On July 11 2020, the following tweet claimed that the United States Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos — in the course of arguing in favor of reopening schools during the COVID-19 pandemic — asserted that “only 0.02 percent” of
Publication: Fact Checks
Truth or Fiction?→ Tomb of the Unknown Soldier Guards Can’t Drink for Life, Must Live in Underground Barracks?
A popular September 2019 Facebook post about guards at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier makes a number of claims, among them that anyone serving as a Sentinel “must commit 2 years of life to guard the tomb, live in a barracks under the tomb, and
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Dave Ramsey Warn Against a Cashless Society Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic?
In early July 2020, posts attributed to financial pundit Dave Ramsey on the subject of what “no cash” or what having a “cashless society actually means” began circulating: Dave Ramsey repost HERES WHAT NO CASH ACTUALLY MEANS:
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?→ Richard Rose Dies of COVID-19, After Repeated ‘COVID Denier’ Posts
On July 10 2020, a number of Facebook users shared posts like the one below — purportedly screenshots from the profile of a user, Richard Rose, who initially adopted the position of a “COVID denier” before dying from it on July 4 202
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘New Cases, Yesterday: Germany: 298, Denmark: 10, Norway: 11, Sweden: 57 — United States: 55,442’
On July 8 2020, Twitter user Brian Klass shared the following post in response to President Trump’s tweets about reopening American schools — purportedly demonstrating the number of new cases on July 7 2020 in the United States and four Eu
Truth or Fiction?→ Why Is the Coronavirus Test So Invasive? Would a Cheek Swab Work?
On July 7 2020, Facebook user David D Smith shared the following post, questioning why coronavirus testing was so invasive, particularly when compared to DNA test cheek swabs: Smith included a shiver-inducing image but no citations, writing:
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Ghislaine Maxwell Was Arrested by the FBI, Can We Talk About How Similar She Looks to Madeleine McCann’s Female Abductor Sketch’?
On July 3 2020, just after British socialite Ghislane Maxwell was arrested, the Facebook page “NightMerica Podcast” shared the following post, comparing her photograph with a purported sketch of “Madeleine McCann’s female abdu
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Carsyn Davis Die After Attending a ‘COVID Party’?
In early July 2020, news of the death of Florida teenager Carsyn Leigh Davis began spreading on social media — alongside rumors the girl, who was purportedly medically fragile, was intentionally exposed to SARS-CoV-2 by her mother: A parent se
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
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Daughter of MLK and Coretta Scott King Posted This Advice as the Next Six Months are Going to Get Real’
In July 2020, a short post of advice bullet points attributed to Bernice King (daughter of Coretta Scott King and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.) began circulating, reading as follows: Daughter of MLK and Coretta Scott King posted this advice, as the nex
Truth or Fiction?→ LAPD ‘14188’ Badge Number Controversy
On July 3 2020, Twitter user Hayes Davenport shared a screenshot of a purported Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) example badge web page, featuring a badge with the number 14188: Unfortunate sample badge number choice in my opinion pic.twitter.co
Truth or Fiction?→ Is This a Real Listing for an Anti-Semitic Trump Face Mask?
On July 4 2020, Twitter user Justin Stangel shared the following Amazon screenshot, of a “Trump Daily Mouth Face Cover Anti-Dust” mask — and a very swastika-like logo to match: Hey @amazon, you ok selling Donald Trump, antisemitic
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘This is the Beach Today in Raleigh, NC! Covid is Never Going Away!’
In early July 2020 ,the following screenshot circulated on Facebook, showing a post from an accout by the name of “Kal El” who said that “Covid is never going away” alongside a purported picture of a beach in Raleigh, North Ca
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Black Lives Matter Members Attack a Man While Protesting a Statue of Louis IX?
A demonstration calling for the removal of a historical monument in in St. Louis in June 2020 was targeted by both far-right online users and channels both before it took place and prior to an altercation that was subsequently used to smear both the o
Truth or Fiction?→ Is This ‘America First’ Trump 2020 Shirt Real?
On July 1 2020, a number of social media posts shared images of a “Trump 2020, America First” shirt — which they said or implied bore a striking resemblance to a common Nazi symbol: OH COME ON pic.twitter.com/6divzAkVkK — Lux
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘In Case You’re Wondering What Utter, Abject Failure Looks Like’: Are These USA, France, Italy, and Spain COVID-19 Charts?
In late June 2020, a series of four COVID-19 charts began spreading across social media, captioned: “In case you’re wondering what utter, abject failure looks like,” purportedly contrasting COVID-19 infection rates in the United Stat
Truth or Fiction?→ Does ‘Qabalista’ by Selki Girl Trigger ‘Out-of-Body Experiences’?
In late June and early July 2020, a rumor on TikTok’s #witchtok hashtag held that the album Qabalista by Selki Girl “triggered astral projection” or other strange experiences; a video with hundreds of thousands of engagements involve
Truth or Fiction?→ Is Antifa Renting U-Hauls to Infiltrate ‘Residential Neighborhoods’?
A June 27 2020 post by user Cindy Kowalczyk was shared thousands of times, claiming (without citations or sources) that “Antifa plans residential Neighborhood attacks” using U-Haul moving trucks: The Rumor and Earlier Iterations In the
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘1979 Horoscope, I Am F***ing Begging You to Read This’
Around June 30 2020, posts labeled “1979 horoscope i am fucking begging you to read this” began circulating on Facebook: Twitter: 1979 horoscope i am fucking begging you to read this pic.twitter.com/ta2k3FbQvu — wendy (@friends3000
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Vandals in Spain Call a Nobel Prize Winner a ‘Killer’?
