A popular and lengthy social media quote attributed to Frida Kahlo (containing the lines “leaving is not enough” and “take a lover who looks at you like maybe you are magic”) was shared once again in early April 2019 on Faceboo
Publication: Fact Checks
Truth or Fiction?→ Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: ‘Socialism for the Rich, Rugged Individualism for the Poor’?
On April 2 2019, Facebook page “The Other 98%” shared a meme (archived here) with an apparent quote from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on “socialism for the rich” and “rugged individualism for the poor”: To the rig
Truth or Fiction?→ Monster Supercell in Burwell, Nebraska
On March 18 2019, a Facebook user shared the image below (archived here) with the caption “monster supercell, burwell, nebraska”: Several commenters expressed their concerns for the original poster’s safety, while others pointed out
Truth or Fiction?→ Were 70 Christians Massacred by Muslims in March 2019?
On March 19 2019, a Facebook user shared the status update below (archived here), claiming that 70 Nigerian Christians had been massacred by Muslims one day previously: Yesterday, muslims marched into a college in Nigeria, separated out the Christian
Truth or Fiction?→ Asylum-Seekers Held Under a Bridge in El Paso
On March 28 2019, a Twitter user shared the following tweet, purportedly showing a large number of people being detained under an overpass in El Paso, Texas: This concentration camp full of children is in El Paso, Texas, United States. It’s 2019. p
Truth or Fiction?→ Charles Kinsey Shooting
On March 20 2019, the following screenshot and text (archived here) was publicly shared on Facebook, accruing a six-figure share count in under a week: Charles Kinsey is his FUCKING NAME. Edit: the officer who shot him is Jonathon Aledda In the screen
Truth or Fiction?→ Pitcher Plant or ‘Penis Flytrap’
In March 2019, the following image was shared by Thailand Secrets (archived here), Pictures in History (original, archived here), “Historical Pictures” (archived here), Reddit r/mildlypenis, and Reddit r/misleadingthumbnails: Known a
Truth or Fiction?→ Tandem Nursing Milk Differences
A March 24 2019 post on the Facebook page “Breast is Best without Fear” (archived here) featured a purported image of different milks expressed by the “same mama,” thanks to nursing children of different ages and with separate
Truth or Fiction?→ John McCain vs. Donald Trump in 1973 Meme
In March 2019, United States President Donald Trump made several comments about Sen. John McCain, who died of brain cancer the previous August. Trump’s 2019 comments continued a feud that he had had with McCain before his death: President Donald
Truth or Fiction?→ Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Facts Meme
On March 14 2019, the Facebook page Occupy Democrats shared a meme (archived here), making a number of claims about U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York): Next to a photograph of Ocasio-Cortez, the meme’s text read: In high school she
Truth or Fiction?→ Do 21 Fathers Die of Suicide Each Week Because of Child Custody Disputes?
In March 2019, a photo-based Facebook image post (archived here) contained the claim that 21 fathers died by suicide every week specifically because of “child access issues”: The post included a status update comment and a message on a si
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Company Policies’ Poster
In March 2019, a poster of “Company Policies” spread on Facebook (archived here) and other sites, purportedly illustrating draconian — yet believable — rules for employees at an unidentified company: Many versions of the image appear
Truth or Fiction?→ Woodland Hills ‘Sharia Law’ Poster
On March 24 2019, a Facebook post in the group “Political Liars” (archived here) attributed a poster that apparently appeared in Woodland Hills, California to the Council on American-Islamic Relations, also known as CAIR: A status upda
Truth or Fiction?→ Guardian Angel Crying at the Cradle of an Aborted Fetus?
A February 28 2019 Facebook post (archived here) shared the image reproduced above with the following text: I shared this picture a few minutes ago, then about 5 minutes after I shared it, the post was removed from my page and also from the page of wh
Truth or Fiction?→ Derma Chronic Autoimmune Disease
On January 30 2019, this meme (archived here) appeared on Facebook, containing a claim (without sources or citations) that migrants in a caravan carried a frightening ailment known as “derma chronic autoimmune disease.” The post featured
Truth or Fiction?→ Is a ‘Bizarre New Strain of Strep’ Causing a Rash and Infecting Sinuses?
On March 3 2019, a Canadian Facebook user shared a “public service announcement” about a purportedly bizarre and new strain of streptococcus aureus going around (post archived here.) The poster referenced a second post of hers (archived h
Truth or Fiction?→ Retaliatory Attack on Christian Church in Pakistan?
On March 18 2019, just days after a right-wing extremist traveled from Australia to Christchurch, New Zealand to murder fifty people at two mosques during Friday prayers, British conservative commentator Theodora Dickinson posted a video of a burning
Truth or Fiction?→ 8 Mind-Blowing Transformations You Can Do at Home?
On March 16 2019, the Facebook page “Blossom” shared a video entitled “8 mind-blowing transformations you can do at home!” to its page and to Facebook Watch. The video raked in a massive 58 million views in just a few days, an
Truth or Fiction?→ Is the ‘OK’ Hand Sign Also American Sign Language for ‘Asshole’?
In March 2019, a Facebook user shared a meme (archived here) which claimed that the “OK sign” hand gesture is both favored by white supremacists, and that it is also American Sign Language for the word “asshole”: The meme̵
Truth or Fiction?→ Is the ‘OK’ Hand Sign Also American Sign Language for ‘Asshole’?
