Facts Matter: Old data used in claim about COVID vaccines
A misleading post appears to claim there is a connection between the COVID-19 vaccines and cancer in younger adults.
The Oct. 16 Instagram post includes a meme showing two screenshots, one above the other. On top is a Reuters story with the headline "Fact Check-No evidence COVID-19 vaccines cause cancer." Below that is a CNN headline that reads, "A global epidemic of cancer among people younger than 50 could be emerging."
The meme oddly includes an image of a man smoking a cigarette. Type included with the post reads, "I risk being shadowbanned by sharing these types of memes that don't claim causation but suggest coincidental correlation."
But there isn't any correlation between the two headlines, according to PolitiFact. The cancer study referenced in the CNN story was done with data collected from 2000 to 2012, well before the COVID-19 pandemic.
That report was a result of a global study of records from 44 countries that found there was a rapid increase in 14 types of cancer for adults younger than 50 years old.
Regarding the 2021 Reuters headline, it was a fact check that concluded there was no evidence the vaccines can cause cancer or cause tumors to recur.
Zelenskyy post didn't come from Kid Rock
A screenshot of a post critical of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that was recently circulating on social media appears to be from musician Kid Rock.
"I see that Zelensky just bought his parents an $8,000,000 villa, complete with a salt water pool & 3 new vehicles. But let's just keep on sending billions of our tax dollars for 'foreign aid to Ukraine,'" read the post in the screenshot, which included an image of the singer and the account name @KidRockOffical.
The original post appeared on Gettr, a social media platform started by Jason Miller, a senior adviser to former President Donald Trump.
But the message wasn't posted by Kid Rock, according to Reuters. The Gettr account @KidRockOffical is an account for a Kid Rock fan page. Kid Rock doesn't have an account on Gettr.
That post and the account have been deleted from Gettr.
This post doesn't appear on any of Kid Rock's social media accounts, including Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
As for the message, there are no creditable accounts that back up the claim Zelenskyy bought an $8 million home for his parents, PolitiFact said.
Pelosi didn't buy cannabis stock
In an Oct. 6 proclamation, President Joe Biden pardoned everyone who was convicted of marijuana possession under federal law.
The same day, a tweet claimed House Speaker Nancy Pelosi had invested in a cannabis company.
"BREAKING: NANCY PELOSI PURCHASED 10,000,000 SHARES OF $WEED 4 DAYS AGO: REUTERS," read the tweet included as a screenshot. The post was shared more than 4,000 times.
But the tweet is a hoax, according to The Associated Press. Reuters didn't publish that article.
"This is not a Reuters story," Reuters spokesperson Heather Carpenter told the AP.
There is no evidence Pelosi bought the shares, and there is no record of the purchase filed with the Clerk of the House of Representatives.
"No such transaction has been made," Pelosi's deputy chief of staff Drew Hammill told the AP.
Although her husband is an investment banker, Pelosi has said she doesn't personally trade stocks.
Dark spots on chips safe to eat
A recent post includes a photo of dark spots on potato chips and a disturbing message.
"The chips that look like this, we eat it and say it is burned. It's not burned. It's infected with throat mold, which means it's forbidden to be eaten forever, and it must be thrown away. Please be aware of your children," read the Oct. 7 Facebook post.
But there is no such thing as "throat mold," according to PolitiFact, and the chips are safe to eat.
Farm adviser Robert Wilson, from the University of California's Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources, told PolitiFact dark spots on potato chips are common. "(They) are dark spots or dark coloring from bruising, changes in sugars during storage or vascular discoloration," he said.
Bruising can result from the way a potato was stored or handled and the discoloration can happen when the vine of a potato plant quickly dies.
• Bob Oswald is a veteran Chicago-area journalist and former news editor of the Elgin Courier-News. Contact him at boboswald33@gmail.com.