On September 22 2020, hyperpartisan site BlueLivesMatter.blue/The Police Tribune published an article headlined, “Bar Owner Commits Suicide After Being Indicted For Shooting Rioter Who Attacked Him”: It began: The Nebraska store
Publication: disinformation
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Crying Baby’ Ethics Question Causes Viral Controversy
In September 2020, screenshots of a virtual lesson about the ethics of smothering a crying baby (which was purportedly posed to students in Stevenson, Washington) spread virally on Facebook and Twitter. A September 17 2020 post from user Chellie Anne
Truth or Fiction?→ Tucker Carlson: ‘Well, If That’s What Democratic Socialism is, Then I’m Basically on Board.’
On September 18 2020, Twitter user Alexandra Halaby shared what became a viral tweet — it claimed that Dr. Cornel West appeared on Tucker Carlson’s Fox News show and got Carlson to admit that he was “basically on board” with de
Truth or Fiction?→ Did a Dallas Teacher Call the Kenosha Homicide Suspect a ‘Hero for the Modern Age’?
In mid-September 2020, the Dallas Independent School District in Texas drew national attention after local outlets began reporting on an assignment comparing a 17-year-old homicide suspect with both civil rights activists and one of the people he kill
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘FB Banned over 700 Pages Dedicated to Expose Pedophilia. That Should Scare the Absolute S*** Out of Everyone.’
On September 4 2020, a Facebook user asserted the platform had banned “700 pages” which were “dedicated to expos[ing] pedophilia”: White text against a blue background included the #SaveOurChildren hashtag: FB banned over 70
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘FB Banned over 700 Pages Dedicated to Expose Pedophilia. That Should Scare the Absolute S*** Out of Everyone.’
On September 4 2020, a Facebook user asserted the platform had banned “700 pages” which were “dedicated to expos[ing] pedophilia”: White text against a blue background included the #SaveOurChildren hashtag: FB banned over 70
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘I Just Tested Positive for Coronavirus’ Engagement Bait Spreads on Facebook
On July 25 2020, Facebook user Stiven Flores shared the following photograph, with a claim he had “just tested positive for coronavirus” and an aggressive push for others to share the post in order to collect “prayers”: Alongsi
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Josie Huang Identify Herself as Press While Being Arrested?
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s latest attempt to justify the violent arrest of a journalist was clearly exposed as false by video footage of the attack posted by the reporter and other news outlets. Huang, a reporter for KPC
Truth or Fiction?→ Did a Louisiana Man Drop Dead Moments After Calling a Woman a Racial Epithet?
In September 2020, what looked like a news article about a Louisiana man who instantly died after using a racial slur to insult a woman went viral across social media platforms: "No one who knew the woman personally spoke to reporters nor th
Truth or Fiction?→ Is Facebook Offering to Pay Conservatives to Delete Their Accounts?
A Facebook page catering to right-wing users shared a post in September 2020 misconstruing a new study by the platform as being an incentive program for users in their political sphere. The September 2020 post claims that Facebook “is offering
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Kenosha Car Dealer Kills Himself After His Insurance Won’t Cover a Cent of the 2.5 Million Dollars of Damages’ Caused by BLM Protests
On September 9 2020, a screenshot of a fabricated Fox Business article headlined “Kenosha car dealer kills himself after his insurance won’t cover a cent of the 2.5 million dollars of damages caused by the riots” was shared to meme a
Truth or Fiction?→ Did More Than 12,000 Christians Defy Governor, Worship at California Capitol in September 2020?
On September 7 2020, a Facebook user shared the following post claiming that thousands of Christians had flocked to the California State Capitol the previous day — but the media did not report the large turnout. The post claimed: 12,000 plus Chr
Truth or Fiction?→ Is ‘Antifa’ Setting Fires in Oregon?
On September 10 2020, wildfires raged across western states — as did social media rumors that anti-fascist protesters (or “antifa”) started fires in Oregon (and elsewhere) in a coordinated mass attack. Examples Claims often came fro
Truth or Fiction?→ Are People Trying to Make the Legal Age of Consent 4 Years Old?