In March 2019, a Facebook user shared a meme (archived here) which claimed that the “OK sign” hand gesture is both favored by white supremacists, and that it is also American Sign Language for the word “asshole”: The meme̵
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Why Did Slaves Come to America?’ School Worksheet
In March 2019, two viral Facebook posts circulated with an image of an alarmingly inaccurate “Why Did Slaves Come to America?” worksheet. The viral Facebook posts were part of a larger controversy in February and March 2019 about myriad i
Truth or Fiction?→ Praying Emoji or High Five?
A long-circulating meme suggests that the “praying” emoji is definitively a “high five,” and a common iteration (seen above) shows a search for the term “highfive” with commentary such as “y’all be high
Truth or Fiction?→ Is This a World War II Photograph of Unwanted Babies for Sale in France?
On March 14 2019, the Facebook page “Pictures in History” shared an image (archived here) with the following status update: Unwanted babies for sale in France during World War II, 1940 This wasn’t this particular group’s fi
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Dave Chappelle Say ‘If You Stopped Listening to Michael Jackson … I Have Some Bad News About the Catholic Church’?
The March 2019 wide release of documentary Leaving Neverland prompted a flurry of social media activity, among the posts was a meme purportedly quoting comedian Dave Chappelle about reaction to the documentary, Michael Jackson, and the Catholic Church
Truth or Fiction?→ Does Passage of HR1 Allow Undocumented Immigrants to Vote?
On March 8 2019, a text-based status update began circulating on Facebook (archived here), asserting that the passage of legislation called HR1 granted “illegal immigrants” the right to vote. The white text across a purple background read
Truth or Fiction?→ Did President Barack Obama Settle 70,000 Somali Refugees in Minnesota, Leading to Rep. Ilhan Omar’s Election?
On March 12 2019, a Facebook user shared the image and text-based status update above (archived here) to the Facebook group “LARGEST GROUP EVER! We need 10000000 members to Make America Great Again!”, claiming that President Obama settled
Truth or Fiction?→ Did James Charles Use a Racial Slur in Twitter DMs?
Late on March 12 2019, a Twitter user shared a link (archived here) to an unavailable tweet and claimed that beauty YouTuber James Charles called them a racial slur: In a follow up tweet (archived here), the user reiterated the claim. Those images c
Truth or Fiction?→ 2005 Obama Immigration Quote
In January 2019, New Jersey politician Joseph Rudy Rullo shared the following meme (archived here), purportedly quoting then-U.S. Senator Barack Obama on immigration: It featured a photograph of Obama on the right, and on the left it read: “W
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Say Her Girl Scout Troop Recreated the Challenger Launch?
On March 10 2019, right-wing YouTube personality and conspiracy theorist Mark Dice shared the following meme to Twitter and Facebook about a purported quote by U.S. Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: First, Dice tweeted the image above with no
Truth or Fiction?→ Was Brooke Shields Photographed for ‘Playboy’ at Age 10?
In March 2019, the following meme appeared (archived here), containing a claim that Brooke Shields had been photographed suggestively for Playboy magazine when she was just ten years old: The image featured a heavily made-up small girl who looked q
Truth or Fiction?→ Will Michael Jackson’s Body Be Exhumed?
On March 7 2019, pop culture and media sites published a virally popular article (archived here) claiming that pop superstar Michael Jackson’s body may be exhumed: Express.co.uk is reporting that at least 11 new people are accusing Michael Jac
Truth or Fiction?→ Will Earth Lose Two-Thirds of its Animals by 2020?
In early March 2019, a Facebook user shared a screenshot (archived here) of a tweet sent the same day, which admonished followers of a scandal involving the Kardashian family. That post claimed that while readers were busy on Kardashian gossip, two-t
Truth or Fiction?→ Do New Chicago City ID Cards Allow Undocumented Immigrants to Vote?
On January 19 2019, a Facebook user shared a text-based status update (archived here), claiming that Chicago’s “City ID Cards” enables undocumented immigrants to legally vote in state and federal elections: Chicago now has City ID Ca
Truth or Fiction?→ If You Have Astigmatism, This Is What Lights Look Like
On February 28 2019, a Facebook user shared the image below (archived here) and commented: “So if u have astigmatism, then this is what lights look like to you. I always thought this was what they looked like for everybody”: The post was
Truth or Fiction?→ Was Mr. Rogers Bisexual?
On March 5 2019, an unexpected rumor that Fred Rogers (the creator and star of the beloved American children’s television show Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood) was bisexual began spreading on LGBTQ news sites and social media in general. Seve
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Say ‘White Women’ Need to Have Fewer Children and ‘More Abortions’?
In early March 2019, a Facebook user shared the following indifferently-spelled meme (archived here), featuring Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and a quote in which she purportedly insisted that “white women” ought to have ̶
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘There is Room in America and Brotherhood for All’ Statue of Liberty Dedication Speech
On March 3 2019, Texas politician Sid Miller shared “An important reminder!”, a meme (archived here) purportedly providing the last line in a Statue of Liberty dedication speech from October 1886: Atop a bronze Statue of Liberty, the meme
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Luke Perry Die After a Pneumonia Vaccine?
Actor Luke Perry died following a stroke on March 4 2019. That same day, a screenshot (archived here) suggesting Perry had received a pneumonia vaccine just before his stroke appeared and quickly began circulating: The post, captioned “In cas
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Say ‘All the Technology in the World Won’t Let Us Build a Wall in the Mountains’?
On February 22 2019, Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) shared the following meme (archived here), purporting to quote Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on the feasibility of building walls across mountains in an apparent reference to the United States border: Kin
Truth or Fiction?→ #911 Facebook Green Line or Snitch Meme
A long-circulating Facebook status meme of indeterminate claims that typing #911 in a comment will generate a green line or green bar, confirming that the user commenting is “not a snitch.” Variations of the meme (which date back to March