Stories about people beating COVID-19 through “traditional” remedies continue to spread online in spite of warnings from health officials. For example, a post from news site NewsOne features what it claims is a “viral video.”
Publication: disinformation
Truth or Fiction?→ Did SCOTUS Rule Trump Can Remove Chuck Schumer from the Senate?
In early April 2020, an apparent article headlined “SCOTUS Rules Trump Can Remove Chuck Schumer from Senate” circulated through individual Facebook posts and groups. One iteration was shared to the group “People for the secession of
Truth or Fiction?→ Is Elon Musk ‘Giving Away Bitcoins and Etherium’ on Twitter?
On April 8 2020, an unidentified hacker used both real and illegitimate accounts to pelt Twitter with posts and bogus screengrabs made up to resemble tech magnate Elon Musk’s account. First brought to light by reporter Mason Pelt, the apparent p
Truth or Fiction?→ Conspiracy Theorists, Celebrities Push Disinformation Blaming Cell Towers for COVID-19
As conspiracy theories — fanned in part by public figures — continue spreading, feeding into a feverish, misdirected blame leveled at mobile phone towers for the COVID-19 pandemic, authorities in Great Britain are investigating a spate o
Truth or Fiction?→ Was the United States’ Strategic National Stockpile Website Altered After Remarks by Jared Kushner?
Journalists and social media users alike keyed on to a change to a government website after heavily-criticized remarks by presidential advisor Jared Kushner. On April 2 2020, Kushner was discussing the use of the Strategic National Stockpile as part o
Truth or Fiction?→ The COVID-19 Chloroquine Controversy, Explained
On March 30 2020, a number of outlets reported that the Food and Drug Administration had given a limited go-ahead for the use of chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine in medical settings in the latest development in what has become a bizarrely (but not e
Truth or Fiction?→ Was There a ‘March to End COVID-19’ in Cleveland?
A social media user playing on real-world ignorance over the COVID-19 pandemic succeeded in making a stir on March 26 2020 with a photograph he claimed at the time was an ill-advised gathering. The user’s post, which has been shared more than 6,
Truth or Fiction?→ Does This Video Show That ‘Tanks Have Arrived in San Diego’?
In another case of social media users and disreputable blogs stoking fear via disinformation amid the COVID-19 pandemic, footage of a routine shipment of tanks in two states has been interpreted — and then disseminated — as an omen of so
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘I Wonder Why the Cameraman Didn’t Need Protective Clothing?’ Facebook Post
On March 19 2020, the following meme (“I wonder why the cameraman didn’t need protective clothing”) was shared to Facebook: A still photograph included the wording about the cameraman lacking any personal protective equipme
Truth or Fiction?→ Does This Video Show ‘More and More’ Coronavirus Looters in San Francisco?
Untrustworthy blogs and right-wing social media users pounced on footage allegedly captured by one Twitter user to throw inflammatory allegations against San Francisco and “liberal” communities as a whole following a shelter-in-place order
Truth or Fiction?→ Did a Florida County Official Promote a Bogus Right-Wing COVID-19 ‘Cure’?
A member of a small county commission in Florida became an online laughingstock after video spread of him endorsing a widely-debunked cure for COVID-19 (a.k.a. the “coronavirus”) by a right-wing “news” outlet to his colleagues.
Truth or Fiction?→ Did the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Have ‘Advance Knowledge’ of COVID-19?
In mid-March 2020, as the United States continued to grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic, the anti-science blog Natural News posted a “story” pushing the claim that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or the CDC, “appears
Truth or Fiction?→ Will Americans Go Into a Four-Week Quarantine on April 1 2020?
In mid-March 2020, completely unsubstantiated but frightening rumors began circulating about a four-week-long quarantine blanketing the entire United States, purportedly to begin on April 1 2020. The rumor spread from person to person in individual
Truth or Fiction?→ Does Coronavirus Put Dogs at Risk Because Hand Sanitizer Has the Same Ingredients as Antifreeze?
