On July 6 2020, Facebook user John Sargent shared the following image, which he claimed showed an “antifa street rioter” named Brian — heavily implying that “Brian’s” injuries were from receiving a righteous beatdow
Publication: disinformation
Truth or Fiction?→ Was a Colorado Man Arrested and Charged With Accidentally Shooting Fellow Protesters?
On July 31 2020, a Facebook user shared the following image and a status update claiming that a protester in Denver had accidentally shot fellow protesters in Denver: The Facebook user wrote: Protesters illegally blocked traffic on an interstate in
Truth or Fiction?→ Pedophile’s Decapitated Corpse Not Found on Judge’s Doorstep After Bail Hearing
On July 26 2020, what appeared to be a shocking local news story (headline: “Pedophile’s Decapitated Corpse Found On Judge’s Doorstep After Bail Hearing In Ocala, Florida”) began circulating on Facebook and Twitter: It's times li
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Tom Brady Say ‘If Anyone on My Team Kneels, I Quit’?
On July 23 2020, a Facebook link to an article claiming that American football player Tom Brady threatened to quit playing if anyone on his team was to kneel began circulating: Clicking through to the link led to the following content: Tom B
Truth or Fiction?→ Do Amish People Not Get Coronavirus Because They Don’t Have Television?
In July 2020, a number of Facebook memes circulated riffing on the same theme — that Amish people in the United States were not developing COVID-19, because they “don’t have television sets.” Variations We observed this claim s
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Coin Shortage? Where Did They All Go in Four Months?’
Despite being identified as disinformation, a Facebook post making light of a shortage of available coins around the United States continued to spread in July 2020. The post, which was published in a Kansas-based conservative group on July 16 2020, ha
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Ivanka Trump Accuse Dr. Anthony Fauci of Trying to Make Her Father Look Incompetent?
In mid-July 2020 a link circulated on social media, appearing to be an article reporting that Ivanka Trump had accused Dr. Anthony Fauci of trying to make her father, United States President Donald Trump, “look incompetent”: Ivanka Says
Truth or Fiction?→ Did a Reporter Call Kayleigh McEnany a ‘Lying Bitch’?
An exchange between White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany and a reporter for Al-Jazeera led to allegations that the reporter muttered an epithet. Right-wing social media users accused reporter Kimberly Halkett of calling McEnany a “lying
Truth or Fiction?→ Death of ‘Men’s Rights’ Attorney Stokes New Conspiracy Theories
The death of a 72-year-old “anti-feminist” attorney suspected of carrying out a fatal attack against a federal judge and her family has spawned new online speculation. Roy Den Hollander was found dead in upstate New York less than 24 hours
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘State of Illinois Definition of a COVID-19 Death’
In July 2020, social media users continued spinning a remark by a top health official in Illinois to claim that death tolls attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic have been inflated around the United States — and to attempt to sow doubt around the
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Mask of the Beast’
A Facebook post attempting to falsely link protection against COVID-19 to Satanism continued to spread on the platform in July 2020 — while also providing a look into how disinformation is laundered across social media platforms. The post by Ana
Truth or Fiction?→ Academic’s Work Covering COVID-19 Mistakenly Marked as ‘Spam’ by Facebook
An infectious disease professor covering the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic around the state of Georgia briefly found that her readers were unable to share her work on Facebook after being designated by “spam” on the platform. “It w
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Barack Obama Take Hydroxychloroquine in 2008?
A right-wing radio host and Fox News personality attempted to gin up more conspiracy theories about former United States President Barack Obama by misrepresenting what he claimed was a prescription given to Obama. Mark Levin posted a photograph on Twi
Truth or Fiction?→ Is a Texas Doctor Curing COVID-19 Patients For $50?
A Texas doctor’s claim that he has cured more than 75 patients for COVID-19 for no more than $50 spread widely around Facebook and YouTube before apparently being removed from both platforms. Dr. Brian Procter first drew attention through a phot
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Ghislaine Maxwell Was Arrested by the FBI, Can We Talk About How Similar She Looks to Madeleine McCann’s Female Abductor Sketch’?
