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

NewsGuard's Reality Check · NewsGuard · last updated

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Reality Check Podcast: Learn Which Brands Fund Health Hoaxes and Whether a Hungarian Puppy Was Microwaved

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.

This podcast is created based on NewsGuard’s Reality Check newsletter using Google’s NotebookLM AI tool. Podcast content is closely reviewed by NewsGuard’s team of journalists for accuracy. For more information on NewsGuard’s use of AI to make these podcasts, read our commentary “AI Made This Podcast — But We Made Sure it Got it Right.”

Note: The Reality Check Podcast is now available to stream on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Listen to our weekly roundup of the most viral false claims and conspiracy theories wherever you get your podcasts.


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Reality Check is produced by co-CEOs Steven Brill and Gordon Crovitz, and the NewsGuard team.

We launched Reality Check to shed light on the false claims spreading online, how they spread, and the forces behind them. Each day, we aim to bring you the story behind your news feed and help you stay informed about the false claims circulating in the news. Support our work by becoming a premium member.

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