As right-wing political figures scrambled to attack U.S. President Joe Biden for the devastation accompanying the Taliban advance across Afghanistan in August 2021, an official Republican Party webpage praising his predecessor for setting up the United
Publication: TruthOrFiction
Truth or Fiction?→ U.S. Military Dogs Being Evacuated From Afghanistan
On August 16 2021, CNN reporter Natasha Bertrand shared an image on Twitter which puportedly showed dogs with the United States military dogs as they were getting moved out of Afghanistan as its cities rapidly fell to the Taliban: U.S. military dogs
Truth or Fiction?→ The Wismer House $10 ‘Fine’ for Overnight Parking
On August 15 2021, an Imgur account shared what looked like a parking ticket from “The Wismer House,” in a post titled “$10 gift certificate for parking over night instead of drinking and driving”: Although the yellow citatio
Truth or Fiction?→ California Officials Attempt to Quell Confusion Around Gubernatorial Recall Election
As mail-in ballots began to go out in advance of the September 2021 gubernatorial recall election in California, a spokesperson for the California Secretary of State’s office attempted to quell disinformation and confusion around the often confus
Truth or Fiction?→ Goatse Ring
In late July and early August 2021, screenshots of the following tweet circulated with a blast from the past — they appeared to depict a “Goatse ring” purportedly available for retail purchase: When you're a jewelry artist who m
Truth or Fiction?→ Robin Williams ‘Penpal’ Story
On August 9 2021, a Facebook account shared a screenshot of a comment by a person claiming to have been a penpal to Robin Williams, with a story that included a chance meeting at Disney World (or Disneyland): The text on the screenshot read: As a kid
Truth or Fiction?→ No, a Study Didn’t Find That ‘the Most Highly-Educated Americans Are Also the Most Vaccine-Hesitant’
On August 11 2021, the Twitter account for the extremely disreputable disinformation site ZeroHedge shared a link to a blog post, “Study Finds The Most Highly-Educated Americans Are Also The Most Vaccine-Hesitant”: Study Finds The Most Hi
Truth or Fiction?→ Comedian’s Spoof Interview as ‘Flight Attendant’ Spreads Virally on Facebook Watch
On August 6 2021, Irish broadcaster and verified page “RTÉ 2fm” shared a video captioned “The greatest interview of ALL time. A classic ,” reaching five million views on Facebook Watch and purportedly showing footage of a flig
Truth or Fiction?→ Campground Sign ‘Translated for Teenagers’
On August 9 2021, a Facebook post depicting a campground’s “text us” sign and a “teenager translation” went viral; iterations of the image were popular across social media: Every variation of the images of the signs we we
Truth or Fiction?→ San Diego Sheriff Admits No Doctor Verified ‘Overdose’ Claim in Viral Video
San Diego County Sheriff Bill Gore admitted on August 10 2021 that no medical professionals were involved in the making of a heavily-criticized video his department has claimed showed a deputy “overdosing” on fentanyl. According to the San
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘The Starlight Barking’
On August 6 2021, the Facebook page “Premium Internet Curation” shared screenshots of a Twitter thread, the latter pertaining to The Starlight Barking — a purportedly bizarre sequel to the book from which 101 Dalmatians was adapted
Truth or Fiction?→ Ranking of the Most Common Birthdays
On August 5 2021, a Facebook account shared a purported list of “most common birthdays,” asking “Sooo I rank #154 of the most common birthdays… wbu ”: As of August 6 2021, the post had been shared more than 76,000 times.
Truth or Fiction?→ 4Chan’s /Pol/ Seeks to Sow Discord With #AskMeWhy
On or around August 6 2021, a Twitter hashtag (#AskMeWhy) emerged, appearing on numerous tweets asserting that vaccination campaigns were “racist”: I wonder if @NYCMayor has seen this one?#vaccinediscrimination#askmewhy #MedicalApartheid
Truth or Fiction?→ News Organizations Uncritically Spread Sheriff’s Fentanyl ‘Overdose’ Video
A public safety video released by the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department in California was quickly called into question online — but not by local news organizations, some of which shared it without mentioning that medical groups have des
Truth or Fiction?→ Are Japan’s Olympic Medals Made From Recycled Electronics?
