On January 8 2021, “zip ties” became a topic of discourse around the January 6 2021 Capitol riots as the public began to unpack and come to terms with the events of that chaotic day: Many are wondering about this USA TODAY photo –
Publication: Fact Checks
Truth or Fiction?→ Did a Texas Newspaper Claim “Members of Antifa’ Were Attacking the Capitol?
As the United States continued to reel from the January 6 2021 Capitol riots, an east Texas newspaper became the center of a related side story after it was caught repeating a debunked right-wing conspiracy theory surrounding the attack on the U.S. C
Truth or Fiction?→ Who Saved the Electoral Ballots During the Capitol Riots?
The question of “who saved the electoral ballots” was one of many sub-threads of discourse about the Capitol riots of January 6 2021, and one widely shared January 7 2021 tweet credited two young Senate aides as the saviors of democracy (
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Chuck E Cheese Issue a Statement on the Capitol Riots?
On January 7 2021 a statement on the Capitol riots, attributed to the family-themed restaurant chain Chuck E Cheese, began circulating on Twitter: Thank you, Chuck E Cheese. pic.twitter.com/ZaOAk47n4b — Queen LaDeefa (@It_Aint__ME) January 7,
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Antifa Infiltrated Trump Supporters’ Claim During Capitol Riots by Washington Times Apparently Deleted
On the night of the January 6 2021 Capitol riots, Rep. Matt Gaetz shared a Washington Times article on Twitter along with the headline, “XRVision firm claims Antifa infiltrated protesters who stormed Capitol”: "Facial recognition fi
Truth or Fiction?→ A Woman Was Shot in Capitol Riots; ‘Roberta Paulson’ Meme Follows
During riots at the United States Capitol on January 6 2021, a woman was shot on livestreams, an incident followed by memes claiming her name was “Roberta Paulson”: Roberta Paulsen, protester shot in the neck in DC, has reportedly died.
Truth or Fiction?→ Has Vice President Mike Pence Unfollowed President Donald Trump on Twitter?
As far-right rioters invaded the United States Capitol on January 6 2021, one viral rumor after another popped up in quick succession — among them a claim that the account belonging to Vice President Mike Pence had unfollowed President Donald Tr
Truth or Fiction?→ Is This a ‘Biblical’ Crowd of Trump Supporters in Washington D.C.?
As a crowd of loyalists for outgoing President Donald Trump gathered in Washington, D.C. at least one account wasted little time recycling a common disinformation tactic in order to make attendance seem much higher than it actually was. The user,
Truth or Fiction?→ 4th Precinct ‘Homeless Quilt,’ ‘Panhandler Patrol’ Post Resurfaces on Imgur
On January 5 2021, an Imgur user shared a screenshot of a Facebook post attributed to an unspecified “4th precinct,” alongside an image of two uniformed police officers and a “homeless quilt” of signs confiscated by a “pa
Truth or Fiction?→ Are Georgia Runoff Voters Being Told Voting Machines Are ‘Malfunctioning’?
Georgia’s long-anticipated runoff elections were slated for January 5 2020; that day, the disreputable site TrendingPolitics.com published an item headlined, “BREAKING: Georgia Voters Sound the Alarm, Claim They’re Being Told Votin
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Rep. Emanuel Cleaver Say ‘Amen and Awomen’ During a Congressional Prayer?
On January 3 2021, Rep. Emanuel Cleaver led a Daily Congressional Prayer, drawing intense scrutiny from certain circles for purportedly concluding with “amen and awomen” (or “awoman”) in lieu of the standard “amen”
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Mad Max is Set in 2021’
In late 2020 a set of memes began spreading, all of which contained wording to the effect of, “I don’t want to be [a pessimist,] but Mad Max was set in 2021″: It wasn’t clear where the combination of image and phrasing above a
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Trump Got 74 Million Votes With 133 Million Registered Voters in the USA … There’s Only 59 Million Votes Left for Biden, How Did He Get 81 Million?’
