Social media users claim Starbucks interim chief executive, Howard Schultz, said people should not buy the chain’s coffee if they support “traditional marriage.” But there is no evidence Schultz ever said this, and the company said the quote is made-up.
A video viewed nearly 200,000 times on Instagram appears to show a crowd interrupting US President Joe Biden with an expletive-laden chant during a speech on gun reform. But the clip has been manipulated; the original footage of the address shows Biden reacting as the father of a school shooting victim stood up to call for a greater response to gun violence.
Social media posts claim Covid-19 vaccines have caused a surge in aggressive forms of cancer. This is unproven; experts say available data do not show an increased risk — and health authorities recommend the shots for cancer patients, whose treatments can leave them immunocompromised and more vulnerable to the coronavirus.
Multiple social media posts falsely claim German researchers have confirmed gargling with salt water kills the coronavirus that causes Covid-19. But AFP found no such study. A scientist who led a similar study in 2020 — which found certain commercial mouthwashes could reduce the risk of virus transmission — said mouthwashes are ineffective in treating Covid-19. There is no scientific evidence that salt water gargling can prevent or treat Covid-19, according to health experts.
A video has been viewed thousands of times in multiple posts on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube that falsely claim it shows praying Muslims being forcibly removed from a road in France. In fact, the clip shows climate activists from French protest group Dernière Rénovation being removed during a sit-in demonstration in Paris.
A video viewed millions of times on social media claims airports “across the world” will end the 3.4-ounce (100 ml) limit for liquids in carry-on items by 2024. This is misleading; the United Kingdom announced such a measure, but this has not been adopted globally.