Maarten Schenk
@mschenk.bsky.social
Fact checker. Co-founder of leadstories.com.
Pinned
OMG, @leadstories.com fact check in a visible Community Note under an X post from The White House.
Read the fact check here:
leadstories.com/hoax-alert/2...
Read the fact check here:
leadstories.com/hoax-alert/2...
January 23, 2026 at 12:50 AM
OMG, @leadstories.com fact check in a visible Community Note under an X post from The White House.
Read the fact check here:
leadstories.com/hoax-alert/2...
Read the fact check here:
leadstories.com/hoax-alert/2...
The White House is posting digitally manipulated arrest pictures...
Fact Check: Nekima Levy Armstrong Was NOT Visibly Crying When Arrested By FBI In Connection With Minnesota "Church Riot" -- White House Posted An Altered Photo That Changes Her Expression, Adds Tears
Fact Check: Nekima Levy Armstrong Was NOT Visibly Crying When Arrested By FBI In Connection With Minnesota "Church Riot" -- White House Posted An Altered Photo That Changes Her Expression, Adds Tears
Was Nekima Levy Armstrong visibly crying in anguish in a Department of Homeland Security photo of her arrest by the FBI for her role in a protest at a church in St. Paul, Minnesota? No, that's not true: The photo...
leadstories.com
January 22, 2026 at 6:33 PM
The White House is posting digitally manipulated arrest pictures...
Reposted by Maarten Schenk
Karoline Leavitt announced that Belgium joined Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’. Belgium’s foreign minister responds.
January 22, 2026 at 12:32 PM
Karoline Leavitt announced that Belgium joined Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’. Belgium’s foreign minister responds.
"Ik had fact checkers moeten gebruiken." - Rik Torfs
(Oh, nee, wacht, als dat een parafrase was van wat hij had moeten zeggen dan moet dat zonder aanhalingstekens zeker? Ik zal het aanpassen in de volgende druk van deze post...)
vrtnws.be/p.LNGQp7xVp
(Oh, nee, wacht, als dat een parafrase was van wat hij had moeten zeggen dan moet dat zonder aanhalingstekens zeker? Ik zal het aanpassen in de volgende druk van deze post...)
vrtnws.be/p.LNGQp7xVp
Oud-rector Rik Torfs gebruikt onbestaande citaten in zijn recentste boek 'Waarheid' | VRT NWS: nieuws
In het recente boek van oud-rector van de KU Leuven Rik Torfs staan minstens 7 citaten die niet kloppen. Dat blijkt uit een analyse van VRT NWS. De citaten komen niet voor in de bronnen waarnaar Torfs...
vrtnws.be
January 21, 2026 at 10:53 AM
"Ik had fact checkers moeten gebruiken." - Rik Torfs
(Oh, nee, wacht, als dat een parafrase was van wat hij had moeten zeggen dan moet dat zonder aanhalingstekens zeker? Ik zal het aanpassen in de volgende druk van deze post...)
vrtnws.be/p.LNGQp7xVp
(Oh, nee, wacht, als dat een parafrase was van wat hij had moeten zeggen dan moet dat zonder aanhalingstekens zeker? Ik zal het aanpassen in de volgende druk van deze post...)
vrtnws.be/p.LNGQp7xVp
I'm not "pardoning your French" if you are misinterpreting a clip of a TV guest saying
"Ukraine stopped sharing intelligence out of concern for leaks"
with
"Ukraine deliberately shared fake intelligence with the U.S. and saw Russia act on it".
That's not what he said. Not even in French.
"Ukraine stopped sharing intelligence out of concern for leaks"
with
"Ukraine deliberately shared fake intelligence with the U.S. and saw Russia act on it".
That's not what he said. Not even in French.
Fact Check: French Channel LCI Did NOT Report Ukraine Sent False Strategic Info To US -- Clip Only Mentioned 'Leaks' To Moscow
Fact Check: French Channel LCI Did NOT Report Ukraine Sent False Strategic Info To US -- Clip Only Mentioned 'Leaks' To Moscow
Did a guest in a clip from French TV channel LCI say Ukraine sent false strategic info to US intelligence services which they then observed Russian forces acting upon? No, that's not true: The video clip with guest Vincent Crouzet...
leadstories.com
January 19, 2026 at 2:09 PM
I'm not "pardoning your French" if you are misinterpreting a clip of a TV guest saying
"Ukraine stopped sharing intelligence out of concern for leaks"
with
"Ukraine deliberately shared fake intelligence with the U.S. and saw Russia act on it".
