A note on our COVID-19 fact-checking pages: While we normally turn the titles of articles into hyperlinks, we want to be explicitly clear where our information is coming from, and so for each article you'll see a title followed by a link. These pages are set up chronologically, with the newest fact-checks at the top and the oldest further down.
Essential fact-checking sites:
Stop the Spread of Coronavirus Misinformation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpiG9TfvRfk Watch a 4 minute video by MediaWise Ambassadors John Green, Lester Holt, Tyler Oakley, and the PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs on ways we can all help.
All fact-checks for Coronavirus https://www.politifact.com/coronavirus/ Politifact makes it easy to scroll through current political quotes and find how truthful they are. "Fact-checking journalism is the heart of PolitiFact. Our core principles are independence, transparency, fairness, thorough reporting and clear writing."
COVID-19: Poynter Resources https://www.poynter.org/covid-19-poynter-resources/ Find fact-checking tools, recent fact checks, and sign up for daily newsletters about COVID-19. "Poynter’s mission is to champion the duty of a free press to inform, educate and hold the powerful accountable."
“Are masks effective if people are leaving their noses exposed but covering their mouths? It’s my understanding that leaving the nose exposed renders the mask useless, but that's what I see more often than not.” — Pat in Maryland You’re right on both counts: It’s becoming more common to see people out in public with their masks only halfway on, and doing so undermines the purpose of wearing one.
It reminds me that when the federal government was still deciding whether to recommend masks in public, one of the arguments against doing so was that people would wear them improperly and develop a false sense of security. That appears to be happening, just based on all the exposed noses and loose-fitting bandannas I’ve seen since my neighborhood retail strip started to reopen.
The point of a mask is to filter your air through fabric or some other medium to catch respiratory particles that can carry the coronavirus. (The New York Times has a good visual simulation of how these droplets can spray several feet.)Infected droplets can pass through both your nose and mouth, so you need to cover them, and make sure the fabric fits tightly around your cheeks and chin so air can’t escape through the gaps.
Also, keep in mind that even a properly fitted cloth mask might let particles through, though it’s believed to reduce the chances. So, you should keep your distance from others.--Washington Post 2020-06-10 Coronavirus Update
Find more specific fact checks and information on the topics below: