As the global COVID-19 pandemic closed in on its first year, calls in the United States for second stimulus checks mounted in December 2020, the dubious right-wing blog DailyWire.com published an item (“Schumer, Pelosi Shoot Down Trump Covid Rel
Publication: disinformation
Truth or Fiction?→ No, Rudy Giuliani Didn’t Say People Got ‘China Virus’ by ‘Having Sex with Barnyard Animals’
On December 6 2020, news broke that Rudy Giuliani — the former New York City mayor, Donald Trump’s personal lawyer, and post-election spectacle — tested positive for COVID-19. Almost immediately, screenshots of a purported tweet by G
Truth or Fiction?→ Did a Video Expose Democrats ‘Planning to Cheat’ in Georgia?
A right-wing radio talk show host’s website appropriated and misrepresented an actual reporter’s work involving a Republican-supporting attorney in Florida, offering an excellent object lesson into the way disinformation can be perpetuated
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘RubyFreeman_Georgia’ Instagram Post
On December 5 2020, a screenshot of an Instagram post began circulating around the usual far-right fringe forums, attributed to a woman named Ruby Freeman (@rubyfreeman_georgia): An admission of election fraud by Ruby Freeman, DemocRAT vote counter
Truth or Fiction?→ How to Fight Disinformation — Part I: Firehosing
This is part of an ongoing series about how communities can fight back and protect themselves against weaponized disinformation. Any anthropologist can tell you that human lives are created, bounded, and defined by stories: the stories we tell ourselv
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Never Forget: Nancy Pelosi Rejected Trump’s Offer for Direct Stimulus Checks Two Months Ago’
On December 3 2020, a tweet by @thebradfordfile was shared to TheDonald.win, accusing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of having “rejected Trump’s offer for direct stimulus checks two months ago,” which placed the purported action in Septe
Truth or Fiction?→ Neera Tanden Didn’t Tweet ‘Hitler Was Certainly Controversial But No One Gives Him Proper Credit for Fighting to the Death Against Communism’
On December 1 2020, a fabricated tweet attributed to Neera Tanden began circulating, which read, “Hitler was certainly controversial but nobody gives him proper credit for fighting to the death against Communism”: .@neeratanden, WHAT pic
Truth or Fiction?→ Special Forces Did Not Raid a ‘CIA Server Farm’ in Frankfurt to Seize Dominion Servers
In November and December 2020, following Donald Trump’s resounding loss by millions of votes in the presidential election to Joe Biden, rumors spread by those trying to cope with their loss centered around persistent and increasingly ludicrous c
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Candace Owens Win a Huge Lawsuit Against Facebook Fact-Checkers?
A November 29 2020 TheScoop.us item bearing the headline “Candace Owens Wins Huge Lawsuit Against Biased Liberal Facebook Fact-Checkers” made a titular claim that Owens successfully sued Facebook’s third-party fact-checkers, although
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Twitter Suspend Bobby Piton, an ‘Election Whistleblower,’ to Prevent People ‘Understanding His Testimony’?
On November 30 2020, the name “Bobby Piton” became a trending topic on social media following a “hearing” at an Arizona Hyatt hotel about Joe Biden’s win in the 2020 U.S. presidential election. Piton was not mentioned by
Truth or Fiction?→ Do Only 3 Percent of Trump Voters Believe Joe Biden is the ‘Legitimate Winner’ of the 2020 Election?
On November 24 2020, Breitbart.com published an article headlined, “Nolte: Only 3% of Trump Voters Believe Joe Biden Is Legitimate Winner,” which began: We all need to keep in mind that, except for a handful of pollsters, polling is irretr
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘More People Have Died of Suicide This Year Than Corona’
On November 24 2020, a post on Reddit-clone TheDonald.win asserted that in 2020, “more people died of suicide this year than corona,” embedding the following tweet: Part one. pic.twitter.com/q5sNVq21GE — Dr. Ben Tapper (@DrBenTapp
Truth or Fiction?→ Activists Accuse Facebook of Ignoring Warning on Neo-Nazi Groups’ Spread
An activist group combating the proliferation of white supremacist propaganda online accused Facebook in a November 2020 report of failing to act when alerted to the spread of one such network on its platforms in 2018. “Facebook’s leadersh
Truth or Fiction?→ How to Fight Disinformation: Introduction and Overview
This is the first of a series about how communities can fight back and protect themselves against weaponized disinformation. In 2015 and 2016, new and paranoid strains of political ideology took social media discourse by storm. The details varied by c
Truth or Fiction?→ Did a Lawyer’s Affidavit Mistake Michigan for Minnesota?
