COVID-19 Fact-checking Tools

Fact-checking Tools

Here are some useful online resources you can use to conduct basic fact-checks on dubious information concerning COVID-19:

(A) FACT-CHECKERS

SINGAPORE

If the dubious information you received mentioned something specific to Singapore, you can refer to the following websites first:

• MOH > Clarifications on Misinformation regarding COVID-19 provides succinct clarifications regarding to COVID-19 rumours and fake news in Singapore, with links to relevant sources in some cases.
• Factually > Clarifications on misinformation regarding the Coronavirus disease 2019 - this is useful for tracking COVID-19 misinformation debunked by Ministries and government agencies. Do check the in-depth articles and POFMA cases listed in the main Factually page.

Local media websites also debunk fake news, though not all of them are exclusively about COVID-19:

• The Straits Times articles about fake news
• Zaobao articles about 假新闻 or fake news
  • E.g. 网站称伊维菌素能治疗冠病 卫生部：没有科学证明
• Berita Harian articles on fake news
  • E.g. Truth Warriors dikenakan arahan pembetulan Pofma berkaitan dakwaan palsu Covid-19
• Tamil Murasu articles about fake news
  • E.g. கொவிட்-19 தொடர்பில் பொய்ச் செய்திகள்; ஏராளமான பதிவுகளை அகற்றிய ஃபேஸ்புக், டுவிட்டர்
• STOMP articles about fake news (written by journalists)
  • E.g. Temasek Foundation debunks circulated photo regarding distribution of masks on Aug 4
• Mothership articles about fake news
  • E.g. MOH debunks fake news that S’pore did autopsy & found Covid-19 can be treated with aspirin

Local fact-checking groups have also risen to the occasion:

• Black Dot Research FactCheck aims to “verify claims made from any source that could potentially cause a seismic shift in public perception on topics of general importance in Singapore”. You can read their COVIDWatch articles which debunk fake news such as Did someone get fined $300 for sitting on a demarcated seat at Ya Kun? and Is Singapore ceasing imports of supplies and heading for a lockdown?

• Sure Anot - is a ground-up campaign started by a group of NTU students that hopes to educate Singaporeans on fake news. You can sign up for their WhatsApp chat group HERE.

• Let’s Check - This platform by NUS allows you to explore claims circulating in Twitter, and you can choose to check against scientific articles or news.

INTERNATIONAL

Sometimes, you may receive fake news which do not mention anything specific about Singapore, or which may have been copied and edited to appear as if it happened in Singapore. You can check against the following fact-checking websites:

• The Coronavirus Collection: Fact-Checking COVID-19 - fact-checked claims listed in categories such as Origins and Spread, Prevention & Treatments, and Viral Videos.
• Reuters Fact Check - useful for international fake news, such as: Bill Gates planning to use microchip implants to fight coronavirus or In China the coronavirus only hit Wuhan, Chinese stock market unaffected
• AFP Fact Check - by news agency Agence France-Presse (AFP), you can refer to articles about Singapore, such as “Posts misrepresent news article about Singapore’s vaccination programme”, or international cases like “Scientific paper does not prove Moderna ‘created’ coronavirus”.
• BBC articles on fake news, e.g. Covid: Posts claiming only 17,000 died of virus ‘factually incorrect’
• Politifact articles on COVID-19 fake news, e.g. Pfizer paid “$2.8 million bribe payment” to the FDA for COVID-19 vaccine approval

(B) NEWS AGGREGATORS

Important COVID-19 news will be reported in multiple news sources, instead of the odd one or two alternative news.sites, blogs or forwarded messages. You can refer to individual news websites, or news aggregators such as:

• Google News - This gives you an overview of relevant news from multiple news websites. You can narrow down to news about COVID-19 or Singapore.
• PressReader - This database provides FREE access to thousands of the world’s leading newspapers and magazines from more than 100 countries in 60 languages. Publications are presented as full digital replicas and offer advanced digital features such as keyword searching, translation, audio functionality and much more. This is available at all libraries and from home, using your NLB myLibrary ID account (note: The Business Times, The Straits Times and Lianhe Zaobao are available in libraries only).

(C) REVERSE IMAGE SEARCH

• Google Reverse Image Search - This is useful for checking if images you received were taken from other websites (e.g. stock images or old news articles), and used as part of the fake news. If you received a video, you can also take screen shots of a few key segments, and perform a reverse image search as well. Instructions for Android, Computer and iPhone can be found HERE.
• Yandex Images - This Russian website is similar to Google in terms of doing a reverse image search: you can either upload an image from your device, or enter the image URL. An additional feature is the ability to crop an image on the fly and do another round of reverse image search on the newly cropped version.