CLAIM: Video clip shows U.S. soldier opening a gate on a border fence and allowing migrants to enter the country illegally, in violation of U.S. code.
FACT FOCUS: Who’s to blame for the national debt? It’s more complicated than one culprit
May 18, 2023 GMTThe U.S. is inching closer to a deadline to raise the debt ceiling or risk defaulting on the nation’s $31 trillion in debt and political leaders have not yet reached a deal to avert such a crisis.
Fact-checking at the AP
May 3, 2023 GMTGetting the facts right has been core to AP’s mission since our founding in 1846. When a public figure says something questionable, it is our job to investigate it and offer the facts. You’ll find some of those stories here.
FACT FOCUS: Videos of empty store aisles are unrelated to Florida’s immigration bill
May 18, 2023 GMTA sweeping immigration bill recently signed into law by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is sparking fears of deserted workplaces – and barren grocery shelves.
CLAIM: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention admitted that 98 million Americans were given a “cancer virus” through the polio vaccine.
CLAIM: A White House press release says that Dr. Monica Bertagnolli, President Joe Biden's pick to lead the National Institutes of Health, received tens of millions of dollars in research money from Pfizer.
WHO ‘pandemic treaty’ won’t ‘reshape’ America
May 16, 2023 GMTCLAIM: The World Health Organization is working on an agreement among nations regarding future pandemics that would “bypass” the U.S. Senate and “reshape America.”
CLAIM: A photo shows President Joe Biden touching a child inappropriately below the waist.
AP’S ASSESSMENT: Altered photo. The photo was digitally altered to make it appear as if Biden’s hands were under the child’s shirt.
CLAIM: A pre-print study found that the COVID-19 vaccines cause long-term brain damage.
AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. The study being referenced, conducted by German researchers and not yet peer-reviewed, looked into the presence of the virus’ spike protein in the brain following infection.
CLAIM: Congressional Republicans voted to cut federal funding to Meals on Wheels, the non-government organization that delivers meals to the elderly in their homes.
AP’S ASSESSMENT: Missing context.
CLAIM: A video taken from a balcony shows a sea of protesters packing the street outside former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s London home in response to this week’s arrest of former Prime Minister Imran Khan.
NOT REAL NEWS: A look at what didn’t happen this week
May 12, 2023 GMTA 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 video of Feinstein returning to the Capitol was edited to swap her sedan for a hearse
May 11, 2023 GMTCLAIM: A video shows Sen. Dianne Feinstein returning to the U.S. Capitol in a hearse on Wednesday following her two-and-a-half-month absence due to illness.
CLAIM: CNN cut short its primetime town hall with former President Donald Trump on Wednesday.
AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. The cable news network says it had allotted one hour for the forum but it ended up running about 10 minutes longer.
CLAIM: A Pfizer subsidiary called Zoetis has injected mRNA vaccines into 100 million wildlife animals in the U.S.
AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. The company, which was a Pfizer subsidiary but is now independent, does not have any messenger RNA, or mRNA, vaccines for animals, a representative confirmed to The Associated Press.
CLAIM: New York Gov. Kathy Hochul approved a memo “denying white people certain medical treatments.”
CLAIM: A screenshot shows a May 11 piece published by The Guardian in which columnist George Monbiot says he caught COVID-19 23 times despite “dozens of boosters.”
Months-old photo of George Santos misrepresented as mugshot
May 10, 2023 GMTCLAIM: An image of U.S. Rep. George Santos in a gray sweater and blue jacket is a mugshot taken Wednesday after he was indicted on federal charges.
CLAIM: Chelsea Clinton said, “It’s time to force-jab every unvaccinated child in America.”
AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. There is no evidence of Clinton ever making such a comment, and a spokesperson confirmed she has not.
Dallas mugshots misrepresented as gunman in mall shooting
May 9, 2023 GMTCLAIM: Two images available from third-party mugshot websites show Mauricio Garcia, the gunman in Sunday’s deadly shooting at a Dallas-area mall.
CLAIM: A video shows a robot attacking a human factory worker.
AP’S ASSESSMENT: Missing context. The video was created with CGI technology by Sozo Bear Films, the production company told The Associated Press.
CLAIM: Three North Carolina healthcare systems are diagnosing toddlers with gender dysphoria and “transitioning” them.
AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. Officials with Duke Health, University of North Carolina Health and ECU Health say that while they do accept young children as patients, staff only provide general counseling to parents and families at that age.
CLAIM: An aerial picture of migrants crossing a bridge, some holding flags, shows an “invasion” of the U.S. that was “authorized” by President Joe Biden.
Post misrepresents House reimbursement change, spending cuts
May 5, 2023 GMTCLAIM: The Republican-led U.S. House of Representatives is giving itself a pay raise even as it proposes slashing federal spending for military veterans.
AP’S ASSESSMENT: Missing context.
Post misleads on vitamin K shot ingredient, safety
May 5, 2023 GMTCLAIM: The vitamin K shot given to babies contains benzyl alcohol, which is toxic to newborns.
AP’S ASSESSMENT: Missing context. The shot, given to babies to guard against bleeding, uses a small amount of benzyl alcohol to protect against bacterial contamination.
NOT REAL NEWS: A look at what didn’t happen this week
May 5, 2023 GMTA 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.
No, owls can’t sit ‘criss cross, applesauce’
May 5, 2023 GMTCLAIM: A widespread photo of an owl resting on a blue pad shows that the birds can sit with their legs crossed like humans.
AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. Ornithologists say owls can’t cross their legs in such a way because of their anatomy and that the photo being passed around is essentially an illusion.
CLAIM: Video shows a large crowd of migrants climbing a fence at the United States’ southern border with Mexico.
Experts: Mortgages won’t be voided by a digital currency
May 4, 2023 GMTCLAIM: Mortgage contracts will soon be “null and void” because U.S. banks are switching to digital currency.
AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. Experts say the introduction of a digital currency wouldn’t automatically void home financing agreements, and there are no imminent plans to adopt a nationwide digital currency, regardless.
Video spreads false notion of unlimited oil supply
May 3, 2023 GMTCLAIM: The planet has an unlimited supply of oil.
AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. Crude oil supplies are not unlimited, experts say. Crude oil is not a renewable resource and humans won’t be able to extract all remaining untapped resources due to economic and technological limitations.
CLAIM: The United Nations said that “children must have sexual partners.”
AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. There is no evidence the organization has ever made that statement and a spokesman called the claim “false.”A website attributing the quote to the U.N.
CLAIM: A photo of a plane underwater shows the wreckage of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 has finally been found.
Video does not show Boston Dynamics fighting robot
May 2, 2023 GMTCLAIM: A video shows a Boston Dynamics robot that has learned how to fight doing a backflip and throwing punches.
CLAIM: Former President Barack Obama removed 500,000 pedophiles from a background check database.
AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. That claim originated on an unreliable website that distorted the facts about a change to the federal background check system used for firearms sales.
Video of Kamala Harris saying ‘today is today’ was altered
May 2, 2023 GMTCLAIM: A video shows Vice President Kamala Harris saying in a speech: “Today is today. And yesterday was today yesterday. Tomorrow will be today tomorrow. So live today, so the future today will be as the past today as it is tomorrow.”
CLAIM: The Federal Reserve is launching a new program that will give it the power to monitor, freeze and even seize private bank accounts based on a person’s behavior or political beliefs.
Image of ‘103-year-old bride’ is AI-generated
April 28, 2023 GMTCLAIM: An image shows a 103-year-old bride.
AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. The image was made using artificial intelligence technology and photo editing software by artist Malik Afegbua, he confirmed to The Associated Press.
NOT REAL NEWS: A look at what didn’t happen this week
April 28, 2023 GMTA 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.
Video shows speed tape, not duct tape, on Spirit Airlines plane
April 28, 2023 GMTCLAIM: Video shows a maintenance worker sticking “duct tape” on a Spirit Airlines aircraft before takeoff.
Social media posts falsely claim space station footage is faked
April 27, 2023 GMTCLAIM: Footage purporting to show astronauts aboard the International Space Station is staged and was actually filmed on Earth.
AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. A spokesperson for NASA and space science experts say the footage is legitimate and that there is ample evidence to show that there are real people on the massive research complex floating above Earth.
No link between COVID vaccines and placental abnormalities
April 27, 2023 GMTPlacentas of women vaccinated against COVID-19 are abnormal and the women are unable to carry pregnancies to full term.
