On April 1 2019, a Facebook user shared a photograph of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001 (archived here), claiming that the social media site “feels this photo is offensive and keeps removing it or hiding it”: Apparently Faceb
Publication: disinformation
Truth or Fiction?→ Does a ‘Leaked’ British Intelligence Document Prove Trump Wiretapping Claims?
In April 2019, in the days and weeks following the release of a heavily anticipated (and heavily redacted) Special Counsel’s report on interference into the 2016 United States presidential elections, rumors and speculation reinvigorated a March
Truth or Fiction?→ Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez ‘Splits’ Image
On April 10 2019 a Facebook user shared the following post (archived here), purportedly showing Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez doing what appears to be a particularly athletic dance move at a party: The post’s image showed Ocasio-Cortez being su
Truth or Fiction?→ Did ‘The Simpsons’ Predict the Notre Dame Fire?
Among the many conspiracy theories around the Notre Dame Cathedral fire of April 15 2019 was the rumor that an episode ofThe Simpsons had predicted the blaze, continuing a rather peculiar pattern of stories around predictions made by the long-runn
Truth or Fiction?→ Is There a Snapchat Sex Trafficking Ring in Lawrence, Massachusetts?
On April 24 2019, a Facebook user shared the following status (archived here), claiming that a Snapchat sex trafficking ring was operating in Lawrence, Massachusetts: So there’s a sex trafficking ring going on in Lawrence Mass. If you get a random p
Truth or Fiction?→ Does a Photograph Show the Consequences of Driving Carelessly in Front of a Tractor-Trailer?
On March 24 2019, the Facebook page “TRUCK ECM” shared the following image (archived here); a caption described the moments purportedly leading up to the collision: The photograph showed an eighteen-wheeler that had crushed a smaller ve
Truth or Fiction?→ Are These Presidents Obama and Trump’s Statements on the Notre Dame Fire?
,On April 16 2019 the Facebook page “Proud Liberal Americans” shared a subsequently popular meme (archived here), purportedly contrasting statements provided by United States Presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump about the fire that gut
Truth or Fiction?→ Were ‘Muslim Jihadis in Paris’ Arrested for Planning an Attack Three Days Before the Notre Dame Fire?
Soon after the April 15 2019 Notre Dame Cathedral fire broke out, Twitter user @FaithGoldy tweeted that the blaze occurred shortly after the arrest of “three Muslim jihadis” in Paris (archived here): Three days ago a Muslim jihadis in Par
Truth or Fiction?→ Santorini Holidays Facebook Giveaway Scam
Over a quarter of a million Facebook users have shared a purported giveaway shared by the page “Santorini Holidays” (archived here) in April 2019. A featured album of (admittedly beautiful) pictures is captioned as follows: We’re goi
Truth or Fiction?→ Notre Dame Cathedral Arson Rumors
News of a devastating fire at Paris’s famous Notre Dame cathedral on April 15 2019 created a flashpoint of global interest, followed by immediate rumors that the blaze was an act of arson or terror. On Twitter, a since-deleted tweet published by
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Sen. Dianne Feinstein Say It’s Unfair That Smaller States Count as Much as California Because of the Electoral College?
On April 4 2019, this meme was posted to a Facebook group (archived here) with a purported quote by Sen. Dianne Feinstein about California and the United States’ electoral college. Text across a photograph of the California Democrat with a sup
Truth or Fiction?→ Were 2019’s First Three House Bills for Impeachment, an Electoral College Ban, and Foreign Aid?
On April 7 2019 the Facebook page “ForAmerica” shared the following meme (archived here), purportedly describing Democrats’ first three House bills in 2019: Atop a photograph of Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-New York) and Rep. Nancy Pelos
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Pat Robertson Claim He Had a Vision of Jesus with an AK-47 in Camo, Signaling the Second Coming?
In April 2019, a story spread on social media about a purported vision experienced by televangelist Pat Robertson regarding Jesus’ return — complete with an AK-47 and camo clothing: Linked here was an April 6 2019 item from The Business Sta
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Franklin Graham Say Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Has a ‘Satanic Background’?
