The efforts to push disinformation about United States President Joe Biden’s administration began within days of his January 2021 inauguration, with a graphic falsely claiming that the U.S. military faced possible “defunding.” The me
Publication: disinformation
Truth or Fiction?→ Conspiracy-Slinging Lawmaker Caught Encouraging Parkland Shooting ‘False Flag’ Lie
Journalists looking into the history of a newly sworn-in, QAnon-friendly Republican legislator have discovered that she has a history of conspiracy theories and disinformation around mass shootings. Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene encouraged the c
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Biden’s Bible Have ‘Upside Down Crosses’?
On January 20 2021, the next phase in American disinformation kicked off when an image set of President Joe Biden’s swearing-in circulated — purportedly showing Biden taking an oath on an odd Bible with “upside down crosses”:
Poynter→ Biden’s speech elevated the dangers of disinformation with references to ‘truth’ ‘facts’ and ‘lies’
President Joe Biden used the words “truth,” “facts” and “lies” nine times in his inaugural address to highlight the crisis of disinformation and misinformation as an attack on the fundamentals of America’s democracy and national character
Truth or Fiction?→ How to Fight Disinformation: Part II — Gaslighting
This is part of an ongoing series about how communities can fight back and protect themselves against weaponized disinformation. You can read Part I here. On January 6 2021, a mob of Donald Trump supporters, enraged by corrosive rhetoric and lies fr
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘BLM Activist’ John Sullivan/JaydenX, Explained
On January 15 2021 Breitbart published an item titled “Leftist Activist Among Those Arrested in Capitol Riot,” asserting “Utah-based left-wing activist” John Sullivan (also known as JaydenX) had been arrested in connection with
Poynter→ Growing usage of encrypted messaging apps could make it harder to combat misinformation
Gigantic numbers released this week indicate that encrypted messaging apps are on the rise — and this is disturbing for some members of the fact-checking community. Reporting by Axios showed private messaging app Signal saw a 677% increase in downloa
Truth or Fiction?→ Was a ‘Biden Election Official’ Arrested for Voter Fraud in Texas?
Shortly after the arrest of a Texas woman accused of election tampering, right-wing social media users began trying to spin the case into an attack on U.S. President-Elect Joe Biden’s decisive win over outgoing president Donald Trump. Embattled
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Twitter Lose $5 Billion in Value After ‘Banning’ Donald Trump?
Twitter’s permanent removal of outgoing United States President Donald Trump on January 8 2021 created extensive discourse and discussions about the limit of speech in the country; among sub-threads was a claim that his favorite social media pl
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘We Need 100 Percent of People Indoors’
Online flailing in support of outgoing United States President Donald Trump was accompanied by yet another go-round for a meme proclaiming — falsely — that Trump would be fulfilling the mission of the anti-Semitic conspiracy theory known a
Truth or Fiction?→ Capitol Police Officer Not Identified in Shooting of Ashli Babbitt
On January 12 2021, the right-wing disinformation site Redpilled.ca spread unverified claims that a Capitol law enforcement officer named David Bailey fired the shot which killed rioter Ashli Babbitt in an incident about which disinformation began c
Poynter→ Researchers say Facebook should allow fact-checkers to fact-check politicians
Disinformation researchers are arguing that Facebook should do more than just indefinitely block President Donald Trump. They argue the company should go further by doing away with its exemption of politicians from its Third-Party Fact-Checking program
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘WH Office of Pardon Attorney’ Parler Post Prompts Justice Department to Issue Statement
Around January 9 2021, in the days after a pro-Trump riot at the United States Capitol building, screenshots of a purported Parler post attributed to @WHPardonAttny (White House Office of Pardon) appeared, soliciting names, locations, and “wha
Truth or Fiction?→ TeamTrumpNews Parler Post: ‘I Have Invoked the Insurrection Act of 1807’
Around January 10 2020, a screenshot of a post purportedly published by outgoing United States President Donald Trump using @TeamTrumpNews to Parler began to make the rounds across social media platforms: Saw this on FB. It was posted 3 hou
Truth or Fiction?→ Twitter Finally Shuts Down Donald Trump’s Account
Two days after he incited an attack by his supporters on the U.S. Capitol and just over two months after he decisively lost the 2020 election to Democratic Party candidate Joe Biden, outgoing United States President Donald Trump was ousted again ̵
Truth or Fiction?→ Did a Texas Newspaper Claim “Members of Antifa’ Were Attacking the Capitol?
