Facebook chief executive officer Mark Zuckerberg has claimed in testimony to federal lawmakers that far-right broadcaster and Donald Trump adviser Steve Bannon’s recent call for the decapitation of federal officials did not warrant being banned
Publication: Facebook
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Facebook Remove the Title of ‘President’ from Donald Trump and Designate Him as a ‘Political Candidate’?
On November 13 2020, pundit Dinesh D’Souza asserted on Twitter that Facebook had “removed” the designation of “President” from Donald Trump’s verified Facebook page, downgrading him instead to a mere “politica
Truth or Fiction?→ Trump Defeat Denialists Use Facebook to Promote ‘MAGA Marches’
Events and groups denying the defeat of outgoing United States President Donald Trump continue to fester on Facebook in November 2020 — despite the platform taking action following a report by activist group Avaaz. We discovered at least one gro
Truth or Fiction?→ As U.S. Election Looms, Agitprop Floods Social Media Platforms
In the days leading up to the 2020 U.S. presidential election, the disinformation that has been a hallmark of the Trump campaign, then administration, then campaign again reached new heights with political smears, Soviet-style weaponized conspiracy t
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Democrats ‘Kill a Bill’ Helping Gold Star Families to Help Immigrants Instead?
A 2019 attack by United States President Donald Trump against Democratic lawmakers in New York state was regurgitated and repurposed online again in 2020 — this time, in order to attack the party on the national level. The issue unfolded in Apri
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘This Is a Reverse Financed Internship So You Will Pay $15/hr to Work Here’
An apparent prank job listing first spotted in January 2020 has continued recirculating through Facebook, with some readers taking it as a sign of late-stage capitalism’s descent into pure self-parody. The ad was posted on the job listing websit
Poynter→ Without methodology or transparency, Facebook and Twitter become the ‘arbiters of the truth’
It seems like Facebook and Twitter have decided to assume the position they’ve been avoiding for so long. Less than a month from Election Day, both companies finally became arbiters of the truth on the internet. Naive are those who believe this i
Truth or Fiction?→ Suspects in Whitmer Kidnapping Plot Used Facebook as a Recruitment Tool
Social media accounts of several people arrested and charged with conspiring to kidnap Michigan’s Democratic Party governor Gretchen Whitmer were devoted to supporting or promoting right-wing disinformation, according to investigators and conten
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Couple Dies of Corona Virus in Meth Lab Explosion’
A meme crudely making light of the COVID-19 pandemic by imitating a news report cycled through at least three different iterations as it recirculated online again and again through social media. The graphic shows a damaged building alongside a mocked-
Truth or Fiction?→ Social Media Amplifies Conspiracies Targeting Biden Before First 2020 Debate
Hours before the first presidential debate on September 29 2020, right-wing operatives and blogs spewed several conspiracy theories that were only amplified, as per usual, on social media platforms that otherwise claim to fight disinformation. “
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Joe Biden Receive Five Deferments During the Vietnam War?
Contrary to what critics claim, Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden’s non-combatant status during the Vietnam War was not underreported prior to his 2020 campaign. Regardless, one Facebook user amassed more than 189,000 shares by claiming,
Truth or Fiction?→ Is Facebook Offering to Pay Conservatives to Delete Their Accounts?
A Facebook page catering to right-wing users shared a post in September 2020 misconstruing a new study by the platform as being an incentive program for users in their political sphere. The September 2020 post claims that Facebook “is offering
Poynter→ In the battle over content moderation, transparency seems to be all anyone can agree on
Factually is a newsletter about fact-checking and accountability journalism, from Poynter’s International Fact-Checking Network & the American Press Institute’s Accountability Project. Sign up here The theme in the debate over content moderatio
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘You Do Know that Eliminating the Payroll Tax Defunds Social Security, Don’t You?’
As a payroll tax deferral ordered by United States President Donald Trump took effect, a Facebook user’s warning went viral: The post states, “Hey folks. ‘You Do Know that Eliminating the Payroll Tax Defunds Social Security, Don’t
Poynter→ Fact-checkers offer additional suggestions for how to improve Facebook ahead of the 2020 presidential election
After Facebook announced plans Thursday to scale back on political ads and increase voter information ahead of the 2020 elections, fact-checkers offered some additional suggestions for how the tech platform might handle potential misinformation. In a p
Truth or Fiction?→ Conspiracy Forums Amplify Russian Troll Site’s ‘Laundry List’ of Arrested Politicians
A lengthy “copypasta” disinformation post with content dating back to at least 2015 was recirculated online in conspiracy theory forums and Facebook in August and September 2020 — amplified by a Russian website. NBC News reporter Ben
Truth or Fiction?→ Facebook Blames Lack of Training For Spread of Kenosha ‘Militia’ Gang Content
As content praising the suspect in a double homicide committed during a protest against police brutality in Kenosha, Wisconsin continued to proliferate on Facebook, the social media platform’s executive officer, Mark Zuckerberg, blamed a lack of
Truth or Fiction?→ Two Killed in Kenosha During Racial Violence Inflamed in Facebook Groups
As racial violence escalated and echoed throughout the United States during the summer of 2020 and “civil defense” groups formed on Facebook and appeared at demonstrations throughout the country, a gunman shot and killed two people during
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Someone Organize an Online Fundraiser for the Kenosha Murder Suspect?
Not long after his identity was revealed, the seventeen-year-old Illinois teen accused of committing a double murder in Kenosha, Wisconsin was the intended beneficiary of an online fundraiser in his name. The fundraiser raised $705 on GoFundMe before
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘You do NOT DIVIDE the deaths into the total population. EVER! NEVER!’
