Leading Report Explained

Leading Report
Founded:February 2023

Leading Report is an American website and Twitter account that describes itself as a "leading source for breaking news". It is known for promoting misinformation and conspiracy theories about COVID-19 and United States politics.[1]

History

The Leading Report Twitter account was created in May 2022. A corresponding website was later created in February 2023. The fact-checking website Science Feedback traced the website's ownership to two individuals named Jacob Cabe and Patrick Webb. Cabe is a former baseball athlete, while Webb is a car wash owner who is an admin of the Facebook group "Patriots for Trump" and has promoted misinformation on social media.

Misinformation and conspiracy theories

Leading Report has promoted misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines, climate change denial and false claims of electoral fraud in the U.S.,[2] [3] including the "ballot mule" conspiracy theory. It has also promoted the false claim that hydroxychloroquine is effective against COVID-19. The misinformation tracker NewsGuard gave Leading Report a score of 0/100, stating that it "severely violates basic journalistic standards".

In May 2023, Leading Report falsely claimed that Kevin McCarthy had called for the "immediate expulsion and possible prosecution of Rep. Adam Schiff for committing crimes of treason against the United States".[4]

In July 2023, Leading Report published an article claiming a "new comprehensive study" by Steve Kirsch, who is known for promoting misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines, found "that for Amish children, who are strictly 100 percent unvaccinated, typical chronic conditions barely exist, if any at all", including "auto-immune disease, heart disease, diabetes, asthma, ADHD, arthritis, cancer, and autism". The article cited anecdotal evidence Kirsch provided, and Kirsch had made no claim of a study finding zero cases of the conditions.[5] [6] [7]

In October 2023, after the Israel–Hamas war started, Leading Report tweeted that Hamas claimed to have received support from Ukraine. Hamas had not made such a statement.[8]

In June 2024, Webb falsely claimed that CNN would implement a 1-2 minute delay for a presidential debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden, "potentially allowing time to edit parts of the broadcast".[9] [10] The false claim was repeated by generative AI chatbots ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot.[11] [12]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Teoh . Flora . 2023-10-31 . Who's Behind The (Mis)Leading Report? . 2023-11-30 . . en-GB . 2023-11-25 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231125122503/https://science.feedback.org/who-is-behind-the-misleading-leading-report/ . live .
  2. Web site: Marcelo . Philip . 2023-08-25 . No, there isn't a new lawsuit revealing 2020 ballot fraud in Georgia. An old video is recirculating . 2023-11-30 . . en . 2023-10-14 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231014002359/https://apnews.com/article/fact-check-election-trump-georgia-ballots-voting-715748800845 . live .
  3. Web site: McCreary . Joedy . September 20, 2023 . Ballot paper, not bad guys, caused Arizona's Election Day printer problems Fact check . 2023-11-30 . . en-US . 2023-12-08 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231208015136/https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2023/09/20/maricopa-county-printer-paper-fact-check/70895321007/ . live .
  4. Web site: Funke . Daniel . 2023-05-19 . House speaker has not called for US congressman's prosecution . 2023-11-30 . Agence France-Presse . en . 2023-12-07 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231207214330/https://factcheck.afp.com/doc.afp.com.33FK6BT . live .
  5. Web site: 2023-07-18 . Claim by Steve Kirsch that the Amish don't experience autism, cancer, or high COVID-19 mortality because they don't vaccinate is baseless . 2023-12-01 . Health Feedback . en-US . 2023-07-25 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230725125636/https://healthfeedback.org/claimreview/claim-steve-kirsch-amish-dont-experience-autism-cancer-high-covid-19-mortality-because-they-dont-vaccinate-baseless/ . live .
  6. Web site: Frank . BrieAnna J. . July 24, 2023 . Yes, there are cases of Amish children with autism, cancer and diabetes Fact check . 2023-12-01 . USA Today . en-US . 2023-10-06 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231006062306/https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2023/07/24/false-claim-no-amish-kids-have-autism-cancer-diabetes-fact-check/70444122007/ . live .
  7. News: 2023-07-27 . No evidence that Amish kids have 'zero' cancer, diabetes and autism . en . Reuters . 2023-12-01 . 2023-12-08 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231208104111/https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSL1N39D0IN/ . live .
  8. Web site: Payne . Ed . 2023-10-09 . Fact Check: Hamas Did NOT Claim Ukraine Sold Them Weapons Used To Attack Israel In October 2023 . 2023-11-30 . . en-US . 2023-11-20 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231120130804/https://leadstories.com/hoax-alert/2023/10/fact-check-hamas-did-not-claim-ukraine-sold-them-weapons-used-to-attack-israel.html . live .
  9. Web site: Liles . Jordan . 2024-06-27 . CNN Won't Use '1- to 2-Minute Delay' During 1st 2024 Biden-Trump Debate . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240627225156/https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/cnn-debate-delay/ . June 27, 2024 . 2024-06-28 . . en.
  10. Web site: Yurow . Jeremy . June 27, 2024 . CNN debunks social media rumors about presidential debate delay . 2024-07-03 . . en-US . June 28, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240628005318/https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2024/06/27/cnn-refutes-claims-of-extended-delay-for-biden-trump-debate/74237826007/ . live .
  11. Web site: Hart . Robert . June 28, 2024 . OpenAI’s ChatGPT And Microsoft’s Copilot Reportedly Spread Misinformation About Presidential Debate Amid Growing Fears Over AI Election Dangers . 2024-07-03 . . en . July 2, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240702190627/https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2024/06/28/openais-chatgpt-and-microsofts-copilot-reportedly-spread-misinformation-about-presidential-debate-amid-growing-fears-over-ai-election-dangers/ . live .
  12. Web site: Connatser . Matthew . June 29, 2024 . ChatGPT wrongly insists Trump-Biden CNN debate had 1 to 2-minute delay . July 3, 2024 . . July 1, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240701164036/https://www.theregister.com/2024/06/29/chatgpt_presidential_debate/ . live .

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