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PeakMetrics / Fact Checks

Economy & business fact checks

Explore claims publishers have checked about economy & business. Read their original ratings and follow the evidence.

7,099 published reviews in this topic

MediaWiseEconomy & business

10 of the poorest 25 counties in the United States of America are located in Kentucky

Publisher’s rating: Needs Context

The review examined Bernie Sanders’s statement about Kentucky during a speech urging support for a larger COVID-19 stimulus check. It traced the video to a C-SPAN clip shared by the YouTube channel The Progressive Voice. Sanders did not cite a source in the speech, and the YouTube description offered no supporting links, leaving the statistic’s origin unsubstantiated in the material the review examined. The review then compared the claim with the underlying statistics. It reported that a Courier-Journal article found Sanders had misused a 24/7 Wall Street list of the “worst counties to live in.” That list considered poverty, adults’ educational attainment and life expectancy, so being among the worst-ranked counties did not establish that a county was among the poorest. The review noted that USA Today described the list’s life-expectancy data as coming from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, with other data drawn from the Census Bureau’s 2017 American Community Survey five-year estimates. For a direct check of poverty, the review says it downloaded the most recent U.S. Census Bureau poverty and income data available when Sanders made the statement. Its count was five Kentucky counties among the 25 poorest—not 10. Thus, the 10-county figure referred to a broader “worst counties” ranking, not the count of Kentucky counties in the poorest 25.

FACTLYEconomy & business

LPG prices during 2011-2014 (under the UPA regime) were much higher than the recent times

Publisher’s rating: MISLEADING

The review examines a social-media post comparing LPG prices from 2011 to 2021 and arguing that prices during 2011–2014, under the UPA regime, were much higher than in recent times. It identifies the listed prices as those for non-subsidised 14 kg Indane LPG in Delhi, rather than treating them as a complete account of why prices changed: “they show the prices of ‘Non-subsidised 14Kg Indane Gas’.” The review reports inconsistencies in the post’s figures. For 2014, it says the post used the January price of Rs. 1,241 while the December price was Rs. 752; it also says the December 2018 price was Rs. 809.50, not Rs. 609. These comparisons show that the post did not consistently use the same month when selecting prices across years. More importantly, the review compares the price list with evidence about international LPG costs. It describes international FOB prices as a major factor affecting LPG prices and says those prices were much higher in 2012–13 and 2013–14 than during the NDA government years considered. It also quotes the petroleum minister’s explanation that non-subsidised domestic LPG prices are determined by oil marketing companies in line with international-market changes. The review’s conclusion is that a comparison listing consumer prices without this international-cost context gives a misleading picture of the difference between the periods.

Vishvas NewsEconomy & business

Indian Oil now - Adani gas fuel pump

Publisher’s rating: Misleading

The viral post paired images of IndianOil and an Indian Oil–Adani gas fuel pump with the allegation that the ruling party had sold Indian Oil Corporation Limited to Adani. The review’s investigation addressed that specific allegation, rather than whether the two companies had any relationship: it concluded that Indian Oil was not sold and that the pump reflected a joint venture for gas distribution. The post’s comparison of Congress and BJP rule was part of its presentation of the allegation, not evidence of a sale. (S1: “A collage made with pictures of IndianOil and Indian Oil – Adani gas fuel pump is viral on social media with a claim that the ruling party has sold the Indian Oil Corporation Limited to the private player.”; “Indian Oil is not sold to private player Adani. IOAGPL is a joint venture for gas distribution projects across the country.”) To check the claim, the review says it searched for information about Indian Oil and Adani gas and consulted the IOAGPL and IndianOil websites. It also found reports that the companies incorporated a 50:50 joint venture in 2013, and contacted an IOAGPL spokesperson, who said the venture was incorporated in October 2013. Together, that evidence supports a distinction central to the claim: a joint venture between the companies is not proof that Indian Oil Corporation was sold to Adani. (S1: “We also found this information of partnership between the two firms on the IndianOil website. We found old news reports confirming the two firms in 2013 had incorporated 50:50 joint venture.”; “He refuted the claims and clarified to us that it is a joint venture incorporated in October 2013.”)

Deutsche Presse-AgenturEconomy & business

Seit Monaten wird Bundeswirtschaftsminister Peter Altmaier immer wieder ein erfundener Satz über die Auswirkungen der Corona-Pandemie auf Jobs in Deutschland in den Mund gelegt. «Kein einziger Arbeitsplatz geht wegen Corona verloren», soll der CDU-Politiker in einer Talkshow Mitte März 2020 versprochen haben. Seitdem wird das vermeintliche Zitat regelmäßig aufgewärmt, auch Anfang 2021 wieder.

Publisher’s rating: Das ist eine sinnentstellende Zuspitzung, die nicht der Tatsache entspricht. Altmaier formulierte vielmehr das Anliegen der Bundesregierung, «dass wir alles tun, dass kein Arbeitsplatz (...) verloren geht».