Skip to main content

PeakMetrics / Fact Checks

Politics & government fact checks

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

12,754 published reviews in this topic

NewtralPolitics & government

José Luis Ábalos no saluda a los responsables del rescate

Publisher’s rating: Engañoso

The claim concerns a video recorded on September 14 at Alicante-Elche Airport. It shows Pedro Sánchez and Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska greeting officials responsible for the emergency response to the cold-drop flooding, while Ábalos walks past them. Posts used the footage to suggest that Ábalos showed disrespect by not greeting the rescue officials. Newtral’s review says the video omits an important part of the encounter: Ábalos had already spent time with the officials before Sánchez arrived. The review reports that Newtral checked the acting president’s agenda, which said Sánchez was received in Alicante by Ábalos, and asked the Transport Ministry about Ábalos’s arrival and activities. The ministry said Ábalos had traveled by car from Valencia, arrived at the airport 35 minutes before Sánchez, and had breakfast with the rescue officials in the airport’s authorities’ area. The review also reports that El Viernes, the website whose post originated the claim, later corrected its account. Its correction said Ábalos had spoken with the authorities for about half an hour before going to the airfield, and that they had therefore already greeted one another. The footage documents a later moment, but the review’s reported chronology and ministry account explain why the clip alone does not establish that Ábalos had failed to greet the officials.

Deutsche Presse-AgenturPolitics & government

Immer wieder werden Politikern Zitate unterstellt. Auch die SPD ist davon betroffen. Einem Beitrag in den sozialen Medien zufolge soll der ehemalige Kanzlerkandidat Martin Schulz gesagt haben: «Der Tod von einigen Deutschen ist ein kleiner Preis für die Sicherheit tausender Syrer»

Publisher’s rating: Das Zitat stammt nicht von Martin Schulz

The claim concerns a social-media post attributing to former German chancellor candidate Martin Schulz the statement that the deaths of some Germans were a small price for the safety of thousands of Syrians. The dpa review reports that the post offered no source for the quotation and that it found no evidence online that Schulz had ever said it. The review therefore found no substantiation for attributing the words to him. The key check reported by dpa was a direct inquiry to Schulz’s office. On 16 September 2019, his office manager confirmed that Schulz had never made the statement and said its origin was unknown. The review also notes that the fact-checkers at mimikama.at reached the conclusion that the quotation was fabricated. The excerpt does not identify where or when the quotation first originated.

FACTLYPolitics & government

Raghuram Rajan tweeted on Piyush Goyal’s faux pas.

Publisher’s rating: FALSE

FACTLY examined a social-media post claiming that former RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan had tweeted about Piyush Goyal’s comments on the Indian economy. Its review says the text was posted by an account using Rajan’s name, but identifies that account as a parody rather than an official account. The source therefore concludes that Rajan did not make the claimed tweet. The review describes two checks supporting that conclusion: it says the same text appeared on the parody handle @RaghuramRRajan, whose profile described its posts as unofficial parody, and it reports that Rajan had written on LinkedIn that he did not have Facebook or Twitter accounts. FACTLY’s conclusion is that the post attributed a parody account’s tweet to Rajan.

NewtralPolitics & government

Albert Rivera ha recriminado a Sánchez no acudir a una sesión de control en seis meses

Publisher’s rating: Verdad a medias

The review examines Rivera’s statement to Sánchez during the parliamentary control session on September 11, 2019. Rivera said Sánchez had not attended such a session for six months. The review says Sánchez’s last attendance was on February 27, which was indeed more than six months earlier, shortly before Parliament was dissolved.

Fact CrescendoPolitics & government

Claim: Udhayanidhi says he will resign from DMK

Publisher’s rating: Fact Crescendo Rating: False

The review examined a viral Facebook post claiming that Udhayanidhi Stalin had said he would resign from the DMK’s basic membership if DMK members put up banners. The post used a news card bearing Thanthi TV’s name and his photograph. The claim circulated after the death of Subashree, who was struck by a water tanker after falling when a banner put up for an AIADMK official’s family event toppled in Pallikaranai, Chennai. The review says the incident prompted criticism on social media and assurances from party leaders that banners obstructing the public would not be used at party events. The review reports that its search of Google and other sources found no news report supporting the purported statement. It also says a person working at Thanthi TV commented that the claim was false, and that the channel itself posted a denial on its official Facebook page, saying a fake story was being circulated in its name. A DMK-supporting journalist also described the claim as fake and offered an explanation. As a further check, the reviewers uploaded the news card to FotoForensics and reported that their analysis showed it had been manipulated. On the basis of the search, the denials, and the image analysis, the review concluded that the Facebook post was fabricated—not that Udhayanidhi had announced an intention to resign.