Amid the social unrest permeating the Minnesota Twin Cities area following the extrajudicial killing of George Floyd in May 2020, Twitter users claimed to have identified a man spotted vandalizing a local auto parts store as a local police officer
Publication: Fact Checks
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Who is Derek M. Chauvin?’
The extrajudicial killing of 46-year-old George Floyd in Minneapolis in May 2020 led to increased scrutiny of Officer Derek Chauvin, who was caught on video pinning his knee on Floyd’s neck for several minutes prior to Floyd’s death. Aroun
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Justice Will Not Be Served’ Ben Franklin Quote
After the May 25 2020 officer-involved killing of George Floyd in Minnesota, many social media users shared a quote attributed to Ben Franklin: “Justice will not be served until those who are unaffected are as outraged as those who are”:
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Colorado Revise its COVID-19 Death Count from 1150 to 878 — and ‘Admit’ They Were Counting Deaths from Other Causes?
A May 16 2020 Facebook post claiming that Colorado had revised its COVID-19 death count from 1150 to 878 and “ADMITTED” that the state was including deaths from other causes in its count to make the virus seem more lethal took off across
Truth or Fiction?→ Was Derek Chauvin Photographed Alongside Donald Trump at a Campaign Rally?
In the aftermath of the extrajudicial killing of 46-year-old George Floyd at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer, social media users spread a photograph online that they claimed showed one of the officers alongside United States President Donald
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Joe Biden’s Website Mention ‘Letting Palestinians Off the Hook for Their Choices’?
On May 20 2020, Twitter user Jordan Uhl (@JordanUhl) tweeted an apparent screenshot from Joe Biden’s campaign website, with one portion (“while letting Palestinians off the hook for their choices”) highlighted: I really don't k
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Amy Cooper Make Campaign Donations to Obama, Buttigieg, and John Kerry?
Amid the fallout of Amy Cooper’s firing for her racist harassment of Christian Cooper in May 2020, some social media users began trying to parse her political leanings as an evidence-free opinion piece in a British publication added fuel to the
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Major Events in USA History that Cause Major Death Tolls’ COVID-19 Chart
In late May 2020, the following chart (attributed to a user named Mario Hardy) began circulating on Facebook, awkwardly titled “Major Events in USA History that Cause Major Death Tolls and 2019 Data”: “Major Events in USA History th
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘McDonald’s Crucifixion’ Image Repurposed as Purportedly ‘Protesting Stay at Home Orders’
In late May 2020, a photograph of three purported protesters of COVID-19 stay-at-home orders circulated which purported to show three men “crucified” outside a McDonald’s. A since-deleted Facebook post originally stated: I have no
Truth or Fiction?→ Was a California Woman Caught Posting a Racist Letter on Neighbors’ Doors?
On May 24 2020, police in San Leandro, California arrested — and then released — a woman revealed on social media as the person behind a string of racist letters harassing Asian-American residents. According to authorities, 52-year-old Nan
Truth or Fiction?→ Do You Need to Disable COVID-19 Contact Tracing on Your Phone?
In mid-May 2020, the following status update screenshot circulated on Facebook, urging people with iPhones (and possibly Android devices) to “turn off … exposure COVID notifications” via a series of directions in settings: It’
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Volkswagen Pull an Ad Because it Included a Racist Slur?
Auto makers Volkswagen scuttled an online ad in May 2020 campaign after social media users detected a prejudiced subtext and outright racist text within the short video. A tweet by journalist Felix Edeha criticizing the video was highlighted (or ̶
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Trump Say There Are ‘Many Per Capitas’ During a COVID-19 Discussion?
On May 20 2020, a number of people on social media referenced remarks by United States President Donald Trump about the meaning of the phrase “per capita”: Trump: "And, when you say per capita, there’s many per capitas. It’s li
Truth or Fiction?→ In May 2020, Did Scientists Find Evidence of a Parallel Universe Where Time Runs Backwards?
If you spent any time on social media in the later days of May 2020, chances are you saw a New York Post article from May 19 2020 about scientists “discovering a parallel universe” circulating on social media, which is apparently a place
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Walmart Promote a COVID-19 Testing Site Using a Pepsi Ad?
