Plus: The GOP field for the Michigan Senate race is wide open.
Publication: michigan
The Dispatch→ Michigan Republicans Fear a Split Ahead of 2024
Kristina Karamo speaks in Dearborn, Michigan, on October 30, 2022. (Photo by Nic Antaya for The Washington Post via Getty Images)Kristina Karamo, elected chairman of the Michigan Republican Party, is at odds with the party establishment.The post Michig
The Dispatch→ How to Lose Elections and Still Cut Taxes
"I voted" stickers and buttons in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Photo by JEFF KOWALSKY/AFP via Getty Images)Quirky circumstances may give Michigan Republicans bragging rights even though Democrats control the state legislature and governorship. The p
Truth or Fiction?→ Michigan Republican Leaves State Senate Regurgitating ‘Great Replacement’ Smears
A normally sedate occasion gave outgoing Michigan Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey the opportunity to instead peddle highly weaponized conspiracy theories and disinformation campaigns. “I can see things that are about to happen or are going to
Truth or Fiction?→ Former Michigan House Speaker Under Investigation for ‘Array’ of Suspected Crimes
The former state House Speaker for Michigan is reportedly under investigation after months of allegations of both personal and professional impropriety. The Detroit News reported on October 18 2022 that the state attorney general’s office had ope
Truth or Fiction?→ Michigan Woman Blames Internet Conspiracy Theories for Father’s Fatal Shooting Rampage
A Michigan woman whose father committed a fatal shooting attack against their family on September 11 2022 identified the “QAnon” conspiracy theory and several strands of online disinformation for the mental degeneration that preceded his ac
Snopes→ Judge Strikes Down 1931 Michigan Law Criminalizing Abortion
The law, which was long dormant before the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June, violates the Michigan Constitution, said Judge Elizabeth Gleicher.
Snopes→ 2 Men Convicted in Plot to Kidnap Michigan Gov. Whitmer
A jury convicted two men of conspiring to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in 2020, delivering a swift verdict in a plot that was broken up by the FBI.
Snopes→ What to Watch in Primaries in Arizona, Michigan, Elsewhere
In Michigan, a crowded field of Republican gubernatorial candidates includes a man charged in the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol attack.
Truth or Fiction?→ Michigan Candidate Ryan Kelley ‘Unplug Voting Machines’ Meme
On February 4 2022, an Imgur account shared a meme asserting that Michigan Republican Ryan Kelley told a crowd to “unplug voting machines” and bring guns to polling places: At the top of the meme, an image of former U.S. President Donald
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer ‘Vacation’ in Florida?
Right-wing blogs and political operatives again targeted Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on April 20 2021 by accusing her of going on a “vacation” in Florida. The story was first reported in the newsletter Michigan Information & Research
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Michigan State Police Block ‘Republican Electors’ From Entering the Courthouse?
As the U.S. Electoral College made it official — again — that outgoing United States President Donald Trump had lost his bid for re-election on December 14 2020, footage posted online showed an attempt to overturn the results with a group
Truth or Fiction?→ Did a Lawyer’s Affidavit Mistake Michigan for Minnesota?
As the Trump administration’s attempts to overturn the election continued on November 20 2020, attorney Andrew Fleischman highlighted a possible error in an affidavit filed by lawyer Lin Wood in which a sworn expert apparently confused Minnesota
Truth or Fiction?→ Were Democrats ‘Handing Out CHEAT SHEETS’ in Michigan (or Missouri)?
As right-wing disinformation and election interference continued amid the 2020 U.S. elections, one person posted a particularly sloppy attempt to gin up controversy by using photographs that didn’t even match their claim. The user claimed on Twi
Truth or Fiction?→ Suspects in Whitmer Kidnapping Plot Used Facebook as a Recruitment Tool
Social media accounts of several people arrested and charged with conspiring to kidnap Michigan’s Democratic Party governor Gretchen Whitmer were devoted to supporting or promoting right-wing disinformation, according to investigators and conten
Poynter→ What the Postal Service story can teach us about misinformation
Factually is a newsletter about fact-checking and accountability journalism, from Poynter’s International Fact-Checking Network & the American Press Institute’s Accountability Project. Sign up here A microcosm of misinformation The current conv
New York Times→ Fact Checking Trump’s Claims on Election Battlegrounds
From lobsters in Maine to ethanol in Iowa to the oil fields of Texas, the president has tried to bolster his case for re-election by promoting localized — and factually challenged — accomplishments.
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Michigan Send Absentee Ballots to 7.7 Million People?
On May 20 2020, United States President Donald Trump attempted to smear the Michigan secretary of state’s office in a tweet regurgitating one of his most thoroughly debunked claims. “Michigan sends absentee ballots to 7.7 million people ah
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Gov. Gretchen Whitmer Say Any Protester Carrying a Firearm Will Be Arrested?
