The weird-but-true story of a doomed (but possibly briefly very excited) black bear looks to become an even weirder movie in 2023. The trailer for the movie Cocaine Bear appeared on November 30 2022, accompanied on some platforms by the titular star s
Publication: Entertainment
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Tom Hanks Was NOT Named On Jeffrey Epstein’s Flight List
Did actor Tom Hanks' name appear on the flight list of a private jet owned by Jeffrey Epstein, the U.S. financier who died in prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges? No, that's not true: Hanks' name does no
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Video Does NOT Depict Millie Bobby Brown Confirming She Is Homophobic — It Is NOT Real
Does a video depict actress Millie Bobby Brown confirming she is homophobic, and is this video even real? No, that's not true: The video clips seen in this post were taken from a recent Vanity Fair interview featuring Brown, and it was ed
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Japan’s Team Did NOT Trash World Cup Dressing Room — March Photos Show Mess After Italian Qualifier Loss
Did Japan's soccer team trash a dressing room at the FIFA World Cup in Qatar after losing its November 27, 2022, match to Costa Rica? No, that's not true: These photos are still frames from a video filmed in a dressing room in Stadio Renz
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: CNN Did NOT Say That ‘Elon Musk Could Threaten Free Speech On Twitter By Literally Allowing People To Speak Freely’
Did CNN publish an article or a news report stating that "Elon Musk could threaten free speech on Twitter by literally allowing people to speak freely"? No, that's not true: As of November 28, 2022, the CNN website had not published such
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Image Does NOT Show Virginia Man Arrested For Minecraft Military Bases — It’s A Digitally Altered Meme
Does an image widely circulated on social media accurately depict an Anchorage Daily News article about a Virginia man who was arrested for having created "exact replicas of classified US military bases" in the Minecraft video game? No, t
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Apple Did NOT Just Delete All Its Tweets
Did Apple delete all its tweets? No, that's not true: While Apple's official Twitter account @Apple is devoid of tweets, it's not because they were deleted. The tech giant doesn't typically tweet, but it does maintain other official Twitt
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Pope Francis Did NOT Write ‘Rivers Do Not Drink Their Own Water’ Quote
Did Pope Francis write an inspirational quote that begins, "Rivers do not drink their own water"? No, that's not true: A Vatican spokeswoman told Lead Stories the quote was not authentic. The same quote is attributed to other spiritual le
Logically→ Children recited from the Quran at the opening ceremony of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
A 2021 video of children reciting from the Quran at the Al Thumama Stadium inauguration has been misattributed to the 2022 World Cup inauguration.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: SpongeBob SquarePants Driver’s License Does NOT Show An Address On One Of Jeffery Epstein’s Private Islands
Does the cartoon character SpongeBob SquarePants' driver's license show an address on one of the late Jeffrey Epstein's private islands in a cartoon on the Nickelodeon channel? No, that's not true: A post making the claim never shows or g
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Bill Gates The Billionaire Is NOT On The Board Of Maricopa County
Is Seattle billionaire Bill Gates now chairman of the Maricopa County, Arizona Board of Supervisors? No, that's not true: A representative for Maricopa County told Lead Stories that a different Bill Gates serves Maricopa County. Gates the
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: NATO Did NOT Host "Demonic" Dance Performance At Conference
Did The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) host a contemporary dance performance that some commenters have called "demonic" at one of its conferences? No, that's not true: The performance took place in 2017 at Ghent University, Bel
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: The Independent Did NOT Publish Article Purporting Elon Musk’s Father Covered Up Cat Abuse Claims
Did The Independent, an online British daily newspaper, publish an article by reporter Graeme Massie with the headline, "Elon Musk's father paid college $125,000 to ignore animal abuse claims"? No, that's not true: The Independent never p
Truth or Fiction?→ How to Fight Disinformation — Part V: Resilience Targeting
This is the last in a series about how communities can fight back and protect themselves against weaponized disinformation campaigns. You can read our previous articles here: Part I: Firehosing Part II: Gaslighting Part III: Distraction Part IV: Sign
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: NO Evidence That Rapper Takeoff Was Killed By A Sniper Shot
Did gunfire from a sniper in Houston hit and kill Takeoff, a member of the rap group Migos? No, that's not true: At the time of writing, officials have presented no evidence that suggests that a sniper fired at Takeoff, the stage name of
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Tuning Standard Of A = 440 Hz Was NOT Driven By Nazis And Rockefellers, Nor By ‘Desire For Discord’
Were the Nazis and the Rockefellers responsible for changing the universal music standard for tuning A from 432 Hz to 440 Hz in 1953? No, that's not true: There are several falsehoods wrapped in this conspiracy about the establishment of
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Video Is NOT Accurate In Calling Will Smith Slap At Oscars A Re-enactment
Does a video accurately describe the conflict between two renowned actors at the 2022 Academy Awards as a fake, a re-enactment of an old movie scene? No, that's not true: The video in this post was published online two months after Will S
Truth or Fiction?→ A Pro Wrestling Legend Becomes a Giant Topic on Twitter
Longtime fans of pro wrestling — or maybe just of the 1987 film The Princess Bride — likely let out a cheer in late October as a familiar face became a popular topic. The visage of the late Andre the Giant gained traction on Twitter after a
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Kanye West Banned from Yu-Gi-Oh’ Tweet
As several news stories about music artist Kanye West entered the news cycle on October 26 2022, a viral tweet suggested that West had been “banned” from trading card came Yu-Gi-Oh: kanye west has been suspended from yu-gi-oh! pic.twitter
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Twitter Did NOT Suspend Elon Musk’s Account
