On September 14 2021, the death of comedian Norm Macdonald was widely reported; soon after the news broke, a purported quote of Macdonald’s about “cancer” and “battles” began circulating on Imgur: Across news outlets, Mac
Publication: TruthOrFiction
Truth or Fiction?→ Right-Wing Disinformation Surges As California Recall Election Unfolds
As the recall election against California governor Gavin Newsom drew closer to a close, both the leading right-wing candidate and conspiracy theorists continued pushing disinformation painting the process as “rigged” before polls even opene
Truth or Fiction?→ Todd Starnes: ‘Biden Says Even Fox News Has A Mandatory Vaccine Policy’
On September 14 2021, a popular Imgur post showed a screenshot of a Todd Starnes tweet, in which Starnes questioned whether Fox News had a “mandatory vaccine policy”: Biden says even @FoxNews has a mandatory vaccine policy. Is that tru
Truth or Fiction?→ CA Recall Election Disinformation Roundup
In the lead up to the California gubernatorial recall election of September 14 2021, the usual disinformation purveyors went into high gear, poisoning the well with wall-to-wall claims of perfidy and election theft. Overall, the California recall and i
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘I Know More Than the Scietists’ Protester
On September 13 2021, a photograph of a man with a poorly spelled sign (“I know more than the scietists”) went viral on Twitter: this is where we’re at and it hurts. pic.twitter.com/GwM28DIBG2 — Andrew Baback Boozary MD (@drandrew
Truth or Fiction?→ The Oklahoma Ivermectin Overdose Controversy
A viral September 5 2021 tweet thread “debunking” a series of stories about ivermectin use and hospitals shows that disinformation and the way it is delivered is mutating. Republican public relations strategist and freelance writer Drew Ho
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Elvis Presley’s Manager Sell ‘I Hate Elvis’ Buttons to Profit From ‘Haters’?
On August 23 2021, the Facebook page “Weird Facts” shared the following meme, which asserted that Elvis Presley’s manager did pro-Elvis and anti-Elvis marketing, selling “I Hate Elvis” buttons to individuals who were not
Truth or Fiction?→ Is San Francisco Paying Criminals $300 a Month Not to Shoot People?
On September 8 2021, the unreliable Daily Wire published an item headlined, “San Francisco Is Going To Pay People $300 A Month Not To Shoot Others.” The outrage-baiting headline worked; soon it appeared atop Trendolizer.com’s “
Truth or Fiction?→ Surprise ‘Blue’s Clues’ Message from Steve in 2021
On September 7 2021, “a message from Steve” of Blue’s Clues fame was shared to the public Facebook group “Nostalgic Nick,” partly captioned, “Finally we have some closure from Steve”: On Twitter, @NickJr share
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Ivermectin Causes Infertility’ Meme
On September 7 2021, a meme claiming “ivermectin causes male infertility” was shared to Imgur, quickly going viral on other platforms as well: Under the top text (“ivermectin causes male infertility,”) additional bottom text re
Truth or Fiction?→ Kayleigh McEnany: ‘I Can Only Explain it to You. I Can’t Understand It for You.’
On September 7 2021, Trendolizer detected a viral Twitter quote meme; it suggested that former White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany told reporters, “I can only explain it to you…. I can’t understand it for you”: By the
Truth or Fiction?→ Was George Orwell’s ‘1984’ Banned in the United States and the USSR for Conflicting Reasons?
