Facebook Twitter Tumblr Close Skip to main content
A Project of The Annenberg Public Policy Center

Idaho Doctor Makes Baseless Claims About Safety of COVID-19 Vaccines

Idaho Doctor Makes Baseless Claims About Safety of COVID-19 Vaccines

A viral video features a doctor making dubious claims about COVID-19 vaccines and treatments at a forum hosted by Idaho’s lieutenant governor. Dr. Ryan Cole claims mRNA vaccines cause cancer and autoimmune diseases, but the lead author of the paper on which Cole based that claim told us there is no evidence mRNA vaccines cause those ailments.

Tucker Carlson Misleads on COVID-19 Vaccines, Masks

Tucker Carlson Misleads on COVID-19 Vaccines, Masks

All of the authorized COVID-19 vaccines are effective at preventing symptomatic disease. Yet Fox News host Tucker Carlson baselessly casts doubt on the effectiveness of the vaccines, because federal officials urge fully vaccinated people to wear masks in public settings. 

The Facts on the Recommended J&J Vaccine ‘Pause’

The Facts on the Recommended J&J Vaccine ‘Pause’

Nearly 200 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in the U.S., including 7.2 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. The CDC and FDA recommended “a pause in the use” of the J&J vaccine “out of an abundance of caution” because of six cases of a rare type of blood clot.

FactChecking Claims About Asylum Grants and Immigration Court Attendance

FactChecking Claims About Asylum Grants and Immigration Court Attendance

While discussing ways to quickly determine if people who cross into the U.S. through Mexico are eligible for asylum, Sen. Rob Portman claimed that “only about half of them even show up for their court cases” and “only 15% of them qualify” for asylum. But government statistics aren’t that clear-cut.

Unfounded Claims About Colorado Gunman

Unfounded Claims About Colorado Gunman

A social media post is spreading baseless claims that the shooter accused of killing 10 people in Boulder, Colorado, came to the U.S. “Illegally from [M]exico and purchased the firearm from a guy that sells stolen guns.” Law enforcement officials say the suspect came to the U.S. from Syria as a child, and the gun used was legally purchased.

Pfizer CEO Got Vaccinated, Contrary to Claim in Video

Pfizer CEO Got Vaccinated, Contrary to Claim in Video

A video making the false claim that the Pfizer CEO “refuses” to get a COVID-19 vaccine has been circulating on Facebook. But the pharmaceutical company’s chief executive has said that he’s gotten his first shot.

Three False Claims About the Federal Voting Rights Bill

Three False Claims About the Federal Voting Rights Bill

Claims mischaracterizing a federal voting rights bill have been circulating on social media. The proposed law would not “ban” state voter ID laws, bar states from removing ineligible voters from their rolls, or allow minors to vote.

Posts Misrepresent Columbia’s Multicultural Graduation Ceremonies

Posts Misrepresent Columbia’s Multicultural Graduation Ceremonies

Columbia University will supplement its regular 2021 graduation ceremony with multicultural ceremonies for members of the Latinx, Asian, Black and other student communities who want to participate. Social media users are misrepresenting these voluntary ceremonies as “segregation.”