Walmart pulled a banner promoting a COVID-19 testing site on May 20 2020 after receiving criticism for also using the space to promote a soft drink. A photo of the banner that has been shared thousands of times shows the mention of the site alongside
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Michigan Send Absentee Ballots to 7.7 Million People?
On May 20 2020, United States President Donald Trump attempted to smear the Michigan secretary of state’s office in a tweet regurgitating one of his most thoroughly debunked claims. “Michigan sends absentee ballots to 7.7 million people ah
Truth or Fiction?→ There’s No ‘New Evidence’ Face Masks Pose Health Risks to Healthy People During the COVID-19 Pandemic
On May 18 2020, ScienceTimes.com posted a story with a frightening and shocking headline: “New Evidence Shows Wearing Face Mask Can Help Coronavirus Enter the Brain and Pose More Health Risk, Warn Expert.” The page picked up quite a lot o
Truth or Fiction?→ Was there a Garbage Pail Kids ‘Corona Mona’ Card?
In April and May 2020, memes circulated of a specific trading card from 1980s American pop culture touchstone the Garbage Pail Kids called “Corona Mona,” showing one of the product’s signature unseemly figures covered in mucus: In t
Truth or Fiction?→ Was Kroger Demanding that Employees Return Emergency Pay?
The Kroger grocery store chain backed off of a policy that brought about criticism and increased scrutiny, calling it an “error” that only affected a small number of workers. The photograph, first posted to Twitter on May 18 2020, showed
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Muzzles are for Dogs and Slaves’ COVID-19 Protest Sign
On May 18 2020, a photograph purportedly from a COVID-19 anti-lockdown protest began circulating, which showed a white woman holding a sign reading “muzzles are for dogs and slaves” alongside an illustration of a black woman wearing a mask
Truth or Fiction?→ Facebook Fact-Checking Platform Dangerously Labels Mask Meme ‘False,’ Discourages Use of Masks Against Expert Guidelines
In May 2020 — in the middle of a global COVID-19 pandemic — a screenshot of a dangerously misapplied Facebook fact-checking flag began circulating which falsely and dangerously contradicts best practices around the use of masks in public p
Truth or Fiction?→ Is Ulta Paying Employees for the Duration of the COVID-19 Pandemic?
On May 10 2020, Ulta Beauty became the subject of a viral Facebook post claiming that the chain continued paying their furloughed employees for the duration of the pandemic: In what appeared to be originally a friends-locked post, the alliterativel
Truth or Fiction?→ Were Pride Parades Cancelled Over COVID-19 Without Sparking Armed Protests?
Right-wing personality Tomi Lahren’s attempt to criticize “liberals” on Twitter was refuted when several other users pointed out that she was attempted to gin up controversy that was already moot. “To the pro-eternal shutdown c
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Striking’ Photograph of Children Playing in ‘Chalk Squares’ During Coronavirus Pandemic
On May 12 2020, the following image of small children separated by “chalk squares” on a playground during the COVID-19 pandemic began circulating: In a caption on the above iteration, the user wrote “Their reality …,” bu
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Gov. Gretchen Whitmer Say Any Protester Carrying a Firearm Will Be Arrested?
A British tabloid’s story on a right-wing demonstration in Michigan circulated via social media with a headline with a much different connotation than the one actually seen on its website. For Facebook users, the Daily Mail’s story on a Ma
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Elon Musk Use Buca di Beppo’s Photograph of a Sundae?
Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk drew another round of criticism online after reposting a restaurant chain’s promotional photograph without attribution. Musk posted the photo — an “ice cream sundae in a martini glass,” as he describe
Truth or Fiction?→ Did U.S. President Donald Trump Tweet That Obama Didn’t ‘Prepair’ for the Coronavirus Pandemic?
On May 12 2020, a screenshot of a purported tweet from United States President Donald Trump circulated — in which he purportedly lashed out at Barack Obama and said that his predecessor didn’t “prepair” for the coronavirus pa
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Woodstock Occur ‘in the Middle of a Pandemic’?
