A Facebook meme gets some facts right about the demise of the Fairness Doctrine but ignores important distinctions between broadcast and cable television.
Publication: Fact Check
Snopes→ Is This Mountain Cliff Shaped Like an Elephant?
A digitally edited photograph appears to show a natural wonder: a cliff that looks just like an elephant with a mountain on its back.
Snopes→ Has Pluto Been Officially Reclassified as a Planet?
The decade-long debate over Pluto's planetary status has provided fodder for April Fool's Day jokes and fake news.
Snopes→ Are Farmers Injecting Fruits and Vegetables with Oxytocin?
Reports imply Indian farmers are using oxytocin to boost the size of their fruits or vegetables , but it is unclear how widespread the practice may be.
Snopes→ Was a Pedophile Priest with HIV Who Raped Children Crucified?
The viral tale of Father Jose Garcia Ataulfo, already questionable to begin with, has been embellished with fabricated fictional elements.
Snopes→ Were $4 Million and Two Dead Bodies Found in a Democratic Mayor’s Storage Unit?
Presumably, being the fictional mayor of a non-existent town shields one from prosecution for crimes that didn't occur.
Snopes→ Fox News Banned as ‘Propaganda’ in Australia and New Zealand?
Rumors of a ban on the Fox News Channel in Australia and New Zealand seem to have materialized on Facebook and Twitter out of thin air.
Snopes→ Did Dolly Parton Say: ‘Trump In One Year Is Already Better Than 16 Years of Bush, Obama Put Together’?
Celebrities say the most outrageous things, especially when it comes to politics! Or do they? Sometimes they do, and sometimes they don't.
Snopes→ Do People in Sweden Have to Sign a ‘Consent Form’ Before Having Sex?
A right-wing Facebook page used a prank photograph to misrepresent a Swedish government proposal to change the country's consent laws.
Snopes→ Did a Mississippi Democrat Propose a Law to Force Teachers to Recite the Ten Commandments?
The implications of a bill put forward by State Representative Credell Calhoun are unclear.
Snopes→ Is This Pope Francis Dancing Merengue?
A viral video purportedly showing Pope Francis dancing merengue actually shows a lookalike at a Halloween party.
Snopes→ Do FBI Agents Have an Anti-Trump ‘Secret Society’?
Claims that FBI agents had formed a "secret society" to oppose President Donald Trump are unfounded and appear to have been based on a joke.
Snopes→ Did Trump’s Doctor Say the President Was ‘Too Sick to Talk to Mueller’?
President Trump may not talk to special counsel Robert Mueller after all, but not because he was excused by a doctor's note.
Snopes→ Is a New York Lawmaker Accused of Sexual Misconduct Negotiating Anti-Harassment Laws?
A former staffer said the senator forced himself on her outside a bar in April 2015.
Snopes→ Is Australia Using Chemtrails to Forcibly Vaccinate its Residents?
A disreputable web site recycled an already-spurious claim by an anti-vaccine publisher.
Snopes→ Is Trey Gowdy Replacing Mike Pence on the 2020 GOP Ticket?
Curious political rumor holds that Vice President Mike Pence will be stepping down from the Republican ticket in 2020 to run for a U.S. Senate seat in Indiana.
Snopes→ Is this Teenager in Danger?
A Georgia teenager's claims in a two-year-old video have long since been denied but continue to spread and inconvenience local police.
Snopes→ Did a Vermont Woman Post a Joke About Trump ‘Bringing Back Slavery’?
Heather Wick faced an online backlash after a racially insensitive Facebook post in 2017, and again in 2018.
Snopes→ United States Senate Candidate Favors a Woman’s Right to Cook Him Dinner?
Decrying a "non-stop feminization campaign against manhood," a GOP Senate candidate said he supports a woman’s right to "become traditional homemakers."
Snopes→ Checking the Facts About ‘Dreamers’
An Internet meme cites extremely dubious statistics to convince readers that the young undocumented immigrants known as "Dreamers" are a detriment to society.
