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900 | 5614 | Drug overdose deaths up slightly in New Mexico. | The number of drug overdose deaths increased to 497 in 2016 from 493 the previous year in New Mexico, a state that has led the western United States in drug fatalities as it wrestles with opioid and heroin addiction. | true |
901 | 29270 | Eighteen U.S. states still have laws banning oral sex. | What's true: Some states still have laws against oral sex on their books. What's false: These types of laws are unenforceable due to a 2003 Supreme Court ruling. | false |
902 | 26504 | Facebook post Says Robin Vos wore protective gear that “election workers he forced to work … do not have.” | A Facebook post criticized Vos’ access to a mask, gloves and gown while working the polls on Election Day, saying others didn’t have the same protective equipment. But other poll workers in Burlington wore the same gear. At the same time, some poll workers across the state only had access to masks and gloves. | false |
903 | 30956 | In September 2017, truck drivers' unions in Puerto Rico went on strike and refused to take part in relief efforts after a series of hurricanes. | On 2 October 2017, a government spokesperson also refuted the rumor in an interview posted by CBS News reporter David Begnaud on Twitter saying, “Everyone’s working and the supplies are getting to where they have to.” | false |
904 | 37135 | A forwarded email with what the author calls the many “firsts” of President Barack Obama. | Obama's 32 Month Report Card | mixture |
905 | 9202 | Mount Sinai researchers involved in successful phase 3 trial of drug for liver cancer | The news release focuses on a phase 3 clinical trial that evaluated how effective the drug regorafenib was at treating patients who had a form of liver cancer called hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and whose HCC had gotten worse despite taking sorafenib — which is currently the only available form of targeted drug therapy for treating HCC. The study, which was recently written up in The Lancet, found that regorafenib extended a patient’s life by just under three months, compared to the use of a placebo. The release addresses these findings in a straight-forward way, which is good. However, the release does not adequately address conflicts of interest related to the study, nor does it sufficiently address cost or potential harms associated with the use of regorafenib. When patients or their loved ones hear about a “successful” drug trial for a disease they are fighting, it is easy for them to jump to the conclusion that “success” means the disease is cured. That’s not the case for a study like this one. It’s important for people to know that “success” in this case means that patients survive for an additional 2.8 months. We’re glad the release states this clearly. But in order for people to truly make informed choices, they need to understand how a treatment could effect their quality of life. For many patients, it’s also important for them to understand whether a treatment option could create a significant financial burden for their families. And when evaluating any drug study’s findings, it’s important to know what sort of financial ties the researchers have with the pharmaceutical manufacturer. | mixture |
906 | 34485 | Centerville Elementary School in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, canceled a Christmas play because two parents complained about reference to God. | Social media rumors accused Centerville Elementary School of canceling a Christmas play because two parents were offended by its mention of God. | unproven |
907 | 10401 | Higher vitamin E intake tied to lower dementia risk | While the story has a few notable deficiencies — no independent comment and insufficient statistical detail regarding the magnitude of the effect — readers will undoubtedly come away with the right bottom line message about this study: Interesting, but inconclusive. Dementia will place a growing burden on individuals and our society as the population ages, yet there are currently no effective ways to prevent or treat this condition. Instead of offering false hope about strategies that have little chance of making a difference, stories such as this one help give readers a realistic view of where they should they spend their time and energy when trying to reduce health risks. | true |
908 | 8329 | Cargill-led fund to pay U.S. farmers for carbon capture, exchange credits. | Global commodities trader Cargill Inc [CARG.UL] starting this spring will pay American farmers for capturing carbon in their field soils and cutting fertilizer runoff, an executive said. | true |
909 | 9430 | Open windows and doors can improve sleep quality | In this very small study of 17 healthy volunteers in the Netherlands, scientists measured their sleep as they either slept in a closed room or with doors and windows open. The story claims the volunteers “slept better” with windows and door open, but gave no numbers for the amount of improvement, and didn’t do enough to let readers know this study had a lot of limitations. Sleep quality can make an enormous difference in the risk of many chronic disorders, including obesity, diabetes, heart disease and depression, according to the Centers for Disease Control. While we welcome a discussion of sleep quality, this story about a small study provides very little context for readers on how much air quality really plays a role in sleep quality. | mixture |
910 | 9628 | Embryo screening helps couples avoid genetic diseases | The story is a brief overview of preimplantation genetic screening, in which couples who are using in vitro fertilization (IVF) to become pregnant have embryos tested for genetic disorders before proceeding with implantation. The story does not address cost or risks in any way. But what is most puzzling is why this story was written now. There does not appear to be a news hook, and preimplantation genetic screening has been around for decades. It’s also not made clear enough that this information applies to couples undergoing IVF only. Having a child is a personal decision, and couples who have trouble conceiving have to deal with emotional challenges as well as medical ones. For families who are worried about the risk of genetic disorders, things can be even more complex. Add to this the significant financial burden involved with addressing fertility problems, and it is often an incredibly stressful and difficult ordeal. Couples grappling with these issues may look for materials online to help them understand their options. Stories that explain the costs and risks of medical techniques and procedures related to fertility and diagnosing genetic disorders can be incredibly valuable resources. | false |
911 | 37920 | Victoria's Secret bras' tracking devices are part of a sex trafficking conspiracy. | Rumors about Victoria’s Secret bras’ trackers and RFID tags have circulated intermittently since at least 2019, and it wasn’t until the summer of 2020 that QAnon sex trafficking rumor clusters added claims that the tags also involved “sex trafficking.” As multiple news organizations have noted, a number of retailers use and have used the technology for years in order to track inventory. Although claims were rife that Victoria’s Secret RFID tags were specifically used for tracking purposes, none included a mechanism by which the technology would in any way facilitate human smuggling or trafficking. | false |
912 | 36132 | """In September 2019, New York City made it illegal to call anyone """"illegal"""" or an """"illegal alien,"""" imposing a $250,000 fine for offenders.""" | Is it Now Illegal to Say ‘Illegal’ in New York City? | mixture |
