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200 | 16471 | """Children who witness domestic violence are """"twice as likely to commit it themselves.""" | """Klobuchar, arguing that the NFL has a responsibility to hold its """"role models"""" accountable to a """"different culture,"""" said that kids who witness domestic violence in their households are """"twice as likely to commit it themselves."""" There are legitimate, peer-reviewed studies that bear Klobuchar’s claim out. But overall, even though there’s a consensus that witnessing domestic violence puts kids at a greater risk for perpetrating it themselves, the precise figures differ. Measuring domestic violence is very difficult for a variety of reasons, and there hasn’t been a recent, comprehensive study. So saying these kids are """"twice as likely to commit"""" domestic violence is a little too precise.""" | true |
201 | 5977 | George Michael died of natural causes, British coroner says. | George Michael died of natural causes as the result of heart disease and a fatty liver, a British coroner said Tuesday. | true |
202 | 26787 | Facebook post Says the CEO of Camping World told Trump supporters “Frankly, don’t shop at my business.” | A California jury on Wednesday awarded $29 million to a woman who said that asbestos in Johnson & Johnson’s talcum-powder-based products caused her cancer. | false |
203 | 5081 | Vehicle search prompted by marijuana smell ruled illegal. | An eastern Pennsylvania judge has ruled that state police troopers who said they smelled marijuana in a car weren’t allowed to search it once they were shown a passenger’s medical marijuana card. | true |
204 | 8111 | Austria bets on mass testing to manage coronavirus spread. | Austria will massively expand coronavirus testing in coming days to locate and isolate infected people and avoid an Italian-like overload of its health system, Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said on Tuesday. | true |
205 | 7204 | Democrats unveil new policies before gubernatorial primary. | Democrats vying for Michigan governor head into the final two months of their primary fight with a number of new policy initiatives in hand, including a single-payer system of universal health care, a college scholarship program and a plan to offset child care costs so women can work. | true |
206 | 7250 | Jerry Lewis, Hollywood survivor, showman, dies at 91. | Jerry Lewis epitomized what it meant to be a survivor in Hollywood. | true |
207 | 7300 | Opponents of Georgia abortion ban promise court challenge. | Opponents of a Georgia law banning abortions once a fetal heartbeat can be detected vow to take their fight from the state Capitol to the courthouse. | true |
208 | 2376 | Japan's tsunami survivors suffer in silence three years after disaster. | Hatsuko Ishikawa never got a final look at her 36-year-old son, a firefighter, before he was swept away by the tsunami that devastated Japan’s northeast coast three years ago. | true |
209 | 13952 | As Bernie Sanders said, Hillary Clinton ‘voted for virtually every trade agreement that has cost the workers of this country millions, millions of jobs.’ | """Trump said, """"As Bernie Sanders said, Hillary Clinton ‘for virtually every trade agreement that has cost the workers of this country millions, millions of jobs.’ """" He accurately recasted Sanders’ words, but that doesn’t make the attack any more correct. Out of the 10 trade deals Clinton could have voted on, she voted in favor of six and against two. On two other deals (with Peru and Jordan), she didn’t vote but did vouch for them. As for subsequent job losses, independent research has shown the impact of NAFTA, for example, to not be significant one way or the other for jobs. Trump’s claim is partially accurate and needs additional information.""" | mixture |
210 | 7590 | NBA players’ union hires director of mental health. | The National Basketball Players Association has hired its first director of mental health and wellness. | true |
211 | 8034 | China readies stimulus measures as local virus cases dwindle. | China plans stronger steps to revive an economy hit by coronavirus, as the nation on Saturday reported no new locally transmitted infections for the previous day. | true |
212 | 33852 | Dihydrogen monoxide is a dangerous chemical that should be banned. | The dihydrogen monoxide hoax shows that even the most innocuous of substances can be made to sound like a dangerous threat to human life. | false |
213 | 4072 | Texas records 1st death linked to e-cigarette use. | Health officials in Texas say the state has recorded its first death associated with vaping-related lung illnesses. | true |
214 | 15117 | When (Ronald) Reagan came in, from 1978 to 1982, economic growth averaged less than 1 percent a year. There’s only one other four-year period where that’s true. That’s true from 2008 to 2012. | """Cruz said that """"when (Ronald) Reagan came in, from 1978 to 1982, economic growth averaged less than 1 percent a year. There’s only one other four-year period where that’s true. That’s true from 2008 to 2012."""" Cruz missed two other four-year periods that fit the criteria. In addition, his implication -- that Democrats are largely to blame for those conditions -- doesn’t stand up to logical consistency, particularly when he excluded the period beginning in 2006 (which included three years solely under Bush) and 2007 (which included two years solely under Bush). This goes on top of general uncertainty about how much blame to assign presidents for poor economic conditions.""" | false |
215 | 35479 | A saltwater solution will force insect pests out of infested strawberries. | What's true: The agricultural industry tests for an invasive insect known as spotted wing drosophila using a solution of water and salt or sugar to force bugs out of potentially infested fruit. What's false: Experts note that while this method is used by agriculturalists to test for the flying pests, there is no conclusive or published scientific evidence that proves its legitimacy. | mixture |
216 | 10496 | Advances in treatments for enlarged prostates | While this story provides a lot of potentially interesting information about means for managing problems associated with benign prostate hyperplasia, it falls short of best journalistic practice on a number of counts. It engages in disease mongering with the underlying thought that all enlarged prostates seemingly need to be treated. It failed to provide a framework for the results presented. It didn’t mention side effects associated with the treatments. It did not distinguish between those treatments which have been used now for a several years and those which are experimental. While acknowledging that the medications might be prescribed for ‘the rest of their lives’, it didn’t provide much insight about the length of time the treatments discussed had been studied and whether their effectiveness or benefit/harm ratio changes over time. It also did not provide much quantitative information about the magnitude of benefit that might be expected or the proportion of men that could be anticipated to reap those benefits. The story did not fully describe the various clinical and quality-of-life outcomes measured in the treatment trials. Another omission was that the newer medications–PD5 inhibitors and Botox–are uNPRoven (based on clinically meaningful, long-term outcomes), quite expensive, and associated with important complications. | false |