In February 2019, an article from Business Standard News (BS News) contained the claim that evangelist Franklin Graham accused Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of coming from a “Satanic background”: We can’t go a day without some right-wi
Truth or Fiction?→ Should Anglers Beware of Snakes Hiding Inside Fish?
A September 2015 warning shared by the official-sounding Northwestern PA Sportsmen Facebook page (archived here) seems to make the rounds on social media in perpetuity: Beneath a photograph of what appears to be a snake inside the mouth of a large
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Forget to Vote for Her Own Green New Deal?
On March 29 2019 a Facebook page shared the following meme (archived here), asserting that Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez failed to vote for her own bill (the “Green New Deal“): Across a photograph of Ocasio-Cortez (with a pejorative ter
Truth or Fiction?→ Do High Percentages of Refugees Receive Food Stamps, ‘Medicard,’ and Cash Welfare?
In late March 2019, the following meme (archived here) appeared, making three separate and warmed-over claims about “refugees” in the United States and opining, “cut them off”: The Meme The image-based meme provided no citation
Truth or Fiction?→ Does an Image Show ‘Worthless’ Money in the Gutter in Venezuela?
On March 22 2019, a Facebook user shared the following post (archived here), purportedly showing unfathomable amounts of money discarded in a gutter in Venezuela. A caption said: This is a street in Venezuela. That’s money in the gutter. It̵
Truth or Fiction?→ Does a New Netflix Show Aim to Transform Boys into ‘Sexy’ Little Girls?
In late March and early April 2019 an Instagram screenshot circulated on Facebook, asserting a “new Netflix show” aimed to transform boys into “sexy little girls.” The earlier iteration circulating in March appeared to have bee
Truth or Fiction?→ Were 70 Christians Massacred by Muslims in March 2019?
On March 19 2019, a Facebook user shared the status update below (archived here), claiming that 70 Nigerian Christians had been massacred by Muslims one day previously: Yesterday, muslims marched into a college in Nigeria, separated out the Christian
Truth or Fiction?→ Do 21 Fathers Die of Suicide Each Week Because of Child Custody Disputes?
In March 2019, a photo-based Facebook image post (archived here) contained the claim that 21 fathers died by suicide every week specifically because of “child access issues”: The post included a status update comment and a message on a si
Truth or Fiction?→ Woodland Hills ‘Sharia Law’ Poster
On March 24 2019, a Facebook post in the group “Political Liars” (archived here) attributed a poster that apparently appeared in Woodland Hills, California to the Council on American-Islamic Relations, also known as CAIR: A status upda
Truth or Fiction?→ Derma Chronic Autoimmune Disease
On January 30 2019, this meme (archived here) appeared on Facebook, containing a claim (without sources or citations) that migrants in a caravan carried a frightening ailment known as “derma chronic autoimmune disease.” The post featured
Truth or Fiction?→ Retaliatory Attack on Christian Church in Pakistan?
On March 18 2019, just days after a right-wing extremist traveled from Australia to Christchurch, New Zealand to murder fifty people at two mosques during Friday prayers, British conservative commentator Theodora Dickinson posted a video of a burning
Truth or Fiction?→ Is the ‘OK’ Hand Sign Also American Sign Language for ‘Asshole’?
In March 2019, a Facebook user shared a meme (archived here) which claimed that the “OK sign” hand gesture is both favored by white supremacists, and that it is also American Sign Language for the word “asshole”: The meme̵
Truth or Fiction?→ Is the ‘OK’ Hand Sign Also American Sign Language for ‘Asshole’?
In March 2019, a Facebook user shared a meme (archived here) which claimed that the “OK sign” hand gesture is both favored by white supremacists, and that it is also American Sign Language for the word “asshole”: The meme̵
Truth or Fiction?→ Does Passage of HR1 Allow Undocumented Immigrants to Vote?
