Did CBS News use video from a hospital in Italy during the coronavirus outbreak, claiming it was footage from New York City? Yes, that's true: Claiming to show footage of an overwhelmed hospital in New York, CBS Evening News aired footage that was actually from a hospital in Italy. The news organziation claimed it was an "editing mistake," and said it had immediately removed the video from all of its platforms. But not before the mistake went viral. The error appeared as a post (archived here) by Austin Bennett on…

Is Big Pharma behind the COVID-19 pandemic and inflating its massive death toll to create a hoax that enriches itself? No, that's not true: The central data-gathering body, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, does not get its cause-of-death data from pharmaceutical manufacturers. And there is no evidence the pharmaceutical company is behind a coronavirus conspriacy. The supposed Big Pharma conspiracy surfaced in Facebook posts like this (archived here), which read in part: Flu deaths work the same, even if you die after the flu shot...but let's not…

Is it true that asymptomatic carriers of COVID-19 who die of other medical problems will be added to the coronavirus death toll? No, that's not true: Many asymptomatic carriers of COVID-19 are not getting tested in the first place, so that assertion doesn't hold up. Lead Stories reached out to the president of the National Association of Medical Examiners (NAME), who analyzed these claims. She told us there is a lot of false information in the posts. The claims originated in a post (archived here) published on Facebook by Candace…

Do students in multiple states have to repeat their current grade next year because of the delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic? No, these are social media "pranks" put out by a website devoted to spreading "practical jokes" on the internet. The claims appeared in posts such as this one this one (archived here) on Facebook titled "S.C Gov declares students to repeat their current grade this August." But when you click on the supposed news story, it takes you to a site proclaiming "YOU GOT PRANKED!" Another, for example,…

Did President Trump sign a bill that addresses the future of 5G infrastructure? Yes, that's true: the Secure 5G and Beyond Act of 2020 was signed on March 23, 2020, but a video detailing the potential fallout of expanding 5G technology is exaggerated. The claim came from a video (archived here) where it was published by The Last American Vagabond on March 26, 2020, under the title "5G Bill Signed Into Law While Everyone Is Distracted By Coronavirus." It opened: Now, on top of all the agendas, yes, the big…

Did the Kennedy Center give the Democratic National Committee $5 mllion after getting $25 million in relief from the government coronavirus stimulus package? No, that's not true: The Kennedy Center did not give the DNC $5 million the day after being awarded $25 million, despite posts on social media claiming that this was the case. The claim appeared as a post (archived here) on Facebook on March 29, 2020, under the title "Why did we give the Kennedy Center 25 mil?" It read: The Kennedy Center Timeline: Completes a $250…

Does a missing U.S. presidential seal indicate the Illuminati have relinquished control of the U.S. government? And is the next-generation wireless technology 5G responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic? No, there is no evidence that these claims are true. But that didn't stop Nyla Nyguen from taking to her YouTube channel to make these claims, pointing to a Tweet that purports to show a missing presidential seal during a White House press conference, saying that the missing seal signals that the U.S. government is "no longer controlled by Illuminati. It's not…

Is Bill Gates behind widespread COVID-19 testing, and does he have ownership in the World Health Organization? No, that's true. The claims are the latest in a long-standing campaign by some within the anti-vaccine movement to paint Gates as a depopulation advocate - in part because of a 2015 Ted Talk and a 2011 CNN interview where the Microsoft founder discussed a number of issues, including vaccines and how the world was not prepared for a pandemic. The claims are part of a meme making the rounds on social media,…

Did Woody Allen urge New Yorkers to "disown" President Trump? No, that's not true: This is a parody from a website stating it is "satire for flat earthers, Trumpsters and Y'all Qaeda." The article originated on a web site called Daily World Update on March 29, 2020, titled "Woody Allen: 'New York Should Disown Trump'" (archived here) which opened: As America's current crisis churns on, it seems that every cable news and television station has turned to a host of Hollywood celebrities for their opinions and viewpoints. From Bill Gates…

Did Florida ban the sale of beer and alcohol after 3 p.m. on March 30, 2020, as part of an emergency effort to curb the outbreak of COVID-19 in that state? No, that's not true: This came from a prank news generator website. The story originated from an article published on channel45news.com on March 28, 2020, titled "No Beer or Alcohol Sales in State or Florida as of 3PM 3/30 - Channel 45 News" (archived here) which read under a video: BREAKING NEWS BY GOVERNOR DESANTIS! Users on social media…

