A right-wing congresswoman from Arizona posted — then quickly deleted — a tweet attempting to whip up anti-immigrant sentiment while also failing at math. “Border Patrol agents have apprehended more than 1,000,000,000 migrants at our
Publication: disinformation
Truth or Fiction?→ LibsOfTikTok ‘Doxxed’ Controversy
On April 19 2022, Washington Post writer Taylor Lorenz’s profile of the @LibsOfTikTok account was published — followed by intense discourse about whether the subject of the piece was “doxxed” by the outlet. Early that morning, L
Truth or Fiction?→ Right-Wing Lawmakers Take Up Spreading Fake ‘Students Identify as Cats’ Rumors
Amid the latest wave of anti-LGBTQ legislation around the United States, right-wing candidates and social media boards are pushing a separate type of disinformation to gin up concerns that local students are “identifying as cats.” In a rece
Truth or Fiction?→ Loren Culp Facebook ‘Unpublishing’ Tweet
On April 11 2022, Washington state candidate Loren Culp tweeted a screenshot of a purported warning from Facebook, claiming that this was proof that the social network planned to “unpublish” his page: Just before my primary election in ab
Truth or Fiction?→ Three Things to Remember About That Study of Fox Viewers Who Watched CNN
A report published in April 2022 showing short-term effects (thus far) in viewers of the right-wing Fox network as greeted with widespread coverage and, in some cases, familiar distortions of its findings. In the study by David E. Broockman and Joshua
Truth or Fiction?→ January 6th Defense Lawyer Disbarred
Fifteen months after the January 6 2021 Capitol insurrection, news that defense lawyer Johnathon Moseley was disbarred in April 2022 began spreading on social media platforms: Court orders Jan. 6 defense lawyer disbarred from politics
Truth or Fiction?→ DirecTV Drops One America News Network From its Lineup
On April 5 2022, an Imgur user shared a post saying, “DirecTv dropped OAN today!” — alongside an image of OAN’s logo. On Twitter, several prominent accounts made similar claims: OAN has officially been booted from DirecTV’s
Truth or Fiction?→ Satellite Images Disprove Kremlin’s Claims That Bucha Massacre Was ‘Staged’
On April 3 2022, photographs appearing to show a massacre by invading Russian forces in the Ukrainian city of Bucha spread globally — and Russian state media claimed that the mass deaths were “staged.” On that date, Russian state medi
Truth or Fiction?→ Paper: Sweden and the ‘Herd Immunity’ Response to COVID-19
An academic paper attempting to make sense of Sweden’s COVID-19 “herd immunity” policy describes a cavalcade of preventable horrors. The article (which was published in Humanities and Social Sciences Communications) was – in its own w
Truth or Fiction?→ Virginia Thomas Embraced Conspiracy Theories Long Before ‘Big Lie’ Texts Came to Light
Long before she was revealed to have been pushing for the overturning of the 2020 presidential election, Virginia “Ginni” Thomas — the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas — trafficked in conspiracy theories in disinfor
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Words Are Energy And Cast Spells’ Bruce Lee Meme
A March 22 2022 quote meme that claimed Bruce Lee once said “words are energy” and “that’s why it’s called spelling” was shared by the page “Anxiety Freedom Today” on Facebook: Underneath a black-and-wh
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Russia Reportedly Asked North Korea for Help with Its Failing Invasion,’ North Korea Said Russia Was ‘Too Insane for Us’
On March 16 2022, an Imgur screenshot of a tweet by @XSovietNews suggested that a British tabloid (specifically, The Mirror) wrote an entire news story about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine based solely on a single satirical post to social media:
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Soviet Flags in Texas’ Meme
On March 14 2022, an Imgur account shared the following meme, which purportedly showed “Texans” flying Soviet flags — in ostensible support of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine: Titled “Deplorable,” the post showed five
Truth or Fiction?→ $6.09 Gas Prices in California Meme
Amid ongoing discourse about rising gas prices in the United States on March 9 2022, an Imgur post purportedly showed a photo of a gas station displaying prices of $6.09 a gallon for regular, $6.23 for “plus,” and $6.29 for “supreme&#
Truth or Fiction?→ Russia Purportedly Planned ‘Public Executions’ in Ukraine
In early March 2022, as wild rumors, lies, half-truths, and weaponized disinformation campaigns lit up social media amid Russia’s war against Ukraine, posts began to appear referencing leaked Russian plans for “public executions” the
Truth or Fiction?→ Snake Island’s Ukrainian Fighters May Have Survived
On February 24 2022, a story about thirteen Ukrainian soldiers purportedly killed on a tiny islet after a defiant standoff with invading Russian troops spread across platforms and in news coverage: A group of Ukrainian border guards were stationed on
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘The Japanese Ambassador to Ukraine Stayed in Kiev’
On February 24 2022, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine sparked an avalanche of social media rumors, among them a hugely popular claim that Japan’s ambassador to Ukraine chose to stay in Kiev and have his “samurai sword” shipped from
Truth or Fiction?→ Normandale Park Mass Shooting
After a February 19 2022 shooting in Portland’s Normandale Park, disinformation spread rapidly on social media — including claims that the alleged shooter was an “armed homeowner” facing off against “armed protesters.̶
Truth or Fiction?→ The ‘Freedom Convoy’ Ran on Regurgitated Disinformation Narratives
There was nothing original about the “convoy” that disrupted the Canadian capitol of Ottawa in early 2022. The occupation dovetailed almost entirely with other right-wing demonstrations, starting with the use of Facebook as both an organiza
Truth or Fiction?→ Florida’s ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Bill Amendment Outing LGBT Kids
On February 21 2022, several Imgur posts featured tweet by journalist Judd Legum, which contained a claim that a proposed amendment to Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bills would mandate that students’ sexual preferences be
Truth or Fiction?→ Ben Shapiro ‘Look How Beautiful My Sister Looks’ Tweet
On February 18 2022, a screenshot of a purported Ben Shapiro tweet (“Look at how beautiful my sister looks”) was shared to Imgur: Atop two apparent photographs of Shapiro’s sister Abby, the tweet read: Look at how beautiful my sister
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘First Article Of Impeachment Laid Out Against Joe Biden,’ February 2022 Headline
On February 9 2022, Trendolizer identified an article that was purportedly (and partly) headlined, “First Article of Impeachment Laid Out Against Joe Biden.” Trendolizer flagged it as virally popular; Facebook shares of the link looked lik
Truth or Fiction?→ Ottawa Honking Ban
On February 7 2022, popular posts on Imgur and Reddit’s r/worldnews reported that a judge in Ottawa had temporarily “banned” honking in the province: Court grants injunction to silence honking in downtown Ottawa for 10 days
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘2 Million People Are in the Streets of Ottawa Demanding Their Freedom’
On February 3 2022, a Twitter user tweeted that “2 million” people took to the streets of Ottawa “demanding their freedom,” along with a purported photograph of the purported two million: 2 Million People are in the Streets of
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Smart’ Engagement Rings?
