A story published by the student newspaper at Boston University attracted attention online on August 12 2020, after revealing the school’s move to formalize the process behind awarding posthumous degrees. The Daily Free Press first broke the sto
Publication: TruthOrFiction
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Kamala Harris Say She Would Opt for More Policing in 2009 — Before Describing it as ‘Status-Quo Thinking’ in 2020?
After United States Democratic Party presidential candidate Joe Biden confirmed his selection as Kamala Harris as his running mate on August 11 2020, a Facebook meme purportedly quoted Harris on policing in 2009 and 2020 — expressing what appear
Truth or Fiction?→ Does a Facebook Live Reveal a Shocking Secret about ‘LOL Dolls’ Amid #SaveTheChildren Panic?
On August 11 2020, social media users shared a Facebook Live video (archived here), which purportedly unveiled a shocking surprise harbored by the popular LOL Surprise! dolls — that their bodies change color when immersed in water, often in the
Truth or Fiction?→ Do 800,000 Children Go Missing Each Year in the United States?
As child trafficking rumors combined with COVID-19 disinformation went viral in August 2020, concurrent rumors appeared that 800,000 children go missing every year in the United States — or that 2,000 are disappeared each day: Vi
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Trump Say That in 1917 a ‘Great Pandemic’ Ended World War II Because the Soldiers Were All Sick?
On August 10 2020, memes appeared purportedly quoting United States President Donald Trump saying that the “Great Pandemic” of 1917 likely ended World War II, because “all the soldiers got sick”: In addition to R
Truth or Fiction?→ How COVID-19 Triggered a #SaveTheChildren Child Trafficking Panic
In the summer of 2020, a massive amount of rumors about child trafficking appeared under the hashtag #savethechildren — and temporary hashtag filtering by Facebook in response was cited as evidence of “media suppression” of a massive
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Patton Oswalt Tweet ‘I Am a Proud Pedophile’?
On August 3 2020, a Facebook user shared a purported tweet from comedian Patton Oswalt, in which Oswalt purportedly claimed to be a “proud pedophile”: Commenters on the Facebook post folded it into a larger conspiracy theory abou
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Joe Biden ‘Take a Knee’ Near His Childhood Home?
Despite being thoroughly debunked, a series of posts pushing a fake claim about former Vice President Joe Biden remained available online even as new reports shed light on Facebook’s unwillingness to stop far-right disinformation. In early July
Truth or Fiction?→ Did the United States Issue a COVID-19 Travel Advisory for New Zealand?
An August 7 2020 tweet by the New Zealand Herald claimed that the United States issued a travel warning to its citizens about New Zealand due to the country’s purported 23 active cases of COVID-19: The US Government has warned its citizens t
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Trump Once Say He Had Known Jeffrey Epstein for Years and ‘He Likes Women … on the Younger Side’?
On August 6 2020, the Facebook page “Americans Against The Republican Party “shared the following image of convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein and United States President Donald Trump, along with a quote: White text with a photograph of
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Oprah Condone Child Abuse and Say ‘If It Feels Good’ that the Child ‘Won’t Even Know’ Abuse Happened?
Child trafficking and abuse conspiracy theories circulated in July and August 2020 thanks to ongoing disinformation campaigns, such as the now-infamous — and entirely debunked every step of the way — QAnon conspiracy theory; among those w
Truth or Fiction?→ Was a Georgia High School’s Senior Class Photographed Together Without Masks?
Online criticism concerning safety measures in schools trying to reopen amid the COVID-19 pandemic circulated around a second Georgia school in August 2020 as a photo spread online showing an entire senior class gathered together without face covering
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Oklahoma City Police Shoot Each Other Trying to Shoot a Black Teenager?
In early August 2020, what looked like a news item about Oklahoma police officers accidentally shooting at one another while “trying to shoot a black teenager” spread on Facebook and Twitter: Two Oklahoma City Police Department officers
Truth or Fiction?→ Did U.S. President Donald Trump Say ‘When I Took Over, We Didn’t Even Have a Test’ for COVID-19 During an Axios Interview?