913 | 7607 | ‘Heartbreaking’ report shows virus ravaging NY nursing homes. | New York, by far the nation’s leader in coronavirus nursing home deaths, released details Friday on outbreaks in individual facilities after weeks of refusing, revealing one home in Brooklyn where 55 people died and four others with at least 40 deaths. | true |
914 | 26506 | Facebook post Says fluid milk production limitations mean grocery stores are short on milk even as farmers are dumping it | A Facebook video focuses on bottling limitations for liquid milk to explain the need for milk dumping. That is a factor, but so is the plunging demand for cheese, butter and other dairy products with restaurants shuttered. And the types of dairy products needed have changed with people confined to their homes, which factories aren’t immediately able to adapt to. | mixture |
915 | 3886 | Watchdog: Staff issues affect care at reservation hospitals. | The internal watchdog of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services says the often-substandard quality of care at hospitals serving Native Americans is the result of outdated equipment and technology, lack of resources and difficulty attracting and keeping skilled staff. | true |
916 | 11364 | U.S. panel triples Vitamin D intake guideline | Most readers would take the headline “U.S. panel triples Vitamin D intake guideline” to mean that people should seek to increase their consumption, when in fact the committee concluded that while recommending a higher daily intake of vitamin D than another committee did in 1997, almost all Americans already consume enough D and calcium. By including multiple comments from members of the committee as well as other experts who dissent from some of the report findings, the story shows readers that while this report represents a consensus, it does not mean there is unanimity among researchers. This story should have alerted readers that at least some of the experts quoted appear to have financial interests in this field. The huge national spending on vitamin D supplements shows that people are interested in the potential health benefits. While this story does a generally good job on the details of the Institute of Medicine report and reactions to it, casual readers will be misled by the headline and lead sentence that are out of sync with the tenor of the recommendations. In addition, there is a tone to the article – largely through the voices of interviewees – that may lead readers to think that the IOM panel was far too conservative in its conclusions. In comparison, the NY Times piece early and often stresses – early and often – that supplements are “unnecessary, harmful” and that “this report will make people more cautious.” Readers may also want to see Paul Raeburn’s comments on the Knight Science Journalism Tracker about different framing of stories on this IOM report: “How did we arrive at so many stories out of one report? …None of these stories is wrong. They simply reflect better, or worse, choices concerning what to focus on in a report such as this with multiple conclusions.” | true |
917 | 3981 | Deadly deer virus found in Minnesota for the first time. | Deer from a private herd on a Minnesota farm have contracted a deadly virus that until now has not yet been seen in the state. | true |
918 | 1702 | India bets on mobiles in battle on maternal, child deaths. | India is betting on cheap mobile phones to cut some of the world’s highest rates of maternal and child deaths, as it rolls out a campaign of voice messages delivering health advice to pregnant women and mothers. | true |
919 | 35730 | In a policy that established requirements for people to wear masks in most public settings during the COVID-19 pandemic, Oregon's Lincoln County said in June 2020 residents of color are exempt from the rule. | On June 24, 2020, county officials issued a statement in which they said they had received “horrifically racist commentary” and were the subject of unprecedented “vitriol” from people countrywide after their mask rule went public. To explain their rationale for why they allowed people of color to be exempt from the public health requirement, the statement read: | mixture |
920 | 18557 | """Marion Hammer Says rabid animals from other states carry """"different strains of rabies"""" that Florida """"vaccines and serums don’t affect.""" | """Hammer claimed rabies strains carried by animals in other states """"are entirely different from Florida's, and our vaccines and serums don’t affect those other strains of rabies."""" Her claim about vaccines was rebutted by veterinarians and disease experts. Even more, she admitted not fleshing out her talking points before the committee meeting.""" | false |
921 | 9550 | Anti-inflammatory drugs might someday treat depression | CNN’s story about the potential future use of a type of anti-inflammatory drug to treat depression is based largely on research described in a news release issued by the University of Cambridge. The story accurately reports serious interest by the principal investigator of the new research, and others, in tantalizing links between the immune system’s responsive inflammatory chemicals–cytokines–and mental illness. In this case, the investigators accumulated evidence for the potential value of anti-cytokine therapy by focusing on anti-depressant effects of the drugs reported as side effects in a meta-analysis of 7 substantial clinical studies, mostly involving those with autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis. The story quotes the principal investigator’s explanation for those links. But unlike the study and the news release (which we also reviewed), it waits until the last two sentences to point out that the antidepressant effects of anti-cytokine drugs are at best “mild,” and essentially fails to point out that even if the new drugs were eventually proven safe and effective for depression, it’s likely that only a small subset of depressed people–those with chronic inflammation and resistant to current antidepressants–would find benefit over and above what other treatments already offer. It’s worth noting that the news release did a better job of pointing out the limitations and side effects of any use of anti-cytokines in the future; and of making clear that randomized clinical trials are needed even to get near the point of using the drugs. Neither the news release nor the story, though, talked about the cost of this relatively new class of anti-inflammatories, some of which which are currently heavily advertised, but used to treat only severe cases of autoimmune disorders. Depression is a major worldwide disability that often goes undiagnosed or untreated. The National Institute of Mental Health estimates worldwide prevalence at 3.7 percent of adults and some estimates put the U.S. adult prevalence for major depressive illness as high as 7 percent. The costs in disability, lost productivity, and treatment are staggering; access to therapists is increasingly difficult. First-line drug therapies are often effective, but for many with chronic depression, don’t work. As a result, news about new classes of drugs or combinations of drugs to treat depression, brings huge audiences, and good coverage of such news must reflect practical realities and limitations. | mixture |
922 | 8767 | Bristol, Pfizer to delay clot drug after setback. | Bristol-Myers Squibb Co and Pfizer Inc said on Tuesday their apixaban blood clot preventer failed its primary goal in a late-stage trial, and that they no longer plan to seek marketing approval next year for the pill. | true |
923 | 5998 | Northern Red Sea coral reefs may survive a hot, grim future. | As the outlook for coral reefs across a warming planet grows grimmer, scientists in Israel have discovered a rare glimmer of hope: The corals of the northern Red Sea may survive, and even thrive, into the next century. | true |
