On May 22 2022, popular posts to r/worldnews and elsewhere carried an alarming claim that only ten weeks of wheat remained in global supply reserves — mostly, but not entirely, because of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine: World has
Publication: Fact Checks
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Woke’ Marvel, Jane Foster, and ‘Thor Losers’
In an example of using memes to fight pop culture disinformation, a graphic circulating on the platform Imgur refutes the misconception that Natalie Portman’s appearance in an upcoming Marvel Studios movie is a modern concession to “woke
Truth or Fiction?→ When Was Commercial Baby Formula ‘Invented’?
Amid a May 2022 baby formula shortage, dangerous discussions began about homemade formula — along with myriad social media posts asserting that Baby Boomers’ parents didn’t have access to formula, and they “turned out just fine
Truth or Fiction?→ Texas Governor Tweets, Quietly Deletes ‘@ElonMusk Picked the Right State to Move to’
On May 20 2022, journalist Kara Carlson tweeted an apparent screenshot of a deleted tweet from Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R), in which Abbott retweeted Musk and addressed Musk’s relocation to Texas: now deleted: pic.twitter.com/QYtGbZhpp1 —
Truth or Fiction?→ Denmark Versus Netherlands Football Match, Both Teams Wear Ukraine Jerseys
On May 18 2022, an Imgur user shared a post that purportedly depicted a football match between teams from Denmark and the Netherlands — with both sides in “Ukraine” jerseys. The post was titled “Denmark plays with Netherlands
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘192 Republicans Voted Against’ Baby Formula Shortage Funding?
On May 18 and 19 2022, a number of posts on Imgur and Twitter asserted that “192 Republicans” voted against funding to address an ongoing baby formula shortage: Why did 192 Republicans vote against a $28 million emergency fund to address
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Republicans Block a Gas Price Gouging Bill?
On May 18 2022, a screenshot of a headline, “Republicans block bill to stop price gouging at the pump as gas hits new record high,” dated the day before, was popular on Imgur: We found a link to the article on Reddit’s r/democrats on
Truth or Fiction?→ Candace Owens’ Ivermectin Fox News Tweet
On May 16 2022, Twitter user @BagdMilkSoWhat shared a purported screenshot of a tweet by right-wing pundit and disinformation purveyor Candace Owens, retweeting a Fox News tweet about parasite medication ivermectin causing incontinence: Oops #ShitCan
Truth or Fiction?→ Lauren Boebert ‘Severe Thunderstorm Watch’ Tweet
On May 16 2022, a screenshot of a purported tweet attributed to Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colorado) circulated, pinning the blame for a “severe thunderstorm watch” in New York to the policies of United States President Joe Biden: @laurenboeb
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Viking Was a Job … Not a Race or Ethnicity’
In May 2022, screenshots of a tweet about Netflix, Vikings, and white supremacy circulated on Facebook. In tweet seen in the screenshot, user @YasmineJibril retweeted another user’s commentary about Netflix’s purported casting of a woman of
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘NASA’ Warns Asteroid Headed Toward Earth?
On May 13 2022, an item from a site called American Military News (“NASA warns asteroid larger than Empire State Building headed towards Earth this weekend”) appeared on Trendolizer, indicating significant social media traction: NASA war
Truth or Fiction?→ Becky Lynn Paige ‘Parents Divorce Due to Medical Debt’ Tweet
On May 12 2022, an Imgur account shared a purported screenshot of a tweet by a woman who said that her parents had divorced after 52 years — so that her mother would not inherit her father’s medical debt after his death: On a patterned ba
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Yoga Barbie’ Satanic Panic Facebook Post
On May 3 2022, a Facebook user warned that “yoga Barbie” poses a spiritual threat to innocent children: “Yoga Barbie” is at Target on the shelf. Satan always comes as appearing innocent. He will never come with horns and a pitch
Truth or Fiction?→ A ‘Homemade Baby Formula’ Recipe from 1960 is Viral — and Dangerous
An April 26 2022 Facebook post featuring an emergency “homemade baby formula” recipe spread virally on platforms as a baby formula shortage worsened — and as experts pleaded with parents not to experiment with diluted or homemade form
Truth or Fiction?→ … ‘In the 90s, the [Supreme] Court Held That Protesting Outside of the Homes of Abortion Clinic Employees Is Protected by the First Amendment’
On May 9 2022, discourse about the SCOTUS/Roe v. Wade leak turned to ongoing protests outside the homes of Supreme Court justices — and a very popular tweet suggested that in the 1990s, that same court ruled that protests outside the homes of abo
Truth or Fiction?→ Wisconsin ‘Child Labor Laws’ Meme
On May 8 2022, the Twitter account @YourAnonNews (and an Imgur account) shared a meme about Wisconsin child labor law changes to combat a “labor shortage”: pic.twitter.com/YSRz865fm3 — Anonymous (@YourAnonNews) May 8, 2022 On M
Truth or Fiction?→ Russian Ambassador to Poland Covered in Red Paint?