On August 6 2021, an Imgur account shared the following image, which purportedly showed Japan’s 2021 Olympic medals, fashioned from recycled laptops and phones: Titled “Congrats on winning, here is some e-waste,” text above an image
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Zabol Priestess with a Golden Eye’
An August 4 2021 retweet imploring archeologists not to remove a golden eye from an unusually tall woman’s skeleton found in Zabol, Iran circulated across platforms, an allusion of sorts to the “2020 bingo” meme: Do. Not. Remove. T
Truth or Fiction?→ Did the Italian Football Club Juventus Post a Photo with a Racist Anti-Asian Gesture?
The Italian football club Juventus spent August 5 2021 apologizing after posting — and then quickly deleting — a photograph featuring an anti-Asian racist taunt. The club’s womens’ team tweeted the photo showing defender Cecili
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘On This Day in 1944, Polish Resistance Fighters Liberated 348 Jewish Prisoners from the Gęsiówka Labor Camp’
On August 5 2021, an Imgur account shared the following “on this day in history” meme about the liberation of the Gęsiówka labor camp in 1944: A “flair” (“Historical”) marker on the post suggested that it was a
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Future Mercedes Drives Sideways’
On August 5 2021, an Imgur user shared a video they titled “Future Mercedes drive sideways,” which, as the title suggests, purportedly showed a futuristic-looking Mercedes-Benz with the ability to operate “sideways”: Future Mer
Truth or Fiction?→ Fox Host’s Visit Brings New Attention to Hungary’s ‘Illiberal’ Regime
A far right Fox News presenter’s appearance in Hungary — and photographed meeting with its authoritarian head of state — has brought new attention to that country’s descent into what one observer described as “soft fascism
Truth or Fiction?→ Ashli Babbitt Cremation Request
On August 3 2021, longtime disinformation purveyor Judicial Watch issued a “press release” provocatively titled, “New Documents reveal the DC Office of the Chief Medical Examiner Submitted a Request to Cremate Ashli Babbitt Two Days
Truth or Fiction?→ Taino Chief Hatuey’s Last Words Meme
On August 4 2021, prolific Imgur account OctopussSevenTwo shared a meme to Imgur which described the purported last words of Taíno chief Hatuey before being burned alive. One day prior, a Reddit account shared the same meme to r/Damnthatsinteresting
Truth or Fiction?→ Nikola Tesla ‘369 Theory’
In late 2020 and early 2021, a “369” or “3 6 9 method” purportedly derived from the words of Nikola Tesla were popular across various platforms (as versions of this quote): Tesla’s “3-6-9” quote varied across
Truth or Fiction?→ Lollapalooza Crowd 2021 Image
Between July 30 and August 1 2021, a purported photograph from the Lollapalooza 2021 music festival in Chicago went viral, hitting social media users a little differently against the backdrop of an ongoing pandemic. Perhaps the most prominent version w
Truth or Fiction?→ Statue of Buddha in a Flood
On August 2 2021, an Imgur account shared a TikTok clip, which purportedly showed a Buddha statue carried through floodwaters down a busy street: Later Fools! Shared by u/GIFBATTLECADDLE, the clip was titled “Later Fools!” On August 1 202
Truth or Fiction?→ Sea Cats and Passports
Variations on a July 2021 post about “sea cats” with their own passports were — understandably — reliably popular, with several iterations circulating on Facebook, Twitter, and Reddit: Think “working cats” is a new thing?
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Denzel Washington Say ‘Your Own Family’ Will Discredit You When You’re ‘Breaking Generational Curses’?
