On February 4 2022, an Imgur account shared a meme asserting that Michigan Republican Ryan Kelley told a crowd to “unplug voting machines” and bring guns to polling places: At the top of the meme, an image of former U.S. President Donald
Publication: Fact Checks
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Suicide Hotline Collected, Monetized’ Caller Data
On February 1 2022, an Imgur user shared a screenshot under the title “Suicide Hotline Collected, Monetized The Data Of Desperate People,” showing an article or a blog post: Suicide Hotline Collected, Monetized The Data Of Desperate Peopl
Truth or Fiction?→ Ben Shapiro ‘Nobody Said Crime’ Tweet
On February 3 2022, an Imgur user shared a screenshot of a purported tweet by right-wing pundit Ben Shapiro, in which Shapiro chastised commenters on a thread about things that should be “banned” and the absence of “crime” on th
Truth or Fiction?→ John Adams: ‘The Government of the United States of America Is Not, in Any Sense, Founded on the Christian Religion’
On February 1 2022, an Imgur account shared the following quote about the separation of church and state, attributed to Founding Father and second President of the United States, John Adams: On Imgur, the submission was titled “When they tell y
Truth or Fiction?→ Jabar Gibson Hurricane Katrina Rescuer Meme
On February 1 2022, the following meme was shared to Imgur, describing the actions of a man identified as “Jabbar Gibson” in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Katrina: That image was clearly a screenshot, and it appeared to show a cropp
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?→ Calm Harm App
A December 2019 Facebook post about a self-harm prevention app called “Calm Harm” continued to circulate as of January 2022. In total, ten Tumblr screenshots were attached to the post describing the “Calm Harm” app. The original
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘The Same Executive at NBC Greenlit Fear Factor and The Apprentice, Setting an Unbelievable Sequence of Events in Motion’
On January 29 2022, the Facebook page “Millennials for Guillotines” shared a screenshot of the following tweet, which described an NBC executive who was purportedly responsible for singlehandedly changing the course of history: Lol the sa
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Rep. Thomas Massie Tweet a Quote by a Neo-Nazi?
Right-wing Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, in attempting to paint Dr. Anthony Fauci as a “tyrant,” spread a remark first made by a neo-Nazi pedophile that has been misattributed to an actual philosopher. “You mustn’t question Fa
Truth or Fiction?→ The Online Trick to ‘Send Student Loan Debt Collectors Packing’
Social media users relying on a graphic circulating online in January 2022 to hold student loan debt collectors at bay should be wary. The graphic, which surfaced in January 2022, pushes the claim that a person had “sent four student loan debt co
Truth or Fiction?→ FDR: ‘No Business Which Depends for Existence on Paying Less Than Living Wages to Its Workers Has Any Right to Continue in This Country’
On January 28 2022, a quote meme circulated on social media platforms, attributing commentary about businesses paying “less than a living wage” to United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt: On the right side of the meme was a portrai
Truth or Fiction?→ 12ft.io Paywall Bypassing Service
A popular January 19 2022 post alerted readers to the existence of 12ft.io, a site that purportedly bypasses paywalls on news sites: The Facebook Post An attached image featured a graphic of hands and a broken chain. Text on the image read: Show me a
Truth or Fiction?→ Mississippi Woman Allegedly Forged Fax to Free Incarcerated Boyfriend
On January 26 2022, an Imgur account shared screenshots of a purported news article with the headline, “Mississippi Woman Charged After Jail Receives Forged Fax Ordering Release Of Her Incarcerated Boyfriend”: That’s amoré We couldn
Truth or Fiction?→ Tennessee School District Bans ‘Maus,’ a Children’s Book About the Holocaust
On January 27 2022, no fewer than five “most viral” Imgur posts had to do with the topic of a Tennessee school district’s decision to ban Maus — a graphic novel for children about the horrors of the Holocaust. Social Media Post
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?→ Clip of Sen. John McCain Reacting to Peter Doocy Recirculates
On January 25 2022, two Imgur users shared clips of the late Sen. John McCain responding to Fox News personality Peter Doocy, as part of sub-discourse involving Doocy and U.S. President Joe Biden. Just one day later, Doocy’s Wikipedia entry featu
Truth or Fiction?→ Rudy Giuliani’s $911 Autographed 9/11 T-Shirts
On January 25 2022, a screenshot of the following tweet went around Imgur, containing the assertion that former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani was selling autographed 9/11 t-shirts for $911: He can try to sell them, but is anyone buying?There is
Truth or Fiction?→ Newt Gingrich Floats ‘Jail Time’ for January 6th Committee Members
On January 24 2022, an Imgur user shared a screenshot of a news article, which reported that Newt Gingrich had stated members of the January 6th Commission could face jail time under future Republican leadership: The final veil drops. Fascists withou
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Don’t Let Drunk or High Drive’
On January 23 2022, a California-based journalist tweeted an image of a highway sign with rather odd wording: TBH I feel like a drunk or high person created this sign. The message is important, but I can’t say I’m a fan of the wording. Don’t le
