House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s widely-reported decision to tear United States President Donald Trump’s printed State of the Union speech apart on February 4 2020 led to a predictably high amount of social media chatter, among it claims that
Publication: disinformation
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Trump Supporters Sabotage the Iowa Caucus Hotlines on Election Night?
On February 6 2020, a number of news organizations reported that the chaos during (and following) the Iowa caucus was exacerbated by a flood of calls to an election night hotline made by supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump to further confuse the
Truth or Fiction?→ Social Media Platforms Spread Epoch Times’ Iowa Caucus Disinformation
Another debunked claim from a right wing “activist” group responsible for chronic disinformation continued to spread on social media on February 3 2020 as voters in Iowa prepared for the Democratic Party presidential caucus. The group R
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Sen. Elizabeth Warren Propose Making ‘Spreading Disinformation Online’ Illegal?
On January 29 2020, news network CNBC received some criticism for its portrayal of a policy proposal set forth by Democratic Party Sen. Elizabeth Warren the same day. The network said in a tweet that Warren, who is currently running for the party̵
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘My Team and I Are Doing a $100 Cash Giveaway’ Facebook Multi-Level Marketing Meme
In January 2020, a number of Facebook posts promoting a “$100 cash giveaway” appeared on Facebook, almost all with nearly identical wording. The $100 cash giveaway posts seemed to have one thing in common — those promising $100 to pa
Truth or Fiction?→ Can You Adjust Facebook to Block Fact-Checkers?
A January 2020 Facebook post sought to convince one social media user’s friends not only that fact-checkers were employed by Facebook chief executive officer Mark Zuckerberg to target conservative content in posts, but that those same fact-check
Truth or Fiction?→ Did JK Rowling Respond to ‘No One Should Live in a Closet’ Tattoo with ‘Yes They Should’?
On January 25 2020, Twitter user @iknownaama tweeted the following image, a purported screenshot of JK Rowling reacting to a pro-LGBT tattoo (“no one should live in a closet”) by saying “yes they should”: so did the simulatio
Truth or Fiction?→ No, You’re Not Being Told to Avoid ‘Unprotected Sex with Farm Animals’ Over the Coronavirus
As the World Health Organization (WHO) tried to disseminate health advisories amid a growing coronavirus outbreak, at least one “jokey” graphic blunting that message was spotted online in January 2020. The WHO’s original graphic, pos
Truth or Fiction?→ ’30 Marines, 1 Sailor Die in Helicopter Crash on Same Day as Kobe Bryant’ Meme
Following the January 26 2020 death of athlete Kobe Bryant, posts circulated on Facebook alongside the headline “30 Marines, 1 Sailor Die in Helicopter Crash”: Sharers definitively connected the purported news to Bryant’s death,
Truth or Fiction?→ White House Impeachment Counsel Lies About GOP House Disruption
During the impeachment trial of United States President Donald Trump on January 21 2020, White House Counsel Pat Cipollone flagrantly pushed disinformation concerning an October 2019 meeting that House Republicans “stormed” for attention.
Truth or Fiction?→ Nancy Pelosi’s ‘Gold Pens’ Impeachment Controversy
On January 16 2020, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s gold pens on silver platters were the subject of a Facebook post shared by known disinformation peddler and sometimes grifter Brian Kolfage: Across a photograph of three trays of gold-ti
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Virginia Declare a State of Emergency Due to Armed Militias?
On January 15 2020, a number of articles and social media posts mentioned the declaration of a state of emergency in Virginia, purportedly because of armed militias: Virginia Declares State of Emergency After Armed Militias Threaten to Stor
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Bernie Sanders Tell Elizabeth Warren a Woman Couldn’t Win a Presidential Election?
On January 13 2020, CNN published an article with the headline, “Bernie Sanders told Elizabeth Warren in private 2018 meeting that a woman can’t win, sources say.” It began: The stakes were high when Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warr
Truth or Fiction?→ 2016 ‘Bern the Witch’ Sanders Campaign Event
On January 14 2020, Twitter user @TrinityMustache claimed that the 2016 Bernie Sanders campaign hosted a “Bern the Witch” event attacking then-Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton: Bernie Sanders had a “Bern the Witch”
Truth or Fiction?→ Does This Photograph Show Syrians Leaving Idlib?