That's not what he said. Not even in French.
"Ukraine stopped sharing intelligence out of concern for leaks"
with
"Ukraine deliberately shared fake intelligence with the U.S. and saw Russia act on it".
That's not what he said. Not even in French.
Reposted by Maarten Schenk
Fact Check: French Channel LCI Did NOT Report Ukraine Sent False Strategic Info To US -- Clip Only Mentioned 'Leaks' To Moscow
Fact Check: French Channel LCI Did NOT Report Ukraine Sent False Strategic Info To US -- Clip Only Mentioned 'Leaks' To Moscow
Did a guest in a clip from French TV channel LCI say Ukraine sent false strategic info to US intelligence services which they then observed Russian forces acting upon? No, that's not true: The video clip with guest Vincent Crouzet...
leadstories.com
January 19, 2026 at 1:40 PM
Fact Check: French Channel LCI Did NOT Report Ukraine Sent False Strategic Info To US -- Clip Only Mentioned 'Leaks' To Moscow
Man, some of those notifications on X are ghoulish...
He's definitely not "LIVE".
He's definitely not "LIVE".
January 15, 2026 at 8:31 AM
Man, some of those notifications on X are ghoulish...
He's definitely not "LIVE".
He's definitely not "LIVE".
Once more for the people in the back: "Fact checking is the opposite of censorship, it *adds* information."
www.poynter.org/ifcn/2026/if...
www.poynter.org/ifcn/2026/if...
IFCN Statement: U.S. visa bans on international researchers undermine press freedom - Poynter
From person-to-person coaching and intensive hands-on seminars to interactive online courses and media reporting, Poynter helps journalists sharpen skills and elevate storytelling throughout their car...
www.poynter.org
January 14, 2026 at 4:05 PM
Once more for the people in the back: "Fact checking is the opposite of censorship, it *adds* information."
www.poynter.org/ifcn/2026/if...
www.poynter.org/ifcn/2026/if...
January 9, 2026 at 12:22 PM
Reposted by Maarten Schenk
It's been exactly one year since Mark Zuckerberg pulled the plug on the US arm of Meta's fact-checking program.
But the program trundles on everywhere else in the world: I was able to confirm the company has renewed many contracts in 2026, albeit at a steep discount.
But the program trundles on everywhere else in the world: I was able to confirm the company has renewed many contracts in 2026, albeit at a steep discount.
An 18-month study found that fact-checking on Facebook reduced engagement with false info
It also identified weaknesses in Meta's fact-checking program, which faces an uncertain future outside the US
indicator.media
January 7, 2026 at 12:56 PM
It's been exactly one year since Mark Zuckerberg pulled the plug on the US arm of Meta's fact-checking program.
But the program trundles on everywhere else in the world: I was able to confirm the company has renewed many contracts in 2026, albeit at a steep discount.
But the program trundles on everywhere else in the world: I was able to confirm the company has renewed many contracts in 2026, albeit at a steep discount.
You have to see the images in this story...
There we go. That there’s a headline.
Who’s who at X, the deepfake porn site formerly known as Twitter
A look inside Elon Musk’s big tent
www.ft.com
January 6, 2026 at 5:06 PM
You have to see the images in this story...
Reposted by Maarten Schenk
Is it 2027 next year? Google is not so sure...
www.google.com/search?q=is+...
(archived here: web.archive.org/web/20260106...)
www.google.com/search?q=is+...
(archived here: web.archive.org/web/20260106...)
January 6, 2026 at 3:58 PM
Is it 2027 next year? Google is not so sure...
www.google.com/search?q=is+...
(archived here: web.archive.org/web/20260106...)
www.google.com/search?q=is+...
(archived here: web.archive.org/web/20260106...)
Reposted by Maarten Schenk
See, this is why I like it here. I post about that fake Craigslist ad and an account is like “Here’s more info!” Do the same on Twitter and you’d have a hundred bros wearing shades reply with “WaKe Up ShEeP!!!!!”
There is extra information available about this content...
