Results from 6-year-old Anastasia Weaver’s autopsy may take weeks. But online anti-vaccine activists needed only hours after her funeral this week to baselessly blame the COVID-19 vaccine.
A prolific Twitter account posted Anastasia’s name and smiling dance portrait in a tweet with a syringe emoji.
CLAIM: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is requiring all female student-athletes in the state to provide detailed information about their periods in order to compete in organized sports.
CLAIM: Carbonated water doesn’t hydrate the body.
AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. Carbonated water provides just as much hydration as still water and is acceptable to drink as a substitute, according to nutritionists.
A roundup of some of the most popular but completely untrue stories and visuals of the week. None of these are legit, even though they were shared widely on social media. The Associated Press checked them out.
CLAIM: The CEO of Starbucks said, “If you support traditional marriage, don’t buy our coffee.”
AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. The company confirmed that the attribution is false.
CLAIM: Pfizer has acknowledged in a statement it conducted “gain of function” research as part of its development of a vaccine and a separate medical treatment for COVID-19.
CLAIM: The COVID-19 vaccine from Johnson & Johnson enters the nucleus of cells, suggesting that the shot alters recipients’ DNA.
AP’S ASSESSMENT: Missing context.
CLAIM: House Republicans are requiring Rep. Jamie Raskin, a Democrat from Maryland, to remove the headwear he’s donned on the House floor while undergoing chemotherapy.
CLAIM: An image shows a CNN broadcast that adjusted the brightness to lighten the skin of the Memphis police officers charged in the killing of Tyre Nichols.
CLAIM: Hellmann’s mayonnaise is discontinuing the product globally due to high inflationary import costs.
CLAIM: Rep. Matt Gaetz had a $482,321 loan from the Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program forgiven even though he doesn’t own a company.
AP’S ASSESSMENT: Missing context.
CLAIM: A “Sudden Cardiac Arrest Awareness Form” is now being issued in Georgia high schools, suggesting a new phenomenon relating to the COVID-19 vaccines.
CLAIM: The United Kingdom is banning anyone under the age of 50 from getting COVID-19 vaccines.
AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. While the country will stop widely providing the vaccine to those under 50 next month, anyone deemed to have a clinical need, such as those at risk of severe illness, as well as frontline healthcare workers and caregivers, will still be able to get the shot.
A roundup of some of the most popular but completely untrue stories and visuals of the week. None of these are legit, even though they were shared widely on social media. The Associated Press checked them out.
CLAIM: The Declaration of North America, which President Joe Biden signed on to this month, will strip the U.S. of its sovereignty in order to form a pan-North American government.
CLAIM: A video shows President Joe Biden giving a speech about guns and being interrupted by people making vulgar anti-Biden chants.
CLAIM: A video shows a train transporting American tanks and infantry fighting vehicles in Poland, after President Biden announced that the U.S. will send tanks to Ukraine.
CLAIM: Electrically-charged stones have been discovered in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. While some minerals can serve as conduits for electricity, rocks can’t store electricity, experts told The Associated Press.
CLAIM: Polio stopped spreading when the pesticide DDT stopped being used, not when vaccines for the virus were introduced.
AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. Polio vaccines are credited with ending epidemics of the disease in the U.S., and helping curb most cases globally, several medical experts confirmed to The Associated Press.
CLAIM: Mexico is planning to soon eliminate visa requirements for Russian nationals seeking to enter the country.
AP’S ASSESSMENT: Missing context. Mexico’s ambassador to Russia says discussions between the two nations about mutually dropping visa requirements have been ongoing for years, but no agreement has been finalized.
A roundup of some of the most popular but completely untrue stories and visuals of the week. None of these are legit, even though they were shared widely on social media. The Associated Press checked them out.
CLAIM: British telephone booths are being retrofitted with defibrillators because the COVID-19 vaccines are causing more cardiac arrests.
AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. A movement to install defibrillators in telephone kiosks across the U.K.
