New York City Mayor Eric Adams, ostensibly a Democratic Party member, used an interfaith breakfast event on February 28 2023 to dismiss the idea of separation of church and state within U.S. politics and cast himself in a theocratic light. Chris Sommer
Publication: Fact Checks
Truth or Fiction?→ What Rupert Murdoch Said Under Oath About Fox News’ 2020 Election Claims
On February 28 2023, a popular post on Imgur asserted that Fox News “lied … about the 2020 election,” and that chairman and right-wing media mogul Rupert Murdoch testified to that fact under oath: Text on the meme was credited to Tw
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘You Must Remove the 🇺🇦 From Your Profile’ Twitter Pop-Up
On February 25 2023, Twitter user @walter_report shared a screenshot of a Twitter pop-up warning, which purportedly demanded that the account “remove the [Ukrainian flag emoji]” from their profile: You can’t be serious, @elonmusk? N
Truth or Fiction?→ Marjorie Taylor Greene ‘Dragons and Dinosaurs’ Tweet
In late February 2023, screenshots of a particularly bizarre tweet about dinosaurs and dragons attributed to Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Georgia) circulated on Reddit and Twitter: Since @RepMTG deleted this tweet, I decided to repost it for clarit
Truth or Fiction?→ Bill Maher ‘Natural Immunity’ Study Tweet
On February 19 2023, a Twitter user tweeted a quote (with video) from talk show host and comedian Bill Maher, on the subject of a “big study” on “natural immunity” and how it held up against vaccines: Bill Maher: “Big story,
Truth or Fiction?→ EPA Chief, Ohio Gov. Drink Tap Water in Viral Video
On February 22 2022, a Reddit account shared the following video to r/therewasanattempt (the attempt was, in the words of the post, “by the Ohio Governor and EPA Chief to prove the tap water was safe by pretending to drink it”):
Truth or Fiction?→ Tennessee Seahorse Book Ban
On February 22 2023, two Imgur users (and one Redditor) shared screenshots of a tweet about Tennessee Republicans “trying to ban a book about seahorses” because it “normalizes gender fluidity”: But male seahorses can
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Ron DeSantis Say ‘You’d Never See Kurt Cobain or David Bowie Dressing Like Women’?
On February 22 2023, an Imgur account shared a screenshot of a tweet which purportedly quoted Florida’s far-right governor Ron DeSantis (R) on music stars Kurt Cobain and David Bowie “never … dressing like women”: Top comments
Truth or Fiction?→ Einstein ‘Capitalism As It Exists Today’ Quote
On February 18 2023, a Facebook page shared the following quote meme, attributing commentary about capitalism to scientist and inventor Albert Einstein: A watermark (“Redfish”) appeared at the top of the meme, and text at the bottom read &
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Goodyear Blimp Over Daytona’
On February 20 2023, an Imgur user shared a purported image of the Goodyear Blimp, flying over the Daytona 500 with a “don’t shoot” message on the side (a reference to a recent controversy over possible “spy balloons“): T
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Nikola Tesla Say ‘When You Understand That Every Opinion Is a Vision Full of Personal History …’
On February 16 2023, a metaphysics-focused Facebook page attributed a quote (“When you understand that every opinion is a vision full of personal history … you will begin to understand that every judgment is a confession”) to invento
Truth or Fiction?→ Trump, Ohio, Train Breaks, and Deregulation
On February 17 2023, the following image, which referenced former United States President Donald Trump, the February 3 2023 Ohio train derailment, and environmental regulations, appeared on Imgur and quickly made its way across platforms: A viral ima
Truth or Fiction?→ Are Wyoming Republicans Opposing a Minimum Marriage Age?
