Accurate information is the foundation of a functioning democracy
A worldwide network of scientists sorting fact from fiction. Our goal is to empowering readers to discern trustworthy news.
Insights
-
From vibrant corals to white skeletons: climate change and looming existential threats to coral reefs
Coral reefs and their ecosystem serve important roles on Earth – they flourish with biodiversity, offering habitat to 25% of…
-
Sea-level rise: to mitigate or adapt? Experts say we need to do both.
Roughly 900 million people lived in low-lying coastal cities and settlements in 2020; a figure that is projected to reach 1 billion by 2050. Is there anything we can do now to reduce sea-level rise and its impacts? Our past actions will already impact sea-levels for thousands of years. But not everything is set in stone. We possess the power to reduce sea-level rise and its impacts over the next century and beyond with our current actions. Some advocate to mitigate the causes, and others to adapt to the consequences. But what do experts say?
-
How fears of parasites drive viral claims for detoxes and cleanses
Removing parasites from the body is a recurring theme in health misinformation on social media. These posts misleadingly suggest that…
Newsletter subscription
Get scientists’ reviews and articles delivered directly to your inbox
Recent Reviews
-
UnsupportedNo current evidence to support social media fad of “blood type diet”
Claim:
Eating specific foods based on your blood type can optimize your health
Source: Instagram, Social media users, 2024-07-07 -
Partially correctActivated charcoal is used to treat poisoning, but isn’t effective for all poisons and isn’t a substitute for medical attention
Claim:
“Charcoal absorbs and neutralizes poisons”; charcoal can treat diarrhea and bloating
Source: Facebook, Barbara O'Neill, 2024-05-30 -
IncorrectUnprotected sun overexposure, not sunscreen or sunglasses, causes sunburn and skin cancer
Claim:
“sunscreen and then skin cancer, it's a direct correlation”; wearing sunglasses increases the risk of sunburn; sunscreen reduces vitamin D production
Source: Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Social media users, 2024-07-11 -
Mostly accurate -
UnsupportedNo, a study didn’t establish that tampons are toxic and cause health problems, contrary to social media posts
Claim:
Toxic metals in tampons are causing reproductive health problems like endometriosis and infertility
Source: TikTok, Threads, Social media users, 2024-07-10 -
UnsupportedPreclinical studies cannot provide sufficient evidence that ivermectin helps treat cancer in people
Claim:
Cancer patients should use ivermectin to treat cancer, as it augments the effect of cancer therapies
Source: Brio-Medical Cancer Center, Walter Kim, 2024-06-29
Analyses & Investigations
-
European Union: Sanctioned Russian media entities and individuals’ content accessible on YouTube and Google products
Despite EU sanctions, some Russian state-controlled media remains accessible to EU audiences on Google services.
-
European Union: Sanctioned Russian media entities and individuals accessible on X (Twitter)
Report co-author: Saman Nazari, Alliance4Europe This Flash report was made possible through a collaboration facilitated by the EU Election ISAC.…
-
Use of information panels on YouTube videos containing misinformation – a ’quick check’ study
This quick check study suggests that the information panels applied by YouTube are highly unlikely to have the desired effect of connecting users to authoritative information on topics prone to disinformation.
News & events
press
-
The New York Times
‘Convergence of Anger’ Drives Disinformation Around E.U. Elections
A report this week from two fact-checking groups, Newtral in Spain and Science Feedback in France, tracked false narratives in six languages that were linked to the farmer protests. There were unfounded claims that the European Union was deliberately destroying crop fields, forcing reductions in agricultural production and trying to replace farmers with A.I. robots. The claims appeared to resonate with audiences far more than general climate criticism did, researchers said.
-
DPA (German Press Agency)
La banquise arctique en déclin depuis les années 80
« Il est important de comprendre que la glace de mer, en tant qu’indicateur du changement climatique, fluctue d’une année à l’autre », explique Stephen Bell, rédacteur scientifique pour le réseau international Climate Feedback, créé pour lutter contre la désinformation climatique.
-
NPR
Hard times are here for news sites and social media. Is this the end of Web 2.0?
One recent study by Science Feedback found that user engagement with so-called superspreaders of misinformation increased 44% on the platform since Musk took over.
-
Rappler
They’re getting smarter: How disinformation peddlers avoid regulation
Does Facebook’s method work? A study done by Science Feedback said yes, but only to a certain extent. Facebook’s interventions on accounts that repeatedly share disinformation and misinformation results in reduced engagement on posts that violate community standards. However, the study found that this did not change the behavior of repeat offenders in the long run.