The decade-long debate over Pluto's planetary status has provided fodder for April Fool's Day jokes and fake news.
Publication: Fake-News
Snopes→ Was a Pedophile Priest with HIV Who Raped Children Crucified?
The viral tale of Father Jose Garcia Ataulfo, already questionable to begin with, has been embellished with fabricated fictional elements.
Snopes→ Were $4 Million and Two Dead Bodies Found in a Democratic Mayor’s Storage Unit?
Presumably, being the fictional mayor of a non-existent town shields one from prosecution for crimes that didn't occur.
FactCheck.org→ No Evidence of Demi Moore Quote
Q: Did Demi Moore say, “I do not want Trump supporters for fans”? A: No. Questionable websites have published the quote with no evidence to support it. FULL ANSWER False stories about celebrities waxing political have been proliferating
Snopes→ Did Dolly Parton Say: ‘Trump In One Year Is Already Better Than 16 Years of Bush, Obama Put Together’?
Celebrities say the most outrageous things, especially when it comes to politics! Or do they? Sometimes they do, and sometimes they don't.
Snopes→ Did Trump’s Doctor Say the President Was ‘Too Sick to Talk to Mueller’?
President Trump may not talk to special counsel Robert Mueller after all, but not because he was excused by a doctor's note.
Snopes→ Is Australia Using Chemtrails to Forcibly Vaccinate its Residents?
A disreputable web site recycled an already-spurious claim by an anti-vaccine publisher.
FactCheck.org→ Soros Didn’t Pay for Shutdown Votes
Q: Did George Soros pay three Democratic U.S. senators to vote for a government shutdown? A: No. The “senators” named in a fictional story are not real. FULL ANSWER “Fred Marken,” “Louis Kearns” and “Gerald
Snopes→ Is Trey Gowdy Replacing Mike Pence on the 2020 GOP Ticket?
Curious political rumor holds that Vice President Mike Pence will be stepping down from the Republican ticket in 2020 to run for a U.S. Senate seat in Indiana.
Snopes→ Will Robert Mueller Be Forced to Resign Over an Affair with Nancy Pelosi?
The man heading an investigation that may implicate President Trump will not be stepping down over salacious revelations.
Snopes→ Was Ivanka Trump Critically Injured After Being Shot by a Sniper?
A "satirical" web site run by a prolific purveyor of fake news publishes yet another distasteful and false story.
Snopes→ Does a New Law Allow Atheist Doctors to Refuse Care to Religious Patients?
A satirical article caused confusion by playing off a recent policy change at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Snopes→ Were Democrats ‘Up All Night Doing Blow’ with Obama to Celebrate Shutdown?
Fake news crosses the line from the barely plausible to the ludicrously ridiculous.
Truth or Fiction?→ Mark Zuckerberg Retires from Facebook in 2018-Fiction!
Mark Zuckerberg Retires from Facebook in 2018-Fiction! Summary of eRumor: Mark Zuckerberg has announced that he’s retiring as president and CEO of Facebook in 2018. The Truth: Mark Zuckerberg has not announced his retirement from Facebook. That r
Snopes→ Pope Francis Rails Against ‘Fake News,’ Condemns ‘Snake-Tactics’ of Its Authors
The Holy Father compared those who create and spread misinformation to the "crafty" serpent in the Biblical Garden of Eden.
FactCheck.org→ Out With the ‘Old Dixie’
Q: Did President Donald Trump order the removal of Barack Obama’s name from a Florida highway? A: No. That rumor comes from a false headline attached to a 2015 opinion piece critical of the name change. FULL QUESTION Do you know if this is tru
Snopes→ Was the Body of the Clintons’ Former Housekeeper Found in Arkansas?
The woman had supposedly disappeared after being abruptly dismissed in 1985 and was reportedly pregnant at the time of her death.
Snopes→ NFL Admits to Rigging Games?
A deceptive video created by a "satire" Facebook page quickly spread on social media.
Snopes→ Did Obama, Soros, and Democrats Order a Government Shutdown to Stage a Coup?
Some fake news is so fake that it doesn't even make coherent sense.
FactCheck.org→ No Shutdown Shakedown
Q: Did Sen. Chuck Schumer take $500,000 in donations from immigrant advocacy groups before the government shutdown? A: No. That rumor originated on a satirical website. FULL QUESTION Did Chuck Schumer receive donations from illegal immigrant support
Snopes→ Did Melania Trump Ban White House Staff from Taking Flu Shot?