On May 9 2022, three Imgur posts purportedly showed Russia’s ambassador to Poland after an incident in Warsaw in which protesters threw red paint at him: One of the three posts linked to a tweet featuring video of the purported protest in Warsa
Truth or Fiction?→ Louisiana IUD Bill
On May 6 2022, a Twitter screenshot posted to Imgur suggested that Louisiana planned to vote to criminalize IUDs. No link was provided, but the screenshot of a tweet by Pam Keith was originally shared on May 5 2022: Louisiana is voting on a bill to
Truth or Fiction?→ Was the Original Roe v. Wade Decision Leaked?
On May 5 2022, popular posts claimed that the “original Roe v. Wade decision was leaked, too,” addressing assertions that the May 2022 leak of a Supreme Court draft decision to overturn Roe v. Wade was “unprecedented”: Fact-ch
Truth or Fiction?→ What Percent of Americans Believe Abortion Should Be Illegal?
On May 4 2022, a Reddit user shared a chart to r/dataisbeautiful amid ongoing, extremely fraught discourse about a leaked Supreme Court decision that aims to overturn Roe v. Wade: [OC] The Percent of Americans Who Believe Abortion Should Be
Truth or Fiction?→ Russian State Media Claimed Ukraine Showed Signs of ‘Black Magic’ Use
On May 4 2022, Ukrainian journalist Anastasiia Lapatina tweeted about Russian state media purportedly accusing the Ukrainian military of engaging in “black magic”: Russian state media: “Signs of black magic were found in Ukrainian milit
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Domestic Supply of Infants’
On May 4 2022, an Imgur user shared a post titled “Domestic Supply of Infants,” which contained a screengrab of a footnote to a recently leaked Supreme Court draft decision to overturn Roe v. Wade: The blurry image of the footnote [46] rea
Truth or Fiction?→ Can Congress Codify Roe v. Wade?
A May 2 2022 tweet by Sen. Bernie Sanders — asserting that Congress “must act” to codify Roe v. Wade — was widely popular on Twitter and shared at least three times to Imgur the following day: Sanders tweeted the same text twic
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Sorry I Stole Your Car … Drove to Vinnytsia’ Ukraine
On May 2 2022, an Imgur user shared a photograph of a vehicle and a strangely heartwarming story about an individual apologizing because they “stole” a car — only to learn that the owner had left the keys in the ignition to help other
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘ … 4/25/1886: The New York Times Called the Eight-Hour Workday Movement “Un-American”‘
On May 2 2022, an Imgur user shared a screenshot of a tweet which claimed that on April 25 1886, the New York Times called the eight-hour workday movement “un-American,” and “blamed the ‘labor disturbances’ on ‘for
Truth or Fiction?→ Ulta Kate Spade Email Controversy
On May 2 2022, myriad social media accounts posted about an unfortunate Ulta/Kate Spade promotion, with horrified postings to Facebook, Twitter, and Reddit about a poorly-conceived email: Should they have thought before sending out an email
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘You Remember The Real America if You Can Remember…’
On April 28 2022, the Facebook page “Vagina Devil Magic” shared an image of a “You Remember the Real America” handbill, dated June 1980 and featuring eerily familiar political sentiments — 42 years later. The text on the f
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Moscow Summons Croatian Military Attaché to Hand in a Protest Note … He Simply Refuses to Take it. Legend’
On April 28 2022, an Imgur user shared a meme, purportedly showing a Croatian attaché in the act of refusing a note in an act of protest against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine: A photograph at the bottom of the image showed two men and one woman.