On September 2 2021, a Facebook post featured an image suggesting that George Orwell’s 1984 was banned in the United States for pro-communist sentiments, but that it was also banned in the USSR for anti-communist sentiments. A screenshot from Tu
Truth or Fiction?→ Candace Owens ‘Cough Into My Fist’ Tweet
On September 3 2021, an Imgur user uploaded a purported tweet by right-wing pundit and frequent disinformation purveyor Candace Owens, quoting her as saying if “a leftist doctor” refused to administer a test, she would cough in her hand a
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘More People Have Died of COVID in Florida in the Past Two Weeks Than U.S. Military Deaths in Afghanistan in 20 Years’
As COVID-19 continued its grim progress in the second half of 2021, a September 1 2021 Imgur text post simply titled “Perspective” claimed that more people died in Florida “in the past two weeks” than in the totality of the war
Truth or Fiction?→ Did a Botswanan Doctors’ Group Call for Ivermectin as a COVID-19 Treatment?
As the global COVID-19 pandemic continued to rage amid a toxic stew of online disinformation campaigns and official grandstanding, anti-vaccination conspiracy theorists circulated a purported press release from a group in Botswana in early September 20
Truth or Fiction?→ Phoenix Koi Chinese Restaurant Vaccine Discount Sign
On September 2 2021, an Imgur account shared an image that was purportedly of a sign from Phoenix Koi Chinese Restaurant, offering a “95% discount” for vaccine card holders, and some additional commentary, too: Featured in the image was a
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Biden And Harris Served With Impeachment Charge’
On September 2 2021, a story with the shocking headline “Biden And Harris Served With Impeachment Charge – Gun-Toting Boebert Accuses Them Both Of Dereliction Of Duty” popped up as post that quickly went viral. A Facebook post by “
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Comedy Central Caves to Cancel Culture’
On September 1 2021, a Newsweek article bearing the leading headline, “Comedy Central Caves to Cancel Culture, Removes Episode from ‘The Office’ Line-up” was identified as virally popular by Trendolizer; it covered the showR
Truth or Fiction?→ Facebook Hacked, Email Changed
An unknown and apparently large number of Facebook accounts appear to have been hacked in 2021 in a specific fashion — specifically, the account’s email address is changed (often to a Hotmail address), two-factor authentication (2FA) is ena
Truth or Fiction?→ Taliban ‘Hanging from Blackhawk’ Video
On August 30 2021, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) tweeted a video that purportedly showed members of the Taliban hanging an interpreter from a Blackhawk helicopter in Afghanistan: This horrifying image encapsulates Joe Biden's Afghanistan catastrophe:
Truth or Fiction?→ McDonald’s and the Roman Road
In late August 2021, the following post about a McDonald’s restaurant incorporating an archaeological discovery into its floor appeared on the Reddit sub r/interestingasfuck and r/damnthatsinteresting: A Roman Road was discovered while
Truth or Fiction?→ Carrie Prejean Encinitas School Board Video
On August 30 2021, video of a woman later identified as Carrie Prejean Boller spread virally on Twitter; the clip depicted Prejean Boller “speaking out” against masks at a school board meeting in the southern California city of Encinitas on
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘8 Googling Tips’ Twitter Thread
An August 28 2021 Twitter thread by Chris Hladczuk (@chrishlad) described “8 Googling tips you probably didn’t know” — and in addition to the thread’s popularity in tweet form, it also was virally popular on Facebook and i
Truth or Fiction?→ Sea Urchins Wearing Hats
An August 25 2021 Facebook post about sea urchins wearing hats (shared to the group “Heck this is super wholesome”) featured a screenshot of a November 22 2020 tweet by @valfrogkamen: sea urchins protect themselves by putting rocks and sh
Truth or Fiction?→ Is Independence From Britain Celebrated Somewhere Every Seven Days on Average?