On March 14 2020, a Facebook status update (archived here) claiming that pet owners should be aware that hand sanitizer “has the same ingredients as antifreeze” went viral after an uptick in hand sanitizer use due to an ongoing COVID-19 o
Truth or Fiction?→ Did ‘4 GOP Senators’ Self-Quarantine After Voting Against the Coronavirus Relief Bill?
In mid-March 2020, as Republican lawmakers faced criticism online over a bill that would provide sick pay to some American workers, a graphic spreading on Facebook spread disinformation about both the bill’s progress and the way the vote broke d
Truth or Fiction?→ Has Italy Stopped Treating COVID-19 in the Elderly?
As Italy grappled with the spread of COVID-19, American Facebook users took that as their opportunity to insult a national health service. “Italy has decided NOT to treat their elderly for this virus !!!! That, my friends, is Socialized Health
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Trump Will Evoke What Is Called the Stafford Act’ Viral Post
Amid growing concerns over the spread of novel coronavirus strain COVID-19 in mid-March 2020 and lack of information from the United States government, corrosive and weaponized disinformation thrived in the form of chain emails, Facebook posts, and te
Truth or Fiction?→ Did 12,000 Americans Die of H1N1/Swine Flu, and Were 275,000 Hospitalized?
As concerns over novel coronavirus strain COVID-19 crested in mid-March 2020, comparisons between the effects of the strain versus that of H1N1 (or “swine flu”) more than a decade before triggered a flurry of fact checks, a Facebook flag o
Truth or Fiction?→ Are Hackers Using Fake ‘Coronavirus Maps’ to Import Malware?
In March 2020, as global fears about the COVID-19 pandemic continued to grow among a morass of disinformation and state-sponsored propaganda, security experts warned about websites using their fear of the novel coronavirus to infect their machines and
Truth or Fiction?→ Is There a COVID-19 ‘Loophole’ in Blood Donations?
For a brief period of time, a Twitter user’s admittedly “bold and brash” — but wrong — idea about a “loophole” allowing people more access to testing for COVID-19 got widespread traction on the platform. On Ma
Truth or Fiction?→ AOC Did Not Say the ‘Only Reason Trump is Keeping His Promises is to Infuence the Outcome’ of the 2020 Election
In late January 2020, memes circulated on Twitter claiming that Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York) said that “the “nly reason President Trump is keeping his campaign promises is to influence the outcome of the 2020 election”:
Truth or Fiction?→ Man Displays Nazi Banner at Bernie Sanders Rally
During a March 5 2020 Bernie Sanders rally in Arizona, an individual seated in the venue unrolled a large Nazi banner as Sanders spoke: In the above photograph, a smiling Sanders faced away from the banner. Video captured from a different perspecti
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Trump Call Sean Hannity and Tell People with Coronavirus to Go to Work Anyway?
On March 5 2020, the Facebook page “Crooks and Liars” shared an article bearing the headline, “Trump Calls Up Hannity, Tells People With Covid-19 To Go To Work”: Underneath an embedded video, the site claimed: In just over
Truth or Fiction?→ Breaking Down The COVID-19 ‘Friend’s Uncle’s Guidance’ Meme
As rumors quickly spread about purported myriad threats of a novel coronavirus strain known as COVID-19, a chain letter-style post purportedly containing medical advice about both the symptoms and treatments for the disease was spread heavily on Faceb
Truth or Fiction?→ Conspiracy Theorists Help Spread Video Pushing Coronavirus ‘Live Cremation’ Claim
A video circulating online promoting the claim that coronavirus victims in China were being “cremated alive” was promoted by an organization employing disinformation specialist and white nationalist Steve Bannon. According to Politifact, t
Truth or Fiction?→ Did 41 Democrats Vote Against ‘Protecting Already Born Babies’?
In February 2020, pundits and blogs launched a round of invective against Democratic Party lawmakers after a bill targeting healthcare providers fell short of garnering enough votes for debate on the Senate floor. The latest salvo followed a cloture v
Truth or Fiction?→ Would 38 Percent of Americans Not Buy Corona Beer over Coronavirus Fears?