A Spanish culture and history website’s anger over alleged vandalism at the country’s biggest bullfighting stadium gained attention on Twitter in June 2020, but its concern appears to be years too late. The site, Darío Madrid, claimed on
Truth or Fiction?→ Did a Teenager Get Pleurisy From Wearing a Face Mask for Work?
On May 31 2020, Facebook user Lena Kovacs shared the following screenshot of a redacted post, in which a person claimed their neeninet-year-old daughter developed pleurisy solely due to her use of a face mask in her job at “a huge grocery store
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘The Golden Girls’ Blackface Controversy
On June 28 2020, Facebook user Matt Joseph shared the following post, which showed a BuzzFeed article (“An Episode Of “The Golden Girls” Was Pulled From Hulu For Featuring Blackface”) and a comment about how the decision was co
Truth or Fiction?→ The Trump Store’s $88 Baseball
In late June 2020, screenshots of a TrumpStore.com baseball priced at $88 began circulating on Facebook and Twitter: completely normal baseball price, $85 was just too low, but $90 was just too much nothing weird about it pic.twitter.com/UvyunMnsOL
Truth or Fiction?→ This Photograph Does Not Show a Woman Who Was Beaten and Sexually Assaulted at a BLM Protest
In mid-June 2020, the following meme circulated on Facebook and Instagram, purportedly a screenshot of a Facebook post by a woman claiming she was “beaten and raped” by three people of color at a Black Lives Matter protest:
Truth or Fiction?→ Did a Landlord Ask a Possible Tenant to Pay a Year’s Worth of Rent in Advance?
A property management company in Asheville, North Carolina became one of several symbols of landlord excess for social media users in June 2020, after a prospective tenant revealed that she was asked to provide a year’s worth rent before moving
Truth or Fiction?→ Viral Post Blames Powdersville Cemetery Vandalism on ‘Black Lives Matter’
On June 14 2020, the Facebook page “The Sharp Truth” shared the following post and lambasted Black Lives Matter activists for purportedly vandalizing the Powdersville Cemetery in Anderson County, South Carolina: The text, which appeare
Truth or Fiction?→ Does Japan Spray Looters and Rioters with Blue Dye to Arrest Them Later?
A June 23 2020 post to the questionably named Facebook group “Facts First – Truth to Expose Media Lies” featured a photograph, which purportedly showed authorities in Japan dousing “rioters and looters” in “indelibl
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Spirit Halloween Announce It Would Not Open Stores in 2020?
Fans of the Spirit Halloween chain of seasonal stores could be reassured about the chance to shop there in 2020, after a YouTube creator apologized for his role in the false rumor spreading online. “This is a great example to not trust you see o
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
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Ending White Privilege Intersects Ending Jewish Privilege’ Flyer
In June 2020, as protests against ongoing racism and police brutality continued throughout the United States and beyond, a curious image appeared: The image showed a flyer taped to a cork board with text that said: ENDING WHITE PRIVILEGE… Privi
Truth or Fiction?→ Is There a Garden in England Dedicated Solely to Deadly Plants Called the ‘Poison Garden’?
On June 21 2020, the Facebook page “The Runic Witch” shared the following meme, which described a garden in England “dedicated entirely to plants that … can kill you”: At the bottom of the meme was a photograph
Truth or Fiction?→ Is This a ‘Shooting Target’ Holding a Phone in the ‘Police Supply’ Section of a Gun Store in Lexington, Kentucky?
Amidst ongoing nationwide protests over the death of George Floyd, Facebook user Charlie Sickles shared the following post on June 21 2020, which had a photograph of a purported “shooting target” of a figure which appeared to be recording
Truth or Fiction?→ Did a Los Angeles Police Officer Find a Tampon in His Starbucks Cup?
Police in Los Angeles accused workers at a nearby Target store of tampering with an off-duty officer’s drink in June 2020, reigniting debate following other questionable claims by law enforcement agencies. According to KTTV-TV, the officer alleg
Truth or Fiction?→ Were Four Busloads of Protesters (or ‘Antifa’) in Ada, Oklahoma Met by ‘600 Armed Americans,’ — and the News Won’t Report It?
On June 18 2020, Facebook user Eric Wicklund shared the following post, claiming (in yet another warmed-over variation on very well-worn scarelore) that “four busloads” of protesters planned to descend on Ada, Oklahoma — but their ne
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?→ Columbus Police Accused of Macing Double Amputee, Confiscating His Legs in Graphic Video
On June 21 2020, social media videos appeared to show the aftermath of a confrontation between a man and police in Columbus, Ohio — such as a post in r/Columbus claiming the individual had been maced by police officers: CPD just hit a
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Fireworks Every Night’ in June 2020
On June 20 2020, the Facebook page “Son of Baldwin” shared what would later become a popular iteration of a “fireworks conspiracy” set of rumors, spreading from several points on Facebook, Twitter, and Reddit: The Facebook
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?→ ‘Unprofessional Hairstyles for Men or Women’ Versus ‘Professional Hairstyles for Men or Women’ Google Image Results
On June 9 2020, Facebook user Xavier Dillingham shared the following Twitter screenshots, which purportedly showed Google search results for the terms “professional hairstyles men,” “unprofessional hairstyles men,” “p