924 | 27687 | The theme to the original 'Star Trek' television includes never-used lyrics. | The theme to the original 'Star Trek' television series officially includes never-used lyrics. | true |
925 | 2442 | Pesticide ban cuts South Korea's high suicide rate - a bit. | Jang Chang-yoon was drunk and weepy one rainy night, troubled by debts from his divorce. On a dark impulse, the South Korean waiter bought a bottle of pesticide to end it all with a few toxic swigs. | true |
926 | 33610 | A vengeful Polish dentist pulled out all of her ex-boyfriend’s teeth. | ‘I tried to be professional and detach myself from my emotions. But when I saw him lying there I just thought, What a b******.' | false |
927 | 34606 | A video shows a mother forcibly shaving her daughter's head as punishment for making fun of a bald cancer patient. | The details of the video (such as whom it pictures, and when and where it was taken) are unknown, there is no substantive documentation of what it depicts, the dialog is unclear, and we don’t know who filmed it or whether what it shows was real or staged, so what the video’s true backstory is remains unclear. | unproven |
928 | 20436 | """The administration has issued rules for """"$1 abortions in ObamaCare"""" and """"requires all persons enrolled in insurance plans that include elective abortion coverage to pay"""" an abortion premium.""" | """The claim that the Obama administration has issued rules for """"$1 abortions in ObamaCare"""" is ridiculous; the administration has simply set a floor for how much money per month of the premiums paid by those who have chosen plans that include abortion must be placed in a segregated account in order to make sure that there’s enough money available to pay for abortion services incurred by people enrolled in that plan. The bigger charge -- that the Obama health care law """"requires all persons enrolled in insurance plans that include elective abortion coverage to pay a separate premium from their own pockets to fund abortion"""" -- is also incorrect. The provision in question only affects people who purchase insurance plans that cover abortion and who do so on the exchanges -- a much narrower group than the claim suggests. And people who make such purchases will be paying their private dollars into abortion coverage accounts voluntarily. Despite some puzzling wording, ultimately the law allows for full disclosure of its abortion rules at the most obvious time, when someone is signing up for coverage.""" | false |
929 | 3930 | School nurses serve many needs. | School injuries usually don’t require much care: a Band-Aid for a scraped knee, an ice pack for a bump or bruise, or a tissue for a bloody nose. | true |
930 | 2184 | World's first baby born via womb transplant from dead donor. | A woman in Brazil who received a womb transplanted from a deceased donor has given birth to a baby girl in the first successful case of its kind, doctors reported. | true |
931 | 38971 | Social media posts claim that Tylenol, Motrin, Zyrtec and Benadryl products for kids and infants have been recalled. | Children’s Tylenol, Motrin Have Been Recalled | mixture |
932 | 6129 | Kansas launches campaign to reduce stillbirth rate in state. | The state is promoting a campaign to reduce the number of stillborn deaths in Kansas. | true |
933 | 9571 | There’s new hope for blood cancers, and it comes from umbilical cords | Boeing Co’s (BA.N) stunted Friday debut of its astronaut capsule threatens to dent the U.S. aerospace incumbent’s self-declared competitive advantage of mission reliability against the price and innovation strengths of “new space” players like Elon Musk’s SpaceX. | false |
934 | 9548 | APP HELPS SAVE SEATTLE CARDIAC PATIENT | This is a story about the use of an app called PulsePoint in the care of a Seattle victim of sudden cardiac arrest. In the process of telling a patient story that ended well, the reader is provided with information on the app’s development, its current use across the country and how the reader can become involved in what can best be described as the crowdsourcing of out-of-hospital care for victims of cardiac arrest. While certainly an intriguing use of technology that merits news discussion, the story left us with questions: What research was conducted to show this app is beneficial? And how solid was that research? What are the potential harms or downsides of using an app in this way? How typical was the patient’s story? An American Heart Association report released in 2015 noted that there are approximately 326,000 cases of out-of hospital-cardiac arrests in the United States. The survival rate with good neurologic function is approximately 8%. Importantly, just about one-third of the victims survive when cardiac arrest is witnessed. An app that advises people nearby of an event, especially those who are trained in CPR, is likely to save additional lives–but how do we know for sure? And are the potential harms worth it? The story should have explained how proof is being collected, if at all. | true |
935 | 7373 | UK-EU deadlocked in Brexit talks as clock ticks down. | Talks between the European Union and the United Kingdom on their post-Brexit relationship ground to a near-standstill Friday, with each side accusing the other of blocking progress on a trade deal just weeks before a crucial summit. | true |
936 | 10905 | Screen heart patients for depression, AHA urges | It has been well documented that survivors of a heart attack or patients who have undergone treatment for heart disease are much more likely to experience symptoms of depression. In the past few years, research has also shown that a co-occurence of depression along with heart disease can lead to worse outcomes and reduced quality of life. Recognizing the connection, the American Heart Association has released new guidelines calling for increased screening for depression in heart patients. Whether or not intervention in screened individuals will lead to better heart outcomes is not known, but certainly identifying and treating undiagnosed cases is a positive step. This relatively short story does a good job of on most of our criteria. However, the story does not mention any possible downsides of depression screening. While there are few risks, some of the harms could include: missing cases of mild depression, stigma, mislabeling situational stress as an illness, not to mention barriers and difficulties involved in getting the appropriate follow-up care once diagnosed. And it didn’t cost issues, or reimbursement as a barrier to effective screening. | true |
937 | 4330 | Feds: Seattle barrel company used hidden drain to pollute. | A century-old Seattle barrel company has been indicted along with its third-generation owner in what prosecutors describe as a long-running pollution conspiracy. | true |
938 | 27034 | A viral piece of text accurately lists nine things women couldn't do in 1971. | Then came the landmark date, marking the biggest change to America’s contraceptive potential in history. On May 9, 1960, the FDA approved Enovid, an oral contraceptive pill released by G.D. Searle and Company. By 1965, almost 6.5 million American women were on “The Pill,” the oral contraceptive’s enduring vague nickname, which is thought to have stemmed from women requesting it from their doctors as discreetly as possible. That same year, the Supreme Court struck down state laws that prohibited contraception use, though only for married couples. (Unmarried people were out of luck until 1972, when birth control was deemed legal for all.) | true |
939 | 36760 | A California college student has pledged to cut off his genitals in protest of President Trump’s proposed border wall. | College Student Pledges to Cut off Genitals over Trump Border Wall | false |