Truth or Fiction?→ Stan Lee: ‘I Used to Be Embarrassed’
On January 20 2022, an Imgur user shared a Stan Lee quote meme, starting with “I used to be embarrassed because I was just a comic book writer…”: Underneath a photograph of a smiling Lee, text read: “I used to be embarrassed be
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘When We Were Young’ Festival’s ‘Red Flags,’ Astroworld Connection
On January 18 2022, posts about a “When We Were Young” festival created social media hype across platforms with a virally popular promotional flyer; KnowYourMeme.com described the event as an “Emo Fyre Festival”: When
Truth or Fiction?→ Sen. Mitch McConnell: ‘African-American Voters Are Voting in Just as High a Percentage as Americans’
On January 20 2022, an Imgur user shared a post quoting Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) as saying that “African-Americans voters are voting in just as high a percentage as Americans”: Wow, must be mask-off season already. On that day,
Truth or Fiction?→ Sen. Marco Rubio’s MLK Quote Tweet
On January 18 2022, an Imgur account shared a screenshot of Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Florida) quoting Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., as well as a quoted tweet by Rep. Val Demings (D-Orlando) telling Rubio that he had interfered with voting rights: The Tweet
Truth or Fiction?→ Keanu Reeves: ‘To Me, Nature Is a Place Where You Retreat Whenever You Feel Exhausted or Sad …’
On January 12 2022, the Facebook page “Anxiety Freedom” shared the following quote meme, which attributes a quote about nature as a “retreat” from stressors to actor Keanu Reeves: Underneath a black and white photograph of Reev
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘One of the Reasons I Drive Right Past Home Depot and Straight to Lowe’s …’
In January 2022, a June 2020 Facebook post purportedly comparing Lowe’s and Home Depot’s chief executive officers continued spreading: One of the reasons I drive right past Home Depot and straight to Lowe’s is because while the co-founder
Truth or Fiction?→ Jim Carrey ‘It’s Really Sad That So Much of Our Society Says Thank God It’s Friday …’
On January 14 2022, an Imgur user shared the following purported tweet, attributed to Jim Carrey and referring to the standard five of seven days workweek: It said: It’s really sad that so much of our society says “Thank god it’s Fri
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘I Tore Open Your Letter and Licked the Envelope’s Seal for Any Lingering Taste of You’
A viral January 12 2022 tweet purportedly quoting a letter by Emily Dickinson to a female friend (“I tore open your letter and licked the envelope’s seal for any lingering taste of you”) quickly spread in screenshots on Facebook and I
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Biden’s Approval Rating Plummet in a January 2022 Poll?
On January 13 2022, Trendolizer detected a virally popular blog post, “Biden’s Approval Rating Plummets To Nearly 30% In New Poll” from the site JoePags.com. It was not the first misleading or poorly contexted blog about polling we have
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?→ Campbell’s ‘Soup on the Rocks’ Ad
On January 12 2022, actor Wil Wheaton shared a purported Campbell’s “Soup on the rocks” vintage advertisement to Facebook, alongside the caption “What the actual fuck, Campbell’s”: Against an off-white background, a
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?→ Barilla Spotify Pasta Timers
On January 11 2022, an Imgur user shared Twitter screenshots pertaining to pasta maker Barilla’s spotify playlists: Promote the marketing team In the screenshots, the Twitter account (@SYSCAbout, “shit you should care about”) was vi
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 (̶
Truth or Fiction?→ Sidney Poitier, Harry Belafonte, and a Freedom Summer High-Speed Chase
On January 7 2022, just after the death of actor Sidney Poitier, a viral tweet described a purported incident in which Poitier and singer Harry Belafonte engaged in a “high-speed chase” to deliver $70,000 during the summer of 1964: the be
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Starting Today Illinois Schools Can No Longer Ban Cornrows, Locs, Afros and Braids from School’
On January 3 2022, Say Cheese Digital published a Facebook post and tweet claiming that as of that date, the state of Illinois would prohibit schools from banning “cornrows, locs, afros, and braids”: Starting today Illinois schools can n
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘In The [One] Year Since the [1/6/2021] Insurrection, [the GOP] Has Introduced 550+ Bills To Restrict The Vote …’
On January 6 2021, an Imgur user shared a screenshot of the following tweet, which appears to describe the legislative aftermath of the January 6 2021 insurrection: In the 1 year since the Jan 6 insurrection, GOP has introduced 550+ bills to restrict
Truth or Fiction?→ Marjorie Taylor Greene: ‘If You Look at the Ice Ages, None of the People Back in the Ices Ages Paid a Bunch of Taxes to Melt the Ice’
On January 6 2022, a Twitter thread addressed comments about climate change and “ice ages” taxes purportedly made by Georgia congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene (R) the previous night during an appearance on Tim Pool’s podcast: &
Truth or Fiction?→ Is This ‘Our Planet From the Side of the Pacific Ocean’?
On January 4 2022, an Imgur user shared a purported image of Earth “from the side of the Pacific Ocean”: Underneath an image without a labeled source, text read: The Earth is almost never shown like this, and in the meantime, this is our p