A popular Facebook post in August 2020 was not alone in taking issue with one estimate concerning the COVID-19 virus’ mortality rate, but might also mislead readers looking for an easy answer. The post, first published on August 20, 2020 and sha
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘A Pound of Flesh’: Facebook’s Provides Little Explanation for Anti-Fascist Takedown
Even as it claimed to have done so to guard against accounts promoting violent, Facebook has refused to provide evidence behind the elimination of pages belonging to two news organizations that post anti-fascist content. The platform removed Facebook
Truth or Fiction?→ Is ‘Maskne’ a Sign of a Lung Infection?
As far-right disinformation purveyors continued flailing for relevancy in August 2020, one graphic regurgitated the conspiracy theory that blemishes caused by accumulations of facial moisture under face masks (worn in order to protect others from pote
Poynter→ Op-eds and editorials may be fact-checked, says Facebook
Facebook wants its fact-checking partners and users to know that opinion pieces are not exempt from being fact-checked. Not even if they are framed as op-eds or editorials. In a statement sent to the International Fact-Checking Network Monday night, th
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Joe Biden ‘Take a Knee’ Near His Childhood Home?
Despite being thoroughly debunked, a series of posts pushing a fake claim about former Vice President Joe Biden remained available online even as new reports shed light on Facebook’s unwillingness to stop far-right disinformation. In early July
Truth or Fiction?→ Was a Georgia High School’s Senior Class Photographed Together Without Masks?
Online criticism concerning safety measures in schools trying to reopen amid the COVID-19 pandemic circulated around a second Georgia school in August 2020 as a photo spread online showing an entire senior class gathered together without face covering
Hoax-Slayer→ Facebook ‘ID Verification’ Phishing Scam
According to this email, which purports to be from Facebook, your Facebook account has been "temporarily disabled for identity check". The post Facebook ‘ID Verification’ Phishing Scam appeared first on Hoax-Slayer.
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Tom Brady Say ‘If Anyone on My Team Kneels, I Quit’?
On July 23 2020, a Facebook link to an article claiming that American football player Tom Brady threatened to quit playing if anyone on his team was to kneel began circulating: Clicking through to the link led to the following content: Tom B
Poynter→ How users see Facebook’s labels will determine their effectiveness
Factually is a newsletter about fact-checking and accountability journalism, from Poynter’s International Fact-Checking Network & the American Press Institute’s Accountability Project. Sign up here What does a label really mean? This week, Face
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Coin Shortage? Where Did They All Go in Four Months?’
Despite being identified as disinformation, a Facebook post making light of a shortage of available coins around the United States continued to spread in July 2020. The post, which was published in a Kansas-based conservative group on July 16 2020, ha
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Mask of the Beast’
A Facebook post attempting to falsely link protection against COVID-19 to Satanism continued to spread on the platform in July 2020 — while also providing a look into how disinformation is laundered across social media platforms. The post by Ana
Truth or Fiction?→ Academic’s Work Covering COVID-19 Mistakenly Marked as ‘Spam’ by Facebook
An infectious disease professor covering the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic around the state of Georgia briefly found that her readers were unable to share her work on Facebook after being designated by “spam” on the platform. “It w
Truth or Fiction?→ Is a Texas Doctor Curing COVID-19 Patients For $50?
A Texas doctor’s claim that he has cured more than 75 patients for COVID-19 for no more than $50 spread widely around Facebook and YouTube before apparently being removed from both platforms. Dr. Brian Procter first drew attention through a phot
Truth or Fiction?→ Are ‘BLM Convoys’ Threatening to ‘Occupy Atlanta’?
Conspiracy theorist Jerome Corsi reached out for attention from United States President Donald Trump on July 7 2020, all the while regurgitating a long-debunked right-wing internet boogeyman to smear the Black Lives Matter movement. Corsi took to his
Poynter→ Brazilian fact-checkers warn their country’s ‘fake news’ bill will do more harm than good
Brazilian fact-checkers said a bill passed Tuesday intended to combat disinformation will create a massive surveillance network and make it more difficult to do their work. “The Brazilian Law on Freedom, Responsibility and Transparency on the Int
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Peaceful Flag Burning to Resist Police Sponsored by Antifa’
A group with content seemingly designed to anger right-wing readers attracted attention from actual government officials — before finally being removed from both Twitter and Facebook in June 2020. The group, “Left Behind USA,” was us
Poynter→ Globally distanced fact-checkers gather to move the field forward
Factually is a newsletter about fact-checking and accountability journalism, from Poynter’s International Fact-Checking Network & the American Press Institute’s Accountability Project. Sign up here Hello from wherever you are! We’re halfway t
Truth or Fiction?→ Is There a Painting of J. Marion Sims’ Experiments on Black Women at the Alabama State Capitol?
Amid the removal and re-evaluation of statues commemorating historical figures in June 2020, a Facebook post that spread widely in June 2020 conflated a statue of a gynecologist who experimented on enslaved Black women with a painting depicting him al
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Copied From an OSHA Certified Friend’
A new form of copypasta circulating on Facebook attempted to push conspiracy theories concerning face coverings and the COVID-19 pandemic by invoking the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (generally referred to as OSHA) as its “sourc
Truth or Fiction?→ Did the Trump Campaign Post a Symbol Used by Nazis to Mark Political Prisoners?
In June 2020, United States President Donald Trump’s re-election campaign was criticized for invoking Nazi imagery in a new series of Facebook ads that the campaign later tried to claim featured an anti-fascist symbol. According to Media Matters
Poynter→ IFCN and Facebook are offering $450,000 in grants for technology innovation
The International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN) at the Poynter Institute is committed to supporting the fact-checking community by offering resources that contribute to advancing the field. For this purpose, IFCN is extending its partnership with the Fa