Weekly Fact-checks
21st October 2022 - 27th October 2022
#Ukraine
false: A CNN headline shows Uganda’s president saying he doesn’t support Ukraine because it would be “disgusting.”
This isn’t an authentic CNN headline. CNN didn't report that Uganda's president said it would be 'disgusting' to support Ukraine. (Source: Politifact)
False: Etienne de Poncins, the French ambassador to Ukraine, recently resigned.
This week, social media users shared a bogus claim that the French ambassador to Ukraine left his post due to Zelenskyy’s purported absence in the country. A tweet by the French ambassador Etienne de Poncins himself debunks this. (Source: AP News)
False: Newspaper headline about Russian army “rapist kits” is fake
A headline about Russian army “rapist kits” attributed by social media users to a British daily newspaper is fake. The fabricated line, as seen in a screenshot of an alleged page in the Daily Mirror, reads: “The Russian army issues <
#US midterm elections
Misleading: Ballots mailed with insufficient postage will not count in Alaska and Ohio
This is misleading; while many states do not prepay postage, USPS's policy is to ask local officials to foot the bill for ballots that come up short." (Source: AFP)
False: Fabricated ‘Commitment to America’ graphic circulates inaccurate Republican agenda ahead of Midterms
An altered graphic is circulating online purporting to show policy points published by U.S. House Republicans under the ‘Commitment to America’ agenda ahead of the midterm elections this November. (Source: Reuters)
#Climate change
Misleading: A Canadian law is linked to a secret weather modification program
Social media posts claim a Canadian law is evidence of secret weather modification programs. This is misleading; the legislation cited in the posts dates back to 1985 and requires companies to report techniques such as cloud seeding, which is used to initiate rain or limit hail damage. (Source: AFP)
False: Greenland ice sheet is recovering and earlier melting was caused by 'natural warming'
Greenland still losing ice due to greenhouse gas emissions, experts sayShow Caption Hide Caption Greenland ice sheet set to lose trillions of tons of ice, raising sea levels drastically Coastal cities around the world will now need to prepare for climate catastrophe. (Source: USA Today)
#Inflation
Not the whole story.: “Social Security checks are going up. Medicare premiums are going down. That’s a big deal for seniors.” boasted White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre in a statement
The reason Social Security payments are going up is because Social Security benefits, unlike virtually all annuities, are adjusted every year to keep pace with inflation as measured by the Department of Labor’s consumer price index (CPI-W). (Source: The Washington Post)
False: An article reporting the huge drop in Petrol and Diesel prices across the country.
The article in question doesn’t mention anything about the reduction in petrol and diesel prices. It is a clickbait. (Source: Factly)
#Nordics
Misvisende: Barnevernet tar fire–fem barn fra sine foreldre hver eneste dag.
I 2017 ble i snitt fem barn akutt tvangsplassert av barnevernet hver dag. Det vært en nedgang, og i 2021 var tallet under tre. Forskning viser at rundt halvparten av barna som akuttplasseres kommer hjem igjen. (Source: Faktisk)
Misvisende: Foreldre som mister barna sine tar oftere selvmord.
Barn, unge og unge voksne med barnevernstiltak i perioden 1990–2010 hadde nesten fem ganger så høy andel selvmord som personer uten tiltak. Den generelle dødeligheten var også vesentlig høyere i den første gruppa. Det er viktig å påpeke at rapporten ikke fastslår en årsakssammenheng mellom barnevernstiltak og selvmord. Påstanden om åtte ganger flere selvmord ser ut til å stamme fra en eldre utgave av undersøkelsen. (Source: faktisk)
Misvisende: Pfizer har aldrig lagt skjul på, at de ikke testede vaccinens effekt på smitte
Pfizer indrømmer, at de aldrig har testet deres vacciner for, om vaccinerede kan smitte andre med coronavirus. Pfizer har nemlig aldrig påstået, at de testede vaccinen for det, eller at den dengang rent faktisk mindskede videresmitte Men der er på ingen måde tale om en stor afsløring. (Source: Tjekdet)
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