On July 21 2022, anti-disinformation activist Nandini Jammi tweeted that NewsGuard (a subscription-based browser extension for tracking misinformation and disinformation by source) had downranked Fox News from “trustworthy” to “procee
Publication: disinformation
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Store Clerk Passes Out, Gets Robbed’ Seattle Video
On July 18 2022, a video titled “Store clerk passes out. Customers rob store instead of helping him” was shared to Reddit’s r/PublicFreakout: Store clerk passes out. Customers rob store instead of helping him. from Pub
Truth or Fiction?→ Can Pregnant Women Get Divorced in Missouri?
On July 17 2022, a popular tweet claimed that pregnant women could not obtain divorces in the state of Missouri: HI HELLO IF YOU ARE PREGNANT YOU CAN'T GET DIVORCED IN MISSOURI AND NOW YOU CAN'T GET AN ABORTION IN MISSOURI WHEN WE SAY ABORTI
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Elderly Couple Accidentally Burns House Down During Sex Game Involving WW2 Flamethrower’
On July 17 2022, an Imgur user shared a screenshot of what appeared to be a news article with the shocking headline, “Elderly Couple Accidentally Burns House Down During Sex Game Involving WW2 Flamethrower”: I have questions, just not shur
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Mammatus Clouds in South Dakota’ Viral Pic
On July 6 2022, news and photographs of green clouds and a green sky in South Dakota began circulating, only to be followed on July 10 2022 by another image of green clouds over an abandoned house in South Dakota: Mammatus clouds over an ab
Truth or Fiction?→ Fentanyl on Dollar Bills, and Facebook
On July 11 2022, a Facebook user shared a harrowing story of a purportedly near-fatal incident involving fentanyl on dollar bills. Two images were shared alongside the post. A reporter from WKRN tweeted about the tale using the same images: A pit sto
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Any Sitting Senator Who Won’t Comply With a Subpoena Shouldn’t Be a Sitting Senator Anymore’ Lindsey Graham Meme
On July 10 2022, an Imgur account shared a meme with a photo of Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham alongside a quote stating that “any sitting senator” who refused to comply with a subpoena “shouldn’t be a sitting senator anymore
Truth or Fiction?→ Richmond Police Retract Disinformation Blaming George Floyd Protesters for Tear-Gassing
Police in Richmond, Virginia have formally retracted a two-year-old disinformation campaign that they used justify attacking demonstrators with tear gas during protests in the summer of 2020. In a thread of tweets late on the afternoon of July 1 2022 &
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Myth vs. Fact: SCOTUS Dobbs Decision and America’s Attitude on Abortion’ Heritage Blog Post
On June 29 2022, Trendolizer listed a blog post from Heritage Action for America (“Myth vs. Fact: SCOTUS Dobbs Decision and America’s Attitude on Abortion”) as a virally popular link in circulation on social media. The contents of that li
Truth or Fiction?→ Ectopic Pregnancy and Abortion Bans
Following the Supreme Court’s decision overturning Roe v. Wade, an urgent discussion about the legality of treating ectopic pregnancy in states with trigger laws began. One extremely viral aspect of the conversation originated with a since-delete
Truth or Fiction?→ Fifth January 6 Hearing Shows Scope of Attempts to Undermine Democracy
The fifth hearing by the January 6 2021 committee covered the pressure that Donald Trump exerted on state and federal officials to call the U.S. presidential election in his favor in 2020 so that he could remain in power. The testimonials came on June
Poynter→ 5 takeaways from Thursday’s GlobalFact sessions
GlobalFact is the largest fact-checking summit in the world, with almost 600 in-person attendees this year. As the second day of GlobalFact 9 comes to an end Thursday, here are […] The post 5 takeaways from Thursday’s GlobalFact sessions appear
Truth or Fiction?→ AriZona Iced Tea Price Increase