217 | 16807 | """Newt Gingrich Says Hillary Clinton's health care plan from the 1990s """"had a broader provision in favor of corporate right to back out"""" of providing contraceptive coverage than the one created by the Hobby Lobby Supreme Court decision.""" | """Gingrich said Hillary Clinton's health care plan from the 1990s """"had a broader provision in favor of corporate right to back out"""" of providing contraceptive coverage than the one created by the Hobby Lobby Supreme Court decision. We found that Sen. Moynihan did produce a health care bill, as part of widespread reform efforts, that included a religious exemption for employers that was broader than the provisions created by the court’s decision. However, Gingrich was wrong to connect that back to the Clintons. The Clintons’ health care plans did not include such a provision, and they did not back Moynihan’s bill. In fact, Moynihan was critical of the administration throughout the health care debate. Additionally, his proposal came up near the end of the reform efforts and didn’t generate much discussion.""" | false |
218 | 36654 | """Bovine tuberculosis"""" has appeared in a herd of cattle in Michigan.""" | ‘Bovine Tuberculosis’ Appearing in Michigan? | true |
219 | 38992 | A Germanwings airbus crash in the French Alps that killed 150 people was an act of terror because Germanwings co-pilot Andreas Lubitz had converted to a radical form of Islam before the crash. | Germanwings Pilot Had Converted to Islam-Investigation Pending! | unproven |
220 | 6586 | Indianapolis 500 officials to offer measles vaccine at race. | Some fans attending Sunday’s Indianapolis 500 can get measles vaccines at the track’s infield medical center. | true |
221 | 26134 | “Infection rates in Allegany, Cattaraugus and Chautauqua counties have consistently been among the lowest in the state.” | A look at the data from the end of March to mid-May confirms that the per capita infection rate in Allegany, Cattaraugus and Chautauqua counties was typically in the bottom one-third of counties in the state. By contrast, the other two counties in western New York, Erie and Niagara, were consistently in the top half of counties for infections per capita. | true |
222 | 41092 | US patents 7897744 and 8506968 are for SARS. | The first number is the US patent number for the SARS virus. The patent application was made by the CDC, but after the outbreak in 2002. The second number is a patent for a SARS vaccine which has now expired. | true |
223 | 7419 | Groups sow doubt about COVID vaccine before one even exists. | A coronavirus vaccine is still months or years away, but groups that peddle misinformation about immunizations are already taking aim, potentially eroding confidence in what could be humanity’s best chance to defeat the virus. | true |
224 | 9950 | Heart drug riddle solved: Beta blockers’ ability to combat chronic failure linked to genetics | From the research done as part of the Human Genome Project over the past 10 years, patients, physicians and policymakers will increasingly see scientific studies exploring the relationship between genes, diseases and drugs. This particular article refers to a study of an experimental beta blocker drug called bucindolol that was originally published in 2001 for patients with symptoms from heart failure at rest or with less than ordinary activity. Over about 2 years, 30% of the patients receiving bucindolol died and 33% of those receiving placebo died, so the drug did not provide any statistically significant advantage. Using genetic material samples from a subset of the original patients, Dr Liggett and colleagues found that a particular genetic marker identified a group of patients who appeared to benefit from bucindolol. Neither the genetic test nor the drug is currently available. Moreover, there are many other drugs known to be effective in heart failure. Thus, this article is an attempt to highlight the future potential of genetic sequencing individuals and using that information to identify drugs that may be beneficial as in this case or harmful in other cases for a particular person. In general, because of the many genes being tested, some of these relationships may occur just by chance alone. So these may be falsely positive tests. In addition, in some cases, genes may identify diseases or potential harms that may never occur or may never become apparent – “false diagnoses” that could lead to additional tests, harms from treatment or worry. While genetic sequencing holds great promise, patients, physicians and policymakers will need to evaluate carefully the risks and benefits of such tests in the future and the science upon which the rationale for the test rests. These are some of the issues that a story like this could have explored, rather than merely relying on researchers’ hopes for FDA approval of an experimental drug and researchers’ predictions that a genetic test will be approved soon. | false |
225 | 30557 | Delta Air Lines gives members of Planned Parenthood discounted rates on air travel. | Regardless of Delta Air Lines’ relationships with the Susan G. Komen Foundation, the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, or anyone else, these groups have little to do with the senator’s original claim, which is that Delta Air Lines provided discounts to Planned Parenthood members. Our examination of this rumor resulted in a chain of unfounded social media posts, but absolutely no supporting evidence. | false |
226 | 7898 | Europe grapples with 'socio-economic tsunami' of coronavirus crisis. | Italy’s prime minister on Tuesday declared coronavirus was causing a “socio-economic tsunami” as European leaders agreed to seal off external borders, but many countries thwarted solidarity by imposing frontier curbs of their own. | true |
227 | 17269 | """John Morgan Says Cathy Jordan was """"arrested"""" and dragged out of her home by """"a SWAT team of hooligans"""" for using medical marijuana.""" | John Morgan says 'a SWAT team of hooligans' arrested medical marijuana activist Cathy Jordan | false |
228 | 12943 | """Imitation dairy products often differ nutritionally from those they mimic, and labeling them """"milk"""" or """"cheese"""" or """"yogurt"""" is """"against the law.""" | """Baldwin claimed that imitation dairy products made from plants often differ nutritionally from the real thing, and labeling them """"milk"""" or """"cheese"""" or """"yogurt"""" is """"against the law."""" The nutrition point is accurate, and the legal point is partially so. """ | true |
229 | 12135 | Hurricane Irma could be a Category 6 by the time it hits East Coast. | Hurricane Irma can't be a Category 6 storm | false |
230 | 18371 | A 0.05 standard for drunken driving means having a glass of wine at dinner could make a person drunk. | The Tavern League of Wisconsin said a proposal to make 0.05 the standard for drunken driving would mean that having a glass of wine at dinner could make a person drunk. The statement is accurate, in that it’s possible an individual could reach 0.05 after one drink. But it needs additional information, namely that the situation would apply only in a small number of instances and would depend on other factors, such as drinking on an empty stomach. | true |
