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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

BBC Reality CheckEconomy & business

"More than 50 million people have filed for unemployment this year."

Publisher’s rating: This is true based on the total number of Americans who have filed for unemployment since the virus struck. The number of people currently claiming unemployment benefits is 14.8 million, according to the latest release of weekly figures. It has been declining since May, when there were more than 20 million claims.

Deutsche Presse-AgenturEconomy & business

Auf Facebook geht gerade die Behauptung um, dass im Bestattungsgewerbe - trotz Corona-Pandemie - Kurzarbeit herrsche und etliche Unternehmen Staatshilfe beantragt hätten. Als Beleg wird unter anderem ein Artikel aus der «Frankfurter Allgemeinen Zeitung» (FAZ) angeführt, in dem eine Bestatterin über sinkende Sterbezahlen und Umsatzeinbrüche berichtet. Ein Facebook-User leitet daraus den Schluss ab, dass die Pandemie ein «Fake» sei.

Publisher’s rating: Die Behauptung ist irreführend, der Artikel nur unvollständig widergegeben. Wie dort beschrieben, beklagt das Bestattergewerbe insgesamt keine Umsatzeinbußen.

The Facebook post used a FAZ article about funeral businesses to claim that the pandemic was a “fake,” pointing to reports of fewer deaths, reduced business, short-time work and requests for state aid. The review says the article’s opening account concerned one Frankfurt funeral director: she reported handling five funerals a month since the pandemic began, compared with her usual 15, and said her business had applied for short-time work. But the article itself also presented evidence that her experience did not represent the sector as a whole. The review cites Stephan Neuser, secretary-general of the Federal Association of German Funeral Directors (BDB), whose organization it says represented more than 80 percent of funeral directors in Germany. Neuser described the individual impressions as subjective and said death rates varied regionally. The review also points to special analyses by Germany’s Federal Statistical Office, which it says showed national deaths were around the average of previous years. In response to dpa, Neuser confirmed his statements in the FAZ article and said that, to his knowledge, most of the association’s 3,100 member businesses had not used state support mechanisms such as short-time work. The review notes that restrictions on funeral gatherings could cause some revenue losses because ceremonies were smaller and open-casket viewings or farewells were limited. It reports Neuser’s assessment that these losses were not serious. Thus the cited article did not establish that the funeral industry generally had suffered a downturn or that the pandemic posed no danger. The review separately notes that COVID-19 could cause severe or fatal illness, especially among older people and those with prior conditions.