940 | 30309 | Scientific data has linked the surge in volcanic activity in Hawaii to increased fracking activity from a nearby geothermal energy plant. | You cannot use PGV’s location (intentionally placed in an area where earthquakes are common and lava flows likely) as evidence that it caused earthquakes and lava flows. That’s not how this works. For these reasons (and so, so many more), claims that credible scientific evidence links Hawaii’s 2018 lower Puna eruption to fracking — a practice that is not, even by any tangentially related definition, occurring on Hawaii’s big island — are false. | false |
941 | 5139 | Iowa park uses goats to help eradicate invasive species. | For the humans, some of the foliage growing among the trees in Loomis Park are invasive species that shouldn’t be there. | true |
942 | 5298 | FDA warns Dollar Tree about flagged Chinese manufacturers. | Government regulators have again warned Dollar Tree’s parent company about importing drugs and cosmetics that could be tainted due to improper product testing during manufacturing. | true |
943 | 1369 | Blood test by Britain's Angle detects ovarian cancer in study. | British liquid biopsy company Angle said its Parsortix blood test had beaten current methods in identifying ovarian cancer, a breakthough that could help women receive the best possible outcome from surgery. | true |
944 | 1395 | Study finds UK sugar tax could save thousands from obesity, diabetes. | A planned levy on sugary drinks due to be introduced in Britain in April 2018 could significantly reduce the number of people who become obese and develop diabetes and tooth decay, scientists said on Thursday. | true |
945 | 17514 | """Buried in the Affordable Care Act is """"a huge government bailout.""" | """Krauthammer said the Affordable Care Act contains a hidden government bailout for insurance companies that would cover up to 80 percent of their losses. The health care law does contain several mechanisms to mitigate potential losses for insurance companies, and the government stands to help absorb some losses up to 80 percent. But the government also stands to gain if insurance companies are able to turn profits, and the Congressional Budget Office has projected that the government would neither make nor lose money. Experts we spoke with also took issue with Krauthammer’s use of the term """"bailout."""" In the past decade, bailouts came after private businesses faced a financial crisis. The measures in the Affordable Care Act have a more complicated sequence that include a variety of outcomes. This claim is partially accurate but leaves out important details.""" | mixture |
946 | 10107 | Cracking The Conundrum Of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome | It starts out with some good framing around the problem of diagnosing and treating chronic fatigue, but then, in a story that demands specifics, it provides only one number, noting that the study examined “over 600 patients.” The rest of the story contains statements such as, “Doctors say some treatments can help.” Which ones? It also says that “a form of talk therapy, as well as exercise, offered relief for some patients.” How many? We like that the story tapped some outside expertise to put the study’s findings in context, but the story was too short in other areas. Chronic fatigue syndrome, as the story notes, is one of the most elusive disorders in modern medicine. Is it truly a single syndrome? Is it several disorders that are ill defined and difficult to pinpoint and so end up being tossed under the same umbrella? Is it all in the patient’s mind? it can be a devastating condition – affecting physical, emotional function and financial well-being. Because science has yielded few clues to the origin and true nature of the syndrome, it is all the more important for journalists to write with precision when addressing a new scientific attempt to address chronic fatigue. This was particularly important for a controversial study like the one here because many people interpreted the study to mean that chronic fatigue is a psychological disorder. | false |
947 | 7520 | Industry scrambles to stop fatal bird flu in South Carolina. | An infectious and fatal strain of bird flu has been confirmed in a commercial turkey flock in South Carolina, the first case of the more serious strain of the disease in the United States since 2017 and a worrisome development for an industry that was devastated by previous outbreaks. | true |
948 | 4250 | Guidelines say more women may need breast cancer gene test. | More women may benefit from gene testing for hereditary breast or ovarian cancer, especially if they’ve already survived cancer once, an influential health group recommended Tuesday. | true |
949 | 6535 | Startup wants to bring back Vioxx for hemophilia joint pain. | Could there be a second life for the once-popular arthritis pill Vioxx? A startup pharmaceutical company hopes so. | true |
950 | 32137 | A photograph shows a girl killed in a drunk-driving accident, with accompanying text recording her last words. | The accompanying text, which supposedly records the last utterances of the “dead” girl in the photograph, is taken from a poem (“Somebody Should Have Taught Him”) which was circulated at least as far back as the year 2000 as part of a petition against drunk driving. | false |
951 | 11178 | Beta-blockers used by musicians, athletes, students to enhance performance | """A couple of online commenters reacting to the story exhibited more insight than the story did overall, when they wrote: """"Here we are in a performance enhancing society. Get used to it, adderall is widespread on college campuses, PED’s are ubiquitous in pro, college, and even some high-school sports, fighter pilots are high on go (greenies) pills, truck drivers live off of 5 hour energy,and now musicians are popping pills. Buy Pharma stocks!"""" """"Juicing Musicians. Nothing is sacred. I agree with the folks who say getting over anxiety is part of being a great artist. You’re either cool under pressure or you’re playing your violin in the subway between shifts at…well…Subway."""" Balance was thrown out the window with this piece with positive anecdotes/interviewees outnumbering cautious interviewees 6 to 2. When a drug is demonstrated to be safe and effective in one group of individuals (e.g. individuals with heart failure), this does not mean that the same is true for another group of individuals (e.g. healthy individuals). In addition, ‘sharing’ of prescription medication of any sort is potentially dangerous and unwise – in this case both for the person who would be taking the drug and also for the person who would be giving up the medication they are supposed to be taking to manage their condition. At one and the same time, the paper acted as though it had just discovered this long-standing practice of beta blocker use, yet it failed to give fundamental information that was important if this was its foray into this world of performance-enhancing drug use.""" | false |
952 | 22950 | """More than 10 years of free trade """"has brought a $2 billion per day trade deficit.""" | Sen. Sherrod Brown cites daily deficit figure as pricetag for NAFTA, China trade deals | true |
953 | 11371 | New Blood Thinner May Outperform Warfarin for Irregular Heartbeat | This is a story about an experimental new blood thinner for use by people who have atrial fibrillation. This story delivers a sound presentation of why this drug may have benefit over the commonly used warfarin. The need for medication to reduce clotting risk from atrial fibrillation is common and there is long-standing interest in eliminating the need for routine monitoring that the current treatment with warfarin requires. | true |