231 | 5239 | Delaware doc accused of trading drugs for sex loses license. | Delaware has permanently revoked the license of a doctor accused of prescribing opioids in exchange for sexual favors from a female patient undergoing treatment for long-term drug addiction. | true |
232 | 40077 | A prayer request for a 4-year old girl who has been diagnosed with “non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, stage 4.” The email says her father works for a temp service, the mom works part time at a family-owned business, and that they do not have insurance. | Pray for 4-year old Madison who is cancer | true |
233 | 8973 | Association of radiation therapy plus lumpectomy in reduced risk of dying in women with DCIS | This news release summarizes an association study comparing 140,000 women with a diagnosis of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) who received three different treatments. The study utilized the National Cancer Institute’s Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program database to evaluate outcomes. DCIS is a noninvasive form of breast cancer, sometimes referred to as stage 0 breast cancer. There is debate as to whether it should be called cancer at all. The study reported outcomes in three groups of patients: 1) patients who underwent lumpectomy (surgery to remove the tumor) plus radiation versus lumpectomy alone; 2) patients who underwent lumpectomy without radiation versus mastectomy (surgery to remove the breast); and 3) patients who underwent lumpectomy plus radiation versus mastectomy. Women who received radiation had a slightly lower (0.27% reduction) risk of death from breast cancer at 15 years compared to women with lumpectomy alone. The release mentions some limitations of the research but missing is a broader discussion of the potential for over treatment of DCIS, whether DCIS needs to be treated at all, and whether women with low-risk forms of the disease can be safely monitored without treatment. We’ve written about this previously. Over treatment is a widely discussed issue in many areas of cancer, including DCIS, a noninvasive early form of breast cancer that some physicians believe should not be strictly labeled “cancer,” primarily when it’s low grade, or grade 1 DCIS. Exposing women to radiation in addition to lumpectomy has the potential for unnecessary harms. This brief release does not provide that context. The published study itself includes this comment: “It is doubtful whether a benefit of this size is large enough to warrant radiotherapy.” | mixture |
234 | 23925 | """Mexican government officials """"hand out brochures showing individuals how they can avoid our Border Patrol, how they can get into our country.""" | Smith says Mexico hands out brochures showing migrants how to avoid Border Patrol, enter U.S. | false |
235 | 23373 | """Rhode Island gives undocumented pregnant women health insurance, plus a cash card """"with $400 a month on it"""" and """"$250 a month or $275 a month to spend on food.""" | Palumbo says R.I. gives undocumented pregnant women free health insurance and hundreds of dollars for food and other expenses | false |
236 | 5776 | Nursing residency program to tackle rural health care needs. | One of the state’s largest health care providers is partnering with the University of New Mexico’s nursing college to expand access to health care in rural communities by creating a new residency program. | true |
237 | 17404 | Dana Milbank Says Bill O’Reilly spoke 40 percent of the words in an interview with President Barack Obama. | Milbank said O’Reilly said 40 percent of the words during his interview with the president. That was a little high. By our count, 35 percent would be more accurate. O’Reilly spoke decidedly more than Tapper did in his time with Obama. | true |
238 | 2798 | Pfizer lung cancer drug fails in two large studies. | Pfizer Inc on Monday said one of its experimental drugs had failed to meet its goals in two late-stage studies among patients who had received prior treatment for advanced non-small cell lung cancer, the most common form of the disease. | true |
239 | 9765 | Prenatal testing can detect cancer in pregnant mothers | This CBS story is about the detection of maternal cancers during analysis of DNA blood tests designed to identify chromosomal abnormalities in the fetus. Understandably, the story focuses on the story of a mother who feels her unborn fetus may have “saved her life” because of the unexpected cancer finding. It packs a significant emotional punch for such a very short story and very likely collected a lot of eyeballs. But it missed an opportunity to offer viewers some context and background about the potential risks as well as benefits from wider use of DNA blood tests that reveal incidental findings that suggest disease. The competing WSJ story was longer and provided more of the details we were looking for. There is increasing demand by physicians and pregnant women to perform noninvasive prenatal blood tests as a safer means of establishing fetal risk for Down Syndrome and other serious genetic abnormalities. Although professional guidelines suggest that only women at high risk of carrying fetuses with serious genetic abnormalities get these tests, they are already widely used because other procedures, such as amniocentesis, can occasionally lead to miscarriage. The discovery that in a few rare cases, the abnormalities detected in the tests have nothing to do with the fetus, but with a mother’s undiagnosed cancer instead, will likely lead to even more demand for use of these tests. That poses not only the ethical problem of whether and when to divulge incidental genetic risks also uncovered in maternal DNA (say, of breast cancer), but also a potential explosion of costs related to use of the blood tests to screen every pregnant woman to find a very small number of cancers. | false |
240 | 4642 | Man who inspired ice bucket challenge is back in hospital. | The man who inspired people around the world to dump buckets of ice water over their heads to raise millions of dollars for Lou Gehrig’s disease research is back in the hospital and is keeping his sense of humor. | true |
241 | 11431 | Fat Hormone May Trick the Body to Help It Keep Extra Pounds Off | This piece reported that use of twice daily injections of a synthesized version of the hormone leptin helped maintain weight loss in a small group of individuals who lost 10% of their body weight in the preceding 5-10 weeks by following a very low-calorie diet. There was no comparison group of people who did not receive the twice-daily injections fed a comparable number of calories following weight loss. No context was given, providing no mention of any other weight loss maintenance methods. The conclusion that this study (of an injected hormone) “suggests that the weight loss solution may eventually be a pill” is totally unsupported by anything in the original research. And it conflicts with a line that appeared just three sentences earlier in the story, which explained, “the lead investigator said the 10-week study was too short and too small to determine whether continuous leptin treatments could allow dieters to keep off their weight permanently and effortlessly.” Finally, the story did not reveal that in the study, subjects were fed a meager 800 calories a day, which is more akin to starvation than to dieting. So it makes the conclusion of the story even less relevant to dieters trying to keep weight off, which was the way the story was framed. | false |