A viral September 3 2020 Facebook post claiming that “there are people trying to make the age of consent four years old” racked up a six-figure share count (archived here) in one week: It read: We can’t buy alcohol or ciga
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Kyle Rittenhouse’s Lawyer Tweet That His Client Started a ‘Second American Revolution’?
On September 2 2020, Twitter user @JoshuaPotash shared the following screenshot, which was purportedly a tweet in which a lawyer for Kyle Rittenhouse — a teenager charged with killing two people — said that his client had fired the first s
Truth or Fiction?→ Did California Gov. Newsom Change All Voters’ Preference to Vote by Mail — So All In-Person Voters Will Be Turned Away?
On September 1 2020, a Facebook user shared the following screenshot, along with a post claiming that California’s governor, Gavin Newsom (D), had quietly changed all of California voters’ preference to vote by mail, so that anyone plannin
Truth or Fiction?→ Did California Gov. Newsom Change All Voters’ Preference to Vote by Mail — So All In-Person Voters Will Be Turned Away?
On September 1 2020, a Facebook user shared the following screenshot, along with a post claiming that California’s governor, Gavin Newsom (D), had quietly changed all of California voters’ preference to vote by mail, so that anyone plannin
Poynter→ How techno-populists put the ‘Hate Machine’ to work in spreading disinformation
Take a minute and try to answer this: What do Donald Trump (USA), Nicolás Maduro (Venezuela), Recep Erdoğan (Turkey), Jair Bolsonaro (Brazil), Daniel Ortega (Nicaragua), Viktor Órban (Hungary), Rodrigo Duterte (Philippines) and Narendra Modi (India)
Truth or Fiction?→ Did an Autopsy Reveal That Joseph Rosenbaum Was Shot in the Back Multiple Times?
On August 28 2020, a Facebook user shared the following post about 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse, charged with shooting and killing two protesters in Kenosha, Wisconsin: It read: BREAKING: Autopsy reveals that Kyle Rittenhouse’s first victim was s
Truth or Fiction?→ Was ‘a Mob’ Trying to Break into the Mayor of Kenosha’s Home?
The mayor of Kenosha, Wisconsin rebuffed a lie from United States President Donald Trump on September 1 2020 — after Trump called him “foolish” prior to visiting the city against the wishes of both local and state leadership. The pre
Truth or Fiction?→ Were 94 Percent of COVID-19 Deaths Caused by ‘Underlying Conditions’?
A false interpretation of new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) spread online in late August 2020, buoyed by both social media and various local television news outlets. The result was a slew of posts and stories pushing t
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘How is Finding 39 Missing Children in a Double Wide Trailer in Georgia NOT the Biggest News Story in America?’
An August 28 2020 Facebook post claiming authorities in Georgia found 39 missing children in a double wide trailer in Georgia went massively viral, apparently by pondering why it was not the biggest story in the United States: That post racked up
Truth or Fiction?→ Facebook Blames Lack of Training For Spread of Kenosha ‘Militia’ Gang Content
As content praising the suspect in a double homicide committed during a protest against police brutality in Kenosha, Wisconsin continued to proliferate on Facebook, the social media platform’s executive officer, Mark Zuckerberg, blamed a lack of
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Deputy Rittenhouse’ and the Kenosha Sheriff’s Department
On August 27 2020, amid algorithmically-charged discourse about teenaged shooting suspect Kyle Rittenhouse in Kenosha, Wisconsin, rumors on Facebook and Twitter appeared with claims that Rittenhouse’s father was “Deputy Rittenhouse”
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Someone Organize an Online Fundraiser for the Kenosha Murder Suspect?
Not long after his identity was revealed, the seventeen-year-old Illinois teen accused of committing a double murder in Kenosha, Wisconsin was the intended beneficiary of an online fundraiser in his name. The fundraiser raised $705 on GoFundMe before
Truth or Fiction?→ Victoria’s Secret Bra ‘Tracking Devices’
In late June 2020, a Facebook user shared a video that purportedly showed Victoria’s Secret bras’ tracking devices: In a status update, an account named “Jimm Walker” wrote: THIS IS UNREAL SO Summer 2020 Facebook Posts Abou
Truth or Fiction?→ Are 85 Percent of White People Killed by Other White People, Even Though We Never Hear About ‘White on White Crime’?