NEW YORK (AP) — When some of the world’s wealthiest and most influential figures gathered at the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting last year, sessions on climate change drew high-level discussions on topics such as carbon financing and sustainable food systems.
A roundup of some of the most popular but completely untrue stories and visuals of the week. None of these are legit, even though they were shared widely on social media. The Associated Press checked them out.
The Biden administration has come under fire this week due to overcooked fears that it is planning a nationwide ban on gas stoves.
The claim was sparked by comments from a Consumer Product Safety Commission official published Monday that “any option is on the table” when it comes to regulating gas stoves, amid growing health concerns over the appliances.
A roundup of some of the most popular but completely untrue stories and visuals of the week. None of these are legit, even though they were shared widely on social media. The Associated Press checked them out.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Unfounded claims about the safety of COVID-19 vaccines proliferated in the hours and days after Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin collapsed during Monday's game, revealing how pervasive vaccine misinformation remains three years after the pandemic began.
A roundup of some of the most popular but completely untrue stories and visuals of the week. None of these are legit, even though they were shared widely on social media. The Associated Press checked them out.
A roundup of some of the most popular but completely untrue stories and visuals of the week. None of these are legit, even though they were shared widely on social media. The Associated Press checked them out.
A roundup of some of the most popular but completely untrue stories and visuals of the week. None of these are legit, even though they were shared widely on social media. The Associated Press checked them out.
A roundup of some of the most popular but completely untrue stories and visuals of the week. None of these are legit, even though they were shared widely on social media. The Associated Press checked them out.
Stephen Curry is known for hitting deep 3-point shots and buzzer-beaters from half-court — but even the celebrated Warriors guard didn't sink five consecutive full-court baskets, despite a convincingly edited video that swept social media this week.
A roundup of some of the most popular but completely untrue stories and visuals of the week. None of these are legit, even though they were shared widely on social media. The Associated Press checked them out.
A roundup of some of the most popular but completely untrue stories and visuals of the week. None of these are legit, even though they were shared widely on social media. The Associated Press checked them out.
CLAIM: Democratic Sen. Maggie Hassan received 1,100 votes in a New Hampshire town with only 700 residents, suggesting fraud.
AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. The town clerk of Columbia, New Hampshire, confirmed that she miswrote 106 votes as 1,106 votes, causing a temporary reporting error that has been corrected.
Michigan saw record turnout for a midterm election this week, with control of the governor’s office and referendums on abortion and voting rights in the balance.
A roundup of some of the most popular but completely untrue stories and visuals of the week. None of these are legit, even though they were shared widely on social media. The Associated Press checked them out.
Voters casting ballots in Tuesday's pivotal midterms grappled with misleading claims about glitchy election machines and delayed results, the final crest of a wave of misinformation that's expected to linger long after the last votes are tallied.
Why was I given a provisional ballot?
Provisional ballots are issued to voters at a polling location when there are eligibility questions that prevent them from casting a regular ballot on Election Day.
A roundup of some of the most popular but completely untrue stories and visuals of the week. None of these are legit, even though they were shared widely on social media. The Associated Press checked them out.
Conspiracy theories about mail ballots. Anonymous text messages warning voters to stay home. Fringe social media platforms where election misinformation spreads with impunity.
What happens if a ballot is damaged or improperly marked?
Election workers reconstruct or “duplicate” ballots that are damaged or improperly marked to preserve voters’ intent.
A roundup of some of the most popular but completely untrue stories and visuals of the week. None of these are legit, even though they were shared widely on social media. The Associated Press checked them out.
How do states ensure dead people’s ballots aren’t counted?
Election officials regularly check death records. In many states, vital statistics agencies send them monthly lists of people who have died, which officials use to update voter registration files.
A roundup of some of the most popular but completely untrue stories and visuals of the week. None of these are legit, even though they were shared widely on social media. The Associated Press checked them out.
A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advisory committee on Thursday voted that the agency should update its recommended immunization schedules to add the COVID-19 vaccine, including to the schedule for children.