on foreign policy, President Donald Trump began his by touting domestic …

Are ‘Liberals’ Getting Offended over Hobby Lobby’s Cotton Decor?

Blogs claimed "liberals" were offended over Hobby Lobby cotton decor products because a single Facebook user commented on the craft store's Facebook …

FACT CHECK: Did a Buffalo Wild Wings Worker Turn Down the National Anthem Because It Is 'Divisive'?

CLAIM<p>On 11 September 2017, a worker at a Buffalo Wild Wings in Eastvale, California, turned down the volume on the national anthem before an NFL …

FACT CHECK: Did Jeff Goldblum 'Trash' Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg?

CLAIM<p>Jeff Goldblum criticized Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk for being capitalists during an MTV interview.<p>RATING<p>FALSE<p>ORIGIN<p>In September 2017, the …

Was Hillary Clinton Caught on Tape Laughing About Irma’s ‘Wiping Out All of Those Florida Hillbillies?

A disreputable web site fabricated a story about the Democratic presidential nominee and MSNBC host Rachel Maddow.

Fact-checking Jimmy Kimmel's reaction to Graham-Cassidy

Late-night show host Jimmy Kimmel is back in the middle of the health care debate, using his opening monologue to take down the latest move to repeal …

FACT CHECK: Did Ben Carson Tell Hurricane Victims 'Homelessness Is A Gift From Heaven'?

CLAIM<p>Ben Carson told a hurricane victim that "homelessness is a gift from heaven" and a sign that God wanted them to be homeless.<p>RATING<p>FALSE<p>ORIGIN<p>An …

FACT CHECK: Hurricane Jose Causes 30-Foot Waves At Jennette's Pier?

CLAIM<p>A photograph shows a 30-foot wave from Hurricane Jose hitting Jennette's Pier in North Carolina.<p>RATING<p>FALSE<p>ORIGIN<p>A photograph purportedly …

Trump's U.N. Speech

Summary<p>In his first speech to the U.N. General Assembly, President Donald Trump reprised misleading talking points on everything from job growth to …

Are long gas lines forming in North Korea, as Trump says?

As North Korea continues to try the West’s patience with a series of nuclear and missile tests, President Donald Trump is touting the success of …

Fox News Hits Back at Lawsuit Over Botched Seth Rich Story

Cable giant Fox News is asking a federal judge to toss out an August 2017 lawsuit brought against it by contributor Rod Wheeler, the central figure …

Happy 10th birthday, Fact Checker!

The Washington Post Fact Checker is 10 years old today, though strictly speaking that statement might merit a Pinocchio.<p>With a burst of four fact checks on the morning of Sept. 19, 2007 — of Osama bin Laden, former senator Mike Gravel (D-Alaska), Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.) and former senator Fred …

Fact-checking Donald Trump's speech to the UN

President Donald Trump threatened to "totally destroy" North Korea and called Iran a "rogue state whose chief exports are violence, bloodshed and …

House Dems did not introduce bill on citizenship requirement

A website with a patriotic moniker falsely claimed Democratic lawmakers have introduced a bill to remove the U.S. citizenship requirement to become …

Microsoft Tackles Fake News With Bing's New Fact Check Label

Microsoft is making it easier to spot fake news and identify authentic journalism using its Bing search engine.<p>Following in the footsteps of Google, …

Kevin Hart’s confession is real, but car crash report is fak

A fake news post that said comedian and actor Kevin Hart was injured in an auto accident augmented its made-up post with true details about his …

Fake: Susan Rice not arrested for unmasking Trump officials

A fake news story that said former national security adviser Susan Rice had been arrested for her "failed attempt to stage a coup" against President …

Is California Governor Jerry Brown Allowing HIV-Positive People to Donate Blood?

Web sites misstate what would happen under a bill that Brown has not signed into law.

Did a Pieology Pizzeria Employee Write 'F*ck the Cops' on a Police Officer's Receipt?

On 18 September 2017, the spouse of a Torrance police officer posted an image to her personal Facebook account showing a receipt from Rancho Santa …

‘Jeepers Creepers 3’ Director Victor Salva Was Convicted of Child Molestation?

"Jeepers Creepers 3" director Victor Salva was convicted in 1988 of sexually molesting a 12-year-old.

Bing launches Google-like fact-checking label

Bing is taking action against fake news, in a similar fashion to what Google has already done.<p>Microsoft's search engine is adding a "Fact Check" …

Administrative costs for private insurance versus Medicare

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., said that switching to a single-payer "Medicare for all" health system would save billions of dollars in administrative …

Bing starts showing fact checking labels in search results

North Korea: past presidents' approach, Trump's plans

Just a couple of days before his expected speech to the United Nations General Assembly President Donald Trump dubbed North Korea’s leader Kim Jong …

Steve Bannon Made A Huge Claim About George W. Bush and China... Was He Right?

Advertisement - story continues below<p>Former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon claimed in a Sept. 10 interview on CBS’s <i>60 Minutes</i> that former …