242 | 91 | Procter & Gamble, rivals take refills into beauty aisle. | Under pressure to reduce environmental waste from single-use containers, major consumer companies including Procter & Gamble Co (PG.N), Unilever Plc (ULVR.L) and The Body Shop are rolling out more products in refillable form. | true |
243 | 10863 | Retinal implant trial helps blind people see shapes | There was too much gee whiz and not enough hard analysis of the evidence in this piece about a journal article showing that a new eye implant has improved the vision of three people, at least temporarily. While the piece was well written and did a good job explaining the mechanics of the device, there were dozens of unanswered questions about the study itself and about the implant’s broad application. Retinitis pigmentosa and macular degeneration are two of the major causes of loss of vision in the world today. Given the failure of any drug therapy to halt the progression of either and the lack of progress of gene based treatments, the promise of artificial devices holds a great deal of appeal for the average reader. Researchers have been working on several fronts to improve vision impairments, and the public has seen a series of stories about “breakthroughs” that promise the hope of restoring people’s vision. Wired Magazine in 2002 featured a story with the headline, “A half century of artificial-sight research has succeeded. And now the blind can see.” Yet, where are all the people walking around with bionic eyes eight years later? Stories about devices like the one described in this case and other methods being tested need to take the hype down a notch and make it clear to readers how difficult it is to translate these technologies into an effective, commonly used clinical application. Unfortunately, this story uses a time honored approach of hyperbole in its reporting of this early stage research. | false |
244 | 26607 | “Putin has stated: Russian citizens (have) 2 options: Stay home for 15 days or in jail for 5 years.” | Russian President Vladimir Putin has implemented some policies to cancel large gatherings and keep people at home during the coronavirus pandemic. But we could not find any evidence that he has threatened jail time for people who don’t comply. The claim about a Putin policy to jail those who don’t stay at home appears to come from a post by the Twitter account of an Indian comedian, who later labeled his assertion a “joke.” | false |
245 | 24575 | There's no rationing in any of these bills. | There's rationing in health care now, and there still would be under reform bill | false |
246 | 3759 | Montana vape shop turns to home kits to dodge flavored ban. | A Montana vape store chain has announced plans to offer customers do-it-yourself vaping kits to combat the state’s new temporary ban on the sale of flavored vaping products. | true |
247 | 35339 | """A photograph shows a genuine crop circle resembling a logo for Microsoft Windows and the """"crown"""" shape associated with coronaviruses.""" | U.S. health officials said on Thursday two more deaths occurred since last week from a mysterious respiratory illness tied to vaping, taking the total toll to 54. | false |
248 | 1373 | UK doctor jailed for 15 years over unnecessary breast surgery. | A British breast surgeon who carried out unnecessary operations on 10 patients for personal gain was sentenced to 15 years in prison, a court heard on Wednesday. | true |
249 | 29437 | """Minecraft has a newly-discovered """"sex mod"""" of which parents should be aware and exercise caution (or restrict the game from their children entirely).""" | """What's true: Minecraft can be modified by individual players, some of whom have created risqué """"sex mods."""" What's false: Minecraft has no official """"sex mods,"""" the process of installing mods is complex, and it's unlikely a user will encounter risqué content in the course of playing the game without having deliberately installed such a mod.""" | false |
250 | 10926 | Coffee may cut risk for some cancers | """What basics are wrong? The on-air and online stories still used terms like """"benefit"""" and """"lowers risk"""" – sometimes with the qualifier """"may cut risk"""" which still doesn’t cover up the inaccuracy of using causal language to explain results that can’t prove cause-and-effect. Some of the online comments on the CNN website provide a glimpse of how readers react to such stories: """"i love how an article starts with something positive and then slowly becomes a little gloomy. so is it good or not? i’m still where i was with coffee, it’s all in moderation, it ain’t gonna solve your health woes."""" """"The statistics book in a class I’m taking right know uses coffee as an example of statistics run amok. It seems coffee has caused all the cancers and cures them at the same time."""" """"Could it be that instead of having mysterious compounds, coffee drinkers just drink more coffee than they drink alcohol or smoke?"""" """"I am so f-ing sick of these studies, or more precicesly how these """"risk factors"""" are interpreted as """"facts"""" by newspaper headlines. If you can’t explain why something happens other than surmising, stop wasting our time."""" """"…correlation IS NOT causation!!!! So people that drink 4 or more cups of coffee have a lower incidence of two certain types of head and neck cancers, and this is supposed to mean that coffee is actually """"warding off"""" these cancers???""""""" | true |
251 | 5205 | Study raises fresh dementia concerns from playing pro soccer. | A study of former professional soccer players in Scotland finds that they were less likely to die of common causes such as heart disease and cancer compared with the general population but more likely to die from dementia. The results raise fresh concerns about head-related risks from playing the sport — at least for men at the pro level. | true |
252 | 19609 | """Claims Joe Biden said """"coal is more dangerous than terrorists.""" | Mitt Romney says Joe Biden once claimed coal was more dangerous than terrorists | false |
253 | 28626 | Eating Takis brand corn chips causes ulcers and cancer in children. | What's true: Excessive consumption of spicy snack foods (such as Takis brand corn chips) can lead to stomach pains and gastritis in children. What's false: Evidence that moderate consumption of such snacks by children carries a significant risk of ulcers or cancer is lacking. | mixture |
254 | 8802 | Unilever says new milkshake helps control appetite. | A new weight loss drink that tastes like a milkshake significantly reduces appetite and could soon join Unilever’s $400 million Slim-Fast weight-loss brand, the company’s researchers said on Wednesday. | true |
255 | 30558 | Hollywood film producer and alleged sexual predator Harvey Weinstein shot and killed himself in a Scottsdale, Arizona, hotel room. | It wasn’t the first time that a fabricated report of a celebrity death appeared on ABCNewGo.com. The site reported that ailing British comedian Ken Dodd had died in January 2018, prompting an angry denial from his publicist. | false |
