The BBC did not claim 350 people attended anti-lockdown protests
A widely shared screenshot suggesting otherwise has itself been faked. Read
Fact check
Leo Benedictus
Journalist
Leo joined Full Fact in January 2020. For 15 years, he worked freelance as a feature writer for the Guardian, Prospect, the New Scientist and others, making maps of immigration, explaining citizens’ assemblies and debunking superfoods. He has a fondness for science and statistics. He also writes novels.
Health
The UK does not have the worst death toll in Europe, when you account for population
It has recorded the 14th highest number of Covid-19 deaths per million people. Read
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These cars were not abandoned because their batteries failed
The electric cars were part of a French car-sharing business, which stopped trading suddenly in 2018. Read
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Health
It’s not clear whether bald people get more ill with Covid-19
Several newspapers have reported that being bald doubles your risk of severe Covid, but this is far from certain. Read
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Health
This map in the Daily Express uses all the wrong numbers
No UK regions reported zero “new daily cases” of Covid-19 on the day before. Read
Fact check
Prince Philip did not dress up in a bearskin for a prank
He was the Colonel of the Grenadier Guards, and this was his uniform. A famous photograph shows him and the Queen laughing when an event was disrupted by bees. Read
Fact check
Conservative support may have fallen—but not when the Guardian says it did
The poll in question was conducted before coverage of a disagreement between Number 10 and Dominic Cummings, so this could not have affected the results, as suggested. Read
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Health
The Express muddles up the dangers of Covid-19 in pregnancy
The study it describes looked at whether Covid raises the risks associated with pregnancy—not whether pregnancy raises the risks of Covid. Read
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NASA did not fake a picture of Mars
Someone else faked the picture, then claimed that NASA did it. Read
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Crime
The public dislikes disruptive protests—but less than the Telegraph says
People are strongly against violence or serious disruption at protests, but opinion is more balanced when the inconvenience is smaller. Read
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