In January 2020, the Syrian region of Idlib — the last rebel bastion in the country — teetered on the verge of further humanitarian disaster as its own government continued airstrikes against the population there. Meanwhile, the Russian government
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Woman Steals Trump Sign, Immediately Regrets It’ Video
On January 13 2020, Facebook user Ryan Fournier of Students for Trump (whose partner and co-founder was later charged with fraud for posing as an attorney) shared a video with the text: “Woman Steals Trump Sign. Immediately Regrets it”:
Truth or Fiction?→ Fake ‘Thailand’s Seven New Provinces’ Post Resurfaces on Social Media in Thailand
An online hoax dating back to at least 2015 about Thailand having seven new provinces continued to spread as recently as January 2020, according to news and fact-checking organization Agence France-Presse. The news service reported that a post pushin
Truth or Fiction?→ Donald Trump Says He ‘Saved Pre-Existing Conditions in Your Healthcare’
On January 13 2020, United States President Donald Trump tried to attack a Democratic Party presidential candidate for “false advertising” by repeating a lie of his own. In a tweet attacking former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg, Tr
Truth or Fiction?→ Online Debate Stirs Fears of a ‘Star Wars’ Disinformation Campaign
A round of rumors and criticism surrounding the new Star Wars movie series has ignited debate in what has become an ongoing discussion about disinformation pushed in pop culture fandom — but experts are split whether that label applies to a Reddi
Truth or Fiction?→ Australian Prime Minister’s Bushfire Aid Ad Criticized Amid Flood of Disinformation
Amid the devastation suffered in Australia as a result of rampant bushfires and right-wing disinformation efforts, Prime Minister Scott Morrison faced a wave of criticism for an advertisement that both elided government regulations and circumvented ac
Truth or Fiction?→ Teen Vogue Publishes, Unpublishes Mysterious Sponsored ‘Facebook Election Integrity’ Piece
Youth-oriented news and politics site Teen Vogue is frequently lauded for its post-2016 foray into political news, a nearly-unequivocal level of approval that suddenly faltered after sponsored Facebook public relations material was published and then
Truth or Fiction?→ Arizona Rep. Paul Gosar Pushes Digitally Altered Image of Obama with Iranian Leader
A Republican lawmaker who once inspired his family to record a statement urging constituents to vote against him and who embedded a weaponized Jeffrey Epstein meme in impeachment tweets lashed out at reporters on January 6 2020 after posting a regurgi
Truth or Fiction?→ Fake Fox News Twitter Smears Rep. Ilhan Omar
A short-lived Twitter account impersonating the right-wing Fox News network managed to draw attention to itself on January 5 2020 through the familiar tactic of a made-up smear against Democratic Party Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota. The account, “
Truth or Fiction?→ Disinformation Inflames Tensions After United States Kills Iranian Commander
Late in the evening of January 2 2020, the United States announced that it had targeted and killed Iranian Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani in Iraq in a major and dramatic escalation: Iran confirmed the death of one of its most active military fi
Truth or Fiction?→ Online Trolls Seize on Anti-Semitic NYC Attacks for Anti-Black Disinformation Effort
In the wake of a series of anti-Semitic attacks in New York City during Hanukkah 2019, online troll sites and fake social media accounts moved to foment both disinformation and tension by pitting Jewish and Black communities against one another. As CN
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Weird Twitter’ Account Spreads Video Distorting Joe Biden Campaign Speech
On January 1 2020, a Twitter user attempting to lobby criticism on Democratic Party presidential candidate Joe Biden went a step further than a critique by posting a video that had been edited to remove context from one of his campaign speeches. The a
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Blue Eyes Are Haram’ Disinformation
On January 1 2020, disinformation purveyors all across the internet suddenly pivoted in unison to pushing the same disinformation that has muddied English-speaking social media since at least 2015, down to the same claims, the same recycled stories, a
Truth or Fiction?→ Detainee Trying to Feed Her Baby or ‘The Nativity 2019’?