As the United States continued to reel from the January 6 2021 Capitol riots, an east Texas newspaper became the center of a related side story after it was caught repeating a debunked right-wing conspiracy theory surrounding the attack on the U.S. C
Truth or Fiction?→ Who Saved the Electoral Ballots During the Capitol Riots?
The question of “who saved the electoral ballots” was one of many sub-threads of discourse about the Capitol riots of January 6 2021, and one widely shared January 7 2021 tweet credited two young Senate aides as the saviors of democracy (
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘A Dangerous Threat’: Simon and Schuster Dumps Right-Wing Lawmaker’s Book
Publishers Simon & Schuster canceled plans on January 7 2021 to release a book by Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley (R) after it was spotted on the company’s website. The company had been promoting a book in which Hawley was regurgitating the false
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Chuck E Cheese Issue a Statement on the Capitol Riots?
On January 7 2021 a statement on the Capitol riots, attributed to the family-themed restaurant chain Chuck E Cheese, began circulating on Twitter: Thank you, Chuck E Cheese. pic.twitter.com/ZaOAk47n4b — Queen LaDeefa (@It_Aint__ME) January 7,
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Antifa Infiltrated Trump Supporters’ Claim During Capitol Riots by Washington Times Apparently Deleted
On the night of the January 6 2021 Capitol riots, Rep. Matt Gaetz shared a Washington Times article on Twitter along with the headline, “XRVision firm claims Antifa infiltrated protesters who stormed Capitol”: "Facial recognition fi
Truth or Fiction?→ A Woman Was Shot in Capitol Riots; ‘Roberta Paulson’ Meme Follows
During riots at the United States Capitol on January 6 2021, a woman was shot on livestreams, an incident followed by memes claiming her name was “Roberta Paulson”: Roberta Paulsen, protester shot in the neck in DC, has reportedly died.
Truth or Fiction?→ Amid Fascist Coup Attempt, Twitter Cowers From Banning Donald Trump
Even as he incited a far right, explicitly fascist coup attempt against the American government, Twitter refused to say whether it would remove outgoing United States President Donald Trump’s account on the platform: A company spokesperson told
Truth or Fiction?→ Is This a ‘Biblical’ Crowd of Trump Supporters in Washington D.C.?
As a crowd of loyalists for outgoing President Donald Trump gathered in Washington, D.C. at least one account wasted little time recycling a common disinformation tactic in order to make attendance seem much higher than it actually was. The user,
Truth or Fiction?→ Citing Conspiracy Theories, Pennsylvania Republicans Refuse to Seat Democratic Party Senator
As Pennsylvania’s legislature convened on January 5 2021 to commence its new two-year session, its Republican majority is blocking Sen. Jim Brewster (a Democrat) of Allegheny County from taking the oath of office: At the heart of the dispute is
Truth or Fiction?→ Are Georgia Runoff Voters Being Told Voting Machines Are ‘Malfunctioning’?
Georgia’s long-anticipated runoff elections were slated for January 5 2020; that day, the disreputable site TrendingPolitics.com published an item headlined, “BREAKING: Georgia Voters Sound the Alarm, Claim They’re Being Told Votin
Truth or Fiction?→ Right-Wing Senator’s Claim of ‘Antifa’ Attack Debunked by Protesters’ Video
A right-wing U.S. lawmaker’s attempt to claim that “Antifa” threatened his family was immediately debunked by video showing a peaceful protest outside his home. The activist group ShutdownDC streamed video of its demonstration on Jan
Truth or Fiction?→ Why a Wisconsin Pharmacist Allegedly Destroyed COVID-19 Vaccines
Wisconsin pharmacist Steven Brandenburg was arrested on December 31 2020 after he reportedly destroyed 57 vials (or more than 500 doses) of coronavirus vaccine, possibly intentionally. On January 4 2020, Ozaukee County District Attorney Adam Gerol add
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Rep. Emanuel Cleaver Say ‘Amen and Awomen’ During a Congressional Prayer?
