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mschenk.bsky.social
Maarten Schenk
@mschenk.bsky.social
7.4K followers 5.3K following 690 posts
Fact checker. Co-founder of leadstories.com.
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mschenk.bsky.social
Maarten Schenk @mschenk.bsky.social · Nov 17
bsky.app/starter-pack...
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mschenk.bsky.social
Maarten Schenk @mschenk.bsky.social · 1d
Update: het waren de Black Arrows (handbal)
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mschenk.bsky.social
Maarten Schenk @mschenk.bsky.social · 1d
Weet er iemand welke Belgische nationale damesploeg vandaag naar Ljubljana vliegt?

Ik ook niet maar ze zitten op hetzelfde vliegtuig :-)
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mschenk.bsky.social
Maarten Schenk @mschenk.bsky.social · 2d
YouTube censoring @leadstories.com ?

No, just sensible precautions using automated filters against personal information leaks and an efficient and quick appeals process that (probably) used humans to restore a legitimate news story.

Here's the video in question:
youtube.com/shorts/GGqPV...
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mschenk.bsky.social
Maarten Schenk @mschenk.bsky.social · 6d
Yikes! Talk about an unfortunate cutoff...
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mschenk.bsky.social
Maarten Schenk @mschenk.bsky.social · 11d
Google's AI overview denies there is a sequel to "This is Spinal Tap"... right below thumbnails for the official trailer.

The stupidity of AI goes all the way up to eleven!

#spinaltap
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mschenk.bsky.social
Maarten Schenk @mschenk.bsky.social · 11d
That's a fake account.

Real one is here:
x.com/gbsumudfloti...
x.com
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mschenk.bsky.social
Maarten Schenk @mschenk.bsky.social · 13d
Met stoppen met dingen :-)
mschenk.bsky.social
Maarten Schenk @mschenk.bsky.social · 15d
Sure, replace fact checkers with AI...
leadstories.com
Lead Stories @leadstories.com · 15d
Wow, Grok (on the other site) blatantly claiming one of our fact checks says the exact opposite thing compared to what it actually says...

x.com/grok/status/...

leadstories.com/hoax-alert/2...
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Reposted by Maarten Schenk
leadstories.com
Lead Stories @leadstories.com · 15d
Wow, Grok (on the other site) blatantly claiming one of our fact checks says the exact opposite thing compared to what it actually says...

x.com/grok/status/...

leadstories.com/hoax-alert/2...
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Reposted by Maarten Schenk
fullfact.org
Full Fact @fullfact.org · 16d
Google Search is vandalising the internet.

👀 Our new investigation reveals how some of our fact checks are being shown in misleading ways:
Google Search is vandalising the internet. Here’s how. – Full Fact
Google Search is misrepresenting our fact checks, showing incorrect information to millions.
fullfact.org
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mschenk.bsky.social
Maarten Schenk @mschenk.bsky.social · 16d
This is why at @leadstories.com we try th put the conclusion of our fact checks within the first eight words of the headline if we can.

Harder for Google to muck up :-)
fullfact.org
Full Fact @fullfact.org · 16d
Google Search is vandalising the internet.

👀 Our new investigation reveals how some of our fact checks are being shown in misleading ways:
Google Search is vandalising the internet. Here’s how. – Full Fact
Google Search is misrepresenting our fact checks, showing incorrect information to millions.
fullfact.org
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Reposted by Maarten Schenk
leadstories.com
Lead Stories @leadstories.com · 16d
Reposting this oldie....

leadstories.com/hoax-alert/2...
Fact Check: Trump Did NOT Discuss Fictional 'Tesla Medbeds' on Fox News -- Interview is Fake | Lead Stories
Did President Donald Trump speak to Fox News about a "Tesla medbed," calling it an "incredible piece of technology"? No,...
leadstories.com
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mschenk.bsky.social
Maarten Schenk @mschenk.bsky.social · 18d
I remember having beers with that guy when he was still a fact checker. My, times have changed...
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mschenk.bsky.social
Maarten Schenk @mschenk.bsky.social · 18d
Eerste (en enige) job ook waar ik via IRC chat voor gesolliciteerd heb :-)

Ze deden een oproep in kanaal #vlaanderen als ik me goed herinner...
mschenk.bsky.social
Maarten Schenk @mschenk.bsky.social · 18d
Ah... Planet Internet. Ik heb daar nog gewerkt, eerst als jobstudent en dan een paar maanden als vaste medewerker op de helpdesk.