On December 19 2020, the following screenshot was shared by someone going by the name Thor Arne to Facebook, questioning the math of the 2020 presidential election, which delivered Democratic Party candidate Joe Biden a resounding victory over Republi
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘How Election Was Stolen,’ ‘Funny How the Rest of the World Gets Different News Than Us’
In late December 2020, a screenshot of a newspaper headline reading “How Election Was Stolen” was belched forth from the bowels of the internet and began to circulate, bearing additional commentary, “Funny how the rest of the world g
Truth or Fiction?→ Is This a Deleted Scene From ‘Love Actually’?
Since it takes place around Christmas, the film Love Actually becomes an online conversation topic every holiday season. In December 2020, however, still more people became aware of a scene that didn’t make it into the movie’s final cut. I
Truth or Fiction?→ Were Illinois Police Filmed Arresting Another Law Enforcement Officer?
Footage of police officers seemingly arresting one of their own drew attention — and some cheers — online in December 2020, but authorities have not elaborated on the incident. As the Daily Dot reported, the incident was captured in Harvey
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Stimulus Pork’
A long-rumored “second stimulus” check of $600 was announced on December 21 2020 and widely deemed to be paltry to the point of insulting; not long after that, a screengrab of a chart labeled “Stimulus Pork” began spreading on
Truth or Fiction?→ Far Right News Organizations Issue Statements, Admit ‘No Evidence’ Exists to Support Wall-to-Wall Coverage of Election Fraud
Far right propaganda purveyors like Newsmax, One America News Network, and certain Fox personalities became hot topics after the November 3 2020 election, when they captured a significant number of former Fox News viewers thanks to their regular ̶
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Giulia Tofana Was an Italian Professional Poisoner … Famous for Selling Poison to Women Who Wanted to Murder Their Abusive Husbands’
A popular December 16 2020 post by the Facebook page “Beauty is Inside” discussed Giulia Tofana, a purported “Italian professional poisoner,” who became historically significant for selling a poison called “Aqua Tofana
Truth or Fiction?→ Biden ‘Stepped Up Basis’ Facebook Post
In December 2020, a number of Facebook users shared a post about U.S. President-Elect Joe Biden and “stepped up basis,” a very vague term with which few users were likely to already be familiar. The same text was circulating as early as O
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘BREAKING: State of Georgia Issues Huge Announcement, Will Conduct Statewide Signature Audit’
On December 17 2020, right-wing disinformation site TrendingPolitics.com published an item titled “BREAKING: State of Georgia Issues Huge Announcement, Will Conduct Statewide Signature Audit,” which began: In a shocking announcement, the G
Truth or Fiction?→ Is EO 13848 Trump’s ‘Ace in the Hole’ for Election Challenges?
As political disinformation about the 2020 election continued into December 2020, its purveyors turned to Executive Order 13848 — more precisely, claims that EO 13848 existed to ensure that U.S. President Donald Trump would remain in power for a
Truth or Fiction?→ Is the Trump Campaign Planning a Second Inauguration?
A suspicious screenshot grabbed Twitter users’ attention on December 17 2020, making some think that outgoing President Donald Trump and his campaign intended to continue denying his loss in the U.S. presidential elections into the new year. The
Truth or Fiction?→ Dominion Voting Systems and the SolarWinds Vulnerability, Explained
On December 15 2020, a popular post was shared to the far-right forum TheDonald.win. Its topic was included in its title, “Dominion CEO states in MI hearing that Dominion has never used Solarwinds. Pro tip: If you’re gonna remove the Solarwin
Truth or Fiction?→ Is a ‘Firefly’ Reboot Coming To Disney+?
On December 15 2020, rumors of a purported Disney+ Firefly “reboot” that was refashioned to be “family-friendly” spread on social media, with fans of the show registering opinions about the what that might mean: We have ex
Truth or Fiction?→ Trump Tweets About ‘Fake Water Main Break’ on Election Night in Georgia
As electors of the gathered on December 14 2020 in order to finalize the incoming Joe Biden administration, sitting U.S. President Donald Trump continued advancing baseless claims that his decisive loss in the 2020 election was fraudulent, claimingÂ
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Michigan State Police Block ‘Republican Electors’ From Entering the Courthouse?
