Misinformation
In this March 2021 photo provided by Pfizer, a technician inspects filled vials of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at the company's facility in Puurs, Belgium. On Friday, July 9, 2021, The Associated Press reported on stories circulating online incorrectly asserting the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine is made up of 99.9% graphene oxide, a toxic compound. But, chemical and medical experts who are not associated with Pfizer confirmed to The Associated Press that there is no way graphene oxide would be found in the vaccine. (Pfizer via AP)
NOT REAL NEWS: A look at what didn't happen this week

By The Associated Press Jul. 09, 2021 02:22 PM EDT

FILE - In this Thursday, Aug. 22, 2019 photo, a girl holds a sign while waiting for her cousin to arrive for a surprise Make-A-Wish announcement in Rogers, Ark. In June 2021, the Make-a-Wish Foundation is disputing what it calls a “misinformation” campaign about whether children who aren't vaccinated against COVID-19 will be eligible to have their wishes granted. (Ben Goff/The Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette via AP)
Make-a-Wish clarifies policy after confusion on vaccinations

By Glenn Gamboa Jun. 28, 2021 03:29 PM EDT

Doctor blasts Wisconsin senator's COVID vaccine skepticism

By Scott Bauer Jun. 25, 2021 11:15 AM EDT
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, a vocal critic of COVID-19 vaccine mandates, announced plans Friday to hold a news conference bringing...

Nigerian IT worker charged in multistate unemployment fraud

By Gene Johnson Jun. 24, 2021 06:02 PM EDT
SEATTLE (AP) — A Nigerian information technology worker has been indicted on federal wire fraud and identity theft charges, after authorities said he and his...

Editorial Roundup: Florida

By The Associated Press Jun. 23, 2021 05:06 PM EDT
South Florida Sun Sentinel. June 18, 2021. Editorial: Florida election supervisors must keep asking hard questions ...

FILE - In this March 2, 2018 file photo, Televangelist Jim Bakker, right, walks with his wife Lori Beth Graham after a funeral service at the Billy Graham Library for the Rev. Billy Graham, in Charlotte, N.C. Jim Bakker and his southwestern Missouri church will pay restitution of $156,000 to settle a lawsuit that accused the TV pastor of falsely claiming that a health supplement could cure the coronavirus. Missouri court records show that a settlement agreement was filed Tuesday, June 22, 2021. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton File)
Jim Bakker, his church settle lawsuit over COVID-19 claims

By Jim Salter Jun. 23, 2021 11:30 AM EDT

Munni Kol, 70, in white, with his son Bishambar Kol, daughters-in-law, Asha and Manju, and his grandchildren pose for a photograph in front of their home, in Jamsoti village, Uttar Pradesh state, India, on June 8, 2021. Kol got himself vaccinated against the coronavirus, where as his family has refused to. India's vaccination efforts are being undermined by widespread hesitancy and fear of the jabs, fueled by misinformation and mistrust. That's especially true in rural India, where two-thirds of the country’s nearly 1.4 billion people live. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)
Vaccine hesitancy puts India's gains against virus at risk

By Rajesh Kumar Singh Jun. 21, 2021 01:10 AM EDT

Beto O'Rourke speaks to Texas Organizing Project volunteers preparing to canvass a neighborhood in West Dallas Wednesday, June 9, 2021. The former congressman and senatorial candidate is driving an effort to gather voter support to stop Texas' SB7 voting legislation. As politicians from Austin to Washington battle over how to run elections, many voters are disconnected from the fight. While both sides have a passionate base of voters intensely dialed in on the issue, a disengaged middle is baffled at the attention. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
Voting debate roils Washington but leaves many voters cold

By Nicholas Riccardi Jun. 19, 2021 12:14 AM EDT

FILE - In this Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2021, file photo, a clinical lab scientist processes upper respiratory samples from patients suspected of having COVID-19 at a laboratory in Palo Alto, Calif. On Friday, June 18, 2021, The Associated Press reported on stories circulating online incorrectly asserting the new COVID-19 variants were named after brain wave frequencies. Both virus variants and brain wave frequencies are named using letters from the Greek alphabet. But the names have no connection. (AP Photo/Noah Berger, File)
NOT REAL NEWS: A look at what didn't happen this week