On August 23 2020, amid global Black Lives Matter demonstrations, the following meme appeared on Facebook with the claim that 85 percent of white people are killed by other white people — and yet, no one ever talks about “white on white c
Truth or Fiction?→ Was There a Potential COVID-19 Outbreak at a Las Vegas Strip Club?
A typically-false post from the “satirical” blog World News Daily Report (WNDR) got a bigger boost than usual online after being shared by an entrepreneur. The post delivered a characteristically lurid “story” about a COVID-19
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez ‘Ignore’ Joe Biden During Her DNC Appearance?
NBC News attracted criticism for its coverage of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) on August 18 2020, after the network posted a tweet that misrepresented Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s appearance on the event. The New York congresswoman
Truth or Fiction?→ Is ‘Maskne’ a Sign of a Lung Infection?
As far-right disinformation purveyors continued flailing for relevancy in August 2020, one graphic regurgitated the conspiracy theory that blemishes caused by accumulations of facial moisture under face masks (worn in order to protect others from pote
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Have You Ever Seen a LOCKED Mailbox at the USPS? Now You Have’
As criticism of the treatment of the United States Postal Service (USPS) continued to mount in August 2020, various photographs shared online prompted fears that U.S. President Donald Trump and his administration were locking mailboxes as part of effo
Truth or Fiction?→ Do 800,000 Children Go Missing Each Year in the United States?
As child trafficking rumors combined with COVID-19 disinformation went viral in August 2020, concurrent rumors appeared that 800,000 children go missing every year in the United States — or that 2,000 are disappeared each day: Vi
Truth or Fiction?→ How COVID-19 Triggered a #SaveTheChildren Child Trafficking Panic
In the summer of 2020, a massive amount of rumors about child trafficking appeared under the hashtag #savethechildren — and temporary hashtag filtering by Facebook in response was cited as evidence of “media suppression” of a massive
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Joe Biden ‘Take a Knee’ Near His Childhood Home?
Despite being thoroughly debunked, a series of posts pushing a fake claim about former Vice President Joe Biden remained available online even as new reports shed light on Facebook’s unwillingness to stop far-right disinformation. In early July
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Oprah Condone Child Abuse and Say ‘If It Feels Good’ that the Child ‘Won’t Even Know’ Abuse Happened?
Child trafficking and abuse conspiracy theories circulated in July and August 2020 thanks to ongoing disinformation campaigns, such as the now-infamous — and entirely debunked every step of the way — QAnon conspiracy theory; among those w
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Oklahoma City Police Shoot Each Other Trying to Shoot a Black Teenager?
In early August 2020, what looked like a news item about Oklahoma police officers accidentally shooting at one another while “trying to shoot a black teenager” spread on Facebook and Twitter: Two Oklahoma City Police Department officers
Truth or Fiction?→ Were the Explosions in Beirut ‘Atomic’?
Disinformation and unprompted speculation soon followed a pair of explosions that rocked Beirut, Lebanon on August 4 2020 — though at least one user quickly deleted his tweets on the incident amid criticism. Reporter Chris Palmer posted footag
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘If You Elect Joe Biden, There Will Be No Hand Sanitizer; I Have Spoken to the Hand Sanitizer People…’
On August 4 2020, the Facebook page “Being Liberal” shared a screenshot of a tweet purportedly quoting United States President Donald Trump on hand sanitizer and a potential Joe Biden administration: Donald Trump today: "If you ele
Truth or Fiction?→ Founder of Abuse Survivors Group Accused of Creating — and ‘Killing’ — Fake Twitter Professor
A Twitter account that had gained visibility within academic circles on the platform was suspended on August 3 2020 amid a maelstrom of skepticism of its legitimacy and well as criticism toward the user suspected of creating the account as well as the
Truth or Fiction?→ After ‘Defunding,’ Did Minneapolis Police Advise Residents to Give up Their Phones, Wallets, and Purses to Criminals?
On August 1 2020, Daily Caller writer Kyle Hooten shared the following screenshot claiming that a defunded Third Precinct in Minneapolis instructed residents to simply hand valuables over to criminals due to an uptick in crime: Minneapolis City Gove