MBFC's Daily Vetted Fact Checks for 12/23/2024

Media Bias Fact Check selects and publishes fact checks from around the world. We only utilize fact-checkers who are either a signatory of the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN) or have been verified as credible by MBFC. Further, we review each fact check for accuracy before publishing. We fact-check the fact-checkers and let you know their bias. When appropriate, we explain the rating and/or offer our own rating if we disagree with the fact-checker. (D. Van Zandt)

Claim Codes: Red = Fact Check on a Right Claim, Blue = Fact Check on a Left Claim, Black = Not Political/Conspiracy/Pseudoscience/Other

Fact Checker bias rating Codes: Red = Right-Leaning, Green = Least Biased, Blue = Left-Leaning, Black = Unrated by MBFC

FALSE	Claim via Social Media: Musk announced new aluminum battery. Lead Stories rating: False (There is no evidence on the company’s website or Musk’s social media platforms of any such announcement.) Fact Check: Elon Musk Did NOT Announce New Aluminum Battery In December 2024
BLATANT LIE	Claim by The People’s Voice: Fox News commentator Dr. Kelly Powers died from “turbo cancer” caused by COVID-19 vaccines. PolitiFact rating: False (Fox News commentator, Kelly Powers, who was a podiatric surgeon, died Dec. 1 at age 45 after a yearslong battle with brain cancer. The first COVID-19 vaccines were not publicly available in the U.S. until December 2020, months after Powers’ cancer diagnosis.) Claim Fox News commentator Kelly Powers died from cancer caused by COVID-19 vaccines is unfounded People’s Voice Rating
BLATANT LIE	Claim via Social Media: An authentic photograph shows Pete Hegseth wearing only underwear and carrying an American flag while standing at the Sept. 11 Memorial in New York City in 2020. Snopes rating: False (A real photo shows Hegseth wearing only swim trunks — not underwear — after participating in a fundraiser on the Hudson River to swim from New Jersey to New York City in 2020.) No, Pete Hegseth Didn’t Wear Underwear at 9/11 Memorial
TRUE	Claim via Social Media: OpenAI’s o1 model, used in ChatGPT Pro, was caught lying to developers to keep from being shut down. Snopes rating: True (Our results show that o1, Claude 3.5 Sonnet, Claude 3 Opus, Gemini 1.5 Pro, and Llama 3.1 405B all demonstrate in-context scheming capabilities. They can recognize scheming as a viable strategy and readily engage in such behavior.) AI Models Were Caught Lying to Researchers in Tests — But It’s Not Time To Worry Just Yet
BLATANT LIE	Claim via Social Media: An authentic video shows a weapon being fired at a drone in New Jersey in December 2024. Lead Stories rating: False (Altered Video) Fact Check: Video Does NOT Show Weapon Fired At NJ Drone — FAKE Gunfire Added To Original Clip
FALSE	(International: Australia): The HAARP ionospheric research facility is linked to the earthquake in Vanuatu. Australian Associated Press rating: False (The radio waves emitted by HAARP can’t cause earthquakes or natural disasters.) Major cracks in theory linking HAARP to Vanuatu earthquake

Disclaimer: We are providing links to fact-checks by third-party fact-checkers. If you do not agree with a fact check, please directly contact the source of that fact check.