As the Trump administration’s attempts to overturn the election continued on November 20 2020, attorney Andrew Fleischman highlighted a possible error in an affidavit filed by lawyer Lin Wood in which a sworn expert apparently confused Minnesota
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘So 54%’ of Americans Believe the 2020 Election Was Fraudulent?
On November 19 2020, “So 54%” was one of Twitter’s trending topics — due to a piece of of misleading math prompted by a tweet and article from TheHill.com: So 54% say he shouldn’t concede. Thanks for admitting more than half
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Monitors Discover a 9,626 Vote Error in the DeKalb County, Georgia Recount?
On November 18 2020, Georgia Republican Party Chair David Shafer tweeted that a “9,626 vote error” had been unearthed in DeKalb County, Georgia — a claim which, naturally, spread rapidly to other platforms: One of our monitors disc
Truth or Fiction?→ Zuckerberg Doubles Down on Not Banning Steve Bannon in Senate Hearing
Facebook chief executive officer Mark Zuckerberg has claimed in testimony to federal lawmakers that far-right broadcaster and Donald Trump adviser Steve Bannon’s recent call for the decapitation of federal officials did not warrant being banned
Truth or Fiction?→ Twitter Amends Flag from ‘Official Sources Called This Election Differently’ to ‘Multiple Sources Called This Election Differently’
In mid-November 2020, Twitter updated one of its election information flags, changing the wording from the uncertain-sounding, “Official sources called this election differently” to the even less forceful, “Multiple sources called th
Truth or Fiction?→ Twitter Amends Flag from ‘Official Sources Called This Election Differently’ to ‘Multiple Sources Called This Election Differently’
In mid-November 2020, Twitter updated one of its election information flags, changing the wording from the uncertain-sounding, “Official sources called this election differently” to the even less forceful, “Multiple sources called th
Truth or Fiction?→ Trump’s Disinformation Spree After Losing Election Propelled by Social Media
In the days after a resounding popular vote loss to former United States Vice President Joe Biden, sitting president Donald Trump advanced numerous conspiracy theories before beginning to deny the results of the election outright. The first set of con
Truth or Fiction?→ Trump’s Disinformation Spree After Losing Election Propelled by Social Media
In the days after a resounding popular vote loss to former United States Vice President Joe Biden, sitting president Donald Trump advanced numerous conspiracy theories before beginning to deny the results of the election outright. The first set of con
Truth or Fiction?→ Were Electoral Votes (410 for Trump and 128 for Biden) Found on a Dominion Server Seized in Germany?
On November 16 2020, increasingly desperate claims that Donald Trump had actually defeated Joe Biden in the presidential election despite the reality of his decisive defeat continued to circulate; one such rumor included the assertion that Trump won 4
Truth or Fiction?→ Were Electoral Votes (410 for Trump and 128 for Biden) Found on a Dominion Server Seized in Germany?
On November 16 2020, increasingly desperate claims that Donald Trump had actually defeated Joe Biden in the presidential election despite the reality of his decisive defeat continued to circulate; one such rumor included the assertion that Trump won 4
Truth or Fiction?→ This Is Not the ‘Million MAGA March’ on Washington in November 2020
On November 14 and 15 2020, purported aerial photographs of the misleadingly named “Million MAGA March” appeared on Twitter: به زودي هم چنين صØنه هايي را در كشورم پرشيا Ùˆ در مقابل “كورش اÙ
Truth or Fiction?→ Was Dallas Jones, a ‘Biden Campaign Director,’ Arrested For ‘Electoral Fraud’?
On November 15 2020, a blog post titled “Biden Campaign Director Arrested For Electoral Fraud” began circulating on social media platforms like Twitter and Reddit: Apparently Former FBI agent and Joe Biden staffer has been arrested: Dall
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Facebook Remove the Title of ‘President’ from Donald Trump and Designate Him as a ‘Political Candidate’?
