Did a CNN correspondent and a Croatian Radiotelevision journalist try to mislead viewers while reporting on the Hamas-Israel conflict? No, that's not true: A video purporting to show American journalist Clarissa Ward taking instructions in her earpiece has been manipulated while the Croatian journalist was reporting in an area where Israel issued rocket warnings. The claim reappeared as a video…

Did American actor George Clooney make a video, in Serbian, advising on the value of choosing peace instead of engaging in unnecessary conflict? No, that's not true: The video was made using AI tools. The claim appeared in a video (archived here), on TikTok on September 19, 2023, with the following hashtags in the caption (translated by Lead Stories from…

Do Rainforest Alliance labeled products contain herbicide that changes human gender and is the organization owned by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation? No, that's not true: The Rainforest Alliance logo indicates that the product comes from farms that meet environmental and human rights standards as defined by the Rainforest Alliance certification program. Bill and Melinda Gates do not own…

Did directed energy weapons cause the wildfires and destruction in Maui, Hawaii? No, that's not true: There's no evidence the technology was used despite numerous theories posted on social media. The claim reappeared as a video published by TikTok on August 13, 2023, by a Serbian account called "Teorije.istine" (archived here). The video starts with shots from a helicopter showing…

Are PCR tests only designed to study DNA samples, making the tool unsuitable to show whether an infectious disease is present? No, that's not true: the tests search for a match to the RNA/DNA of an infectious disease. While scientists report that the tests sometimes return false positive and false negative results, the tests are regarded as effective. The claim…

Is human meat about to be served up instead of animal meat? No, that's not true: an English mockumentary has fooled some people into believing the TV production was real. What some call a "documentary" is actually a satirical mockumentary called "Gregg Wallace: The British Miracle Meat" by UK broadcaster Channel 4. Gregg Wallace is a British TV chef who…

Is Zagreb home to the world's tallest tower, an iconic bridge, a rice paddy and a Hindu temple? No, that's not true: A video is pretending that iconic scenes from around the world are present in the Croatian capital. The claim appeared in a video (archived here) on TikTok on June 23, 2023, under the title "It's just a small…

Has the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) draw revealed that four Balkan countries will compete against each other in the 2024 European Football Championship? No, that's not true. The draw rules prohibit two of the countries from playing against each other and Kosovo, Serbia, Albania, and Croatia are all in separate groups. The claim appeared in a video (archived…

Did US Vice President Kamala Harris intend to say the population should be reduced so more of our children can breathe clean air? While it is true that during a speech about climate change Harris said the words "reduce population", it's understood that the vice president misspoke and meant to say "reduce pollution". Now Croatian politician Marin Miletić has labeled…

Did the High-frequency Active Auroral Research Program of the University of Alaska (HAARP) cause recent destructive storms in Northern Croatia? No, that's not true: HAARP's technology cannot influence or change the weather. The claim appeared in a video (archived here) on TikTok on July 19, 2023, under the title (translated from Croatian to English by Lead Stories staff) "Today's HAARP…

Did a viral travel video show overwater villas and a lagoon in Split, Croatia? No, that's not true: analysis by Lead Stories proves that two of the locations in the video are thousands of kilometers away on a different continent. The claim originated from a video (archived here) where it was published by TikTok on June 11, 2023, with captions…

Did Kosovar soldiers march in North Mitrovica? No, that's not true: Geolocation analysis by Lead Stories shows that the soldiers in the video were in South Mitrovica and heading in a southerly direction. Tweets from Kosovar and European Union officials also stated that the troops were south of the River Iber. The claim originated in a video (archived here) by…

Did a trans woman wearing a dress made of condoms attend Zagreb Pride naked and harm children? No, that's not true: the person was wearing underwear, and Croatia's children's ombudsperson says children "were not directly threatened." The claim appeared in a video (archived here) published on TikTok on 06/14/2023 under the title, translated from the Croatian language by Lead Stories…

Is the World Health Organization planning to dictate when governments worldwide should impose new lockdowns with its Pandemic Preparedness Treaty? No, that's not true: the draft treaty does not give the health body any powers over sovereign governments. The claim reappeared as a video (archived here) published by TikTok on 06/06/2023 by a user from the Balkans under the title…