In mid-June 2022 a viral image circulated, suggesting that AriZona Iced Tea’s price increased to $1.29, from 99 cents: Worst thing I've seen today. pic.twitter.com/aHW39U0mFu — Adam Neuman (@AdamJNeuman) June 16, 2022 Officially t
Truth or Fiction?→ Third January 6 Hearings Looks at Pressure, Disinformation Campaigns to Overturn Election
The third hearing by the House committee investigating the January 6 2021 insurrection focused on the pressure campaign to overturn the 2020 presidential election — and the deeply corrosive weaponized narratives which undergirded the attempt. The
Truth or Fiction?→ Doctor Pushing COVID Disinformation Sentenced to Prison for Capitol Riot
A California physician who has been at the forefront of COVID-related disinformation was sentenced to 60 days in prison for taking part in the January 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol. According to CNN, Dr. Simone Gold was also ordered to pay a $9,500 f
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘BTW, Gas Was $1.87 on Memorial Day in 2020 When the Mean Tweeter Was in Office’
A June 4 2022 Facebook post about gas prices in May 2020 had been shared more than 200,000 times as of June 15 2022: Black text against a green background read: Btw, gas was $1.87 on Memorial Day in 2020 when the mean tweeter was in office. Former Un
Truth or Fiction?→ Patriot Front ”FBI Bullhorn’ Rumor
After the June 11 2022 arrests of 31 Patriot Front extremists in a U-Haul near a Coeur d’Alene, Idaho Pride event, the far right began its usual “false flag” claims on social media, this time with rumors that the members of Patriot Fr
Truth or Fiction?→ Disinformation Takes Center Stage at January 6 Committee Hearings
The role of weaponized disinformation campaigns in the January 2021 attempted coup at the United States Capitol was the main topic at the second January 6 Committee hearing about the events that culminated in a violent insurrection. The House select
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Christians Against Ms. Marvel’ Facebook Group
On June 8 2022, a tweet about the Facebook group “Christians Against Ms. Marvel” was wildly and virally popular: Thanos was right, half of humanity needs to go pic.twitter.com/bl8jiwd9fs — Julian Tesolin (famous era) (@TesolinJulian
Truth or Fiction?→ Lac Del ‘Formula Pallets in Mexico’ Post
Amidst a baby formula shortage in the United States, a Facebook user ranted in a May 30 2022 status update that “formula” was widely available in Mexico: Our family is on vacation in Mexico. Not the mainland, but an island off the coast. We
Truth or Fiction?→ Book Lovers Fight Back Against Banning Attempts
As the far right’s attempts to ban books continues throughout the country, book lovers are fighting back. The latest attempt to ban Kurt Vonnegut’s works for “obscenity” has been challenged by both a Florida English teacher and a gr
Truth or Fiction?→ Food Processing Plant Fires in 2022, Explained
A June 4 2022 tweet about the latest in a purported string of food processing plant fires (or “food factory” fires) built on other, similar narratives in order to go viral: The tweet addressed others who might be “not paying attention
Truth or Fiction?→ [Not] ‘Written by a Uvalde Mom’ Facebook Post
On June 3 2022, a post that was described as written by an “Uvalde mom” was “popular now” in Facebook search — relating to a circulating status update attributed to the mother of a child killed in the Uvalde, Texas school
Truth or Fiction?→ Leonna Hale Photoshop Controversy
On May 30 2022, social media users discussed the shooting of Leonna Hale, a purportedly unarmed pregnant woman in Kansas City — frequently in the context of police actions during and after the May 24 2022 Uvalde, Texas school shooting: Kansas C
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Woke’ Marvel, Jane Foster, and ‘Thor Losers’
In an example of using memes to fight pop culture disinformation, a graphic circulating on the platform Imgur refutes the misconception that Natalie Portman’s appearance in an upcoming Marvel Studios movie is a modern concession to “woke
Truth or Fiction?→ When Was Commercial Baby Formula ‘Invented’?
Amid a May 2022 baby formula shortage, dangerous discussions began about homemade formula — along with myriad social media posts asserting that Baby Boomers’ parents didn’t have access to formula, and they “turned out just fine
Truth or Fiction?→ Head of Shuttered DHS Disinfo Agency Says She Got Death Threats Amid Right-Wing Campaign
Besides being targeted by a right-wing disinformation campaign, the official who would have headed up a federal initiative fighting that sort of rhetoric said she received daily death threats. “Over the last three weeks, I maybe had one or two da
Truth or Fiction?→ Candace Owens’ Ivermectin Fox News Tweet
On May 16 2022, Twitter user @BagdMilkSoWhat shared a purported screenshot of a tweet by right-wing pundit and disinformation purveyor Candace Owens, retweeting a Fox News tweet about parasite medication ivermectin causing incontinence: Oops #ShitCan
Truth or Fiction?→ Lauren Boebert ‘Severe Thunderstorm Watch’ Tweet
On May 16 2022, a screenshot of a purported tweet attributed to Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colorado) circulated, pinning the blame for a “severe thunderstorm watch” in New York to the policies of United States President Joe Biden: @laurenboeb
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘NASA’ Warns Asteroid Headed Toward Earth?
On May 13 2022, an item from a site called American Military News (“NASA warns asteroid larger than Empire State Building headed towards Earth this weekend”) appeared on Trendolizer, indicating significant social media traction: NASA war
Truth or Fiction?→ Becky Lynn Paige ‘Parents Divorce Due to Medical Debt’ Tweet
On May 12 2022, an Imgur account shared a purported screenshot of a tweet by a woman who said that her parents had divorced after 52 years — so that her mother would not inherit her father’s medical debt after his death: On a patterned ba
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Yoga Barbie’ Satanic Panic Facebook Post
On May 3 2022, a Facebook user warned that “yoga Barbie” poses a spiritual threat to innocent children: “Yoga Barbie” is at Target on the shelf. Satan always comes as appearing innocent. He will never come with horns and a pitch
Truth or Fiction?→ A ‘Homemade Baby Formula’ Recipe from 1960 is Viral — and Dangerous
An April 26 2022 Facebook post featuring an emergency “homemade baby formula” recipe spread virally on platforms as a baby formula shortage worsened — and as experts pleaded with parents not to experiment with diluted or homemade form
Poynter→ What we know about the DHS’ Disinformation Governance Board
Revelations that the Department of Homeland Security is assembling a Disinformation Governance Board ignited a firestorm on Twitter in late April. Conservatives and other critics denounced the board as an […] The post What we know about the DHS
Truth or Fiction?→ Trump’s Bogus DHS Chief Changed Intel on Russia that ‘Hurt’ him: Report
The wrongfully-installed “acting” head of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ordered changes in 2020 to a report on Russian interference saying it would hurt then-United States President Donald Trump, according to a report from the d
Truth or Fiction?→ Russian State Media Claimed Ukraine Showed Signs of ‘Black Magic’ Use
On May 4 2022, Ukrainian journalist Anastasiia Lapatina tweeted about Russian state media purportedly accusing the Ukrainian military of engaging in “black magic”: Russian state media: “Signs of black magic were found in Ukrainian milit
Truth or Fiction?→ South Dakota Teacher Calvin Hillesland Investigated for Note to Transgender Students
On April 27 2022, an Imgur user shared screenshots of a tweet with a photo that purportedly depicted a letter from a South Dakota teacher to transgender students: South Dakota. Zero days without being a national embarrassment. Local teacher at the h
Truth or Fiction?→ Los Angeles County Sheriff Announces Plans to ‘Investigate’ Journalist Over Articles
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department has announced plans to target a journalist for an “investigation” over her reporting on their treatment of a man in custody. Conspiracy theory-slinging Los Angeles County sheriff Alex Villan
Truth or Fiction?→ Jason Miller’s ‘Antifa Narrative’ Capitol Insurrection Texts
On April 26 2022, a viral screenshot of a tweet purportedly showed the content of a text message in which Jason Miller, advisor to former United States President Donald Trump, suggested blaming anti-fascist protestors for the deadly Capitol insurrect
Truth or Fiction?→ Marjorie Taylor Greene’s ‘Peaceful Transfer of Power’ Testimony
On April 26 2022, screenshots spread of a viral tweet claiming that Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Georgia) inadvertently insisted that a statement objecting to a “peaceful transfer of power” be entered into evidence during an April 22 20