AAP FactCheck Articles

Calendar ‘phenomenon’ occurs more often than every 823 years

Variations of the December calendar post claiming different months containing days of the week with five-day combinations have been circulating on the internet and social media since at least 2010. This claimed "phenomenon" was debunked in 2011, 2012, 2015, 2017 and again in 2018.

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“Kindness” quote is not by Mark Twain

Mark Twain (1835-1910) was a gifted author, journalist and humourist who is best known for the novels The Adventures of Tom Sawyer in 1876 and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in 1885. Twain is regarded as one of America's greatest writers.

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Age and birth year claim doesn’t occur every 1000 years

The age and year of birth post has been circulating on social media since at least 2017, and the key to this claim is simple mathematics.

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5G network ‘radiation suit’ claim is false

The next wave of broadband technology is coming to Australia via the 5G network. The term 5G means “fifth generation” mobile network and it is expected “to offer about 10 times the bandwidth of the current 4G networks”, according to consumer comparison and research website Canstar.

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Labor’s Anne Aly did not support a plan to include “Islamic blasphemy laws”

In 2017, the Turnbull coalition government proposed a change to Australia’s anti-discrimination laws to replace the words “offend” and “insult” with the term “harass” in section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act.

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Posting holiday pics on social media won’t void insurance claims

Risks associated with sharing holiday pics on social media have been flagged by insurers in the past. In 2016, insurer GIO commissioned a survey of 3,283 Australians and found 50 per cent posted updates to their social media accounts while away on holiday.

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Do Australians spend twice as much on superannuation fees as they do on electricity?

“Australians spend twice as much on superannuation fees as we do on electricity - some $30 billion a year.” Labor Assistant Minister for Treasury spokesman Andrew Leigh. September 30, 2019.

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Ripe bananas do not contain a cancer-fighting substance called TNF

In 2009, Japanese researchers Haruyo Iwasawa and Masatoshi Yamazaki published a study on research that examined the effects of bananas on the body’s ability to produce an immune response.

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Will Australia reduce its greenhouse emissions by 367 million tonnes more than what is required?

“By 2020 Australia will have overachieved on our Kyoto commitments, reducing our greenhouse gas emissions by 367 million tonnes more than required to meet our 2020 Kyoto target.” Prime Minister Scott Morrison. September 26, 2019.

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“Bad ass” field flyover pilot selfie is fake

The purported image of a fighter jet pilot taking the selfie reveals there is no protective canopy over the F-16 fighter jet. Although the canopy on F-16s are transparent, light reflecting on the shield should indicate there is a protective barrier for the pilot but nothing is shown in the photo. The edges around the three following F-16 jets also appear to be blurred.

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Hay supplies post not correct on government stockpiles claim

AAP FactCheck examined the Facebook post from September 5, 2018 and found the issue of hay exports during a drought received coverage in the mainstream Australian media around that period.

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Claim that volcano emits more greenhouse gas than humans is false

Mount Agung, also known as Gunung Agung, meaning ‘Great Mountain’, is a volcano located in northeastern Bali, Indonesia.

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Greta Thunberg highest-paid activist magazine cover is fake

AAP FactCheck was unable to find any evidence of a publication titled ‘People with Money’. The ‘People with Money’ magazine cover was traced to a website called “MediaMass”, where the magazine cover image appears as part of an article titled, “Greta Thunberg Highest-Paid Activist in the World”.

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Fake image shows climate activist Greta Thunberg with George Soros

A Facebook post purports to show climate activist Greta Thunberg with financier George Soros.

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‘Old west’ whisky shot legend is not true

The Facebook post claims the word “shot”, in relation to whisky, comes from the “old west” which was an era generally defined from 1865-1895 and famous for cowboys, lawmen, gunslingers and outlaws.

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Development, environment bodies did not campaign for fluoride-free water

The image used in the post was taken from the 2011 article in The Guardian newspaper, which is titled “Partnership working brings safe water to Kenya's poor”. The article covered a project to build partnerships between service providers and businesses in the Kenyan town of Naivasha to ensure the locals had access to safe drinking water.

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No evidence that ‘smart people’ quote is Socrates

A Facebook features a quote attributed to ancient Greek philosopher Socrates. “Smart people learn from everything and everyone, average people from their experiences, stupid people already have the answers.”

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No evidence to support vaccines cancer claim

The World Health Organization (WHO) is the United Nations agency focused on combating disease and improving health standards. The WHO says that vaccination is safe, with any side-effects usually being minor and temporary - such as a sore arm or mild fever.

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Scott Morrison didn’t say “drought is a necessary evil to cull the weak”

AAP FactCheck traced the quote to a video uploaded to the Mr Morrison’s Twitter account on September 11, 2018. The video included interviews with two farmers from the regional NSW towns of Bellata and Moree about their experiences during the drought.

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"Jetstar Fans" holiday giveaway offers are false

Bora Bora is an island in French Polynesia in the South Pacific. AAP FactCheck found the image of the holiday villa featured in the “Jetstar Fans” posts is of a villa at the Conrad Bora Bora Nui hotel.

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