(post powered by the experimental @unclouder.com labeler)
(post powered by the experimental @unclouder.com labeler)
Fact Check: Inconsistent Details in Ventura Village Daycare Child Actors Wanted Craigslist Ad From Minneapolis, Minnesota
Does a viral Craigslist post prove that owners of a Minnesota daycare accused of fraud attempted to hire child actors to imitate legitimate operations? No, that's lacking enough evidence to prove it's true: Anyone could have published an anonymous post...
leadstories.com
January 6, 2026 at 1:34 PM
See, this is why I like it here. I post about that fake Craigslist ad and an account is like “Here’s more info!” Do the same on Twitter and you’d have a hundred bros wearing shades reply with “WaKe Up ShEeP!!!!!”
That one thing last year?
Yeah, that wasn't real....
Yeah, that wasn't real....
Lead Stories' Top Debunks Of 2025: Charlie Kirk, Jeffrey Epstein, And What Trump Did NOT Say
Lead Stories' Top Debunks Of 2025: Charlie Kirk, Jeffrey Epstein, And What Trump Did NOT Say
False claims about the Charlie Kirk assassination, the Jeffrey Epstein files, and purported verbal gaffes by President Trump topped the list of most-read Lead Stories fact checks in 2025. This list reflects reader interest in finding the truth, searching online...
leadstories.com
January 4, 2026 at 5:53 PM
That one thing last year?
Yeah, that wasn't real....
Yeah, that wasn't real....
Elon Musk suddenly, for no reason, decides content moderation is a good thing after all...
x.com/i/status/200...
x.com/i/status/200...
January 3, 2026 at 7:01 PM
Elon Musk suddenly, for no reason, decides content moderation is a good thing after all...
x.com/i/status/200...
x.com/i/status/200...
At the rate we're going I wouldn't be surprised if @grok was in the Epstein files ;-)
January 3, 2026 at 6:50 PM
At the rate we're going I wouldn't be surprised if @grok was in the Epstein files ;-)
January 3, 2026 at 9:35 AM
Happy New Year! 🥂
December 31, 2025 at 11:31 PM
Happy New Year! 🥂
It seems the account that did this was deleted.
Has anyone lost their visa over this blatant censorship yet?
Has anyone lost their visa over this blatant censorship yet?
December 28, 2025 at 5:08 PM
It seems the account that did this was deleted.
Has anyone lost their visa over this blatant censorship yet?
Has anyone lost their visa over this blatant censorship yet?
They've updated it...
December 21, 2025 at 9:03 AM
They've updated it...
Google? Well, Google just puts copies of the hoax in positions 1 through 4 and the fact check in position 5.
leadstories.com/hoax-alert/2...
leadstories.com/hoax-alert/2...
December 21, 2025 at 12:20 AM
Google? Well, Google just puts copies of the hoax in positions 1 through 4 and the fact check in position 5.
leadstories.com/hoax-alert/2...
leadstories.com/hoax-alert/2...
Reposted by Maarten Schenk
Yahoo!'s AI summary summarizes a hoax about Cher reading Karoline Leavitt's bio... right above the fact check explaining the story is a hoax.
leadstories.com/hoax-alert/2...
leadstories.com/hoax-alert/2...
December 21, 2025 at 12:12 AM
Yahoo!'s AI summary summarizes a hoax about Cher reading Karoline Leavitt's bio... right above the fact check explaining the story is a hoax.
leadstories.com/hoax-alert/2...
leadstories.com/hoax-alert/2...
Reposted by Maarten Schenk
Bing's AI summary summarizes a hoax about Cher reading Karoline Leavitt's bio...
The first search result is an AI driven site that summarizes the hoax too.
The third result is an actual fact check explaining the story is a hoax.
leadstories.com/hoax-alert/2...
The first search result is an AI driven site that summarizes the hoax too.
The third result is an actual fact check explaining the story is a hoax.
leadstories.com/hoax-alert/2...
December 21, 2025 at 12:15 AM
Bing's AI summary summarizes a hoax about Cher reading Karoline Leavitt's bio...
The first search result is an AI driven site that summarizes the hoax too.
The third result is an actual fact check explaining the story is a hoax.
leadstories.com/hoax-alert/2...
The first search result is an AI driven site that summarizes the hoax too.
The third result is an actual fact check explaining the story is a hoax.
leadstories.com/hoax-alert/2...