Posts misrepresent WHO guidance on COVID vaccines for youth
April 27, 2023 GMTThe World Health Organization now says COVID-19 vaccines are “not recommended” for healthy children and teens.
No, Fauci didn’t say face masks were a ‘failure’
April 27, 2023 GMTCLAIM: Dr. Anthony Fauci “admitted” in a recent interview that face masks were a “failure.”
AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. Social media posts are misrepresenting what Fauci said about masks and COVID-19 and omitting part of his response.
BlackRock doesn’t own stake in Dominion Voting Systems
April 26, 2023 GMTCLAIM: BlackRock has a substantial stake in both Dominion Voting Systems and Fox Corporation, so Dominion’s lawsuit against Fox was really BlackRock suing itself.
DeSantis didn’t order National Guard to Disney World, claim is satire
April 26, 2023 GMTCLAIM: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis called in the National Guard to block all entrances to Disney World.
Reports of Bud Light’s demise greatly exaggerated, experts say
April 25, 2023 GMTCLAIM: The maker of Bud Light is going bankrupt as it faces ongoing backlash over a marketing campaign featuring a transgender social media personality.
Kansas law doesn’t authorize genital exams for student athletes
April 25, 2023 GMTCLAIM: A new law in Kansas authorizes genital inspections of children in order to play sports.
AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. The law, which bars transgender athletes from participating in girls’ and women’s sports from kindergarten through college, doesn’t mention anything about genital inspections.
Satirical post falsely claims Oktoberfest banned Budweiser
April 25, 2023 GMTCLAIM: Oktoberfest in Germany banned Budweiser brands.
AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. The claim stems from a satirical website that includes a disclaimer that everything it publishes “is fiction.” No such announcement has been made by either Oktoberfest or Budweiser, and the festival only allows beer from Munich breweries.
FACT FOCUS: COVID vaccines are not in the food supply
April 25, 2023 GMTAnti-vaccine advocates have for years used foreboding imagery of syringes to paint immunizations as dark and dangerous. But recent vaccine conspiracy theories are casting an air of fear around more mundane things — like cows and lettuce.
Story of Arkansas woman who fed deer meth is satire
April 24, 2023 GMTCLAIM: A woman in Summit, Arkansas, was arrested on Friday after she trained deer to attack hunters and fed the animals meth.
Old video of looted Chicago Walmart spreads anew
April 22, 2023 GMTCLAIM: A video of ransacked Chicago Walmart — featuring cash registers destroyed and merchandise on the floor as sirens blare — was taken in 2023.
Bud Light did not call its critics ‘crybabies’ on a billboard
April 21, 2023 GMTCLAIM: Bud Light created a billboard advertisement that reads, “lol CRYBABIES,” after the company was targeted by calls for a boycott over a partnership with a transgender influencer.
Story of Kentucky man who sued himself is fiction
April 21, 2023 GMTCLAIM: After throwing a boomerang that hit his head upon its return, a man in Kentucky won a lawsuit he filed against himself for $300,000.
AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. The story is fictional.
Hot dogs here to stay: No truth to claims of NYC meat ban
April 21, 2023 GMTCLAIM: Mayor Eric Adams is banning meat in New York City.
AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. While the mayor has pledged to reduce food-related emissions in city facilities, meat is not being banned, according to his office.
Toddlers can’t get gender-affirming surgeries, despite claims
April 21, 2023 GMTCLAIM: Map shows the states where it’s possible for a 3-year-old child to receive gender-affirming surgery.
AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. The map shows which states have passed or are considering anti-transgender laws.
Michael Jordan hasn’t ended his partnership with Nike
April 21, 2023 GMTCLAIM: Basketball legend Michael Jordan ended his partnership with Nike because the company collaborated with Dylan Mulvaney, a transgender social media influencer.
NOT REAL NEWS: A look at what didn’t happen this week
April 21, 2023 GMTA 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.
UN report did not call for decriminalizing sex between adults and minors
April 21, 2023 GMTCLAIM: A new United Nations report calls for decriminalizing sexual activity between adults and minors.
AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. A report published in March by the International Commission of Jurists in collaboration with the U.N’s AIDS agency called for enforcing minimum age of consent laws in a non-discriminatory manner.