Did Twitter suspend the account belonging to Elon Musk, the billionaire who launched a buyout bid for the social media giant? No, that's not true: The account that Twitter suspended uses a deceptive spelling of Musk's name. Twitter did no
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Rubbing A Banana On License Plate Does NOT Render Plate Unreadable By Traffic Cameras — Satirical Video Edit
Does the potassium in a banana react with the aluminum of a license plate so that somehow traffic cameras cannot record the numbers on the plate, but only see a glare? No, that's not true: The effect shown is not the result of a chemical
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Story About Brandon Cummings’ Arrest Is NOT Real — Originated On Satirical Site
Did a gay porn actor named Brandon Cummings get arrested after fighting off 35 neo-Nazis? No, that's not true: This story originated on a satirical website. A screenshot of the headline and what looks like a mug shot was making the rounds
Snopes→ Leslie Jordan, Versatile Emmy-Winning Actor, Dies at 67
The Emmy-winner, whose videos turned him into a social media star during the pandemic, was 67.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: ‘Documentary’ Does NOT Prove Flat Earth Theory Is True — Our World Is Globe-Shaped
Does a "documentary" called "HOW EARTH BECAME A BALL" prove that the Earth is flat? No, that's not true: Although it's presented as a documentary, "HOW EARTH BECAME A BALL" is an unauthorized repackaging of a 1990 Canadian satirical movie
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Sophia Stewart Did NOT Win $2.5 Billion Lawsuit Over Ideas For Terminator, Matrix Movies
Did Sophia Stewart win a $2.5 billion lawsuit against Warner Bros., Twentieth Century Fox and other Hollywood filmmakers for stealing ideas from her manuscripts to make "The Terminator" and "The Matrix" movies? No, that's not true: Stewar
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Video Is NOT Proof That Moon Landing Was Hoax — It’s Lampoon Of Conspiracy Theories
Does a video that shows a stage-lighting support hitting an astronaut as he descends onto what appears to be the moon's surface prove that Apollo 11's July 20, 1969, moon landing was fake? No, that's not true: This video was produced as a
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Video Does NOT Show Joe Biden Singing Kids’ Tune ‘Baby Shark’
Does a video show President Joe Biden singing the popular children's song "Baby Shark" during a news conference? No, that's not true: The video is a deepfake created for entertainment purposes and apparently first posted by a social media
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Toy Is NOT Designed To Simulate Childbirth For Trans Women — Ad Making Claim Is Fake
Is an ad real that shows a prosthetic sex toy that is designed for trans women to "experience and celebrate the miracle of childbirth"? No, the website selling the sex toy does not ever mention it could be used so a "trans woman can exper
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris Did NOT Resign On October 12, 2022
Did U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris resign from office on or even before October 12, 2022? No, that's not true: The claim was made in the title of a video on Facebook, but, in the actual video, Newsmax talk show host Rob Schmitt does no
Snopes→ King Charles III to Be Crowned May 6 Next Year, Palace Says
King Charles III will be crowned at Westminster Abbey on May 6 in a ceremony that will embrace the past but look to the modern world after the 70-year reign of the late Queen Elizabeth II.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Video Does NOT Prove World Economic Forum Plotting To Force Public To Wear ‘Brain Implants’ So The Elite Can Read Their Minds
Will the World Economic Forum (WEF) soon force people to wear "brain implants" so that the global elite can read their minds? No, that's not true: This claim turns a speculative conversation about possible future technologies into a plot
Snopes→ Angela Lansbury, ‘Murder She Wrote’ Star, Dies at 96
She died five days shy of her 97th birthday.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Fake Website Uses Fake Celebrity Interviews To Flog Keto Weight Loss Products
Have celebrities such as Oprah Winfrey and country music singer Reba McEntire recently launched their own keto weight loss line of products on live TV? No, that's not true: This is false advertising and follows a formula that is used agai
Snopes→ Judy Tenuta, Brash ‘Love Goddess’ Comedian, Dies at 72
Judy Tenuta, a brash standup who cheekily styled herself as the “Love Goddess” and toured with George Carlin as she built her career in the 1980s golden age of comedy, has died.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Jay-Z, Kanye West Did NOT Predict Pandemic, COVID-19 In 2011 Song
Did Jay-Z and Kanye West predict the pandemic and COVID-19 in a 2011 song? No, that's not true: The lyrics in the video are fake and based on their 2011 song "N***as in Paris," which doesn't mention the words pandemic or COVID-19. The cla
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Actor Elijah Wood Was NOT Arrested for Child Sex Crimes
Was actor Elijah Wood, who played Frodo Baggins in "The Lord of the Rings" movies, arrested for child sex crimes? No, that's not true: Contrary to the claim that Wood was arrested by the U.S. Navy Judge Advocate General's Corps, the Posse
Snopes→ Princess Anne Takes the Staten Island Ferry to Manhattan
The sister of Britain’s King Charles III was ushered to the ferry’s pilothouse as the Manhattan-bound ship crossed the New York Harbor escorted by police boats.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Justin Trudeau Is NOT Fidel Castro’s Son
Is Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau the son of the late former Cuban President Fidel Castro? No, that's not true: That's an oft-repeated conspiracy theory that is not supported by any official evidence. A recent claim appeared in an
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Elephant-Shaped Rock Formations Are NOT Proof Of Giants — They Had Volcanic Origins
Do rock formations that resemble elephants prove that giants once ruled the world? No, that's not true: These two formations -- one in Heimaey, Iceland, and the other off the eastern shore of Molokai in the U.S. state of Hawaii -- were bo
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: These Videos Do NOT Prove That Meghan Markle Is ‘A Clone Or Robot’
Is Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, the American wife of Britain's Prince Harry, "a clone or robot"? No, that's not true: The videos repeating this claim borrowed footage from the 2018 Madam Tussaud's live figures events, when actors put on lat