On August 5 2020, a quote meme was shared to Imgur referencing an Axios interview which August 3 2020, and it quoted United States President Donald Trump as saying that when he “took over … we didn’t even have a test” for COVID
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Stats Canada Report That Not One Baby Has Been Named Karen Since November 2019?
On August 5 2020, a popular Imgur post appeared to show a headline reporting that not one baby in Canada had been named “Karen” since November 13 2019: Well that was unexpected and quite hilarious. Name choice dropped due to a meme. On I
Truth or Fiction?→ Were the Explosions in Beirut ‘Atomic’?
Disinformation and unprompted speculation soon followed a pair of explosions that rocked Beirut, Lebanon on August 4 2020 — though at least one user quickly deleted his tweets on the incident amid criticism. Reporter Chris Palmer posted footag
Truth or Fiction?→ First Day of School in Paulding County, Georgia
On August 4 2020, a purported photograph of the first day of school in Paulding County, Georgia circulated on social media — showing a densely crowded school hallway and only a few students wearing masks: The same image was shared t
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘If You Elect Joe Biden, There Will Be No Hand Sanitizer; I Have Spoken to the Hand Sanitizer People…’
On August 4 2020, the Facebook page “Being Liberal” shared a screenshot of a tweet purportedly quoting United States President Donald Trump on hand sanitizer and a potential Joe Biden administration: Donald Trump today: "If you ele
Truth or Fiction?→ Founder of Abuse Survivors Group Accused of Creating — and ‘Killing’ — Fake Twitter Professor
A Twitter account that had gained visibility within academic circles on the platform was suspended on August 3 2020 amid a maelstrom of skepticism of its legitimacy and well as criticism toward the user suspected of creating the account as well as the
Truth or Fiction?→ After ‘Defunding,’ Did Minneapolis Police Advise Residents to Give up Their Phones, Wallets, and Purses to Criminals?
On August 1 2020, Daily Caller writer Kyle Hooten shared the following screenshot claiming that a defunded Third Precinct in Minneapolis instructed residents to simply hand valuables over to criminals due to an uptick in crime: Minneapolis City Gove
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘OK, Who Had Nuclear Cannibal Ants for August?’
On August 2 2020, a Facebook user shared the following anxiety-provoking Twitter screenshot with the following commentary: Okay, who has nuclear cannibal ants for August? The screenshot showed an August 2 2020 tweet by @NinjaEconomics: One million
Truth or Fiction?→ Does This Image Depict an ‘Antifa Rioter’ Named Brian Who ‘Hit a Woman’ in Front of a ‘Real Man’?
On July 6 2020, Facebook user John Sargent shared the following image, which he claimed showed an “antifa street rioter” named Brian — heavily implying that “Brian’s” injuries were from receiving a righteous beatdow
Truth or Fiction?→ Was a Colorado Man Arrested and Charged With Accidentally Shooting Fellow Protesters?
On July 31 2020, a Facebook user shared the following image and a status update claiming that a protester in Denver had accidentally shot fellow protesters in Denver: The Facebook user wrote: Protesters illegally blocked traffic on an interstate in
Truth or Fiction?→ Did a Pennsylvania Lawmaker Release a Statement Mocking the State Health Secretary?
A Pennsylvania state lawmaker came under criticism for attempting to compare the transgender community to people refusing to follow guidelines against spreading the COVID-19 pandemic. A statement from State Rep. Russ Diamond allegedly standing up for
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘New Zealand Rugby Game Today as We Have No COVID Cases’
On July 26 2020, a post to Reddit’s r/Damnthatsinteresting purportedly showed images from a rugby game in New Zealand on the same day, in a stadium full of fans — because the country has successfully suppressed COVID-19: New Zea
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Trump Tweet That the ‘Suburban Lifestyle Dream’ Won’t be ‘Hurt by Low-Income Housing’?
On July 29 2020, screenshots of two tweets attributed to United States President Donald Trump appeared on Facebook, in which he purportedly addressed “people living their Suburban Dream Lifestyle” on the matter of “low income housin
Truth or Fiction?→ Donald Trump: ‘Nobody Likes Me’
On July 29 2020, an apparent CNN screen capture featuring a chyron quoting United States President Donald Trump as saying “nobody likes me” circulated on sites like Reddit: Does this count? from facepalm
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Elon Musk Tweet ‘We Will Coup Whoever We Want, Deal With It’?