On May 1 2020, the American Institute for Economic Research reported that Woodstock was held during a pandemic — information which, in a vacuum, could pass for a charming piece of late 1960s nostalgia. But this information does not exist in a
Truth or Fiction?→ Is Ventura County COVID-19 Testing and Removing Children from Homes?
Among early May 2020 rumors about “forced testing” Americans for COVID-19 (occasionally with increasingly hysterical rumors about purported home intrusions under H.R. 6666) was a consistent claim that the government sought to remove childr
Truth or Fiction?→ Does House Bill 6666 (the TRACE Act) Allow the Government to Enter Your Home, Test for COVID-19, and Take Your Children or Parents?
In early May 2020, a number of panicked posts about proposed legislation (H.R. 6666, also called the Testing, Reaching, And Contacting Everyone, or TRACE Act) began spreading on social media, including a May 8 2020 video with a massive 2.5 million vie
Truth or Fiction?→ Is the California Department of Social Services Mandating COVID-19 Testing for Eligible Families — and Threatening to Place Children in Foster Care?
In early May 2020, a letter attributed to California’s Department of Social Services circulated on Facebook. It purportedly mandated that recipients of programs like MediCal and CalFresh immediately submit to testing for COVID-19 antigens or ant
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Neil Gaiman Reveal That He Was Reading a Book About Divorcing a Narcissist?
Observers and fans of author Neil Gaiman and singer Amanda Palmer were abuzz on May 8 2020, after a screengrab surfaced of what was believed to be another public manifestation of their recent split. The image — posted in at least two different p
Truth or Fiction?→ Do These X-Rays Show What COVID-19 Does To Your Lungs?
A graphic exhorting social media users to take COVID-19 seriously only added to the disinformation surrounding the disease. The meme, which began circulating on Facebook in May 2020, shows four different chest X-rays. The caption claims that the fourt
Truth or Fiction?→ Did FARK’s Drew Curtis ‘Predict’ a Difficult 2020 — in 2015?
On May 1 2020, FARK‘s Drew Curtis retweeted a tweet of his own — oddly, a December 31 2015 commentary about being a time traveler from 2020, advising readers to enjoy the new year (2016), because 2020 was apparently going to be something e
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Hydroxychloroquine 60¢ a Pill, Remdesivir $1000 a Dose, Now Do You See Why They are Pushing the New Drug and Not the Old One?’
On May 1 2020, a Facebook user shared the following post, which contained the claim that antiviral medication remdesivir had replaced hydroxychloroquine as a favored hopeful treatment for the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 because the former medica
Truth or Fiction?→ Did a May 6 1993 ‘Simpsons’ Episode Feature an ‘Asian Flu’ And ‘Murder Bees’?
Almost every major global event has a purported Simpsons episode predicting it, and COVID-19 was no different — but a variation of the 2020 claim that The Simpsons predicted COVID-19 snapped back with a second claim the same episode also pre
Truth or Fiction?→ COVID-19 HIPAA Face Mask Exemption ‘Passes’
Chances are in early May 2020 you saw at least one Facebook post depicting a somewhat-official looking printable document: A viral image claiming that Americans in any state where masks had been mandated or otherwise advised in public places were spe
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Texas Gov. Greg Abbott Admit That Reopening Businesses Would Lead to More COVID-19 Cases?
In the middle of announcing his plan calling for workers to resume business amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott was recorded admitting that he knew it would spur an increase in cases of the disease. “How do we know reopening busin
Truth or Fiction?→ Was ‘Proud Boy’ Rob Cantrell Photographed at a Right-Wing Protest in Michigan?
The photograph that came to symbolize the hypocrisy present in an anti-government protest in Michigan on April 30 2020 became the center of an unfounded allegation concerning its origins. The image, showing an unidentified man yelling at a group of po
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Venice in Quarantine’: Did Flamingos Flock to Quiet Canals?
Quirky or uplifting news was in high demand as the COVID-19 pandemic dragged on, which was likely the reason that a Facebook post (“Venice … in quarantine,” archived here) purportedly showing flamingos in the deserted canals of Venic