By Beatrice Dupuy And Ali Swenson Jun. 18, 2021 11:50 AM EDT

FILE - In this April 14, 2021 file photo, a 43-year-old patient suspected of having COVID-19 is transferred from an ambulance into the HRAN public hospital in Brasilia, Brazil. As Brazil hurtles toward an official COVID-19 death toll of 500,000 — second-highest in the world — President Jair Bolsonaro is arguing the number is greatly exaggerated and some epidemiologists saying the real number is significantly higher. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres, File)
Brazil still debating dubious virus drug amid 500,000 deaths

By David Biller And Débora Álvares Jun. 18, 2021 10:38 AM EDT

Man pleads guilty in $20M fraud on coronavirus aid programs

By Larry Neumeister Jun. 15, 2021 03:22 PM EDT
NEW YORK (AP) — A Chinese man who prosecutors say tried to get $20 million in federal aid for distressed businesses pleaded guilty Tuesday to two criminal...

FILE - In this May 26, 2021 file photo, Dr. Anthony Fauci, speaks during a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee looking into the budget estimates for NIH and the state of medical research, on Capitol Hill in Washington. On Friday, June 11, The Associated Press reported on stories circulating online incorrectly claiming people should stop wearing masks because leaked emails written by Fauci said masks aren’t effective against COVID-19. (Sarah Silbiger/Pool via AP, File)
NOT REAL NEWS: A look at what didn't happen this week

By The Associated Press Jun. 11, 2021 01:42 PM EDT

FILE - In this Oct. 14, 2020, file photo a protester holds a sign that reads "Defund Police" during a rally for the late George Floyd outside Barclays Center in New York. Some police organizations and Republican politicians are blaming Democrats and last year's defund the police effort for a troubling rise in homicides in many cities across the country. The increases are real, and some cities did make modest cuts to police spending. But the claims by Republicans overlook the fact homicides are up in many cities, including ones that increased police spending or have Republican mayors. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)
Homicides are up, but GOP misleads with claims about blame

By David Klepper And Gary Fields Jun. 10, 2021 10:00 AM EDT

Editorial Roundup: Louisiana

By The Associated Press Jun. 09, 2021 07:10 AM EDT
The Advocate. June 7, 2021. Editorial: Louisiana legislative hearings must include facts, not scare tactics and rumors ...

FILE - In this Nov. 19, 2020, file photo, White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx speaks during a news conference with the coronavirus task force at the White House in Washington. On Friday, June 4, 2021, The Associated Press reported on stories circulating online incorrectly asserting the U.S. military has arrested Birx for conspiring to push face masks on Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic. Birx, former coordinator of the White House coronavirus response, has not been arrested. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)
NOT REAL NEWS: A look at what didn't happen this week

By Ali Swenson And Arijeta Lajka Jun. 04, 2021 01:19 PM EDT

Michigan health chief: Nursing home death toll is accurate

By David Eggert Jun. 03, 2021 01:11 PM EDT
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan's top health official said Thursday that nursing homes are accurately reporting the number of coronavirus-related deaths, amid...

Britain's Health Secretary Matt Hancock delivers a speech on the COVID-19 vaccine programme at the Jenner institute in Oxford, England, Wednesday, June 2, 2021. (Jacob King/Pool Photo via AP)
UK hits vaccine milestone, warns of 'deadly' misinformation

By Jill Lawless Jun. 02, 2021 01:25 PM EDT

Editorial Roundup: U.S.

By The Associated Press Jun. 02, 2021 01:03 PM EDT
Excerpts from recent editorials in the United States and abroad: May 31 The Wall Street Journal on ‘melodrama’ in Texas...

Editorial Roundup: Florida

By The Associated Press Jun. 02, 2021 10:10 AM EDT
South Florida Sun Sentinel. June 1, 2021. Editorial: Diversity finds another enemy: The Florida Supreme Court In a...

FILE - In this Jan. 6, 2021 file photo, supporters of President Donald Trump, including Jacob Chansley, right with fur hat, are confronted by U.S. Capitol Police officers outside the Senate Chamber inside the Capitol in Washington. Many of those who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6 cited falsehoods about the election, and now some of them are hoping their gullibility helps them in court. Albert Watkins, the St. Louis attorney representing Chansley, the so-called QAnon shaman, likened the process to brainwashing, or falling into the clutches of a cult. Repeated exposure to falsehood and incendiary rhetoric, Watkins said, ultimately overwhelmed his client's ability to discern reality. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)
Defense for some Capitol rioters: election misinformation

By David Klepper May. 29, 2021 09:00 AM EDT