On January 25 2023, an Imgur account shared a screenshot of two posts from Twitter, one of which was attributed to failed Republican political candidate Jeff Younger (@JeffYoungerTX) on the topic of the “political power” of women and “
Publication: Fact Checks
Truth or Fiction?→ How Many Mass Shootings (So Far) in 2023?
On January 24 2023, a Reddit user on r/dankmemes shared a post indicating there had been 36 mass shootings in the United States for the year to date: New Year, Same Me from dankmemes Against a meme template from The Simpsons,
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘The Doomsday Clock Was Moved to 90 Seconds to Midnight … The Closest It’s Ever Been’
On January 24 2022, the hashtag #DoomsdayClock trended on Twitter; this seemed to be the result of several organizations and accounts referencing the “Doomsday Clock,” which was “moved to 90 seconds to midnight, the closest it’s
Truth or Fiction?→ Pink Floyd’s ‘Woke’ 50th Anniversary Rainbow Controversy
On January 19 2023, popular Twitter account @TravisAkers tweeted the following screenshot, purportedly illustrating backlash aimed at rock band Pink Floyd over a 50th anniversary “rainbow” logo on Facebook: Pink Floyd updated their profil
Truth or Fiction?→ Are Food Stamps (SNAP) Getting Cut?
On January 19 2023, Iowa state representative Sami Scheetz tweeted with a claim that the Republican party had “just proposed new restrictions on the types of food eligible for purchase with SNAP benefits”: The GOP just proposed new restr
Truth or Fiction?→ Amazon Ending Amazon Smile
On January 19 2023, a popular post on r/technology indicated Amazon was ending a service called “Amazon Smile,” its charitable donations program: Amazon discontinues charity donation program amid cost cuts from technology
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘A Georgia Republican Brags That Voter Suppression Helped Them in 2022’
On January 18 2023, an Imgur account submitted screenshots of an article with the headline, “A Georgia Republican Brags That Voter Suppression Helped Them in 2022”: Saying the quiet part out loud again The post was titled “Saying th
Truth or Fiction?→ Eggs, Chickens, and ‘Windfall Profit Tax’ Tweets
Amid concerns about the lack of availability and rocketing prices of eggs, a popular January 15 2023 post to Reddit’s r/SandersForPresident touched on one of the topics contained in public discussions: We need a windfall profits tax.
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Spy Software’ Time Theft Firing
In mid-January 2023, viral posts on social media addressed a worker who was reportedly fired after “spy software” identified “time theft”: Spy software found a worker wasn’t working as much as she said. Now she
Truth or Fiction?→ Was Pastina Discontinued?
In December 2022, social media posts began to appear with the claim that the small, star-shaped pasta known as “pastina” had been discontinued. A humorous December 30 2022 TikTok post titled “When they find out they discontinued past
Truth or Fiction?→ Joe Biden ‘Classified Documents’ Controversy
On January 9 2023, conspiracy theorist Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Georgia) tweeted that U.S. President Joe Biden “took classified documents from the White House,” claiming that the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the National Archives
Truth or Fiction?→ Keystone Pipeline Kansas Leak
On January 10 2023, Imgur user Mech0T1 shared a screenshot of a tweet, which claimed that the Keystone Pipeline ruptured in Kansas in December 2023: Last month, the Keystone pipeline ruptured for the 23rd time since 2010 and spilled 14,000 bathtubs&#
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Nobody Wants to Work Anymore,’ 1894 to 2022
On January 10 2023, an Imgur account shared a “nobody wants to work anymore” meme, which had a compilation of purported print appearances of the complaint dating all the way back to 1894: “Nobody wants to work anymore!” said pl
Truth or Fiction?→ Robin Williams: ‘Politicians Should Wear Sponsor Jackets’ Like NASCAR Drivers …
In January 2023, a viral tweet from late December 2022 continued to circulate, with a purported quip from late comedian and actor Robin Williams that politicians ought to wear “sponsor jackets” like NASCAR drivers: Robin Williams was righ
Truth or Fiction?→ John Deere and ‘Right to Repair,’ Explained
On January 9 2022, a top post on Reddit’s r/all claimed that farmers in the United States had won the “right to repair” John Deere equipment; the post originally appeared on r/news: US Farmers win right to repair John Deere
Truth or Fiction?→ George Santos Hand Gesture
Amid ongoing and fruitless efforts to elect a U.S. House Speaker on January 5 2023, a photograph of embattled freshman Rep.-elect George Santos (R-New York) using the “OK sign,” a hand gesture appropriated for signaling by white supremacist
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘To Catch a Predator’ Texas DA Tweet
On January 5 2023, a Reddit post to r/WhitePeopleTwitter queried whether it was true that the To Catch a Predator series (a sting-based reality show) ended after an entrapped Texas district attorney died by suicide “in front of the camera”
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Dead Pope Hammer’
After former Pope Benedict XVI died, a January 1 2023 tweet asserted that a “dead pope hammer” existed — purportedly used to “hit dead popes on the head three times” and affirm they decedent is genuinely “dead̶
Truth or Fiction?→ Vintage Union Christmas Cartoon
On December 22 2022, an Imgur account shared the following image of what appeared to be a vintage Christmas cartoon illustrating benefits offered by unions to working class Americans: No contextual information was supplied alongside the image, which
Truth or Fiction?→ Police Describe Member of Elon Musk’s Security Team as ‘Suspect’ in ‘Stalker’ Incident
On December 21 2022, an Imgur user shared a screenshot of the following tweet, asserting that a member of Elon Musk’s security team had been deemed a “suspect” in an incident Musk tweeted about earlier in December 2022: Overall, the
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘I Wish Iraqi Journalist Muntadhar Al-Zaidi a Very Pleasant Anniversary of the Time He Threw a Shoe at George W. Bush’
On December 20 2022, an Imgur account shared a screenshot that purportedly showed Iraqi journalist Muntadhar al-Zaidi thanking someone who wished him a “very pleasant anniversary of the time he threw a shoe at President George W. Bush” on
Truth or Fiction?→ A Brief History of New York Times Crossword Puzzle Swastikas
On December 19 2022, an Imgur account shared a screenshot of a tweet claiming that the December 18 2022 New York Times crossword puzzle was in the shape of a swastika: .@NYTimes Last straw. On the first night of Hanukkah?! I’m done with you. It’
Truth or Fiction?→ TikTok ‘Angel Cut,’ ‘Angel Cut With Layers’ Explained
On December 11 2022, TikTok hair influencer Leda Fazal (@ledafazal) shared a clip about an “angel cut” or “angel cut with layers,” one of many purported secret signals aimed at assisting victims of domestic violence or human tra
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘First Recorded Snowball Fight’
A December 11 2022 tweet from History in Pictures (@HistoryInPics) purportedly depicted the first recorded snowball fight in 1897: First ever recorded snowball fight (1897) pic.twitter.com/c6t6A0Mgo0 — History In Pictures (@HistoryInPics) Decem
Truth or Fiction?→ Original Lyrics to ‘Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas’
In December 2022, TikTok user @realityshowreject shared a video about the original lyrics to “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” stating that Judy Garland objected to them: @realityshowreject Does Christmas make anyone else incredibl
Truth or Fiction?→ Charlie Kirk Reads Messages From Georgians Bragging About Not Voting?