Is the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention planning, in the next 10 days, to change guidance and advise Americans to wear masks in everyday life? No, that's not true: The federal agency tells Lead Stories that no changes to guidance are scheduled or imminent. The claim originated in a tweet published by Dr. Matt McCarthy on March 28, 2020, (archived here) which read: "NEW: CDC guidance on masks expected to change in next 10 days. Americans will be advised to wear masks in everyday life. Current recommendation is…

Did the UK's Queen Elizabeth II test positive for COVID-19 after meeting with Prime Minister Boris Johnson? No, that's not true: After news broke on March 27, 2020, that Johnson tested positive for coronavirus, Buckingham Palace issued a statement to media outlets saying the royal monarch last met with the UK prime minister on March 11, and that she "remains in good health." The claim appears to have originated in a UCR World News story (archived here), which ran a story with this headline: "Royal Palace confirms Queen Elizabeth tests…

Is it true that names of people who have died from the novel coronavirus have not been published by news media or posted on the internet? No, that's not true: News organizations have repeatedly reported on the victims -- often giving life stories of those lost to the pandemic. The claim has been spreading on Facebook, including in this post (archived here). The posts show a screenshot of a meme that begins "The government is a trip." It then opens: This coronavirus doesn't add up to me I find it…

Does a video show workers installing 5G, the fifth-generation wireless technology, at a school in Lindale, Texas? No, that's not true: Lead Stories spoke with the general manager and CEO of Etex Communications, the telecommunications company seen in a viral video doing work outside of a school. He said the contractor was helping to install fiber optic cable that doesn't use 5G technology. The claim originated in a post (archived here) published on Facebook by IJ Hribal on March 25, 2020. It opened: Since no one at LISD has contacted…

Did Microsoft founder Bill Gates pen an open letter about COVID-19, saying it was "sent to remind us of the important lessons that we seem to have forgotten?" No, that's not true: The letter is fake, and The Sun newspaper retracted a story about it, according to published reports. The article published by The Sun on March 23, 2020, entitled "WE ARE ALL CONNECTED: Bill Gates says coronavirus reminds us we are equal in powerful open letter" (archived here) began: "MICROSOFT founder Bill Gates has released a powerful message about…

Was the coronavirus biologically engineered to be a bioweapon as one University of Illinois law professor claims? No that claim is misleading: Prof. Fancis Boyle said in a video interview with "Outside the Box" host Jason Liosatos that one study offers "smoking gun" evidence that COVID-19 was designed to be a weapon. Boyle, who practices law and not virology, cites several studies throughout his episode, which he fails to properly contextualize despite directly quoting some of their findings. The claim surfaced in a video (archived here) put up on YouTube…

Are countries or U.S. states with a high rate of childhood vaccinations the hardest-hit with the novel coronavirus? No, that's not true: In fact, some of the countries with the lowest spread of the virus are those that have higher vaccination rates than the United States. The claim originated in a post (archived here) published on Facebook by Thomas Miller on March 26, 2020. It opened: Italy mandated vaccines.California mandated vaccines.New York mandated vaccines.Washington mandated vaccines. Remind me again of the hardest hit areas.~Christy Lee VACCINES HINDER THE IMMUNE SYSTEM.…

Did the novel coronavirus, or COVID-19, begin in China when a man had sex with a bat? No, that's not true: a fake-news, satirical website put out the hoax. The claim originated in an article (archived here) where it was published by World News Daily Report on March 27, 2020, under the title "Covid -19: Chinese Health Authorities Confirm Patient Zero 'Had Sex With Bats'" The story opened: Yin Dao Tang, 24, from the province of Hubei, is the first case of the novel coronavirus that emerged on November 17,…

Are the figures cited by the CDC for COVID-19 deaths really referring to deaths caused by flu? No, that's not true: The viruses responsible for each may cause similar symptoms, but they differ in many ways. The claim appeared in a Facebook post (archived here) on March 24, 2020. It read: The CDC numbers the fake news media isn't reportingbecause they go against their hype and panic.It's the flu!And the hype is HOAXused by known liars to cause crisis and chaosto get the ignorant to join the communistsas they destroy…

Is there already a vaccine for COVID-19 that the U.S. govenment is hiding in a wide plot to kill people off? And is the next-generation wireless technology 5G responsible for the novel coronavirus? Further, are the Illuminati also involved in this conspirary? No, none of this is true. While scientists and medical professionals are working to develop a vaccine to arrest the spread of the potentially deadly coronavirus, there is currently no vaccine. Moreover, there is no evidence - scientific or otherwise - that 5G wireless tech has any connection…