954 | 13284 | """Donald Trump Says Hillary Clinton is """"wrong"""" to say he mocked a disabled reporter.""" | """Trump said that Clinton is """"wrong"""" to say he mocked a disabled reporter. Trump may deny that he intentionally mocked Kovaleski for his disability, but many Americans believe his remarks amounted to mocking, and we concur that that’s a reasonable -- indeed, perhaps the only -- interpretation of his actions. The notion that Trump’s comments about Cruz and a general undercut Clinton’s claim don’t hold water, because all three examples constitute mocking, whether a disability was involved or not.""" | false |
955 | 7381 | Russia slams New York Times, Financial Times on virus deaths. | Russia’s Foreign Ministry has criticized the Financial Times and The New York Times after they reported that Russia’s coronavirus death toll could be much higher than government officials are saying. | true |
956 | 36737 | """A game called """"Blue Whale"""" is encouraging children and teenagers in Russia to kill themselves.""" | Was a ‘Blue Whale Suicide Challenge’ Behind a Rash of Teen Deaths? | unproven |
957 | 35677 | Vegetarians are unaffected by COVID-19 because the virus is passed on through eating meat. | The consumption of raw or undercooked animal products should be avoided. Raw meat, milk, or animal organs should be handled with care to avoid cross-contamination with uncooked foods, as per good food safety practices. | false |
958 | 2146 | Women more likely to die after heart attack: study. | When it comes to matters of the heart, women should be treated more like men. | true |
959 | 1068 | U.N. clinches deal to stop plastic waste ending up in the sea. | Around 180 countries reached a deal on Friday that aims to sharply reduce the amount of plastic that gets washed into the world’s oceans, the United Nations said. | true |
960 | 41635 | A medical alert says to stop the use of anti-inflammatories for pain or high temperatures. | This message is fake. Current advice from health authorities in the UK and Ireland say to continue taking previously prescribed medication, including anti-inflammatories unless told otherwise by a healthcare professional. The NHS says there is no strong evidence that taking ibuprofen can make Covid-19 worse, but advises people with symptoms to take paracetamol if they can. | false |
961 | 8368 | China reports 97 new coronavirus deaths on mainland on Sunday, toll rises to 908. | The death toll from a coronavirus outbreak in mainland China rose to 908 as of the end of Sunday, the National Health Commission (NHC) said on Monday. | true |
962 | 2764 | U.S. board allows gynecologists to treat more men. | A U.S. professional group that certifies obstetricians and gynecologists has loosened a decades-old restriction on its board-certified members treating male patients, after mounting pressure from doctors and researchers. | true |
963 | 9200 | FDA approves Trulance for Chronic Idiopathic Constipation | This news release issued by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announces the agency’s approval of the drug plecanatide (marketed as Trulance) to treat adults with chronic idiopathic constipation (CIC), a form of constipation for which there is no consistent medical explanation. The release notes that there are other treatments for the disorder and that this approval expands the options available. It also nicely clarifies that the drug has not been proven safe for those under age 18 and that it can cause mild to serious diarrhea. But it left out other side effects observed in the studies and is vague about the benefits. It would have been nice to include some numbers to put the potential value of the drug in perspective. It does explain that volunteers in two clinical trials “were more likely to experience improvement” in the frequency of bowel movements than those getting placebo, and “had improvements” in consistency and straining. But some quantitative or qualitative information would have been helpful. In both clinical trials, the overall positive response rates were about 20 percent compared to 10 to 13 percent for placebo which suggests only a modest benefit — and the release could have pointed that out. As the release points out, constipation afflicts an estimated 42 million Americans, according to the National Institutes of Health, and the costs of treating, managing and coping with chronic forms and other “bathroom diseases” is staggering, both in dollars, doctor visits, and human suffering. Most of the historic means of treating or preventing CIC require eternal vigilance, and have serious limitations. The irritable bowel syndrome and constipation “industry” is lucrative, composed of products and advice that carry side effects of their own, and with which many people cannot comply over long periods of time. As a result, new drugs designed to target specific biochemical pathways linked to CIC can become instant (and expensive) best-sellers for legions of desperate patients, and news releases and stories need to be especially cautious about the limitations of these drugs and how they compare to traditional and less expensive alternatives. | mixture |
964 | 8881 | Thailand will override cancer drug patents. | Thailand’s new government will override international patents on three cancer drugs, new Health Minister Chaiya Sasomsap said on Monday after a month of protests against his review of the controversial policy. | true |
965 | 28281 | Tina Turner is gravely ill due to stomach or intestinal cancer, a stroke, and/or rejection of a kidney or liver transplant. | What's true: Between 2013 and 2018, Turner suffered a series of major health setbacks beginning with a stroke and followed by bouts of intestinal cancer and kidney disease. She underwent successful operations in 2016 and 2017 to remove a cancerous section of her colon and to receive a kidney transplant. As of March 2019, she was still under medical treatment related to the transplant and her body's rejection of the organ. What's false: As of March 2019, there were no reliable reports of Turner suffering a recurrence of either stroke or cancer, and she was in good enough health to travel abroad, make public appearances, and conduct on-camera interviews. | mixture |
966 | 11407 | Mammogram Benefit Seen for Women in Their 40s | This story includes strong comments from independent experts that can help readers get a broader understanding of the results of a study that compared breast cancer death rates among women in their 40s who lived in areas of Sweden that did or did not offer routine mammography. However, because the story reports only the percentage difference in death rates, without including absolute numbers or the number of women who need to be screened to prevent one death, readers may get the impression that the effect of mammography was larger than what the researchers actually reported. People commonly overestimate the risk of breast cancer death among women in their 40s. By not including any information about the absolute numbers of deaths among women in this study or in the population at large, the story misses an opportunity to correct common misconceptions. | true |
967 | 7455 | Murphy: State doubling coronavirus ‘contact tracers’. | New Jersey will more than double the number of public health professionals tracing COVID-19 cases, Gov. Phil Murphy said Tuesday. | true |
968 | 7970 | Fauci says threats to his personal security 'secondary' to curbing coronavirus. | The infectious diseases expert at the forefront of the U.S. fight against the coronavirus outbreak on Thursday downplayed reports that his personal security was being threatened, saying he felt safe and was focused on doing his job. | true |