On March 8 2019, a text-based status update began circulating on Facebook (archived here), asserting that the passage of legislation called HR1 granted “illegal immigrants” the right to vote. The white text across a purple background read
Truth or Fiction?→ Did President Barack Obama Settle 70,000 Somali Refugees in Minnesota, Leading to Rep. Ilhan Omar’s Election?
On March 12 2019, a Facebook user shared the image and text-based status update above (archived here) to the Facebook group “LARGEST GROUP EVER! We need 10000000 members to Make America Great Again!”, claiming that President Obama settled
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Say Her Girl Scout Troop Recreated the Challenger Launch?
On March 10 2019, right-wing YouTube personality and conspiracy theorist Mark Dice shared the following meme to Twitter and Facebook about a purported quote by U.S. Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: First, Dice tweeted the image above with no
Truth or Fiction?→ Will Michael Jackson’s Body Be Exhumed?
On March 7 2019, pop culture and media sites published a virally popular article (archived here) claiming that pop superstar Michael Jackson’s body may be exhumed: Express.co.uk is reporting that at least 11 new people are accusing Michael Jac
Truth or Fiction?→ Do New Chicago City ID Cards Allow Undocumented Immigrants to Vote?
On January 19 2019, a Facebook user shared a text-based status update (archived here), claiming that Chicago’s “City ID Cards” enables undocumented immigrants to legally vote in state and federal elections: Chicago now has City ID Ca
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Say ‘White Women’ Need to Have Fewer Children and ‘More Abortions’?
In early March 2019, a Facebook user shared the following indifferently-spelled meme (archived here), featuring Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and a quote in which she purportedly insisted that “white women” ought to have ̶
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘There is Room in America and Brotherhood for All’ Statue of Liberty Dedication Speech
On March 3 2019, Texas politician Sid Miller shared “An important reminder!”, a meme (archived here) purportedly providing the last line in a Statue of Liberty dedication speech from October 1886: Atop a bronze Statue of Liberty, the meme
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Luke Perry Die After a Pneumonia Vaccine?
Actor Luke Perry died following a stroke on March 4 2019. That same day, a screenshot (archived here) suggesting Perry had received a pneumonia vaccine just before his stroke appeared and quickly began circulating: The post, captioned “In cas
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Say ‘All the Technology in the World Won’t Let Us Build a Wall in the Mountains’?
On February 22 2019, Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) shared the following meme (archived here), purporting to quote Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on the feasibility of building walls across mountains in an apparent reference to the United States border: Kin
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Real Momo Videos,’ Viral Hoaxes, and Ostension
In the aftermath of the March 2019 U.S. media frenzy surrounding the Momo challenge, a number of “real Momo videos” have opportunistically surfaced and quickly racked up large share counts. We came across several of the likely many survivi
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘What If the Government Funded Adoptions Instead of Abortions?’
During ongoing national debate about a new abortion law in New York in February 2019, a Facebook user shared a meme with a photograph of an infant atop an American flag, bearing the following caption: WHAT IF THE GOVERNMENT FUNDED ADOPTIONS INSTEAD O
Truth or Fiction?→ Was Michael Cohen Hillary Clinton’s ‘Personal Lawyer’?
On February 28 2019, the Facebook page “I am not a dictator” shared the following meme (archived here), alleging that President Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen was once the personal lawyer of Hillary Clinton and/or the Clinton Fo
Truth or Fiction?→ Tommy Robinson Banned from Facebook, Instagram
On February 26 2019, British professional provocateur and far-right activist Tommy Robinson (née Steven Yaxley-Lennon) — perhaps best known for his involvement with disinformation purveyors such as political party (and Brexit architects) UKIP and
Truth or Fiction?→ Do Border Signs Admit the United States Has Lost Control of Border Territory?
On January 13 2019, Facebook user Steve Raabe shared a photograph purportedly showing a sign at the U.S.-Mexico border, along with the following status update: I live on the border with Mexico. As a matter of fact, I live right on the edge. I was rais