On January 3 2021, Rep. Emanuel Cleaver led a Daily Congressional Prayer, drawing intense scrutiny from certain circles for purportedly concluding with “amen and awomen” (or “awoman”) in lieu of the standard “amen”
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Trump Got 74 Million Votes With 133 Million Registered Voters in the USA … There’s Only 59 Million Votes Left for Biden, How Did He Get 81 Million?’
On December 19 2020, the following screenshot was shared by someone going by the name Thor Arne to Facebook, questioning the math of the 2020 presidential election, which delivered Democratic Party candidate Joe Biden a resounding victory over Republi
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘George Soros With the Owner of Smartmatic’
As conspiracy theorists continued trying to convince themselves that Donald Trump did not definitively lose the November 2020 presidential election to Joe Biden, they also found another way to recycle — yet again — a reliable boogeyman in
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘How Election Was Stolen,’ ‘Funny How the Rest of the World Gets Different News Than Us’
In late December 2020, a screenshot of a newspaper headline reading “How Election Was Stolen” was belched forth from the bowels of the internet and began to circulate, bearing additional commentary, “Funny how the rest of the world g
Truth or Fiction?→ Far Right News Organizations Issue Statements, Admit ‘No Evidence’ Exists to Support Wall-to-Wall Coverage of Election Fraud
Far right propaganda purveyors like Newsmax, One America News Network, and certain Fox personalities became hot topics after the November 3 2020 election, when they captured a significant number of former Fox News viewers thanks to their regular ̶
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘BREAKING: State of Georgia Issues Huge Announcement, Will Conduct Statewide Signature Audit’
On December 17 2020, right-wing disinformation site TrendingPolitics.com published an item titled “BREAKING: State of Georgia Issues Huge Announcement, Will Conduct Statewide Signature Audit,” which began: In a shocking announcement, the G
Truth or Fiction?→ Is EO 13848 Trump’s ‘Ace in the Hole’ for Election Challenges?
As political disinformation about the 2020 election continued into December 2020, its purveyors turned to Executive Order 13848 — more precisely, claims that EO 13848 existed to ensure that U.S. President Donald Trump would remain in power for a
Truth or Fiction?→ Is the Trump Campaign Planning a Second Inauguration?
A suspicious screenshot grabbed Twitter users’ attention on December 17 2020, making some think that outgoing President Donald Trump and his campaign intended to continue denying his loss in the U.S. presidential elections into the new year. The
Truth or Fiction?→ Former Houston Police Captain Arrested, Allegedly Paid $266,400 by ‘Liberty Center for God and Country’ to ‘Investigate Electoral Fraud’
In an unnerving example of how disinformation can erupt into the real world, former Houston police captain Mark Aguirre was arrested on December 15 2020 in connection with a strange, sprawling conspiracy theory involving political megadonors and fanta
Truth or Fiction?→ Dominion Voting Systems and the SolarWinds Vulnerability, Explained
On December 15 2020, a popular post was shared to the far-right forum TheDonald.win. Its topic was included in its title, “Dominion CEO states in MI hearing that Dominion has never used Solarwinds. Pro tip: If you’re gonna remove the Solarwin
Truth or Fiction?→ Trump Tweets About ‘Fake Water Main Break’ on Election Night in Georgia
As electors of the gathered on December 14 2020 in order to finalize the incoming Joe Biden administration, sitting U.S. President Donald Trump continued advancing baseless claims that his decisive loss in the 2020 election was fraudulent, claiming
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Michigan State Police Block ‘Republican Electors’ From Entering the Courthouse?
As the U.S. Electoral College made it official — again — that outgoing United States President Donald Trump had lost his bid for re-election on December 14 2020, footage posted online showed an attempt to overturn the results with a group
Truth or Fiction?→ Seattle ‘Poverty Defense’ Proposal Sparks Viral Outrage
On December 14 2020, right-wing clickbait site the Daily Wire claimed that the city of Seattle, Washington was mulling over a “poverty defense”: Seattle Considering ‘Poverty Defense’ Exempting Criminals Based On Their Needs https://