On December 24 2019, a photograph shared to Twitter circulated with the claim that it showed “a detainee trying to feed her baby,” heavily implying that the image showed victims of the Trump administration’s family separation policy
Truth or Fiction?→ Rudy Giuliani Criticized After Describing Himself as a ‘Former Attorney General’ on Facebook
In late December 2019, the Facebook page of former New York mayor turned “presidential attorney” Rudolph Giuliani was quickly edited after sharp-eyed readers quickly pointed out that it contained glaringly false claims about Giuliani’
Truth or Fiction?→ Was Trump Not Really Impeached?
United States President Donald Trump and his Republican Party allies could seize on an op-ed by a Harvard University law professor in order to change the definition of impeachment to suit his purposes. The House of Representatives voted on December 18
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Donald Trump’s Letter to Nancy Pelosi Secretly Display ‘F*** You, C***’?
A purported copy of United States President Donald Trump’s December 20 2019 letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi appeared on Reddit’s r/therewasanattempt one day later, with a big red markup around a hidden message reading “Fuck you,
Truth or Fiction?→ Did J.K. Rowling ‘Confirm Her Stance Against Transgender Women’?
Rumors that author J.K. Rowling (of the popular Harry Potter series) was a trans-exclusionary feminist circulated for years due to her comments and behavior on Twitter, culminating in a viral June 2019 Medium piece by Phalen Fairchild titled, “
Truth or Fiction?→ Hoax ‘Toronto Impeachment Protest’ Photo
Amid a series of December 17 2019 demonstrations in the United States marking a vote on whether to impeach U.S. President Donald Trump, one Twitter user attempted to troll the protests by passing off a photograph of a different event. The user, ̶
Truth or Fiction?→ How Many Moms Are in ‘One Million Moms’?
In December 2019 the group One Million Moms grabbed headlines for purportedly forcing the Hallmark Channel’s decision — quickly reversed — to discontinue holiday season television commercials by the brand Zola due to its inclusion of a lesbi
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Supreme Court Can Extend Trump’s Term By Up To 3 Years If He’s Acquitted In The Senate’ Facebook Share
A December 12 2019 article with the headline, “Supreme Court Can Extend Trump’s Term By Up To 3 Years If He’s Acquitted In The Senate” spread widely on social media — particularly Facebook — in the days after it appeared. It cla
Truth or Fiction?→ Mike Huckabee, Sean Hannity, and ‘Trump 2024’
On December 12 2019, former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee tweeted ahead of a purported appearance on Sean Hannity‘s show on Fox News that he planned to go on the air to explain how United States President Donald Trump is “eligible”
Truth or Fiction?→ British Media Falls For Bogus Claim That Protesters ‘Whacked’ Government Advisor
On December 9 2019 — just days before a hotly contested and high-stakes general election on December 12 — British news organizations were apparently taken in by a disinformation effort as they spread a false accusation against protesters outside o
Truth or Fiction?→ Anti-Vaxxer Arrested in Samoa Boasted of American Support via Social Media
Authorities in Samoa have arrested a disinformation-peddling anti-vaccine “activist” local time amid a measles outbreak that has killed 62 people that experts said was spurred in part by social media. Samoa Observer identified Edwin Tamase
Truth or Fiction?→ Rep. Duncan Hunter’s Office Backtracks on ‘Transcript’ After Announcing Guilty Plea
On December 4 2019 —a day after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to misuse campaign funds — the office of Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-California) took responsibility for an oddly-scripted release that accompanied his interview with a local news outlet an
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Obama Bowing to a Terrorist’ Post
On November 1 2019, a Facebook user shared the following screenshot, which included a purported photograph of former United States President Barack Obama bowing deeply to an unidentified man in a turban: In a solitary comment on the post, the user cl