256 | 29515 | Donald Trump improperly received $150,000 in federal aid earmarked for small businesses damaged by the 9/11 attacks, despite the fact his business was neither small nor damaged in the attacks. | What's true: A business owned or operated by Donald Trump was entitled to $150,000 in federal aid to businesses affected by the 9/11 attacks. What's false: The grant money wasn't specifically earmarked for small businesses, nor was it improperly accessed by Trump. Trump's businesses did not lie or mislead federal agencies to in order to qualify under the terms of the programs, which didn't require businesses to have sustained physical damage to be entitled to the funds. Trump's business also wasn't the only large firm to qualify under criteria used by the agency tasked with distributing the grant money. | false |
257 | 9452 | Hate UTIs? One Simple Step Can Cut the Risk | Urinary tract infections, or UTIs, are a common problem among women, and this story looks at a possible preventative technique: drinking more water. A study conducted in Bulgaria tracked women over a year, half of whom significantly increased the amount of water they drank. The story was strong on many points, providing plenty of details on how the study was designed and what the outcomes were. However, it missed the mark in one key area: It didn’t disclose that five of the seven researchers either work or consult for Danone, which makes several brands of bottled water. That’s important context for understanding the research and some of the frothier claims that it’s generating, such as increased water consumption might eliminate the need for antibiotics. As we’ve covered many times, health care is full of potential conflicts of interest. Even water is not off limits–and readers deserve to know that. | mixture |
258 | 21341 | """EMILY's List Says Tommy Thompson """"pushed such strict laws that abortion providers faced potential life imprisonment and women were forced to cross state lines in order to receive attention for life-threatening issues.""" | EMILY's List says GOP U.S. Senate hopeful Tommy Thompson pushed law that exposed partial-birth abortion providers to life in prison | mixture |
259 | 27633 | A viral video shows a man punching a kangaroo in the face to save his dog. | In this case, though, all parties — dog, man, and kangaroo — emerged from the confrontation relatively unscathed. | true |
260 | 9022 | Minimally invasive treatment reduces knee pain and disability from osteoarthritis | This release outlines interim results from a small clinical trial proposing a new treatment — geniculate artery embolization (GAE) — to reduce the pain in patients with osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee. The study was presented at the Society of Interventional Radiology’s annual meeting. The main concerns with this report are the small study size (just 13 patients) and the brief duration of the study. Outcomes include results only through 1 month after the procedure. Almost half of the patients didn’t complete the 1-month follow-up assessment. The study didn’t include a control group. The release also ignored the potential risks of the procedure and its costs. Knee pain from osteoarthritis is a growing problem among the aging population and new approaches to reduce this type of pain could improve the quality of life for many older patients. Any non-opioid or non-surgical approach which can match the success of knee replacement surgery in resolving pain and improving function would be an advance in caring for people with disabling osteoarthritis of the knee. But this release, and the extremely early stage of this research, goes too far in its claims of benefit. Larger trials of greater duration will be needed before this new invasive approach can be seen as a ready alternative to current treatments. | false |
261 | 29121 | The character 'Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer' was created by a father to bring comfort to his daughter as her mother was dying of cancer. | What's true: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer was created by a man whose wife was dying of cancer. What's false: The story of Rudolph was not created to bring comfort to a girl as her mother lay dying of cancer. | mixture |
262 | 26673 | Drinking “water a lot and gargling with warm water & salt or vinegar eliminates” the coronavirus. | Neither drinking a lot of water, nor gargling with warm water and salt or vinegar, has been identified as working against the coronavirus. There is no remedy yet to prevent or treat the disease. | false |
263 | 18582 | Very few men outlive their own fertility. | """Cooper argued before the Supreme Court that """"very few men outlive their own fertility."""" Experts we consulted generally agree that men — or at least some men — may still father children well into their advanced years. But whether that’s most men or a minority isn’t yet supported by research. Meanwhile, emerging studies document declining fertility as individual men age, and studies don’t yet confirm how many men remain fertile their entire lives. Given the sweeping nature of Cooper's claim, and the lack of unequivocal evidence.""" | mixture |
264 | 27138 | Sitting inside a running, snowed-in car can result in carbon monoxide poisoning. | In the wake of these deaths, WABC visited the Maplewood Fire Department in New Jersey to conduct an informal experiment showing just how quickly the passenger compartment of a car buried in snow could fill up with carbon monoxide gas. It took only 1 minute and 24 seconds for levels to spike to dangerous levels inside the running vehicle. | true |
265 | 20167 | """National Republican Congressional Committee Says that Rep. Betty Sutton """"would rather riot with Occupy (Wall Street) than stand up for Ohio families.""" | NRCC says Betty Sutton supported rioting at Occupy Wall Street event | false |
266 | 13122 | Report: 3 million votes in presidential election cast by illegal aliens. | """Reports claim 3 million """"illegal aliens"""" cast votes in this year's election. The articles point back to tweets from Gregg Phillips, who has worked for the Republican Party and has a voter fraud reporting app. But Phillips will not provide any evidence to support his claim, which happens to be undermined by publicly available information. If Phillips does release a more detailed report, we will consider that information. But for now, this claim is inaccurate.""" | false |
267 | 2793 | Florida's top court puts medical marijuana initiative on November ballot. | Florida voters will decide in November whether to legalize medical marijuana after the state Supreme Court on Monday approved an initiative to put the measure on the ballot. | true |
268 | 22977 | """Said they reached a """"power-sharing agreement"""" with Republican Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle""" | """Georgia Senate leaders claim """"power sharing"""" with lieutenant governor""" | false |
269 | 35765 | U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., supports the ability to carry out abortions up until the time a woman gives birth. | What's true: U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif, has maintained that the timing of carrying out an abortion should be left up to a woman. Harris was a co-sponsor of the 2019 Women’s Health Protection Act (WHPA), which prohibits state laws banning post-viability abortions that do not make exceptions if a woman’s health and life are at risk. What's false: She has not explicitly stated that she supports the termination of a pregnancy at any time just before birth. | mixture |