On July 3 2020, just after British socialite Ghislane Maxwell was arrested, the Facebook page “NightMerica Podcast” shared the following post, comparing her photograph with a purported sketch of “Madeleine McCann’s female abdu
Truth or Fiction?→ Are ‘BLM Convoys’ Threatening to ‘Occupy Atlanta’?
Conspiracy theorist Jerome Corsi reached out for attention from United States President Donald Trump on July 7 2020, all the while regurgitating a long-debunked right-wing internet boogeyman to smear the Black Lives Matter movement. Corsi took to his
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘This is the Beach Today in Raleigh, NC! Covid is Never Going Away!’
In early July 2020 ,the following screenshot circulated on Facebook, showing a post from an accout by the name of “Kal El” who said that “Covid is never going away” alongside a purported picture of a beach in Raleigh, North Ca
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Black Lives Matter Members Attack a Man While Protesting a Statue of Louis IX?
A demonstration calling for the removal of a historical monument in in St. Louis in June 2020 was targeted by both far-right online users and channels both before it took place and prior to an altercation that was subsequently used to smear both the o
Truth or Fiction?→ Is Antifa Renting U-Hauls to Infiltrate ‘Residential Neighborhoods’?
A June 27 2020 post by user Cindy Kowalczyk was shared thousands of times, claiming (without citations or sources) that “Antifa plans residential Neighborhood attacks” using U-Haul moving trucks: The Rumor and Earlier Iterations In the
Truth or Fiction?→ Did a Teenager Get Pleurisy From Wearing a Face Mask for Work?
On May 31 2020, Facebook user Lena Kovacs shared the following screenshot of a redacted post, in which a person claimed their neeninet-year-old daughter developed pleurisy solely due to her use of a face mask in her job at “a huge grocery store
Truth or Fiction?→ This Photograph Does Not Show a Woman Who Was Beaten and Sexually Assaulted at a BLM Protest
In mid-June 2020, the following meme circulated on Facebook and Instagram, purportedly a screenshot of a Facebook post by a woman claiming she was “beaten and raped” by three people of color at a Black Lives Matter protest:
Truth or Fiction?→ Does Japan Spray Looters and Rioters with Blue Dye to Arrest Them Later?
A June 23 2020 post to the questionably named Facebook group “Facts First – Truth to Expose Media Lies” featured a photograph, which purportedly showed authorities in Japan dousing “rioters and looters” in “indelibl
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Peaceful Flag Burning to Resist Police Sponsored by Antifa’
A group with content seemingly designed to anger right-wing readers attracted attention from actual government officials — before finally being removed from both Twitter and Facebook in June 2020. The group, “Left Behind USA,” was us
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Ending White Privilege Intersects Ending Jewish Privilege’ Flyer
In June 2020, as protests against ongoing racism and police brutality continued throughout the United States and beyond, a curious image appeared: The image showed a flyer taped to a cork board with text that said: ENDING WHITE PRIVILEGE… Privi
Truth or Fiction?→ Is This a ‘Shooting Target’ Holding a Phone in the ‘Police Supply’ Section of a Gun Store in Lexington, Kentucky?
Amidst ongoing nationwide protests over the death of George Floyd, Facebook user Charlie Sickles shared the following post on June 21 2020, which had a photograph of a purported “shooting target” of a figure which appeared to be recording
Truth or Fiction?→ Did a Los Angeles Police Officer Find a Tampon in His Starbucks Cup?
Police in Los Angeles accused workers at a nearby Target store of tampering with an off-duty officer’s drink in June 2020, reigniting debate following other questionable claims by law enforcement agencies. According to KTTV-TV, the officer alleg
Truth or Fiction?→ Were Four Busloads of Protesters (or ‘Antifa’) in Ada, Oklahoma Met by ‘600 Armed Americans,’ — and the News Won’t Report It?