969 | 25892 | “Under the leadership of @WVGovernor Justice, West Virginia now has the highest rate of COVID-19 spread from person to person than any other state.” | On the day the tweet was posted, West Virginia did have the highest rate of transmission of coronavirus, according to a WVU scientist. However, using this metric communicates only one part of the picture about how hard West Virginia is getting hit by the coronavirus. Among other measurements, the absolute number of coronavirus cases ranks far below the level seen in current hot-spot states like Arizona, Florida, and Texas. And the state’s positivity rate for test results is close to the low level that experts like to see. | mixture |
970 | 575 | Indonesia swine fever outbreak kills more than 4,000 pigs. | More than 4,000 pigs have died after an outbreak of swine fever in the Indonesian province of North Sumatra, the head of the area’s food security and livestock agency said on Wednesday. | true |
971 | 14714 | """The United States has a """"record number of abortions year after year after year.""" | """Fiorina said the United States has a """"record number of abortions year after year after year."""" In reality, the raw number, the rate and the ratio of abortions compared to live births has been falling since the early 1980s, and the decline shows no signs of stopping.""" | false |
972 | 22955 | Mike Villarreal Says Gov. Rick Perry's administration has proposed ending immunizations for 113,000 kids. | State Rep. Mike Villarreal says Gov. Rick Perry's administration proposed ending immunizations for 113,000 kids | false |
973 | 8288 | China's new coronavirus cases fall, eyes on northeastern province. | China on Sunday reported 16 new coronavirus cases but no deaths while authorities remained on guard against a major resurgence and monitored the spread of cases in Heilongjiang province. | true |
974 | 28961 | """Six Flags is temporarily closing one or more of their theme parks to the public to host """"Muslim Family Day.""" | """What's true: Several Six Flags amusement parks have hosted """"Muslim Family Day"""" events, during which parks are reserved for the group. What's false: """"Muslim Family Day"""" operates differently than any other Six Flags private event, those who try to organize """"Christian Family Day"""" events are spurned, similar events are never held for Christians, Six Flags capitulated to pressure from Muslims to allow a """"Muslim Family Day"""" event.""" | mixture |
975 | 8940 | Mayo researchers say oral apixaban safe and effective for treating blood clots in cancer patients | A brief news release from the Mayo Clinic does a disservice to an interesting yet unpublished study that demonstrates an oral anticoagulant medication might be a good solution for preventing blood clots in cancer patients. The release discusses a conference presentation given at the American Society of Hematology annual meeting, but doesn’t mention any numerical data or describe how the study was conducted. It focuses mostly on the problems associated with commonly used injectable medication heparin, and how an oral medication might be better for patient quality of life. But the news release dedicates only one small paragraph at the end to the actual findings of the study, leaving readers with questions about study design and potential harms of the new treatment. Cancer patients, especially those with advanced cancers or certain types of cancer, are at increased risk of developing blood clots. This study evaluated a new treatment for patients with cancer who have developed blood clots. This new therapy is an oral blood thinner that is approved for other conditions, but not this one. Standard therapy for blood clots associated with cancer is a low molecular weight heparin that is injected daily under the skin. Clearly, having a medicine that would be as or more effective and could be taken by mouth would be a great advantage to patients. The striking absence of any data in the news release could have been easily remedied. We looked up the abstract of the conference presentation upon which this is based and found some data. But journalists may not look that far and patients and consumers aren’t likely to either. And they shouldn’t have to; the data should be in the release. | mixture |
976 | 5175 | Democrats hit Trump EPA nominee on coal lobbying, rollbacks. | President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday called climate change “a huge issue” but not the “greatest crisis” and drew fire from Democrats at his confirmation hearing over the regulatory rollbacks he’s made in six months as the agency’s acting administrator. | true |
977 | 13980 | """Donald Trump Says Hillary Clinton’s immigration platform would """"create totally open borders.""" | Volkswagen AG (VOWG_p.DE) is ramping up production of electric cars to around 1 million vehicles by end of 2022, according to manufacturing plans seen by Reuters, enabling the German carmaker to leapfrog Tesla Inc and making China the key battleground. | false |
978 | 8948 | Aspirin alone a good clot buster after knee surgery | It is certainly welcome news when a study reports that a cheaper, over-the-counter drug produces results about the same as more expensive prescription drugs that are generally trickier to use. However, this release about aspirin performing about the same as anticoagulant drugs for preventing blood clots in patients undergoing knee replacement surgery implies that “good old aspirin” is essentially without risks. The release neglects to tell readers about important limitations of the study, and its description of key aspects of the study is a bit muddled. The release does clearly point out the price differences between the drugs studied. News releases should be clear about when they are referring to the specific design or results of a study and when they are providing general context for readers. This release makes several references to blood clot prevention following knee replacement surgery and it lists the price of a 30-day supply of some of the drugs that were studied. Most readers would probably conclude that researchers studied long-term use of the drugs, when actually the only variable studied was what, if any, drug was used the day before surgery, the day of surgery, and the day after. The release also uses a quote from a researcher that improperly implies that the study compared prescribing practices before and after participating surgeons largely shifted from prescribing anticoagulants to preferring aspirin. The imprecision muddies the message to readers. | true |
979 | 16093 | """Nobody suffered any lasting injuries"""" from the CIA interrogation program.""" | """King said, """"Nobody suffered any lasting injuries"""" as a result of the CIA enhanced interrogation program. He also said downplayed the methods, claiming it was """"not a case where people were killed,"""" and that the techniques amounted to """"people being made to stand in awkward in positions."""" This is the opposite of what the report showed. One need not agree with everything in it to conclude that someone did die, an eye was lost, detainees were made to stand on broken limbs and deprived of sleep for 180 hours. It’s as if King didn’t read the report before he went on the radio.""" | false |
980 | 22085 | The new beverage tax will increase the cost of sodas, juice drinks, sports drinks, iced teas, and flavored water up to 50%. | Beverage association says R.I. tax would increase sugary drink prices up to 50 percent | mixture |
981 | 8641 | New York in 'race against time' as Trump stresses face masks are voluntary. | Two of the principal U.S. coronavirus hot spots - New York and Louisiana - reported their biggest jumps in COVID-19 deaths yet on Friday, as the White House sent mixed messages on whether Americans should cover their face if they venture outdoors. | true |