Republican lawmakers in Wyoming drew both increased coverage and criticism in February 2023 for their opposition to a bill — sponsored by one of their own party members — that would set a minimum age for marriage. The measure, House Bill 00
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘To Save Money, Maybe You Should Skip Breakfast’ WSJ Headline
On February 15 2023, a popular tweet showed a screengrab of a purported headline (“To Save Money, Maybe You Should Skip Breakfast”) in the Wall Street Journal on February 14 2023: Groceries too expensive? Just stop eating, you poors. Als
Truth or Fiction?→ Britney Spears Stage Crasher Finds Online ‘Fame’ Thanks to Junk Website
A 37-year-old man arrested for crashing the stage at a Britney Spears concert in 2017 found a different type of attention online in 2023 thanks to his mugshot appearing on an online “fake news” site. Jesse Webb was arrested on August 9 2017
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Meanwhile in Ohio’ ‘Death Plume’ Image
On February 13 2023, a Facebook account shared the following image, purportedly a photograph of a huge, dark plume of smoke near the site of a train derailment in Ohio: An attached status update referenced unrelated news about “unidentified obj
Truth or Fiction?→ Sandy Hook Survivor at the Michigan State University Shooting
On February 14 2023, in the wake of a mass shooting at Michigan State University just hours before, several social media accounts claimed that a Sandy Hook survivor was a student there: One of my MSU students was from Sandy Hook. Her first grade t
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘He Gets Us’ Ads and Abortion Access Lawsuit
On February 12 2023, Judd Legum tweeted about “He Gets Us”/Jesus advertisements, claiming that the campaign was financed by the “same group” that is “seeking to ban abortion medication nationwide”: Just FYI, the sa
Truth or Fiction?→ Do Elevator ‘Close Door’ Buttons Work?
On February 11 2023, a Reddit account on r/todayilearned resurrected a long-running rumor when they claimed that 80 percent of elevator “close door” buttons were not functional 80 percent of the time: TIL 80% of Elevator “Clos
Truth or Fiction?→ Ursula Le Guin on J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter
As social media controversies over the expressed views of fantasy writer J.K. Rowling and a game based on her Harry Potter series continued into February 2023, a quote resurfaced attributed to famed author Ursula Le Guin on the subject of Rowling’
Truth or Fiction?→ Netflix Canada ‘Password Sharing’ Screen
On February 9 2023, the top post on Reddit’s r/all (originally on r/mildlyinfuriating) included a photograph of a Netflix password sharing warning purportedly observed in Canada: Netflix rolled out their Bullshit in Canada. from m
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘The Graves of a Catholic Woman and Her Protestant Husband, Who Were Not Allowed to Be Buried Together, Holland, 1888’
On February 7 2023, Twitter account @historydefined shared an image described as the graves of “a Catholic woman and her Protestant husband,” buried side by side in neighboring cemeteries: The graves of a Catholic woman and her Protestant
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Food Shortages Are Starting to Become Quite Serious All Over the Planet’
On February 7 2023, a @zerohedge tweet (featuring a blog post titled “Food Shortages Are Starting To Become Quite Serious All Over The Planet”) attracted thousands of views: Food Shortages Are Starting To Become Quite Serious All Over The
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘This Tweet Large Marge Wrote Should Get Her Kicked Out of Congress’
During and after U.S. President Joe Biden’s February 8 2023 State of the Union address, “Large Marge” was a Twitter trend, referencing an outburst by far right conspiracy theorist Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Georgia) at the event.
Truth or Fiction?→ Was Tulsa the ‘First American City Attacked from the Air’ in 1921?
In February 2023, a 2013 Facebook post recirculated, indicating that the first American city to be “attacked from the air” was Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 1921: In the image above, a sepia-toned image of people walking with their hands in the air
Truth or Fiction?→ Greece, Turkey, and ‘Earthquake Diplomacy’
On February 6 2023, a massive earthquake near the city of Kahramanmaraş, Turkey affected Turkey and Syria. A popular post on Reddit’s r/todayilearned claimed that Greece and Turkey had a standing agreement about “earthquake diplomacy”
Truth or Fiction?→ Did CBS Say Bad Bunny Was ‘Singing in Non-English’?