270 | 7335 | Burundi defies COVID-19 for election ending a bloody rule. | Burundi is pushing ahead with an election on Wednesday that will end the president’s divisive and bloody 15-year rule. | true |
271 | 10648 | Study casts doubt on duct tape wart cure | """Beyond the polished floors of medical clinics, the unassuming roll of duct tape enjoys a gritty reputation for mastering countless tribulations of daily life, from rotted radiator hoses and sprung suitcases to broken barbecues and split rake handles. Is it possible that duct tape could also cure one of medicine’s intractable problems—the harmless, common wart? Well, maybe—and maybe not. This nifty AP story ably describes the medical threat posed by warts (“harmless, stubborn bumps” that eventually go away on their own), explains the scientific methods used to test the theory that duct tape cures warts, quantifies the research results, and outlines several other treatment options. The article also provides a glimmer of hope for duct tape devotees who might be sorry to see this unassuming therapy headed for the dust bin. The researchers used a rubberless, transparent tape foresworn by aficionados. Conceivably, the classic, silver standard tape used in previous attempts at duct tape therapy might do the trick. Or, as The Duct Tape Guys sagely observe on their distinctive website, """"If duct tape isn't the answer, then you must be asking the wrong question!"""" (http://www.ducttapeguys.com/)""" | true |
272 | 11255 | Generic Drug Could Save Many Trauma Patients | While it earns credit for presenting the benefits in absolute terms and for including the number-needed-treat to save a life, this was the only story of the three that failed to include an independent perspective on the results. A good effort considering the space limitations, but a few more caveats would have been appreciated. Even in a brief such as this, there needs to space for an independent take on the issue. | true |
273 | 10533 | Intensive Vegetable-Fruit Diet Shows No Effect on Breast Cancer Return | """This was a brief story (only 242 words) that accurately described the main findings of an important randomized trial. Specifically, this story discussed a newly published study showing no evidence that a diet high in fruits and vegetables is related to a decreased risk of breast cancer recurrence. These findings are important for breast cancer survivors to know about, but the story did not include adequate context. Further developing the story to include known treatments to prevent recurrence, both medical and behavioral, would have strengthened the story considerably. Including another perspective from an expert in this field would have been helpful in interpeting the results and in addressing this key issue. Other research suggests that weight management via diet and exercise may play a role in the prevention of certain types of breast cancer in post-menopausal women (e.g. hormone receptor negative). The story did mention prevention of excessive weight gain via diet and exercise would be the """"next frontier in cancer prevention research"""". In a similarly designed study recently published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, there was a small (about 6-pound) weight loss difference in the group of women assigned to a high-fiber, low-fat diet, and fewer breast cancer recurrences in this group (though the difference was not statistically significant). The story failed to mention other evidence-based breast cancer recurrence strategies currently available such as hormone and biological medications, etc. These medications can reduce the risk of recurrence by about 50% or more. The story does not mention any potential """"side effects"""" of such a high fiber diet, which might include bloating, gas, and diarrhea or loose stools. While the reporter cites Dr. Gapstur, an editorial writer on the newly published data, her comment needs further explanation. More information from her and from other researchers or clinicians not affliated with the study would have been useful, especially regarding a discussion of non-cancer related benefits associated with a high-fiber, low-fat diet focused largely on plant-based foods. (Publisher note and correction on July 26, 2007: We should have noted that this was not an enterprise story by the Washington Post. The Post slashed an original 733-word story by the Associated Press to come up with this almost 500-word-shorter version.)""" | true |
274 | 11567 | Swedish mammography study sows more confusion about screening for breast cancer | This story about a study of mammography in Swedish women in their 40s puts the findings in the context of other recent reports and highlights the critiques of independent experts, thus helping readers to see that this is just one more piece of the puzzle. By including the number of women that needed to be screened in order to prevent one breast cancer death, the story gives readers a more realistic perspective on the percentage difference in death rates the researchers saw between areas that screened younger women and those that did not. A percentage difference that sounds dramatic may look much different when put into the context of the baseline risk and the potential drawbacks of an intervention. | true |
275 | 31904 | """H.R. 4919, passed on 8 December 2016, allows the microchipping of """"mentally disabled"""" citizens such as patients with autism and Alzheimer's disease.""" | """What's true: H.R. 4919 would, among other things, have authorized federal grants to local agencies to fund the voluntary use of tracking devices to locate and safeguard patients with dementia or developmental disabilities (such as autism). What's false: The legislation did not pass and did not provide for """"microchipping"""" anyone; in fact, it specified that all tracking devices be non-invasive (i.e., non-implantable) and non-permanent.""" | false |
276 | 8752 | Gene mutation underlies some mad cow disease: study. | A rare genetic mutation may underlie some cases of mad cow disease in cattle and its discovery may help shed light on where the epidemic started, U.S. researchers reported on Friday. | true |
277 | 5153 | US urges transparency in Ebola-like death in Tanzania. | Tanzanian authorities must show transparency in the case of a patient who recently died after suffering Ebola-like symptoms, the U.S. health and human services secretary said Monday. | true |
278 | 5094 | Why do zebras have stripes? Perhaps to dazzle away flies. | Zebra stripes are dazzling — particularly to flies. | true |
