In August, Misbar produced 192 fact-check articles.
The most significant issue this month was the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan following U.S. withdrawal of troops. We fact-checked claims including whether President Ashraf Ghani left Afghanistan with cash and cars; kinds of weapons seized and used in the takeover; Twitter not banning the Taliban from posting but banning former U.S. President Trump and Afghanistan Vice President Amrullah Saleh; miscaptioned videos and pictures; and even humorous claims about Taliban fashion, dance moves, and trampoline celebrations.
COVID continued to be a source of fake news and misinformation, with claims ranging from a video allegedly depicting Nigerian children running in terror from the vaccine; misunderstanding of the difference between mRNA vaccines and gene therapy; vaccine subscription services and mandates; and a multitude of incorrect claims about the delta variant.
Our most-read articles were on mRNA vaccines and micro-blood clots; the murky circumstances surrounding comedian Trevor Moore’s death; GlaxoSmithKline and the Wuhan lab; a quote about tolerance and intelligence; and the comparative rate of deaths by suicide and COVID in the military.
Claims of the strange and unusual included internet personality Chris Chan’s arrest for incest; Bill Gates funding a “flying vaccine” delivered via mosquito; and a honey badger not giving a f*ck, escaping its enclosure, and attacking some unwitting lions.
For our August articles, fake was the most common finding, followed by misleading, and finally commotion. Our biggest topic was news, followed by health, and then politics.
Misbar will continue to debunk fake news, confront false narratives, and advocate for transparency and truth in September.