Snopes→ Will Robert Mueller Be Forced to Resign Over an Affair with Nancy Pelosi?
The man heading an investigation that may implicate President Trump will not be stepping down over salacious revelations.
Snopes→ Is This an Airplane on Fire?
A Facebook page purporting to post live news appears to have stolen their footage from an Instagram account.
Snopes→ Was Ivanka Trump Critically Injured After Being Shot by a Sniper?
A "satirical" web site run by a prolific purveyor of fake news publishes yet another distasteful and false story.
Snopes→ Does a New Law Allow Atheist Doctors to Refuse Care to Religious Patients?
A satirical article caused confusion by playing off a recent policy change at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Snopes→ Has an Indictment Been Issued in the Uranium One Investigation?
There's no credible evidence linking a January 2018 indictment with a persistent Clinton conspiracy theory.
Snopes→ Were Democrats ‘Up All Night Doing Blow’ with Obama to Celebrate Shutdown?
Fake news crosses the line from the barely plausible to the ludicrously ridiculous.
Snopes→ Did a Former Peace Corps Volunteer Defend Trump’s Sh*thole Comments?
An opinion piece arguing that "Trump is Right" about African countries was written by Karin McQuillan.
Snopes→ Did Trump Order Pizza with ‘Tiny Pizzas’ on Top During Tryst with Stormy Daniels?
A faux transcript of the porn star's interview suggests that the ultimate sign of wealth is demanding "tiny pizzas" as a topping.
Snopes→ Did Senator Tom Cotton Call for Drug Testing for Social Security Recipients?
The Arkansas Republican has supported drug screening for welfare programs, but never for Social Security.
Snopes→ Is a ‘Crocodile Dundee’ Sequel Being Released in 2018?
Teasers posted online are actually promoting an Australian travel campaign.
Snopes→ Was the Body of the Clintons’ Former Housekeeper Found in Arkansas?
The woman had supposedly disappeared after being abruptly dismissed in 1985 and was reportedly pregnant at the time of her death.
Snopes→ NFL Admits to Rigging Games?
A deceptive video created by a "satire" Facebook page quickly spread on social media.
Snopes→ Did the Kochs Contribute $500,000 to Paul Ryan After the GOP Tax Plan Was Passed?
Charles and Elizabeth Koch gave nearly half a million dollars to the House Speaker's fundraising committee after passage of the Republican tax bill.
Snopes→ Did Obama, Soros, and Democrats Order a Government Shutdown to Stage a Coup?
Some fake news is so fake that it doesn't even make coherent sense.
Snopes→ Did Donald Trump’s 2018 Budget Proposal Cut Support for Disabled Veterans?
The president's plan did call for changes that would have had a significant financial effect on some disabled veterans, but the policy has been abandoned.
Snopes→ Did ICE Deport a Michigan Doctor 40 Years After He Immigrated to the U.S.?
The doctor, who is in ICE custody, was convicted of two misdemeanors as a teenager 26 years ago.
Snopes→ Did Newsweek Report That Trump Will Be Impeached and Replaced by Hillary Clinton?
The news magazine offered a law professor's hypothetical musings, not a report about President Trump's being removed and replaced by his opponent.
Snopes→ Are Stores Locking Up Tide PODS So People Won’t Eat Them?
Although stores are securing Tide detergent PODS in locked cases, retailers confirmed the measure was not related to any social media challenge.
Snopes→ Does the ‘Bar’ in ‘Bar Exam’ Denote a Secret Lawyers’ Conspiracy?
A "sovereign citizen" conspiracy theory about the licensing of lawyers is riddled with bad logic and historical inaccuracies.
Snopes→ Did Nancy Pelosi Say Building a Wall Will Violate the Rights of ‘Millions of Illegals’?
A quote from the House Minority Leader about how building a wall on the Mexican border would violate the rights of undocumented people is a hoax.