279 | 9689 | Cancer treatment offers MS patients hope after 'remarkable' trial results | An international clinical trial of a stem cell treatment for a common form of multiple sclerosis may be nearing completion, and several media outlets in the UK jumped on encouraging testimonials from some of the patient participants. The BBC and The Guardian both issued stories on the same day reflecting much the same information, including interviews with the same patients and very similar quotes. It is not clear why the story emerged at this point, as there is no indication that the trial is complete or that data from it have been analyzed. And the same patients from the very same trial were featured prominently in a similar round of stories from 2013, many of which carried “miracle” headlines. Can these glowing testimonials stand the test of time? If not, then the stories may have done a disservice to MS sufferers. Multiple sclerosis can be a terrifying disease for patients and their families. While for some, they have a mild course for long periods without evidence of progression, for others it can lead to permanent disability. This article talks about a form that comes and goes, but the general course is one of gradual worsening that leads to eventual disability. For each episode, treatment may shorten the duration of the flare, but it doesn’t appear to alter the long-term prognosis. There is considerable research investigating new medications that can decrease the progression to permanent disability. This study refers to interest in a different form of treatment, using the patients own cells to reconstitute their immune system after having undergone chemotherapy to wipe out the immune cells that are thought to cause the MS in the first place. As described, this is a treatment used for serious conditions such as cancer. It is associated with real risks including infection, prolonged hospitalization and even death. Despite the testimonials in this piece, it is unclear whether this form of treatment will represent an advancement over current therapy or not. Only controlled studies comparing patients who get this new treatment with similar patients who are treated with current standard therapy can tell. Even if helpful in the short-term, it is unclear whether the immune system will in the future again attack the patient’s nervous system and cause new symptoms of MS. This is because the patient is given back her/his own cells, not someone’s who doesn’t have MS, and so it is possible that those cells given back will still carry the risk for future MS. For patients with this condition who are desperate for treatment that can lead to improvement, this piece may provide false hope that a new cure is right around the corner. | false |
280 | 9546 | Testing cholesterol in toddlers, even younger? Study says it could help | This is a story looking at a study that found familial hypercholesterolemia was more common than previously thought. This condition is associated with an increased risk of heart disease and heart attacks in adults under 40. As a result, researchers are proposing that more kids get screened, and possibly start treatment earlier, to reduce this risk. One commentator noted: “We really need to pay attention to this” and “It’s reasonable to screen for something that’s common, dangerous and has a treatment that’s effective and safe.” The corollary to this statement is that there is little direct evidence that treating children with medication to lower cholesterol reduces cardiac deaths, and there are plenty of unknowns, such as the costs of screening and labeling very young kids with a disease that may not cause any problems for a long time. The story should have done more to explore both sides of this issue. Parents want to do everything they can to make sure their children have a long and healthy life, and so a story about a genetic condition being more common than previously thought is likely to be read widely. Unfortunately, the story’s framing takes the stance that finding the risk factors for this disease very early on in life leads to an overall benefit. But the study provides no evidence of that, and parents need to know this. | true |
281 | 5455 | Harvard’s ‘Outbreak Week’ marks centennial of flu pandemic. | Harvard University will be honoring the centennial of the 1918 influenza pandemic with a series of events on disease outbreak. | true |
282 | 10672 | Experimental Drug Helps Fight Aggressive Breast Cancer: Report | This article reports on a study and accompanying editorial published in The New England Journal of Medicine. The piece details the results of a Phase 2 trial for the experimental cancer drug Iniparib which was developed to treat triple-negative breast cancer. There were appropriate caveats in the body of the story – “we really don’t know if this is going to end up benefitting patients”…”both excitement and caution are appropriate in interpreting the trial”…”some clear drawbacks should be noted.” Metastasized triple-negative breast cancer is difficult to treat. If the results of this study hold up in already ongoing larger trials, PARP inhibitors may be a new class of drugs that might be more effective than current therapies. The story deserves credit for showing restraint in covering the results of this study. However, it would have been better if the story had included more key details on costs, harms and potential conflicts of interest. | true |
283 | 7582 | State adds anxiety to qualifying conditions for medical pot. | The Pennsylvania Health Department is adding anxiety disorders and Tourette’s syndrome to the list of conditions that can qualify people to obtain legal medical marijuana. | true |
284 | 35225 | Dr. Vladimir Zelenko's 669 COVID-19 patients that were treated with a combination of hydroxychloroquine, azithromycin, and zinc have seen zero hospitalizations, complications, or deaths. | Since last Thursday, my team has treated approximately 350 patients in Kiryas Joel and another 150 patients in other areas of New York with the above regimen. Of this group and the information provided to me by affiliated medical teams, we have had ZERO deaths, ZERO hospitalizations, and ZERO intubations. In addition, I have not heard of any negative side effects other than approximately 10% of patients with temporary nausea and diarrhea. | unproven |
285 | 27680 | Hanan al-Hroub, whose husband was jailed for providing chemicals used in making bombs that killed Israelis, was invited to speak at a Clinton Global Initiative dinner. | Hanan al-Hroub was one of several dozen people invited to speak during the Clinton Global Initiative’s Annual Meeting; she was not singled out to be “honored” or “feted” by that event. | true |
286 | 9137 | Bitter taste receptors may hold the key to managing preterm labor | This news release reports on a study examining substances that will stop preterm births by stopping uterine contractions. The researchers looked at strips of uterine tissue from both humans and mice, initiated contractions in the tissue using chemicals known to bring on labor, and then tested a bitter substance on the tissue. They write that this substance decreased contractions more effectively than current drugs used for this practice. They also briefly mentioned they tested the same drug in pregnant mice. The release neglects to share the name of the “bitter substance” (chloroquine) used to halt contractions in the human and mouse tissue, nor does it say how the experimental substance compared with any of the current treatments or name any of them. The release also would have served readers better by including a clear explanation that bitter taste receptors — usually only associated with the tongue — also exist in other cells in the body and that stopping early contractions is not always the best course of treatment. Preterm birth is one of the leading causes of infant mortality, according to the National Institutes of Health. The World Health Organization states “Common causes of preterm birth include multiple pregnancies, infections and chronic conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure; however, often no cause is identified.” While not all babies born prematurely experience complications, being born too early can lead to short or long-term health problems. Stopping early labor may be one preventative way to reduce risks from preterm birth. A variety of drugs are currently used for stopping early contractions but have limited effectiveness and may carry risks. | false |