Zotte tijden!
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mschenk.bsky.social
Maarten Schenk @mschenk.bsky.social · 18d
Inderdaad!
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mschenk.bsky.social
Maarten Schenk @mschenk.bsky.social · 18d
Ah... Planet Internet. Ik heb daar nog gewerkt, eerst als jobstudent en dan een paar maanden als vaste medewerker op de helpdesk.

Zotte tijden!
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mschenk.bsky.social
Maarten Schenk @mschenk.bsky.social · 18d
Don't repost this fact check or you might get flagged and tagged too!

ⓘ 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘶𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘻𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘈𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘢. 𝘗𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘴𝘶𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘳.
leadstories.com
Lead Stories @leadstories.com · 18d
Fact Check: Meta Did NOT Add New Tags On Threads Posts To Warn That Certain Users Are Suspected Of Membership In Antifa

leadstories.com/hoax-alert/2...

ⓘ 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘶𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘻𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘈𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘢. 𝘗𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘴𝘶𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘳.
Fact Check: Meta Did NOT Add New Tags On Threads Posts To Warn That Certain Users Are Suspected Of Membership In Antifa -- Meme Appears To Mock Trump Administration War On Antifa | Lead Stories
Did Meta, the owner of the Threads social media platform, announce it had begun labeling some accounts with a warning...
leadstories.com
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mschenk.bsky.social
Maarten Schenk @mschenk.bsky.social · 20d
BREAKING: The Rapture has been postponed by Executive Order... more soon.
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mschenk.bsky.social
Maarten Schenk @mschenk.bsky.social · 20d
We sympathize with the plight of this poor, little billion-dollar company that has absolutely no legal or financial resources to fight this in court. Perhaps they can ask Mr. Kimmel and Disney for advice on how to proceed?
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mschenk.bsky.social
Maarten Schenk @mschenk.bsky.social · 20d
Proudly announcing governmental oversight actions resulted in speech from fact checkers being withheld from the public...
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Reposted by Maarten Schenk
mmasnick.bsky.social
Mike Masnick @mmasnick.bsky.social · 21d
... has repeatedly insisted that fact checking is, by itself, "censorship" and here we have Jim Jordan repeating the directly. When, what it really shows is how Jim Jordan's threats and pressure are actually *suppressing* fact checking speech.
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Reposted by Maarten Schenk
mmasnick.bsky.social
Mike Masnick @mmasnick.bsky.social · 21d
Fact checking IS NOT AND CANNOT BE "censorship." It is literally the "more speech" that pretend free speech supporters always claim they want. It's more speech weighing in on the accuracy of other speech. It's literally a part of the "marketplace of ideas." Yet, over the last decade, the GOP...
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Reposted by Maarten Schenk
mmasnick.bsky.social
Mike Masnick @mmasnick.bsky.social · 21d
There are plenty of misrepresentations going around regarding Google's pathetically sucking up letter to Jim Jordan, which deliberately misrepresents reality in a manner designed to make Jordan look good, but the one part that really gets me is this one:
Jim Jordan tweet: But that’s not all. YouTube is making changes to its platform to prevent future censorship. YouTube is committing to the American people that it will NEVER use outside so-called “fact-checkers” to censor speech. No more telling Americans what to believe and not believe.
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mschenk.bsky.social
Maarten Schenk @mschenk.bsky.social · 21d
People on X speculate about increased Grindr usage during the Charlie Kirk memorial
--> Downdetector picks it up
--> Shows a spike
--> "Online Reports!"
--> People on X talk about the "online reports"
--> Downdetector picks up the talk
--> Bigger spike!
(repeat)

Grindr: "nope."
leadstories.com
Lead Stories @leadstories.com · 21d
Fact Check: Grindr Denies Reports About Arizona Outages During Charlie Kirk Memorial Service -- Possibly Based On Social Media Speculation
Fact Check: Grindr Denies Reports About Arizona Outages During Charlie Kirk Memorial Service -- Possibly Based On Social Media Speculation
Did the servers for gay dating app Grindr in Phoenix or Glendale have problems handling increased traffic related to Charlie Kirk's memorial service in Arizona on September 21, 2025? No, that's not true: a website named Downdetector did show an...
leadstories.com
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mschenk.bsky.social
Maarten Schenk @mschenk.bsky.social · 21d
bsky.app/profile/msch...
mschenk.bsky.social
Maarten Schenk @mschenk.bsky.social · Dec 9
Any questions?