Around mid-August 2019, Facebook group posts about a purported end to Messenger group chat on August 22 began circulating: In the above post, the first paragraph stated: 💥 Attention Facebook Group owners:💥 the ability for you and/or your Grou
Publication: Fact Checks
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Franklin Graham Show a Double Standard on Presidential Infidelity?
An apparent about-face from evangelical activist and Republican supporter Franklin Graham gained traction online after being captured in a graphic spread through Facebook in August 2019. The graphic, which has been shared several thousand times on the
Truth or Fiction?→ Was a Crowd of People Filmed Taunting Philadelphia Police During a Standoff?
A Philadelphia television reporter’s remarks became part of a story in and of itself during a police standoff. During a live report on the standoff on 14 August 2019, journalist Alexandria Hoff was covering the standoff. During her time on the s
Truth or Fiction?→ Were Protesters of American Immigration Policies Hit by a Truck and Injured in Rhode Island?
On August 15 2019, Facebook posts (sometimes covered for graphic violence) appeared about an incident during which protesters at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in (Wyatt Detention Facility in Central Falls, Rhode Island) were reported
Truth or Fiction?→ Does Costco Pharmacy Have the Least Expensive Prices and No Membership Requirement?
A long-circulating Facebook post (archived here) claims that Costco pharmacy prices are always lower than other pharmacies, adding that Costco membership is not required to fill a prescription: In what appears to be Facebook commentary added to a
Truth or Fiction?→ Does Video Show Police Spraying Fake Blood on Themselves During a Philadelphia Shooting?
On August 15 2019, the conspiracy-oriented Facebook page “True News 4 U’s” shared a video (archived here) of police officers in Philadelphia purportedly spraying “fake blood” on themselves in the aftermath of a shooting.
Truth or Fiction?→ Did North Carolina Ban Sharia Law Statewide?
On July 29 2019, frequent Facebook disinformation purveyor Joseph Rudy Rullo posted a meme (archived here) claiming that North Carolina had banned sharia law. Above a map highlighting North Carolina, the meme read: NORTH CAROLINA HAS BANNED
Truth or Fiction?→ Did a Woman Post an Ad Offering to Babysit ‘White Kids Only’?
An apparent attempt at harassment against a woman in Cottage Grove, Oregon in August 2019 was amplified through social media on several platforms, and at least one blog post took the false claim at face value. A photograph of 31-year-old Amber Lee Hug
Truth or Fiction?→ Was the Mississippi Chicken Plant Raided by American Immigration Authorities Previously Sued for Workplace Abuses?
An early August 2019 Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raid at Mississippi chicken plant made national news due to its size and the number of children left without parents or guardians in its wake; in its aftermath, rumors claimed that the b
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Public Assistance Programs Exist in the United States Before Social Security?
In August 2019, disinformation and misinformation about the history of immigration to the United States flourished online following the announcement that United States President Donald Trump’s administration would pursue the so-called “pub
Truth or Fiction?→ Is the Trump Administration Rewriting the Statue of Liberty’s Poem?
On August 13 2019, a number of news outlets ran headlines such as “Trump official revises Statue of Liberty poem to defend migrant rule change” and “Cuccinelli edits Statue of Liberty poem to defend new rule,” leading some read
Truth or Fiction?→ A Million Seconds Ago Was July 24th, a Billion Seconds Ago Was 1988?
Around August 5 2019, a text meme began circulating on social media comparing a “million” to a “billion” by pointing out that a million seconds prior was the month before (specifically, July 24) and a billion seconds prior was
Truth or Fiction?→ Did a Gallery Worker Mistake an Art Installation for Trash?
An odd story from February 2014 involving a $14,000 art installation and an unwitting maintenance worker that first gained attention online through the use of Tumblr saw new life in August 2019 after being shared widely on Facebook. Italian media firs
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Manhattanites Start a Petition to Change Part of 5th Avenue to ‘Barack Obama Avenue’?