982 | 12831 | You can almost pinpoint half of the gun violence deaths to two or three specific sections in the city. They are just areas of devastation, economically and otherwise. | """In a recent interview with MSNBC, Durbin spoke about gun violence in Chicago. Durbin said of Chicago, """"You can almost pinpoint half of the gun violence deaths to two or three specific sections in the city. They are just areas of devastation economically and otherwise."""" Durbin’s office cited a news article that used statistics from the Chicago Police Department. A press release from CPD News Affairs Office confirms this. It read: """"Three districts (7, 11, 15) are responsible for approximately 50% of murders in January 2017."""" We confirmed these statistics by looking at data available on crime maps posted on the CPD Harrison, Englewood and Austin district websites. Durbin’s assessment of Chicago’s homicides is accurate. He did say you can """"almost"""" attribute half of deaths to a few communities and 43 percent are in certain west and south side neighborhoods. A crime expert told us these trends have been consistent over the last five decades. Finally, we found data that shows there is a correlation between areas with high violence and economic hardship." | true |
983 | 14949 | Go look on the West Point website and you’ll see those specific words, ‘full scholarship to West Point.’ So even though it is, you know, given as a grant for anybody who gets in, those words are used. | """Carson defended his use of the word scholarship in discussing his recruitment to West Point, saying, """"Go look on the West Point website and you’ll see those specific words, ‘full scholarship to West Point.’"""" The military academy has used the words """"full scholarship"""" a few times in admissions literature and advertisements and in one place on its website. However, experts say Carson’s use of the word scholarship doesn’t properly explain the application and appointment process to West Point. Carson’s statement is accurate but needs clarification or additional information. Correction: After this story was published, we found an additional instance of the words """"full scholarship"""" on West Point’s website. The article has been updated to reflect that.""" | true |
984 | 2273 | Invasion of big, voracious lizards threatens U.S. South: study. | A group of South American lizards that can grow up to four feet long (1.2 meters) has established a home in the Florida wild after being brought to the United States as pets, and the reptiles could begin a voracious march across the U.S. South, according to a new study. | true |
985 | 11046 | FDA Probes Safety of Popular Heart Stent | When drug-coated or durg-eluting stents went on the market, they immediately changed clinical practice by replacing the standard bare metal stents. The purpose of the drug-coated stent was to prevent the clogged artery from becoming clogged again. However, new reports are emerging that these stents may actually be causing some clots to form. Enough evidence is mounting that the FDA convened a panel to discuss how these new developments will affect how stents are used in routine practice. This story does an excellent job of describing the scale of the problem and quoting multiple experts who fall on different sides of the debate. The story does a good job of describing the strength of the available evidence, particularly the limitations of using hosptial registries as a source of data. By accurately describing the prevalence of coronary artery disease, the story avoids disease mongering. Furthermore, the story mentions alternatives such as bare metal stents, bypass surgery and medications. The story also describes the cost of the drug-coated stents compared to the older version, the bare metal stents. The story does report the risk of clotting with the drug-coated stents, however the comparison of coated and bare metal stents is the key piece of information that is missing in this story. This information should also be presented in absolute rather than relative terms. Overall, this was a balanced and comprehensive piece. | true |
986 | 11486 | The mind as a path to comfort | Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a common, though mysterious condition. Drugs that have come on the market recently have been somewhat disappointing, though one wouldn’t know that given how heavily marketed they are. This story reports on a new approach to treating IBS: psychotherapy. This story does a very good job of explaining the new approach and placing it in context with existing therapies. By accurately describing the prevalence of IBS, the story avoids disease mongering. The story clearly states that psychotherapy has been around for a while, but that it is a new approach for treating IBS. The story clearly states that cognitive behavioral therapy is available, but it is not clear how widely available it is and how difficult it may be to find a practitioner. The story states that psychotherapies are “without side effects.” While that may reflect the existing data, it would have been better for the story to comment on potential side effects or harms without dismissing them. The story mentions drug treatment as the alternative, but it could have provided more information on lifestyle changes like diet and exercise. The story provides sufficient details about the design of the recent studies and it does provide quantification of benefits in absolute terms for the 10-week and 4-week groups compared to no treatment. Although the story suggests that the therapy can be expensive, this is not sufficient information on costs. Because the story quotes multiple sources, the reader can assume that the story does not rely on a press release as the sole source of information. Although there was a press release issued from the meeting, the story does not lift text from it and the story also quotes researchers who were not included in the press release. http://www.ddw.org/wmspage.cfm?parm1=451 Overall, a solid piece of journalism. | true |
987 | 35846 | Chicken jerky treats from China are causing illness in pets. | Pet owners who believe their pets have become ill from consuming jerky treats should observe the following steps to assist the FDA in its investigation: | mixture |
988 | 5774 | New Mexico looks for paths to universal health insurance. | New Mexico’s Democrat-led Legislature is embarking on a financial study of how it might provide direct access to health care to almost every resident in the state after more than a decade of weighing options for universal medical insurance. | true |
989 | 39765 | Dimethylpolysiloxane is used in silicone caulks and adhesives — as well as in McDonald’s fries and other menu options at chain restaurants across the country. | McDonald’s Fries Contain Dimethylpolysiloxane | true |
990 | 36872 | Vincent Fleck, the father of a doctor who leaked Hillary Clinton’s medical information to the press, died suddenly and under suspicious circumstances. | Vincent Fleck Found Dead After Hillary Clinton’s Medical Records Leaked | false |
991 | 29323 | Indiana Muslims are appalled by a billboard displaying a list of deeds by the Prophet Muhammad even though it is accurate. | """What's true: The Muslim Prophet Muhammad had multiple wives. What's false: There are no historical accounts of the Prophet committing rape or torturing people; he was known for freeing slaves, not """"dealing"""" them. What's undetermined: The age of his youngest wife, Aisha, at the time of marriage is contested; the male members of a Jewish tribe in Medina were executed for treason during a battle, but the number is also contested.""" | false |