287 | 34341 | Bay leaves contain a compound that decreases anxiety when burned. | Teasing apart this kind of effect from from any more specific biochemical method is challenging, and none of the research on linalool or lavender oil is adequate to address the possibility that bay leaf smoke could have a marked effect on anxiety. As such, we rank the claim that bay leaf combustion serves to reduce anxiety as unproven. | unproven |
288 | 5743 | Couple seeks to stop release of more vaccine data. | A Connecticut couple is seeking to stop the state Department of Public Health from publicly releasing additional information about immunization rates at private and public schools. | true |
289 | 11083 | Growth hormone reduces risk of osteoporosis fractures in older women | This release focuses on a study that reports long-term benefits in regard to bone density and reduced risk of bone fractures for women with osteoporosis who take growth hormone. However, the release does not make sufficiently clear that this was a small-scale study nor does it mention any risks or side effects associated with the use of growth hormone. Perhaps more important, this was essentially an observational follow-up study to the original trial, and there were a number of factors discussed below in our review that could have confounded or biased the results. We think it’s inappropriate to conclude, as the headline does, that “Growth hormone reduces risk of osteoporosis fractures” without at least some mention of these limitations. Osteoporosis affects around 16 percent of U.S. women over the age of 50 and can cause back pain and increase the risk of bone fractures — including hip and other fractures with significant consequences for health and well-being. That means millions of people are affected and, with an aging population, that number is likely to go up. Given the large number of people living with osteoporosis, it makes sense to highlight research that has the potential to mitigate the health risks associated with the condition. But it’s also important to note the limitations of that research. | false |
290 | 27216 | In 1994, a 17-year-old Eagle Scout built a nuclear reactor in his mother’s backyard, an act that ultimately necessitated a Superfund cleanup. | Hahn’s story first came to public light in the 1998 Harper’s profile written by Ken Silverstein. Silverstein later expanded that piece into the book The Radioactive Boy Scout which was in turn optioned for a feature film in 2016. “I’m proud of my son and I’m very sad that he’s gone,” Kenneth Hahn told Ars Technica in March 2017. “He could have done a lot more in this world.” | true |
291 | 21155 | """Adam Putnam Says the giant African land snail """"carries human meningitis.""" | Ag chief Adam Putnam says Florida's giant snail 'carries human meningitis' | mixture |
292 | 30163 | """Donald Trump once said """"I never understood why people like dogs. Dogs are disgusting.""" | The claim that he “hates dogs” appears to be based on shaky logic (he doesn’t own one and he insults people by comparing them to dogs) and relatively scant evidence (his ex-wife said he was “not a dog fan,” but she also said that he had no objection to sharing a bed with one). It is also contradicted by photographic evidence and first-hand accounts of Trump’s cheerful demeanor around dogs. | false |
293 | 13984 | The LGBT community is more often the victims of hate crimes than any other recognized group. | """Lynch said, """"The LGBT community is more often the victims of hate crimes than any other recognized group."""" It’s worth noting that there may be widespread underreporting of hate crime incidents in general. However, the best available research shows that the LGBT community is victimized at a higher rate than other minority groups, according to FBI data.""" | true |
294 | 24314 | Last week, the Supreme Court reversed a century of law that I believe will open the floodgates for special interests – including foreign corporations – to spend without limit in our elections. | Why Alito shook his head: Obama exaggerates impact of Supreme Court ruling on foreign companies | false |
295 | 6278 | Chairs removed from Mott’s Flint campus after bedbugs found. | Mott Community College officials say bedbug-infested chairs have been removed from a student lounge on the Flint campus. | true |
296 | 39599 | The story of an 11-year-old girl who has had menstrual bleeding since she was 8 and has also started lactating. The eRumor says it is because she’s been drinking milk injected with rBST, a hormone given to cows to increase their milk production. The eRumor focuses on Wal-Mart Great Value milk as a source of the rBST and recommends against feeding it to your family. | Young girl with serious health problems from Wal-Mart milk | unproven |
297 | 33315 | The FDA recently discovered that the Arizona Beverage Company uses human urine in many of their products. | A disclaimer at the bottom of the web site’s pages states that Huzlers is “the most notorious urban satirical entertainment website with the most shocking headlines and articles.” | false |
298 | 9135 | Vegetarian diets almost twice as effective in reducing body weight, study finds | This news release prepared for the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine describes a randomized controlled trial involving 74 people with type 2 diabetes that studied the effects of a vegetarian diet on weight loss. The release describes the weight loss effects of the vegetarian diet in comparison to a conventional anti-diabetic diet but it neglects to mention the exercise component of the intervention. This omission makes it seem as if the weight loss effects were solely due to dietary changes. While it’s true that diet was the only major difference between the vegetarian and conventional diet groups, other factors such as exercise may have contributed to the beneficial weight effects in both groups. The release also neglects to inform readers how long the study lasted — a very big hole. According to the published paper, changes in fat distributions were statistically significant at 3 months but were non-significant at 6 months. Weight loss is commonly recommended for people with diabetes because it can help manage the symptoms of their disease. It’s also commonly recommended for those at high risk of diabetes to help prevent it. Given the importance of dietary changes in preventing and managing diabetes, research demonstrating the effectiveness of certain diets can greatly influence dietary choices. This could be problematic if the evidence on which these choices are based is premature, which this evidence appears to be. | false |
299 | 4560 | Bangladesh grapples with country’s worst dengue outbreak. | Bangladesh is facing its worst-ever dengue fever outbreak as hospitals are flooded with patients, putting a severe strain on the country’s already overwhelmed medical system. | true |