An August 10 2019 tweet by @donaldmackenz30 asserted that New Yorkers (or, more specifically, Manhattanites) dislike United States President Donald Trump so much that they created a petition proposing that the stretch of 5th Avenue between 56th and 5
Truth or Fiction?→ Are the ‘Epstein Gurney Photos’ Fake?
Conspiracy theories circulated broadly and relentlessly after the August 10 2019 death of high-profile convicted sex offender and accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein in federal custody, including claims that widely published “gurney photos&#
Truth or Fiction?→ Is Doc from ‘Fraggle Rock’ Also Doc from ‘Boondock Saints’?
In August 2019 Facebook page The Secret Nerd Base shared a “today years old” meme claiming that “Doc” from the childrens’ show Fraggle Rock was played by the same actor portraying “Doc” in the bloody vengean
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Cameras Malfunction in Prison the Night Jeffrey Epstein Died?
On August 10 2019, news broke that jailed financier and convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein died by suicide in a Metropolitan Correctional Center jail cell, immediately prompting a flood of conspiracy theories: Among those rumors was a claim
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Netflix Really Cancel ‘The OA’?
News that Netflix had cancelled its popular supernatural show The OA after airing only two of its five planned seasons aired broke on August 5 2019, causing #SaveTheOA and #RenewTheOA to trend on Twitter. Not long after, fans of the show on Reddit
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Anne Frank Write that ‘Terrible Things’ Were Happening, Parents Taken While Children Were at School?
After an August 7 2019 Immigration and Customs Enforcement raid in Mississippi in which young children were left to wander the streets after their parents had been arrested, a quote attributed to Anne Frank about similar occurrences before the Holoca
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Tommy Lee Write a Lengthy Anti-Trump Screed on Twitter?
On August 7 2019, musician Tommy Lee shared a screenshot of a longer post to Twitter, commentary in which he purportedly began “You Trumpsters better pray that liberals never gain control of the WH again”: pic.twitter.com/XLT4DQJo5b &mda
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘First Day of School’ Picture After Mississippi ICE Raid
On August 8 2019, Facebook user Lora Kay Morrow shared the following photograph (archived here), purportedly showing a distressed young girl whose parents were detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on her first day of school in Mississ
Truth or Fiction?→ 2019 ‘Reported Cases of Flesh Eating Bacteria’ Map on Facebook
On July 17 2019, a Facebook user shared a post (archived here), claiming an image of a map plotted the locations of “reported cases of flesh eating bacteria” that summer. In the status update, the user wrote: I will no longer be going to
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Last Year Guns Killed’ Protest Sign
A November 2018 Facebook post about purported gun deaths “last year” (in this case, 2017) circulated in the aftermath of two back-to-back deadly mass shootings in early August 2019 (post archived here): A sign held up at an unnamed eve
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Police in Texas Attach a ‘Leash’ to a Black Man’s Handcuffs?
On August 5 2019 the Facebook page “Adrienne Bell for Congress” shared the following image without a description, which appeared to show a black man handcuffed and attached to a leash held by a white police officer who was leading him do
Truth or Fiction?→ Is This an Accurate Picture of 2019’s Mass Shooters?
Research in progress. Two days after the August 3 2019 El Paso, Texas mass shooting, in which the suspect expressed a range of violent white supremacist views, an image was posted to Reddit’s r/conspiracy (archived here) purportedly showing a
Truth or Fiction?→ DJ Cooper ‘Pregnant’?
On August 4 2019, the Facebook page “NBA talk” shared a meme containing the claim that that male basketball player DJ Cooper’s urine test for drugs returned a positive result… but not for drugs: Along with a status update
Truth or Fiction?→ Are El Paso Mass Shooting Victims or Their Families Avoiding Hospitals for Fear of Immigration Enforcement?