On March 4 2019, the Twitter account @qikipedia tweeted: Independence from Britain is celebrated somewhere in the world, on average, one in every seven days. No citation was included alongside the tweet, which was also shared to Facebook and RedditR
Truth or Fiction?→ 9/11 Stair Climb Treadmill Post
In late August 2021, a September 2018 Facebook post recirculated — purportedly a candid image captured at a gym, depicting a firefighter “on the stair climber in full equipment” ascending 110 floors in memory of the firefighters kille
Truth or Fiction?→ Camilla Canepa and #ProtectYourFamily
A June 2021 Facebook post about the death of Camilla Canepa spread virally in August 2021, iterations of which received thousands of shares on Facebook, with its “vaccine info” box glaringly absent: Camilla Canepa Facebook Posts and the #P
Truth or Fiction?→ Leviticus 13:45-46
On August 21 2021, a Facebook account shared a Twitter screenshot which purportedly quoted Leviticus 13:45-46 in reference to ongoing debates regarding masks and social distancing: The Bible doesn't mention anything about masks, so quit referenc
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘States With a Population Less Than DFW’
In August 2021, a May 2020 map purportedly depicting “states with a population less than DFW” (Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas) continued circulating on Facebook: In an appended post, the sharer wrote: “Wow this just blew my mind ”. H
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Eating One Hot Dog Takes 35 Minutes Off Your Life’
On August 23 2021, the New York Post tweeted that eating one hot dog “takes 35 minutes off your life,” citing a “new study”: Eating 1 hot dog takes 35 minutes off life, study suggests https://t.co/9a9kHICofd pic.twitter.com/AX
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Thatcher Effect’
In August 2021, an October 2018 post about the “Thatcher effect” and “thatcherized images” spread on Facebook, from a post originally shared by a New Hampshire-based optometrist’s office. It read: The Thatcher Effect. T
Truth or Fiction?→ Uncensored Library in Minecraft
On August 23 2021, an Imgur user shared the following meme, which describes a “censored library” that exists within the game Minecraft and explaining its purpose within the popular video game: Text at the bottom of the meme read: There i
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Danny DeVito Lose His ‘Verified’ Status on Twitter?
Actor Danny DeVito’s show of support for Nabisco workers gained attention on Twitter not just for the sentiment, but for the accusations that followed of reprisal from the platform. “Support Nabisco workers striking for humane working hours
Truth or Fiction?→ Why is OnlyFans Banning Content?
On August 20 2021, an Imgur user shared screenshots of a Twitter thread about the news that OnlyFans was banning sexually explicit content: A lot of people are getting the OnlyFans story wrong, and the reality of it is a lot more damaging and concer
Truth or Fiction?→ Bill Nye ‘There’s Already Enough Plastic in the Ocean’ Response Tweet
On August 16 2021, the Facebook page “Super News Supes” shared a screenshot in which science educator Bill Nye purportedly made a misogynistic comment about Kylie Jenner in a screenshot that was circulating as early as July 9 2019: In th
Truth or Fiction?→ NBC LA ‘Shot On-Site’ Tweet
On August 19 2021, the following screenshot circulated, featuring a tweet from @NBCLA: It was not immediately clear if the tweets from NBC Los Angeles/@NBCLA were real, or if they were intended as humorous fakes. They read: [1] “Come With Vax Pr
Truth or Fiction?→ Teddy Roosevelt: ‘I Again Recommend a Law Prohibiting All Corporations from Contributing to Campaign Expenses’
On August 18 2021, an Imgur user shared the following meme, which purports to contain a legitimate quote from U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt saying he recommended a “law prohibiting all corporations” from contributing to political campai
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Polio and Smallpox Never Reached Herd Immunity; They Were Eradicated by Vaccines’
On July 20 2021, a Facebook account shared the following image text, which contained the claim that polio and smallpox “never reached herd immunity”: Text across a nature-like background read: I don’t know who needs to hear this but
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘King George VI Having Fun’
On August 15 2021, the Facebook page “Classical Art Memes” shared an image titled “King George VI Having Fun”: Although the image was popular and generated engagement, no additional information was included alongside it. A rev
Truth or Fiction?→ Flight Out of Afghanistan
Just before 5PM on August 16 2021, high-profile Facebook accounts shared an image labeled as a “flight out of Afghanistan”; the same image had been shared to Reddit’s r/pics two hours prior: One of the flights out of Kabul.