A British tabloid’s story on a right-wing demonstration in Michigan circulated via social media with a headline with a much different connotation than the one actually seen on its website. For Facebook users, the Daily Mail’s story on a Ma
Truth or Fiction?→ Was ‘Proud Boy’ Rob Cantrell Photographed at a Right-Wing Protest in Michigan?
The photograph that came to symbolize the hypocrisy present in an anti-government protest in Michigan on April 30 2020 became the center of an unfounded allegation concerning its origins. The image, showing an unidentified man yelling at a group of po
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Michigan Gov. Whitmer Need Protection From Armed Right-Wing Protesters?
As armed demonstrators descended on the Michigan statehouse in Lansing on April 30 2020, the footage became a point of contention online. The video, first posted by WDIV-TV business editor Rod Meloni, shows a group of protesters demanding to be let in
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Another Teenager with an Important Message’ (About the Flint Water Crisis)
As Greta Thunberg made news (and fake news) on September 24 2019, a Reddit post featuring “another teenager with an important message” about Flint, Michigan’s purported lack of clean water quickly moved to the top of r/all:
Snopes→ Candidate: Michigan City Should Be as White ‘as Possible’ (Video)
A city council candidate in Michigan said she has no plans to end her campaign after shocking a public forum when she said she wants to keep her community white “as much as possible.”
Truth or Fiction?→ Does Flint Still Not Have Clean Water?
In April 2019, a July 2017 text-based status update (archived here) about a lack of clean water in Flint, Michigan continued making the rounds on social media. Across a blue sky background, white text read as follows: 1188 days still no clean water fo
Truth or Fiction?→ Does Flint Still Not Have Clean Water?
In April 2019, a July 2017 text-based status update (archived here) about a lack of clean water in Flint, Michigan continued making the rounds on social media. Across a blue sky background, white text read as follows: 1188 days still no clean water fo
‘Bovine Tuberculosis’ Appearing in Michigan?
In October 2018, a warning appeared and made its way around the usual internet circles to warn against eating meat from deer afflicted with “bovine tuberculosis.” The warning was accompanied by a rather unappetizing photograph of a lesion-studded hunk of meat that showed what people should avoid: This warning (and the accompanying photograph) is legitimate, […]
The post ‘Bovine Tuberculosis’ Appearing in Michigan? appeared first on What’s True?.
Snopes→ Pot Legalization Advocates Seek Foothold in Midwest States
Michigan and North Dakota, where voters previously authorized medical marijuana, will decide now if the drug should be legal for any adult 21 and older.
Snopes→ Michigan Twins Run for County Seats as Political Opponents
Twin sisters from western Michigan are running for county commissioner seats, but they aren't endorsing one another.
Snopes→ Did Disney Announce It Was to Open a Theme Park in Escanaba, Michigan?
An obscure satirical web site managed to trick many readers with a fabricated story in the summer of 2018.
Snopes→ Christian Non-Profit Faces Scrutiny Over Government Foster Care Contract for Separated Children
Bethany Christian Services, which has links to the family of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, has fostered out at least 81 children taken from their parents at the U.S. border.
Snopes→ Are Michigan Lawmakers Marking Immigrants’ Licenses With a Yellow Star?
Memes suggesting Michigan lawmakers wanted to place a yellow star on immigrants' licenses were conflated a withdrawn proposal.
Snopes→ Did a Former Michigan Politician Defend Men Having Sex With Underage Girls?
A former State Senate candidate says his Facebook account was hacked, and a series of troubling posts are the result of an attempt to sabotage his political career.
Snopes→ Did a ‘Direct Energy Weapon’ Strike Michigan?
A series of images purportedly showing a strike on a Michigan garage actually show a combination of a meteor, a fire, and a cold-weather phenomenon.
Snopes→ Did Federal Agents Raid a Mosque in Michigan?
A prolific purveyor of "satire" publishes yet another false article that plays on fear and hatred.
Snopes→ Was a Rapist Given Joint Legal Custody of His Victim’s Child?
A man who reportedly raped and threatened to kill a girl in 2008 was awarded joint legal custody of the victim's child when she applied for food stamps.
Snopes→ FBI Warning to ‘All Americans’ About Poisoned Produce
An online article misleadingly suggested that the Federal Bureau of Investigation had warned Americans to be alert of grocery store produce possibly sprayed with poison.
Snopes→ Does a KFC in Dearborn, Michigan Abide by ‘Sharia Law’?
A photograph purporting to show a fast food restaurant in an American city was actually taken in Saudi Arabia.
Snopes→ Was an Encounter at a Michigan Mall a ‘Possible Trafficking Operation’?
A man took to Facebook to warn others about a stranger who kept "staring" at his wife.