On November 13 2020, pundit Dinesh D’Souza asserted on Twitter that Facebook had “removed” the designation of “President” from Donald Trump’s verified Facebook page, downgrading him instead to a mere “politica
Truth or Fiction?→ Trump Defeat Denialists Use Facebook to Promote ‘MAGA Marches’
Events and groups denying the defeat of outgoing United States President Donald Trump continue to fester on Facebook in November 2020 — despite the platform taking action following a report by activist group Avaaz. We discovered at least one gro
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Mexico Planning Joint Military Intervention with Canada If Trump Refuses to Leave Office’
On November 11 2020, a screenshot of a purported article featured the headline “Mexico Planning Joint Military Intervention with Canada If Trump Refuses to Leave Office”: The screenshot showed a story dated November 9 2020, with NPR repor
Truth or Fiction?→ Joe Biden, Arrogation, and ‘The Office of the President-Elect’
On November 10 2020, disinformation purveyors began pushing memes containing claims that the transition team for Joe Biden — the winner of the 2020 U.S. presidential elections — invented the “Office of the President-Elect,” and
Truth or Fiction?→ Questions Over ex-GOP Official’s Tweet Leads to Patti LaBelle’s ‘Anti-Feminist’ Relative
A former Republican official’s allegedly misplaced Twitter message on November 10 2020 led to allegations of online chicanery that culminated in the public outing of an “anti-feminist TV critic” purportedly related to legendary singe
Truth or Fiction?→ Has RealClearPolitics ‘Rescinded’ Pennsylvania and ‘Uncalled’ the Race?
After the 2020 election was “called” with former United States Vice President Joe Biden as victor, a rumor circulated that a website called RealClearPolitics had “rescinded” Pennsylvania, effectively undoing Biden’s win:
Truth or Fiction?→ Are Brazilian Troops Considering ‘Military Intervention’ on Trump’s Behalf?
A right-wing group based out of San Diego State University in California stoked more conspiracy theories around the 2020 U.S. presidential elections on Twitter, claiming that troops and operatives from other governments may get involved on behalf of i
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Mitt Romney Asked To Lead Health And Human Services In Biden Administration: Report’
On November 9 2020, Daily Wire appeared to publish (and then delete) an article headlined, “Mitt Romney Asked To Lead Health And Human Services In Biden Administration: Report”: Mitt Romney Asked To Lead Health And Human Services In Bide
Truth or Fiction?→ Does Benford’s Law Prove Election Fraud in Biden Votes?
After the 2020 election was called for former Democratic Party candidate Joe Biden, “Benford’s Law” — a mathematical principle applied occasionally to the count of votes in any given election — became a hot topic on soci
Truth or Fiction?→ Did an Antrim County, Michigan ‘Software Glitch’ Send ‘6,000 Trump Votes to Biden’?
On November 6 2020, several high-engagement tweets claimed that in Antrim County, Michigan, “6,000 Trump votes” were incorrectly recorded as votes for Democratic Party presidential candidate Joe Biden due to a “software glitch”
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Election Fraud is Real, and It’s Happening Right Now’
On November 4 2020, Twitter user @KAGWAR2020 shared the following images of mail on the side of the road, labeling them “evidence” of “election fraud” (archived): …election fraud is real. and it's happening right no
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Special Paper,’ ‘Watermarked Ballots’ Conspiracy Theory Spreads on Social Media
As Democratic Party presidential candidate Joe Biden began pulling ahead in the 2020 election, Twitter user @jdburney1 generated engagement and accrued followers by advancing a “watermarked ballots” conspiracy theory (which we archived h
Truth or Fiction?→ Were Democrats ‘Handing Out CHEAT SHEETS’ in Michigan (or Missouri)?
As right-wing disinformation and election interference continued amid the 2020 U.S. elections, one person posted a particularly sloppy attempt to gin up controversy by using photographs that didn’t even match their claim. The user claimed on Twi
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Burning 80 Trump Ballots’
As ballots continued to be counted in the U.S. presidential election, a questionable video with the equally questionable claim that someone had set several ballots marked with votes for President Donald Trump on fire suddenly appeared on social media