As the U.S. Electoral College made it official — again — that outgoing United States President Donald Trump had lost his bid for re-election on December 14 2020, footage posted online showed an attempt to overturn the results with a group
Truth or Fiction?→ Seattle ‘Poverty Defense’ Proposal Sparks Viral Outrage
On December 14 2020, right-wing clickbait site the Daily Wire claimed that the city of Seattle, Washington was mulling over a “poverty defense”: Seattle Considering ‘Poverty Defense’ Exempting Criminals Based On Their Needs https://
Truth or Fiction?→ Is Joe Biden’s Brother James Now Being Investigated by ‘the Feds’?
On December 11 2020, a dubious right wing blog called ThePoliticalInsider.com published an item (“Joe Biden’s Brother Is Being Investigated By The Feds, New Report Says”) which claimed that new information had come to light about the pur
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Schumer and Pelosi ‘Shoot Down’ a COVID Relief Bill and $600 Checks for Americans?
As the global COVID-19 pandemic closed in on its first year, calls in the United States for second stimulus checks mounted in December 2020, the dubious right-wing blog DailyWire.com published an item (“Schumer, Pelosi Shoot Down Trump Covid Rel
Truth or Fiction?→ Does London Christmas Tree Rental Enable People to Borrow a Sustainable Christmas Tree?
On December 10 2020, the Facebook page “Wholesome Meets The Internet” shared an undated Twitter screenshot with information about a London Christmas tree rental company, and its purportedly sustainable model of lending out live Christmas
Truth or Fiction?→ Will the Northern Lights Be Visible in the Continental United States in December 2020?
On December 9 2020, “Northern Lights” trended on Twitter, due in part to scattered reports that the phenomena might be visible to some Americans: Look up! https://t.co/XGQ3Rl1mYc — Thrillist (@Thrillist) December 9, 2020 Twitter h
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Deadliest Days in American History’ Meme
In early December 2020, a meme began circulating titled “Deadliest Days in American History,” a sobering list of individual dates on which mass casualty events in the United States led to large losses of life — and four of the eight
Truth or Fiction?→ Would $50,000 of Student Debt Forgiveness Be a ‘Massive Tax Increase’ for Americans?
On December 8 2020, The Blaze published an article headlined, “Schumer: Biden ‘considering’ cancelation of $50K in student loan debt for every borrower making under $125K a year,” with the subheading, “Translation: A mass
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Louie Gohmert’s Tooth Fall Out During a Press Conference?
Republican Rep. Louie Gohmert became instant online fodder (again) on December 8 2020, after a news site posted footage showing one of the Texas lawmaker’s teeth falling out as he spoke. The brief clip from The Recount showed his tooth coming lo
Truth or Fiction?→ Was Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Named Goya’s ‘Employee of the Month’?
On December 7 2020, right-wing “personality” Candace Owens (among others) asserted that Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York) was selected as “employee of the month” at Goya because her calls to boycott the brand purport
Truth or Fiction?→ No, Rudy Giuliani Didn’t Say People Got ‘China Virus’ by ‘Having Sex with Barnyard Animals’
On December 6 2020, news broke that Rudy Giuliani — the former New York City mayor, Donald Trump’s personal lawyer, and post-election spectacle — tested positive for COVID-19. Almost immediately, screenshots of a purported tweet by G
Truth or Fiction?→ Did a Video Expose Democrats ‘Planning to Cheat’ in Georgia?
A right-wing radio talk show host’s website appropriated and misrepresented an actual reporter’s work involving a Republican-supporting attorney in Florida, offering an excellent object lesson into the way disinformation can be perpetuated
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘RubyFreeman_Georgia’ Instagram Post
On December 5 2020, a screenshot of an Instagram post began circulating around the usual far-right fringe forums, attributed to a woman named Ruby Freeman (@rubyfreeman_georgia): An admission of election fraud by Ruby Freeman, DemocRAT vote counter
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘If You Buy a Discounted Advent Calendar the Day After Christmas, It Will Count Down to Inauguration Day’
On December 3 2020, a Facebook post proposed a novel use for obsolete Advent calendars — namely, repurposing them for a new countdown to President-Elect Joe Biden’s Inauguration Day: That post was a screenshot of a December 1 2020 tweet