On December 8 2022, two Imgur accounts shared screenshots of a popular tweet which claimed that right-wing pundit and disinformation purveyor Charlie Kirk spent the first hour of his online show “reading emails from his listeners who said they d
Truth or Fiction?→ Wolfenstein Twitter Controversy, Explained
On December 5 2022, a popular post to Reddit’s r/WhitePeopleTwitter addressed the “Wolfenstein” video game franchise — more specifically, purported complaints that the game had become overtly “political”:
Truth or Fiction?→ DeSantis Lawyers ‘Define Woke’
On December 3 2022, tweets and posts appeared about attorneys for Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) being “forced” to define the popular descriptor “woke,” purportedly responding that it was “the belief there are systemi
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Tax Refund Shock’
On December 1 2022, an Imgur user shared a screenshot of a news article reporting that 2023 U.S. tax refunds (that is, filed in 2023 for the year 2022) might “shock” filers: That claim alone was provocative, as many Americans rely on annu
Truth or Fiction?→ ’88 Words’
On November 30 2022, tweets about a Republican fundraising email containing the phrase “88 words” appeared: I hate playing “gotcha” — regardless of the side. But I’m striving to understand why — during week of Trump/Kanye/Fuente
Truth or Fiction?→ Twitter No Longer Enforcing COVID Misinformation Policy
On November 29 2022, a post to Reddit’s r/news claimed that Twitter had stopped enforcing its policy on disinformation and misinformation around COVID-19: Twitter is no longer enforcing its Covid misinformation policy from news
Truth or Fiction?→ An Arizona County Won’t Certify Election Results After 2022 Midterms
On November 29 2022, an Imgur account shared a text-based image containing the claim that a county in Arizona is refusing to certify the results of the November 2022 midterm election: The text said: A thing is going on in Arizona. A few counties, wher
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Established Titles’ Controversy
On November 23 2022, YouTube creator Scott Shafer uploaded a video partly titled “Established Titles Scam -YouTube’s BIGGEST Con,” about a common sponsor of YouTube shows (the company Established Titles) and whether their business mo
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Died Suddenly’ and the ‘Irish Light’
On November 22 2022, posts and tweets suddenly began to reference a new issue of a purported newspaper (the Irish Light), and its ominous-sounding “Died Suddenly” cover: The Died Suddenly edition of the Irish light is out now. pic.twitte
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Buffalo, NY. Look at All That Snow 😱 ❄️’
A massive snowstorm on November 20 2022 in Buffalo, New York in turn caused a veritable blizzard of images of staggering quantities of snow to circulate across platforms, among them a viral Facebook post purportedly showing the aftermath of the storm a
Truth or Fiction?→ Is the Suspected Colorado Shooter the Grandson of a ‘GOP California State Assemblyman’?
On November 21 2022, in the days following a mass shooting attack at the LGBTQ Club Q in Colorado Springs that left at least five people dead, screenshots circulated on Reddit and Imgur (twice) of a tweet claiming that the suspected shooter was the gr
Truth or Fiction?→ Were Elon Musk and Donald Trump Both Complaining About ‘Activists’?
As criticism mounted surrounding Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter, a comedy writer gained attention on the platform with a post that had other users comparing Musk to right-wing former United States President Donald Trump. On November 4 2022, Musk
Truth or Fiction?→ Tulsa Donut Hole Firebombed After Hosting Drag Event
On November 3 2022, a viral tweet with video indicated that Tulsa, Oklahoma’s Donut Hole was firebombed “after hosting a drag show”: The Donut Hole in Tulsa, Oklahoma was firebombed after it hosted a drag show. This is the inevitabl
Truth or Fiction?→ Claussen ‘Pickle Candy Corn’
On Halloween 2022, a photograph of Claussen “pickle candy corn” was shared to Facebook by The Big Dill (@worldslargestpickleparty): In an appended status update, The Big Dill wrote: “Honestly i’m cornflicted.” The image d
Truth or Fiction?→ Mike Pence ‘Freedom From Religion’ Comments
On October 26 2022, two tweets asserted that former United States Vice President Mike Pence had claimed that Americans do not have “freedom from religion”: BREAKING: Mike Pence claims on Fox News that there is no such thing as “freedom