PROGRAM IMPACT
Anatomy of a Fact-Check: Debunking a False 2-Minute Coronavirus Test
“Anatomy of a Fact-Check” is an interview series with fact-checking organizations that participate in Facebook’s third-party fact-checking program. Here, a leader from the Associated Press Fact Check Desk, New York editor Barbara Whitaker, explains how AP reporter Amanda Seitz debunked a recent false claim that spread on social media.
Part One: A False Claim Spreads
On March 31, media outlets picked up a press release by a company claiming the U.S. government had authorized the shipment of millions of blood tests that could detect coronavirus in two minutes.
The California company published the news to Business Wire, a press release distributor used by thousands of media outlets and online platforms around the world, including the AP. Several prominent wire services and politicians shared the story, claiming the tests were FDA-approved, and a Twitter user with 16,000 followers tweeted one of the articles.
“Something seemed off,” Whitaker said. “Just days before, Trump had touted another quick-test that could identify COVID-19 in just five minutes. We decided to pursue it because the information was suspect and being widely reported.”
Part Two: An Insider’s Guide to Fact-Checking, Step by Step
- ‘We started with the company website.’ The press release was published by an entity claiming to be a California company called Bodysphere Inc. “At first it appeared legitimate, but when we dug a little deeper, we saw that you couldn't even order the product, despite the company's press release claiming it had already shipped out thousands of the tests on cargo planes to states.”
- ‘We pulled public records for the business.’Bodysphere Inc. wasn’t registered with the state of California. “The people listed as staff on the web page also had some past issues with failed businesses,” Whitaker said.
- ‘We made several calls to the company, along with COVID-19 experts.’ The team called a disconnected phone number listed on Bodysphere’s website and noticed that later in the afternoon, the phone number had been removed from the webpage. They found several phone numbers listed for the company’s CEO, and all were disconnected. They called a man listed as the company’s chief pharmacist, who declined to speak on the phone. A company publicist repeatedly did not respond to requests for comment.
“Meanwhile,” Whitaker said, “the FDA confirmed to us that no such test had been authorized. They also consulted with medical experts, who confirmed the blood test cannot diagnose COVID-19 patients.
Part Three: Impact of a Successful Fact-Check
After the AP published an article questioning the press release’s validity, Business Wire removed the press release and announced it would take steps to prevent future instances of false information on its platform. The AP scrubbed the press release from its website, though it was never used in an AP news report.
“This was important for us to fact-check because the misinformation was being reported widely and in mainstream news outlets. People might have read about the testing kit and wrongly believed it could diagnose for COVID-19,” Whitaker said. “The experience reiterated an old lesson: never believe something just because it is in a press release, and always go further than you think you need to — in this case, investigating the background of the company and those associated with it.”
Learn more about Facebook’s third-party fact-checking program.
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