On February 1 2022, as Valentine’s Day season got off to a roaring start, a story on the topic of romance and marriage appeared on social media and subsequently went viral: The rumor appears to have been sparked by a Twitter account called ̶
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Lockdowns Had Little To No Effect On COVID-19 Mortality But Had Devastating Effects On Society’
On February 1 2022, DailyWire.com published an article with the authoritative-sounding headline, “Lockdowns Had ‘Little To No Effect On COVID-19 Mortality’ But Had ‘Devastating’ Effects On Society.” It began: A new [in February 202
Truth or Fiction?→ Stephen King Banned Books Quote
In late January and early February 2022, various quotes and memes circulated as the nation continued to talk about (and argue over) a Tennessee school district’s decision to ban the Holocaust graphic novel Maus: Tennessee School District Bans &#
Truth or Fiction?→ Jim Cramer ‘Have Fun Being Poor’ Tweet
On January 25 2022, screenshots of a purported tweet by CNBC’s Jim Cramer circulated on stock trading subreddits — in which he was quoted as saying “Have fun being poor”: I don’t need your permission for that lol I
Truth or Fiction?→ How to Fight Disinformation — Part IV: Signaling and Dog Whistling
This is part of an ongoing series about how communities can fight back and protect themselves against weaponized disinformation. The Trump administration may be just a memory, but the disinformation that paved its way and the lies that it launched are
Truth or Fiction?→ Capitol Attack Suspect’s Group Was Linked to Police Around the United States
The leader of a right-wing group repeatedly linked to U.S. law enforcement and military members was arrested on January 13 2022 and charged with seditious conspiracy in connection with the attack on the U.S. Capitol just over a year earlier. A grand ju
Truth or Fiction?→ Sen. Rand Paul: ‘Misinformation Works, So Try to Trick Your Opponents’
On January 13 2022, a thread on r/politics claimed that Sen. Rand Paul (R-Kentucky) had once told students that “misinformation works” and is a “great tactic”: Rand Paul Seen on Video Telling Students ‘Misinform
Truth or Fiction?→ Fake Electors
In early January 2022, news stories and social media posts focused on “fake electors” and “fake elector letters,” an aspect of highly weaponized post-election stunts in 2020 and early 2021 that were possibly overlooked at the ti
Truth or Fiction?→ Diane Sawyer’s Special Report, ‘Made in China’
In January 2022, Facebook posts describing a Diane Sawyer “special report” about items “made in China” circulated on social media, either in copied and pasted posts or screenshots: A variation shared to a Facebook group (̶
Snopes→ Snopestionary: Misinformation vs. Disinformation
Both words refer to false information, but one type is more insidious than the other.
Truth or Fiction?→ In ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home,’ Disinformation is a Supervillain
Even as it deals with super-powered confrontations, the December 2021 movie Spider-Man: No Way Home introduces a different form of villainy to the Marvel Cinematic Universe in depicting the impact of disinformation on its titular hero. This post contai
Truth or Fiction?→ Was the ‘Bad Guy’ in ‘Dallas Buyers Club’ Dr. Fauci?
On December 12 2021, a smear meme circulated on Facebook and Twitter, asserting that the “bad guy” in the 2013 film Dallas Buyers Club was Dr. Anthony Fauci: pic.twitter.com/GlpYe3VPhK — TDD (@Tymnyc325) December 12, 2021 Atop a D
Truth or Fiction?→ Unpacking the DC National Guard Miller Memo
A wave of reporting on an “explosive” PowerPoint document about the events of January 6 2021 renewed interest in a memo issued two days before by former Acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller about deployment of the DC National Guard
Truth or Fiction?→ Is Dawn Hand Soap or Dish Soap?
Facebook’s “Reels” feature prioritizes TikTok-like videos. That this is an imperfect system is not in dispute, and in fact the feature is prioritizing misleading content — including an October 6 2021 clip claiming that Dawn dish
Truth or Fiction?→ Kenosha Homicide Trial Riddled With Disinformation, Weaponized Narratives
The trial of Kyle Rittenhouse, the teenager who killed two people and wounded a third during a shooting spree in Kenosha, Wisconsin during protests against police brutality in August 2020, has made daily headlines nationally and internationally —
Truth or Fiction?→ Betty White ‘Donald Trump’ Veterans Day Tweet
On November 11 2021, a screenshot of a tweet attributed to Betty White spread virally, in which she purportedly stated her opinions on former United States President Donald Trump and the late senator John McCain: Betty White's Veteran's Day p