On February 28 2020, CNN published a tweet reporting that a full 38 percent of Americans — more than a third — refused to drink Corona beer under any circumstances, due to fears of coronavirus: 38% of Americans wouldn't buy Corona be
Truth or Fiction?→ Rush Limbaugh Claims Coronavirus is No More Dangerous than the Common Cold. Is it?
In a transcript dated February 24 2020, radio personality Rush Limbaugh claimed that novel coronavirus (COVID-19) is no more dangerous than “the common cold,” adding that he believed that concern over the new strain of disease was simply p
Truth or Fiction?→ Trump Advisor Pushes Coronavirus Disinformation: ‘We Have Contained This’
Despite warnings at the federal level regarding the possibility of a coronavirus outbreak in the United States, both U.S. President Donald Trump and one of his chief economic advisors have tried to push disinformation in downplaying the threat. During
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘This Is So Funny, Keep it Posted’ Image of Nancy Pelosi and Maxine Waters with a Trump Sign
On February 20 2020, a photograph purportedly showing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-California) smiling in front of a “Trump 2020” sign made the rounds on Facebook: Visible text at the top read: Th
Truth or Fiction?→ Do 78 Percent of Women Considering Abortion ‘Choose Life’ After Seeing an Ultrasound?
A September 2019 claim by the anti-abortion group “March For Life” was exposed to online scrutiny in February 2020. The group claimed at the time that “78 percent of women considering abortion choose life after seeing an ultrasound o
Truth or Fiction?→ Pro-Trump Nevada Ad Regurgitates Anti-Obama Immigration Disinformation
On February 21 2020 — just one day before the Nevada Democratic Party caucuses — a super PAC promoting United States President Donald Trump’s re-election campaign released a Spanish-language ad steeped in disinformation about immigra
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘He’s 18’: Twitter Trending Topics Amplifies Quaden Bayles Conspiracy Theory
Not long after Quaden Bayles became the virally popular star of an anti-bullying campaign, Twitter’s trending topics boosted a conspiracy theory under “He’s 18,” linked to tweets alleging the nine-year-old boy was a much olde
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Pipeline Protesters Out of Gas’ Meme
On February 17 2020, a Facebook user shared the following post that purports to show “pipeline protesters” ironically holding an “out of gas” sign — ironic, because they ran out of fuel on their way to a protest: Atop
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Lyndon B. Johnson Vote Against Civil Rights Legislation for Twenty Years?
Right-wing commentator Candace Owens distorted the record of former United States President Lyndon B. Johnson during both a televised appearance and on Twitter in February 2020 in an effort to paint the Democratic Party as being anti-Black. The remark
Truth or Fiction?→ Trump Intervenes in Sentencing of Lobbyist Who Spread Corrosive Disinformation on His Behalf
The sentencing of convicted felon Roger Stone was abruptly derailed on February 11 2020, when all four of his prosecutors resigned on the same day that United States President Donald Trump, freshly emboldened by his impeachment acquittal the week befo
Truth or Fiction?→ Does an Image Show the Ku Klux Klan Marching with a Trump/Pence Banner?
On February 9 2020, a Facebook page called “The Truth Fairy” shared the following image, which purportedly showed the Ku Klux Klan marching with a Trump/Pence banner in support of the election (or re-election) of United States President D
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Justin Trudeau Say That ‘Islam is the Only Way to Improve Life in Canada’?
A recurring pattern of smear attempts against Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau flared up yet again in February 2020, when a Facebook user attempted to gin up a meme about him using a debunked, Islamophobic rumor: The February 8 2020 post show
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Powerful American Stories Ripped to Shreds by Nancy Pelosi’
On February 6 2020, United States President Donald Trump (@realDonaldTrump) shared a disinformation video on Twitter of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, apparently “ripping … powerful American stories to shreds”: pic.twitter.com/QhTWvc
Truth or Fiction?→ Angelika Greg-Delany #WalkAway Campaign: ‘I Came From the Soviet Socialist Part of the Ukraine, I Barely Survived’
Late on February 6 or early February 7 2020, Facebook user “Angelika Greg-Delany” shared a purportedly true account to the group #WalkAway Campaign — purportedly first about her encounter with a Russia-bashing “Bernie Sanders s