Disreputable web sites reported that the first lady banned flu shots in the White House after learning of "adverse health effects."
Snopes→ Did Sylvester Stallone Say Obama Is a ‘Closet Homosexual Living a Lie’?
The 'Rocky' star supposedly decried the former president for having 'lived his whole pathetic life as a lie.'
Snopes→ Was a U.S. Pilot Shot Down After Destroying a North Korean Missile?
A United States Air Force pilot is not MIA after shooting a North Korean missile down.
Truth or Fiction?→ Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee Tweets President Trump Determined to Start War with North Japan-Fiction!
Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee Tweets President Trump Determined to Start War with North Japan-Fiction! Summary of eRumor: U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) tweeted that President Trump is determined to start war with “North Japan” and reference
Snopes→ Was Malia Obama Busted While Streaking at Harvard?
Reports that Malia Obama was arrested after being caught drinking while underage and running naked across the Harvard campus are fake news.
Snopes→ Did Jim Bakker Say ‘Trump Was Merely Sharing the Gospel with That Porn Star’?
Reports that a televangelist disclaimed Donald Trump's alleged affair with a porn actress as "sharing the gospel" are fake news.
Snopes→ Did Charles Schumer Receive $500K Donation from Pro-Illegal Alien Group Just Before Vote?
Reports that the New York senator accepted a campaign donation of half a million dollars from pro-immigration groups just prior to a crucial Congressional vote are fake news.
Snopes→ Is Tide Discontinuing Their PODS Product Because Consumers Eat Them?
A viral fake tweet caused some social media users to question whether the Tide Challenge spelled the end of the Tide PODS product.
Snopes→ Did Demi Moore Say ‘I Do Not Want Trump Supporters for Fans’?
Clickbait web sites generate traffic by putting controversial political statements into the mouths of celebrities who never uttered them.
Snopes→ Did Mark Zuckerberg Buy a $150 Million Yacht?
A Turkish web site published, then deleted, a quickly-debunked story about Facebook's chief executive officer.
FactCheck.org→ Fake Denzel Washington Story
Q: Did Denzel Washington call Barack Obama the “criminal-in-chief”? A: No. The actor has been a steady supporter of Obama and of other Democrats. FULL QUESTION Is the article “Denzel Washington: Criminal-In-Chief Obama” acc
Snopes→ Did Marine Corps Leaders Warn Marines to Stop Eating Tide Pods?
News of the nonexistent warning from the Marine Corps' top brass originated on a satirical blog.
Snopes→ Did Macaulay Culkin Say Satanic Hollywood Executives Wear Shoes Made From Dead Children?
Fake news sites reported that the former child star says Hollywood is run by Satanic pedophiles who ritually murdering children.
Snopes→ Did Katy Perry Say Praying to Satan Should Be On Your Bucket List?
A disreputable web site with a penchant for inventing celebrity quotes said the singer had called Satan worship "a real trip."
Snopes→ Did Melania Trump Copy Michelle Obama’s MLK Day Message?
Rumors holding that Melania Trump plagiarized her Martin Luther King Day tweet from former First Lady Michelle Obama were not rooted in reality.
Snopes→ Did a Congresswoman Tweet that Trump Wanted War with ‘North Japan’?
A fake tweet-generator was used to create the appearance that Sheila Jackson Lee had authored a tweet riddled with historical inaccuracies.
Snopes→ Did a Man Get Diarrhea on a Roller Coaster and Splash 14 People?
Reports of a tourist's unfortunate bout of stomach upset on a Spanish roller coaster are fake news.
Snopes→ Did an Engineer Contract an STD After Having Sex with a Sex Robot?
Reports that a Chinese engineer contracted an STD after having sexual intercourse with a sex robot prototype are fake news.
Snopes→ President Trump’s ‘Highly-Anticipated 2017 Fake News Awards’ Winners Finally Revealed
The long-awaited reveal was a list of stories about Trump that were corrected or retracted by the media, but no actual awards.
Snopes→ Did Beyoncé Say That She Is a Descendant of the ‘Illuminati’?
Reports that the singer boasted about the results of a "DNA test kit" are just more fake news.