Sunday 27 September 2026 · Edition of the day

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The Skeptic's Daily

The day's biggest stories, taken apart. For each one: what is actually established, what is only asserted, the questions worth asking — and a plausibility score for the central claim, given everything currently known.

Stories
2
Average plausibility
70%
How to read the score
It rates how well the core claim is evidenced — not how important the story is, nor whether it is good or bad news.
01Conflict & SecurityAfrica

Internet restricted after fighting in Tigray

BBC reports renewed fighting against a background of tensions between the TPLF and Ethiopia's national army.

BBC reports that internet access was restricted after fighting broke out in Ethiopia's Tigray region. A separate BBC item examines escalating tensions between the TPLF and the national army. The supplied excerpts do not identify the immediate trigger or scale of the fighting.

What holds up

  • ✓One BBC report explicitly describes fighting and internet restrictions.
  • ✓A second BBC item identifies escalating tensions between the TPLF and the national army.

What doesn't yet

  • ?Both items come from the same outlet and do not provide independent corroboration.
  • ?The excerpts supply no casualty figures, locations of clashes or attribution for the restrictions.

Ask before you share

  • →Who imposed the internet restrictions, and over what area?
  • →Which independent observers can verify the fighting?

Sources & original reporting

  1. [1]BBC News · Published 25 Sept 2026 · bbc.co.uk
  2. [2]BBC News · Published 25 Sept 2026 · bbc.co.uk
02Conflict & SecurityAfrica

Tenth woman's body found amid South African killings inquiry

BBC reports a further discovery as the deaths prompt a national outcry over violence against women.

BBC reports that a tenth woman's body has been found as South African police investigate killings. The deaths have prompted a national outcry about violence against women. The excerpt does not identify suspects or establish how the deaths are connected.

What holds up

  • ✓The BBC headline reports the discovery of a tenth body.
  • ✓The item identifies an ongoing police investigation.

What doesn't yet

  • ?The count is not independently corroborated in the supplied material.
  • ?Locations, dates, causes of death and evidence linking the cases are absent.

Ask before you share

  • →Have police established a connection between the deaths?
  • →What official information supports the reported count?

Sources & original reporting

  1. [1]BBC News · Published 26 Sept 2026 · bbc.co.uk