On July 28 2021, a Facebook page shared the following meme, which purportedly contained a Denzel Washington quote about “your own family,” who will “talk shit about you” when you’re “breaking all their generational c
Truth or Fiction?→ Simone Biles, Kerri Strug, and ‘the Twisties’
On July 27 2021, Simone Biles (and fellow gymnast Kerri Strug) were the subject of a spate of widely-shared Facebook posts, largely forming a groundswell of support for Biles in the face of nonstop Olympics news stories around her decision to drop out
Truth or Fiction?→ Police Officers’ Testimony Refutes Right Wing Capitol Riot Disinformation
The testimony of four law enforcement officers before a House select committee on July 27 2021 provided another yet another clear refutation to the disinformation pushed by right-wing outlets and operatives surrounding the attack on the U.S. Capitol on
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘China Received 8 Months of Rain in Just 5 Days’ in July 2021
On July 22 2021, the Facebook page “Green New Deal” shared an image and a status update about China’s recent torrential rains: China received 8 months of rain in just 5 days. The highest amount of precipitation since the measurements
Truth or Fiction?→ Bic’s ‘Martha and Snoop’ Ad
On July 25 2021 the Facebook page “Cheerful Nihilism” shared an advertising meme, purportedly featuring Martha Stewart and Snoop Dogg for Bic lighters (captioned “nailed it”): Text at the top read “Shoutout to the BIC mar
Truth or Fiction?→ Banana Peel Water for Plants
On July 19 2021, a Facebook user in the group “Creative Gardening” shared their experience with “banana peel water” (also called “banana peel tea,”) including a photograph of their plants, apparently thriving thanks
Truth or Fiction?→ Does a Hospital in France Allow Terminal Patients to Meet With ‘Peyo the Horse’?
The story of a French hospital’s unusual relationship with a former dressage horse — and the horse’s relationship with terminal patients there — recirculated online in July 2021. Interest in “Doctor Peyo” reignited f
Truth or Fiction?→ Anatomy of an Inauthentically Organized Campaign
In mid-2021, as the Delta variant rapidly spread among unvaccinated populations across the United States and public officials began publicly flirting with the prospect of still more measures to quell the spread of the next phase of the COVID-19 pandemi
Truth or Fiction?→ Rep. Jack Kimble: ‘I Find It Very Suspicious …’
In July 2021, Facebook users and pages began sharing screenshots of a tweet attributed to “Rep. Jack Kimble” (@repjackkimble), in which he appeared to speculate on the reasons unvaccinated people were likelier to be infected and become ill
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Catholic Leader Who Wanted to Deny Biden Communion Resigns After Caught Using Gay Dating App’
On July 21 2021, viral content site Upworthy published “Catholic leader who wanted to deny Biden communion resigns after caught using gay dating app,” asserting: The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) approved a measure la
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Doc and Marty Made it to 2021’
On July 21 2021, an Imgur account shared the following meme ( “Doc and Marty made it to 2021” ), which references two main characters in the Back to the Future films and showing Christopher Lloyd (Doc Brown) on the left, with Michael J. F
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘In the Cayman Islands, There Is a Modest Five-Story Building That Is Home to 18,857 Companies’
On July 16 2021, an Imgur user shared a Bernie Sanders quote meme which alleged that a “modest building” in the Cayman Islands was the address for “18,857 companies”: Text on the meme attributed its creation to “Ro Khanna
Truth or Fiction?→ Abraham Lincoln and the Samurai Fax Machine
On July 16 2021, the Facebook page “The memes your parents warned you about” shared a screenshot of a text message, which claimed that there was “a 22 year window” during which “a samurai could have sent a fax to Abraham L
Truth or Fiction?→ Snapchat Plant Identifier
On July 18 2021, a Facebook user shared a status update about a Snapchat plant identifier, also claiming that the function would work the same way in determining a dog’s breed: If you focus your Snapchat camera on ANY plant & hold the screen