On July 29 2020, comedian Lee Camp shared the following image, which quoted Elon Musk as saying the United States would “coup whoever we want,” and to “deal with it”: Across an image of Musk, text read: My name is Elon Musk.
Truth or Fiction?→ Did the United States Postal Service Urge Mail-In Voters to Request Envelopes by October 20th?
Amid increasing concern over the United States Postal Service’s efficiency leading up to the 2020 U.S. elections, a CBS News host’s tweet warned voters seeking to take part by mail. “USPS says you should give mail in ballots at least
Truth or Fiction?→ Are Uniformed Private Contractors Patrolling Portland and Snatching Protesters?
On July 25 2020, a rumor spread on Facebook that that individuals patrolling Portland in military uniform (sometimes snatching people off the street) were private contractors, and that they were working for a company called “Black River”:
Truth or Fiction?→ Was This Photograph Taken at a Protest in Portland?
A Black photojournalist’s work recirculated online in July 2020, though without credit to him and sometimes eliding the context of his original photograph. Freelancer Crush Rush first took the photograph on May 31 2020 during protests against po
Truth or Fiction?→ Pedophile’s Decapitated Corpse Not Found on Judge’s Doorstep After Bail Hearing
On July 26 2020, what appeared to be a shocking local news story (headline: “Pedophile’s Decapitated Corpse Found On Judge’s Doorstep After Bail Hearing In Ocala, Florida”) began circulating on Facebook and Twitter: It's times li
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Tom Brady Say ‘If Anyone on My Team Kneels, I Quit’?
On July 23 2020, a Facebook link to an article claiming that American football player Tom Brady threatened to quit playing if anyone on his team was to kneel began circulating: Clicking through to the link led to the following content: Tom B
Truth or Fiction?→ Is Pepper-Spraying Medical Supplies a War Crime?
Footage posted by a journalist covering the ongoing protests against police brutality brought back to light an apparent loophole exploited by law enforcement. As part of his coverage on July 22 2020, Portland-area reporter Sergio Olmos posted footage
Truth or Fiction?→ Did the Media Ignore a Pro-Police March Across the Brooklyn Bridge in July 2020?
In July 2020, a photograph of a purported “defend the police,” “pro-police,” or “back the blue” march across the Brooklyn Bridge began circulating — alongside claims that “even Fox News” refused t
Truth or Fiction?→ Do Amish People Not Get Coronavirus Because They Don’t Have Television?
In July 2020, a number of Facebook memes circulated riffing on the same theme — that Amish people in the United States were not developing COVID-19, because they “don’t have television sets.” Variations We observed this claim s
Truth or Fiction?→ United States Marine on TikTok Shares Viral Mask Rant: ‘It’s Called a Dress Code, Kevin!’
On July 21 2020, U.S. Marine Timmy Byrnes (@timmyb100) shared what would become a viral TikTok post about Americans refusing to wear masks during the COVID-19 pandemic. On the afternoon of July 23 2020, Byrnes’ video had been viewed nearly two
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘A Strip of Medical Tape on Top of Your Mask Will Keep Your Glasses from Fogging Up for Hours’
On July 17 2020, a Facebook user shared a very popular tip for people who wear glasses and face masks — advising them that introducing a strip of medical tape at the top of the mask would prevent glasses from fogging up for hours: In the photog
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Coin Shortage? Where Did They All Go in Four Months?’
Despite being identified as disinformation, a Facebook post making light of a shortage of available coins around the United States continued to spread in July 2020. The post, which was published in a Kansas-based conservative group on July 16 2020, ha
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Ivanka Trump Accuse Dr. Anthony Fauci of Trying to Make Her Father Look Incompetent?
In mid-July 2020 a link circulated on social media, appearing to be an article reporting that Ivanka Trump had accused Dr. Anthony Fauci of trying to make her father, United States President Donald Trump, “look incompetent”: Ivanka Says