While there was no reason to doubt the veracity of statements on the pope’s condition after colon surgery, the Vatican’s long lack of transparency has earned it skepticism.
Tag: Rumors and Misinformation
Kim Jong-un Lost Weight. No One Knows How or Why.
North Koreans say they were “heartbroken” when they saw Kim Jong-un looking “emaciated.” The regime has turned the weight loss into a propaganda victory.
U.S. Seizes Iran-Linked Websites at Key Point in Nuclear Talks
Officials seized the domains of about three dozen websites just days after Iran elected a new, hard-line president, and at a critical moment in nuclear negotiations.
Wielding Twitter, Slovenia’s Prime Minister Takes Aim at the Media
Prime Minister Janez Jansa of Slovenia, which will take on the European Union’s rotating presidency next month, is using what press freedom groups call ‘Trumpian’ tactics.
Teens Are Rarely Hospitalized With Covid, but Cases Can Be Severe
Adolescents were hospitalized with Covid three times as often as with flu, researchers reported. Nearly one-third wound up in I.C.U.s.
Vaccine Mandate Unleashes a Mob in a Small Polish Town
The mayor of a former mining community in Poland received death threats and was compared to a Nazi death camp doctor after trying to make coronavirus shots obligatory for adults.
Nigerian Terrorist Leader ‘Dies’ Again. Was This the End of His 9th Life?
Abubakar Shekau, the longtime leader of Boko Haram, was reported to have blown himself up on Wednesday night. But he has been falsely reported dead several times before.
Mob Violence Against Palestinians in Israel Is Fueled by Groups on WhatsApp
Israeli extremists have formed more than 100 new groups on the Facebook-owned encrypted messaging app in recent days to target attacks.
A Press Corps Deceived, and the Gaza Invasion That Wasn’t
A spokesman led the international media to believe that Israeli forces had entered Gaza. They hadn’t. But the army wanted Hamas to think they had.
How Lies on Social Media Are Inflaming the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
Misinformation has flourished on Twitter, TikTok, Facebook and other social media about the violence between Israelis and Palestinians.