On June 18 2020, Facebook user Eric Wicklund shared the following post, claiming (in yet another warmed-over variation on very well-worn scarelore) that “four busloads” of protesters planned to descend on Ada, Oklahoma — but their ne
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Copied From an OSHA Certified Friend’
A new form of copypasta circulating on Facebook attempted to push conspiracy theories concerning face coverings and the COVID-19 pandemic by invoking the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (generally referred to as OSHA) as its “sourc
Truth or Fiction?→ Did ’61 out of 63 Females’ Become Infertile After Receiving a Vaccine Against COVID-19?
A graphic spreading online in June 2020 acted as a nesting doll for a spate of disinformation linking conspiracy theories about both COVID-19 and tech mogul Bill Gates. The graphic claims that “61 out of 63 females GlaxoSmithKline tested became
Truth or Fiction?→ “Google ‘322 COVID’”
On June 14 2020, posts asking readers to do a web search for the phrase “322 COVID” began circulating (particularly in QAnon circles), with an implication that the act would reveal that the novel coronavirus was a “scamdemic” a
Truth or Fiction?→ Did NASCAR Reply to Ray Ciccarelli on Twitter About Their Confederate Flag Policy?
On June 11 2020, a purported Twitter exchange between NASCAR and Ray Ciccarelli began circulating as part of the discourse around NASCAR’s decision to ban the Confederate flag from its events: In the above screenshot (captioned “
Truth or Fiction?→ Was a Military Memorial in Pensacola Destroyed in George Floyd Protests?
On June 4 2020, Facebook user Sam Wood shared a photograph of a broken military bench (archived here), alongside a lengthy rant insinuating that the damage it showed took place during June 2020 protests over the death of George Floyd: As of
Truth or Fiction?→ Is There an ‘Antifa Debit Card’?
A self-professed “targeted individual” on Twitter apparently had his hackles raised by a group of German satiricists enough to try to use their work to gin up fears about “Antifa.” “Ever seen an Antifa debit card that can
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘This is the 54th Regiment’ Memorial Defaced ‘This Week’ Claim
In early June 2020, the following image circulated with the claim that either “Black Lives Matter” or “Antifa” had defaced the 54th Massachusetts Regiment Memorial: At the top of the image was a graffitied monument difficult
Truth or Fiction?→ Did a Long Island News Outlet Call George Floyd Graffiti ‘Anti-Government’?
A television station in Long Island, New York used some of George Floyd’s last words to attract social media users to a short story about “anti-government graffiti.” News 12 Long Island’s Twitter post on June 7 2020 did not men
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Police Tell Newspapers That $2.4M of Merchandise Was Looted from a SoHo Rolex Store — When Rolex Said it Wasn’t?
Amid widespread protests and social unrest throughout the United States, a June 3 2020 Facebook post highlighted a discrepancy in the New York Post‘s coverage — specifically, a headline about a purported “looting” of $2.4 mill
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Someone Throw a ‘Gas Bomb’ Into a Horse Trailer During a Black Lives Matter Protest?
A Michigan woman’s effort to spread disinformation on Facebook about a Black Lives Matter protest several states away has been shared more than 90,000 times on the platform — despite several news sources refuting her claim. Kaitlyn White&#
Truth or Fiction?→ Are New York City Police Officers Covering Badge Numbers with Black Bands During George Floyd Protests?
As protests over the death of George Floyd (and many other deaths of Black Americans at the hands of law enforcement) spread to all fifty states, a Facebook post claiming that the New York Police Department (NYPD) officers had obscured their badge nu
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘A Post from Many Other Truckers’ on Protests Blocking Roads
On May 31 2020, an open letter was shared by the Facebook page “Uncle Sam’s Misguided Children” (archived here), purportedly speaking for all or most American truckers in the midst of ongoing protests in all fifty states: W
Truth or Fiction?→ Hitler Holding a Bible, Trump Holding a Bible
After United States President Donald Trump controversially posed for photographs at a Washington, DC church while he held up a Bible, the following photograph of Trump juxtaposed with Adolf Hitler in a purportedly similar pose appeared and quickly wen