MBFC's Daily Vetted Fact Checks for 10/02/2025

Fact Check Search

Media Bias Fact Check selects and publishes fact checks from around the world. We only utilize fact-checkers that 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

TRUE	Claim via Social Media: The median age of a U.S. homebuyer has risen from 31 in 1981 to 56 in 2024. Econofact rating: True (Apollo Global Management data confirms the median age was 56 in 2024, compared to 31 in 1981.) Fact Check: Has the median age of a homebuyer in the US increased from 31 to 56 in the past few decades?
BLATANT LIE	Claim via Social Media: On an episode of the ABC daytime talk show “The View,” co-host Whoopi Goldberg lashed out at Erika Kirk, the wife of slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk, saying, “Sit down, Barbie” or “Sit down, monkey,” as well as calling her a “T.R.U.M.P. puppet.” Snopes rating: False (No, she called the shooting “devastating,” and said, “Our hearts, of course, go out to the family of Charlie Kirk.”) Digging into rumor Whoopi Goldberg lashed out at Erika Kirk
MOSTLY TRUE	Claim by Dan Koh: “If the government shuts down, members of Congress still get paid. The janitors never get paid.” PolitiFact rating: Mostly True (Members of Congress continue to get paid during a government shutdown. They are not subject to furlough. Federal law says employees will receive back pay after being furloughed during a shutdown. The law is silent on back pay for contractors, which includes companies that hire janitors. In 2023, some Senate Democrats proposed a bill to pay federal contractors back pay, but it did not advance.) Congress gets paid during a government shutdown. What about the janitors?
BLATANT LIE	Claim via Social Media: Elon Musk Announced He Was Terminating LGBTQ+ Brand Partnerships Lead Stories rating: False (This is fake) Fact Check: Elon Musk Did NOT Announce He Was Terminating LGBTQ+ Brand Partnerships After Charlie Kirk Was Killed
FALSE	(International: Malaysia ): Malaysia Prime Minister has approved cash assistance for single mothers. AFP Fact Check rating: False Hoax claims about cash aid misuse images of Malaysian PM, news logo

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.