The CBS television network and the Grammy Awards both came under criticism on February 6 2023 for refusing to provide Puerto Rican artist Bad Bunny with suitable closed-captioning. Viewers posted screenshots from the broadcast showing captions reading
Truth or Fiction?→ Chinese Spy Balloons Under Trump
On February 5 2022, a popular post to Reddit’s r/worldnews suggested that a Chinese spy balloon controversy was not the first of its sort — positing that “at least” three similar incidents occurred during the Trump administratio
Truth or Fiction?→ Were People in Austin Filmed Going Into a Dumpster for Food?
A scene capturing the lengths some people in Austin, Texas had to go to for food in early February 2023 drew attention outside the state. The footage of people taking food from a dumpster was posted by local news outlet KEYE-TV on February 2 2023; the
Truth or Fiction?→ Were Overdraft Fees Created in 1990?
On February 2 2023, an Imgur user shared a screenshot of a tweet which claimed that overdraft fees were “created in 1990”: In the screenshot, the Twitter handle for American politician Nina Turner (D) was visible. No date appeared on the s
Truth or Fiction?→ Donald Trump and Bob Woodward ‘Depends’ Tweet
On January 31 2023, a screenshot purportedly of a tweet by journalist Bob Woodward disclosing information about former United States President Donald Trump’s “Depends” [sic] appeared on Imgur: At the top of the image, the name “
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘ExxonMobil Reported a Record-Smashing Profit of $55.7 BILLION in 2022 …’
On January 31 2023, Imgur user Mech0T1 shared a screenshot of a tweet, which contained a claim that ExxonMobil had reported $55.7 billion in profit for 2022: BREAKING: ExxonMobil reported a record-smashing profit of $55.7 BILLION in 2022.While taxpay
Truth or Fiction?→ Is Marie Kondo ‘Giving Up’ on Tidying ‘After Three Kids’?
On January 30 2023, an Imgur screenshot of a Reddit post suggested that clearning and organization guru Marie Kondo had “given up” on having a clean house after having three children: Marie Kondo Stops Tidying Up: ‘My Home
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Some One Dreamed the Other Night That He Was Living in the Year 2023 … Eggs Had Gone Up to $10 a Dozen’
In late January 2023, an Imgur account shared an image of a newspaper clipping which contained an apparent lament about the future cost of eggs a century from 1923: The post was titled “Nostradamus, is that you in 1923?” The text shown on
Truth or Fiction?→ 2023 Connecticut Egg Production Plant Fire Rumors
On January 29 2023, right-wing Twitter personality and longtime disinformation purveyor Elijah Schaffer tweeted a video which tied together two popular narratives by purportedly depicting “one of the largest egg production plants” burning d
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Outside Agitators’ Have Always Been a Racist Myth
In January 2023, the death of Tyre Nichols at the hands of police in Memphis, Tennessee drew widespread outcry in the United States. Ditto for the death in Atlanta, Georgia that same month of protestor and environmental activist Tortuguita — Ma
Truth or Fiction?→ A&W Root Bear ‘Bear Mascot’ Twitter Joke Ends Up on Fox News
As a January 2023 debate over M&Ms’ “spokescandies” moved through the news cycle, a tweet about A&W Restaurants purportedly issuing a similar statement was featured on Fox Business: Why are right wingers obsessed with animat
Truth or Fiction?→ Trump’s Tax Cuts and the National Debt
On January 25 2023, a Reddit account shared a screenshot of a tweet by musician and political blogger Jeff Tiedrich to r/WhitePeopleTwitter, asserting that former United States President Donald Trump’s tax cuts were “responsible for”
Truth or Fiction?→ Is Paprika ‘Just Dried Bell Pepper’?
A popular January 24 2023 Facebook post showed a screengrab of a viral tweet claiming that paprika is nothing more than “just dried and crushed red bell peppers,” describing the purported news as “really shocking”: Learning th
Truth or Fiction?→ Do Dishwasher Pods Go in the Door or on the Bottom?
In January 2023, a popular Facebook Reel making the rounds claimed that dishwasher pods (that is to say, detergent) were being universally, incorrectly applied; the video in question was “stitched” with a viral September 2022 TikTok post: