We wrote about a lot of misinformation in 2024, and, as usual, some fact-checking articles piqued our readers’ interest more than others. In this post, we present the 10 most popular stories published on our website this past year.
Perhaps to no surprise, posts about the Republican and Democratic presidential candidates occupy most of the spots on our list. Articles about immigration also were in high demand, as was our guide to the conservative playbook known as Project 2025.
Here, in order, are our most read stories:
Harris’ Position on Health Care for Transgender Prisoners and Detainees
In this Ask FactCheck article, we answered readers who asked if Vice President Kamala Harris supported government-paid gender-affirming surgery for prison inmates and immigrant detainees. As we wrote, Harris expressed support in a 2019 questionnaire for “medically necessary” gender-affirming care, including surgical care, for federal prisoners and detainees. She also said in an Oct. 16 Fox News interview that, if elected, she would “follow the law,” which requires medical care for prisoners and detainees.
Breaking Down the Immigration Figures
Illegal immigration was a major issue for voters, and in our article, published in February, we looked at the number of encounters on the southern border of those trying to enter the U.S. without authorization. That number increased significantly under President Joe Biden, but some Republicans exaggerated the number of people encountered who had been released into the U.S. at that time.
A Guide to Project 2025
Democrats repeatedly tried to tie President-elect Donald Trump to Project 2025, an 887-page conservative playbook that was written in part by some of Trump’s former White House aides. So we published a story all about Project 2025, which is a roadmap for “the next conservative President” to downsize the federal government and fundamentally change how it works, including the tax system, immigration enforcement, social welfare programs and energy policy, particularly policies designed to address climate change. The book also wades deeply into the culture war that has been dividing the country.
Posts Mislead About Harris’ Romance with Willie Brown
Vice President Harris had a romantic relationship with powerful California politician Willie Brown in the 1990s. But claims on social media that she broke up his marriage misrepresent the facts. Brown had separated from his wife years before he and Harris had dated.
FactChecking Vice President Kamala Harris
In about 48 hours, Harris went from No. 2 on the Democratic presidential ticket to the presumptive presidential nominee, after Biden exited the race and endorsed her. In this article, we fact-checked some claims that Harris made in her speeches in the days before and after Biden dropped out.
What Biden Left Out of Pardon Statement
On Dec. 1, Biden provided a blanket pardon for his son Hunter for any potential crimes committed over nearly an 11-year period, from Jan. 1, 2014, through Dec. 1, 2024. In the statement the president provided to justify his reversal of position, he left out a few inconvenient facts.
Unraveling Misinformation About Bipartisan Immigration Bill
Even before a bipartisan group of senators unveiled the text of a foreign aid and immigration overhaul bill on Feb. 4, it faced significant opposition from Trump and other Republican leaders. On Feb. 7, the bill failed in the Senate after it was opposed by all but four Republicans and a few Democrats. Some of the criticism leveled by Republicans opposing the bill was based on a distortion of what it would and would not do.
Trump’s Misleading Chart on Illegal Immigration
This story is about Trump’s favorite chart — the one he credited with saving his life because he turned to gesture to it right at the moment a would-be assassin began shooting at him in July. At rally after rally, Trump pointed to the chart on apprehensions of people illegally crossing the southern border to show that he had illegal immigration under control by the end of his presidency.
For example, during a speech in Green Bay, Wisconsin, in April, Trump pointed to the chart and said: “See the arrow on the bottom? That was my last week in office. That was the lowest number in history.” But Trump was wrong on both points. In fact, the arrow is pointing to apprehensions in April 2020, when apprehensions plummeted during the height of the pandemic. In his last months in office, apprehensions had more than quadrupled from that pandemic low and were higher than the month he took office. Also, April 2020 did not have the lowest number of apprehensions in history.
FactChecking the Harris-Trump Debate
The highly anticipated debate between Trump and Harris — which was their only debate — was a combative event in which facts were repeatedly trampled and distorted.
Study Largely Confirms Known, Rare COVID-19 Vaccine Side Effects
An international study of around 99 million people confirmed known serious side effects of COVID-19 vaccination. It also identified a possible relationship between the first dose of the Moderna vaccine and a small risk of a neurological condition. Social media posts about the study left out information on the vaccines’ benefits and the rarity of the side effects.
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