No evidence people are trying to kill with fentanyl-laced tape on cars
Even if they were, touching ‘contaminated’ tape wouldn’t be fatal. Read
Fact checks
Sarah Turnnidge
Fact Checker (former)
Sarah previously worked for HuffPost UK, and before that worked in local newsrooms including the Bristol Post, the Essex Echo and the Thurrock Independent.
Environment
Emissions from COP26 private jets are far, far lower than Scotland’s annual CO2 output
Claims on Twitter seriously misunderstand a headline which equates private jet emissions to the emissions of just 1,600 Scots. Read
Fact checks
Health
Parents aren’t being urged to donate their children’s organs at vaccine appointments
A manipulated image has been shared thousands of times online. Read
Fact checks
Health
Poll didn’t indicate the majority want a new Covid-19 lockdown
There is no indication that the poll, carried out amongst Independent readers, included a representative sample of respondents. Read
Fact checks
Spiking: Very rare to contract HIV through used needle
The National AIDS Trust said some posts claiming victims of needle spiking had tested positive for HIV were “demonstrably false”. Read
Fact checks
Health
Government hasn’t explained differing statements on lab accused of inaccurate Covid-19 results
The government has changed its statement about the lab in question, but has not explained the discrepancy or why inaccurate information was originally released. Read
Fact checks
Churchill street sweeper quote has been attributed to many politicians
The format of the anecdote, seen thousands of times on Facebook, is almost identical to false posts about other successful couples. Read
Fact checks
Immigration
Picture of refugees on ship isn’t from WWII
A picture on Facebook misidentifies a 1991 picture as one taken during the Second World War. Read
Fact checks
Health
Vaccine rap battle full of misinformation
A video on Facebook shares several common types of harmful misinformation about Covid-19 and the vaccines. Read
Fact checks
Environment
Bill Gates’ £400m claim about green investment was wrong
The entrepreneur said both his organisation and the UK government were contributing £400 million each to a new fund. Read
Fact checks