After at least 22 people were murdered in an August 3 2019 mass shooting at an El Paso, Texas mall, rumors flew as the country tried to get a handle on the violence and anticipated what could happen next. Chief among the rumors were claims that Immigr
Truth or Fiction?→ Is Donald Trump Deleting Anti-Immigrant Tweets?
As several mass shootings within just days of one another left the United States reeling, the ideologies of the shooters began to come under scrutiny for possible ties to sites that specialize in radicalizing disaffected young men into violent white
Truth or Fiction?→ Is This ‘a Feminist’ Exposing Herself to Students During a Field Trip?
In late July 2019, the following tweet appeared, claiming that the following image shows a “feminist” exposing herself to children on a school field trip: School kids recently went on a trip to a feminist "art exhibit" and this
Truth or Fiction?→ Is Someone Putting Nair in Hair Conditioner Bottles?
A pair of posts shared to Facebook on July 28 and 29 2019 carried a warning to consumers, claiming that a woman’s hair had “fallen out in clumps” because someone had added Nair (or another cream-based depilatory) to conditioner purch
Truth or Fiction?→ Is OfficeMax Selling Bullet-Resistant Backpacks?
On July 28 2019, a Facebook user shared a Snapchat image to Facebook (archived here), apparently showing a sale at OfficeMax of bullet-resistant backpacks. Across the image was text reading “SHIT JUST BROKE MY HEART,” and the following co
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Lemons Evolve Naturally?
On July 29 2019, the Facebook page “Absurd Memes for a Better Tomorrow” shared a claim that lemons are not naturally occurring: Underneath a “what’s on your mind” tweet in a screenshot, another account responds with a
Truth or Fiction?→ Do Asylum Seekers Get $2,100 Per Month Starting Their First Day in the United States?
On July 16 2019, the following text-based status update (archived here) appeared on Facebook with the uncited claim that asylum seekers admitted to the United States receive a $2,100 monthly payment — whereas by comparison, Americans who had paid i
Truth or Fiction?→ Does Video Show Seesaws on Both Sides of the Border Wall?
On July 29 2019, the Facebook page “Jolt Texas” shared a video (archived here), stating that “[artists]Â installed seesaws at the border wall” so that “kids in the U.S. and Mexico could play together”: The clip r
Truth or Fiction?→ Can Only People Under 40 Hear This Sound?
In July 2019 a number of posts circulated Facebook, all of which linked to video of a 15000 Hz/15 kHz frequency sound that is purportedly only audible to people younger than 40. One iteration (archived here) accrued a large number of shares. Its origi
Truth or Fiction?→ Steve Jobs’ Last Words?
On July 30 2019, Facebook user Joseph Rudy Rullo shared what were purportedly Apple pioneer Steve Jobs’ last words (archived here), uttered on his deathbed: The post eventually segued into other musings, but it began with Jobs’ suppose
Truth or Fiction?→ Are ‘Beyond Meat’ or ‘Impossible Burger’ Ingredients Indistinguishable From Dog Food?
On July 20 2019, a Facebook user shared a photograph of what appears to be a block of text from an unnamed newspaper or a magazine, containing the claim that “meat substitutes” Beyond Meat and the Impossible Burger had the same ingredient
Truth or Fiction?→ Did U.S. President Donald Trump Say ‘What You’re Seeing’ Is ‘Not What’s Happening’?
In July 2019, the Facebook page “Bristol for Europe” shared side-by-side prints that contrasted a purported quote by United States President Donald Trump with one from English author George Orwell: On the left was a quote attributed t
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Mr. Rogers Challenge Pool Segregation with a Black Police Officer in 1969?
Press ahead of the 2019 release of a biopic about Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood star Fred Rogers led to increased interest in his remarkable life. One story this renewed attention unearthed detailed how the children’s show purportedly tack
Truth or Fiction?→ Did ICE Detain an American Citizen Despite His Proof of Citizenship?
In July 2019, multiple news organizations reported that American-born teenager Francisco Galicia was apprehended and detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) the previous month — who then kept him for close to a month: A United States