992 | 21761 | """Tim Pawlenty Says scientists are """"in dispute"""" over whether being gay is a choice.""" | Tim Pawlenty says scientists are “in dispute” over whether being gay is a choice | false |
993 | 11278 | Working up a sweat may protect men from lethal prostate cancer | This release summarizes an article in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute which reports that healthy lifestyle habits, including regular vigorous exercise, are associated with reduced risk of death from prostate cancer. The release does a fine job of describing a complex study that actually analyzed two studies and came up with a common scoring system, but could have explained the study limitations and articulated the benefits more clearly for readers. It also overstated the strength of the evidence by suggesting that these habits “save lives” — this study wasn’t capable of demonstrating that. Prostate cancer is costly — in both lives and money. It is the most common cancer in U.S. men, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In 2012, more than 177,000 men in the U.S. were diagnosed with prostate cancer, and 27,244 died from the disease. In 2006, it was estimated to cost the U.S. more than $9.86 billion. New information that can shed light on how lifestyle choices may limit deaths related to prostate cancer is both welcome and newsworthy. However, with so many people potentially affected (and likely to be affected), it is important to explain the benefits of those lifestyle choices in language that will be easily understood. | true |
994 | 28596 | Ancestry.com can retain the rights to your genetic information if you sign up for their DNA testing. | What's true: Signing up for Ancestry.com's DNA test requires that you license your DNA data to them, and this data could potentially be shared by them with third parties. What's false: Allowing Ancestry.com to license your DNA data does not mean they own it, in the full, permanent, exclusive sense in which that word is typically understood. | mixture |
995 | 10774 | Focus is on deep brain stimulation to treat disorders | """The story reports on deep brain stimulation (DBS), a potential new treatment for obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). DBS has been used to treat movement disorders such as Parkinson's disease, and recently it had been used in people with treatment-resistant depression. The story reports that this new treatment for OCD is still in early clinical trials and notes that it does not yet have FDA approval. There is speculation that the device may be approved for """"humanitarian"""" reasons. The story mentions that DBS is for a very small group of people with treatment-resistant OCD. The story notes that this would mean other therapies, such as medication and cognitive or other behavioral therapies would have already been tried without success prior to consideration of DBS. It would have been informative for the reader to get data on the proportion who respond to more standard treatments. The reader could be left thinking – this medication didn't work – time to go to DBS. In fact, patients would need to fail mutiple standard treatments prior to trying this treatment. The story gives an overview of a small trial of DBS in patients with treatment-resistant OCD and depression, but it does not discuss the trial design, nor are we told if these's patients OCD symptoms improved. The story only mentions that 50% of this group (of 18 people with OCD and/or depression) scored higher on a memory test, an intermediate outcome, rather than focusing on overall response. The story does note that results from the study were presented at a conference, meaning they have not been peer-reviewed in a published journal. (See our primer on some of the flaws in trying to interpret such presentations.) The story relied heavily on one patient's anecdotal experience of reduced OCD symptoms and improved memory. The story does not mention potential harms of the device or harms of the surgery to implant the device. There is so little long-term experience with these devices that we really don't know all the the harms. The focus of the story was on impact on memory, but there was no discussion of the impact on the other symptoms experienced by the patients (do they get better? worse? ), so the picture is incomplete The cost of this treatment is also not mentioned. Estimated costs of the device and the operation to implant the device would be available as it is currently approved for the treatment of Parkinson's disease. The story provides multiple perspectives on this experimental approach for OCD. A patient, clinician, neurosurgeon, and a researcher involved in a clinical trial provide perspectives on this approach for people who have debilitating OCD and have exhausted all traditional treatment options.""" | mixture |
996 | 3902 | Ex-officer accused of shooting neighbor claims PTSD. | A former California Highway Patrol officer claims he was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder when he allegedly shot his neighbor during an off-duty dispute two years ago, according to court documents. | true |
997 | 14104 | In 2006, Donald Trump was hoping for a real estate crash. | Two charities will pay $6 million to resolve claims they operated as pass-throughs for seven pharmaceutical companies to pay kickbacks to Medicare patients using their high-priced medications, the U.S. Justice Department said on Friday. | true |
998 | 10287 | New valve procedure doesn’t open heart | """This was a story about evolving options for the treatment of valvular heart disease. It provided the contrast between a mother and daughter, who had open heart and percutaneous valve therapy, respectively. One involved a long hospital stay, long recuperation, and a procedure that resulted in a scar. The other required only a few days in the hospital, a short recovery period and no scar. However other than this information, the viewer was not prepared to evaluate the new medical device. The story did not explain what type of heart valve disease for which it might be used, the symptoms of heart valve disease that might suggest that use of the device might be appropriate, and did not present any information about how often the device successfully resolves the problem, how long it lasts, or any adverse events associated with the use of the device. There was also no discussion of costs. Although presented as a cutting-edge technology, this type of intervention has been under investigation for many years. This story did little to inform the viewer about the condition or its treatment options. An anecodotal imbalance is created by letting the patient get away – unchallenged – with calling this """"an absolute miracle.""""""" | false |
999 | 13001 | """Charles Schumer Says Donald Trump campaigned on not cutting Medicare and Social Security, but his nominee for the Secretary of Health and Human Services, Tom Price, """"made his career on cutting Medicare and Medicaid.""" | """Schumer said, """"Donald Trump said when he campaigned he wouldn't cut Medicare and Social Security"""" but his nominee for the Secretary of Health and Human Services """"made his career on cutting Medicare and Medicaid."""" Price, Trump’s HHS pick, has supported reducing the government’s role in Medicare and block granting Medicaid, which would amount to spending reductions to both programs. While it’s clear these proposals would reduce federal spending on the health safety nets, experts say it’s not the same thing as gutting the programs entirely. Trump did pledge to leave Medicare and Social Security alone, and Price’s positions seem at odds with that. (It’s worth noting that Social Security isn’t administered by HHS).""" | true |