Truth or Fiction?→ South Dakota Teacher Calvin Hillesland Investigated for Note to Transgender Students
On April 27 2022, an Imgur user shared screenshots of a tweet with a photo that purportedly depicted a letter from a South Dakota teacher to transgender students: South Dakota. Zero days without being a national embarrassment. Local teacher at the h
Truth or Fiction?→ Jim Carrey ‘Solitude is Dangerous’ Quote
On April 26 2022, an Imgur user shared a meme that attributed a quote to actor Jim Carrey about “solitude” being “addictive”: Underneath a photograph of Carrey, text read: “Solitude is dangerous. It’s very addictive. It be
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘The Amount Elon Musk Just Paid for Twitter ($44 Billion) is Nearly Equal to Biden’s Proposed Climate Budget ($44.9 Billion)’
On April 27 2022, an Imgur user shared a screenshot of a viral tweet claiming the amount of money Elon Musk would purportedly pay in order to acquire Twitter was nearly equal to funds allocated in the Biden administration’s proposed climate budge
Truth or Fiction?→ Jason Miller’s ‘Antifa Narrative’ Capitol Insurrection Texts
On April 26 2022, a viral screenshot of a tweet purportedly showed the content of a text message in which Jason Miller, advisor to former United States President Donald Trump, suggested blaming anti-fascist protestors for the deadly Capitol insurrect
Truth or Fiction?→ Marjorie Taylor Greene’s ‘Peaceful Transfer of Power’ Testimony
On April 26 2022, screenshots spread of a viral tweet claiming that Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Georgia) inadvertently insisted that a statement objecting to a “peaceful transfer of power” be entered into evidence during an April 22 20
Truth or Fiction?→ Atlanta AirBnB Rules
On April 25 2022, various social media groups published a screenshot of a tweet describing purported AirBnB rules introduced in Atlanta, Georgia in April 2022: I personally loved the new rules ATL put into place for Airbnbs in April. – You ca
Truth or Fiction?→ Brooklyn Public Library Grants Teens Across America Access
On April 24 2022, Facebook page “The Other 98%” shared another page’s Twitter screenshot from @Goodable, in a post about the Brooklyn Public Library purportedly granting teenaged readers access to uncensored material: The Brooklyn
Truth or Fiction?→ Tennessee Drunk Driving Child Support Bill
On April 22 2022, posts on Imgur and Reddit alluded to a purported new bill in Tennessee requiring “drunk drivers” to pay child support if their actions led to the death of a parent of a minor child or children: A post was published by a n
Truth or Fiction?→ Florida, Disney, and Taxes
On April 21 2022, several news organizations reported that Florida revoked Disney’s tax status in retaliation for the company’s position on the “Don’t Say Gay” (formally called the Parental Rights in Education) bill —
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘This is What a Dial Up Modem Connection Looks Like on the Spectrogram (DTMF Handshake and Call)
On April 21 2022, an Imgur account shared video of what was apparently a visual representation of “what a dial up modem connection looks like on the spectrogram,” a post that evoked nostalgia for those who populated the early internet: Thi
Truth or Fiction?→ Were ‘More Than 1,000,000,000’ Immigrants Arrested at the U.S. Border in Six Months?
A right-wing congresswoman from Arizona posted — then quickly deleted — a tweet attempting to whip up anti-immigrant sentiment while also failing at math. “Border Patrol agents have apprehended more than 1,000,000,000 migrants at our
Truth or Fiction?→ Newsmax ‘Black Conservatives’ Screenshot
On April 20 2022, a purported Newsmax “Black conservatives” Twitter screenshot circulated on Imgur and Reddit: TIL Ben is considered to be a traitor from benshapiro One of the Reddit iterations appeared on r/ToiletP