Reality Check Podcast: A Weight-Loss Drug Hoax and Russia’s Focus on Armenia

Reality Check Podcast: A Weight-Loss Drug Hoax and Russia’s Focus on Armenia

This week’s episode explores how a database vulnerable to manipulation is being used by health hoax sites to draw a false correlation between GLP-1 weight-loss drugs and suicidal thoughts. We also cover Russia’s efforts to influence Armenia’s upcoming parliamentary elections, including by impersonating credible outlets to attack the Western-leading prime minister. Get full access to NewsGuard's Reality Check at www.newsguardrealitycheck.com/subscribe [https://www.newsguardrealitycheck.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Reality Check Podcast: Many Americans Think Trump ‘Staged’ Assassination Attempts; Tucker Carlson’s Pro-Russia Platform

This week’s episode covers a recent NewsGuard/YouGov poll [https://www.newsguardrealitycheck.com/p/30-percent-of-americans-think-at-least-one-trump-assassination-attempt-was-staged] that found that one in four Americans believe Trump “staged” the attempt on his life at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. Our AI hosts break down the striking partisan and age divides revealed in the survey, including that 42 percent of Democrats believe the attempted assassination at the July 2024 rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, was “staged.” We also discuss the stunning pro-Russian shift of an ex-Zelensky aide, who advanced Kremlin propaganda on the Tucker Carlson Show. Get full access to NewsGuard's Reality Check at www.newsguardrealitycheck.com/subscribe [https://www.newsguardrealitycheck.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Reality Check Podcast: The ‘Staged’ Press Gala Hoax and a Bogus Cancer Link

This week’s episode covers the BlueAnon conspiracy that the shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner was orchestrated by the Trump administration, which received more than 90 million views across the social media platform X. We also discuss how anti-vax social media accounts are falsely claiming that rising cancer rates are caused by COVID vaccines. Get full access to NewsGuard's Reality Check at www.newsguardrealitycheck.com/subscribe [https://www.newsguardrealitycheck.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Reality Check Podcast: Brands that Fund Health Hoaxes and the Microwaved Hungarian Puppy Claim

This week’s episode covers a JAMA study’s finding that health care-related institutions, ranging from pharmaceutical companies to government health agencies, spent tens of millions in advertising dollars on news websites flagged by NewsGuard for spreading health misinformation. We also discuss Russian disinformation surrounding Hungary’s parliamentary elections, including that the anti-Putin party planned a Ukrainian-style coup in the event of a loss and that the incoming prime minister microwaved his puppy. Get full access to NewsGuard's Reality Check at www.newsguardrealitycheck.com/subscribe [https://www.newsguardrealitycheck.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Reality Check Podcast: Iran War AI Fakes — and the Backlash Against Reality

This week’s episode covers how misleading content including AI-generated visuals are being weaponized across the Iran conflict — and how that’s reshaping what people trust online. From a recycled battlefield image falsely portrayed as a U.S. soldier begging Iran for mercy to a viral AI-generated image of a missile inscribed with the slogan “No Kings,” we break down how these narratives spread across ideological lines and how the increasing presence of misinformation in social media and elsewhere online is eroding trust in authentic content. Get full access to NewsGuard's Reality Check at www.newsguardrealitycheck.com/subscribe [https://www.newsguardrealitycheck.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]