A June 27 2020 post by user Cindy Kowalczyk was shared thousands of times, claiming (without citations or sources) that “Antifa plans residential Neighborhood attacks” using U-Haul moving trucks: The Rumor and Earlier Iterations In the
Publication: TruthOrFiction
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘1979 Horoscope, I Am F***ing Begging You to Read This’
Around June 30 2020, posts labeled “1979 horoscope i am fucking begging you to read this” began circulating on Facebook: Twitter: 1979 horoscope i am fucking begging you to read this pic.twitter.com/ta2k3FbQvu — wendy (@friends3000
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Vandals in Spain Call a Nobel Prize Winner a ‘Killer’?
A Spanish culture and history website’s anger over alleged vandalism at the country’s biggest bullfighting stadium gained attention on Twitter in June 2020, but its concern appears to be years too late. The site, Darío Madrid, claimed on
Truth or Fiction?→ Did a Teenager Get Pleurisy From Wearing a Face Mask for Work?
On May 31 2020, Facebook user Lena Kovacs shared the following screenshot of a redacted post, in which a person claimed their neeninet-year-old daughter developed pleurisy solely due to her use of a face mask in her job at “a huge grocery store
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘The Golden Girls’ Blackface Controversy
On June 28 2020, Facebook user Matt Joseph shared the following post, which showed a BuzzFeed article (“An Episode Of “The Golden Girls” Was Pulled From Hulu For Featuring Blackface”) and a comment about how the decision was co
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Carol Ann Channels George Floyd’
On June 25 2020, CommonDreams.com editor Eoin Higgins tweeted screenshots of a Facebook post on the since-deleted Facebook page “Carol Ann — The James Experience” — in which self-professed “entity channeler” Carol A
Truth or Fiction?→ The Trump Store’s $88 Baseball
In late June 2020, screenshots of a TrumpStore.com baseball priced at $88 began circulating on Facebook and Twitter: completely normal baseball price, $85 was just too low, but $90 was just too much nothing weird about it pic.twitter.com/UvyunMnsOL
Truth or Fiction?→ This Photograph Does Not Show a Woman Who Was Beaten and Sexually Assaulted at a BLM Protest
In mid-June 2020, the following meme circulated on Facebook and Instagram, purportedly a screenshot of a Facebook post by a woman claiming she was “beaten and raped” by three people of color at a Black Lives Matter protest:
Truth or Fiction?→ Did a Landlord Ask a Possible Tenant to Pay a Year’s Worth of Rent in Advance?
A property management company in Asheville, North Carolina became one of several symbols of landlord excess for social media users in June 2020, after a prospective tenant revealed that she was asked to provide a year’s worth rent before moving
Truth or Fiction?→ Viral Post Blames Powdersville Cemetery Vandalism on ‘Black Lives Matter’
On June 14 2020, the Facebook page “The Sharp Truth” shared the following post and lambasted Black Lives Matter activists for purportedly vandalizing the Powdersville Cemetery in Anderson County, South Carolina: The text, which appeare
Truth or Fiction?→ Does Japan Spray Looters and Rioters with Blue Dye to Arrest Them Later?
A June 23 2020 post to the questionably named Facebook group “Facts First – Truth to Expose Media Lies” featured a photograph, which purportedly showed authorities in Japan dousing “rioters and looters” in “indelibl
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Spirit Halloween Announce It Would Not Open Stores in 2020?
Fans of the Spirit Halloween chain of seasonal stores could be reassured about the chance to shop there in 2020, after a YouTube creator apologized for his role in the false rumor spreading online. “This is a great example to not trust you see o
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Peaceful Flag Burning to Resist Police Sponsored by Antifa’
A group with content seemingly designed to anger right-wing readers attracted attention from actual government officials — before finally being removed from both Twitter and Facebook in June 2020. The group, “Left Behind USA,” was us
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Ending White Privilege Intersects Ending Jewish Privilege’ Flyer
In June 2020, as protests against ongoing racism and police brutality continued throughout the United States and beyond, a curious image appeared: The image showed a flyer taped to a cork board with text that said: ENDING WHITE PRIVILEGE… Privi
Truth or Fiction?→ Is There a Garden in England Dedicated Solely to Deadly Plants Called the ‘Poison Garden’?
On June 21 2020, the Facebook page “The Runic Witch” shared the following meme, which described a garden in England “dedicated entirely to plants that … can kill you”: At the bottom of the meme was a photograph
Truth or Fiction?→ Is This a ‘Shooting Target’ Holding a Phone in the ‘Police Supply’ Section of a Gun Store in Lexington, Kentucky?
Amidst ongoing nationwide protests over the death of George Floyd, Facebook user Charlie Sickles shared the following post on June 21 2020, which had a photograph of a purported “shooting target” of a figure which appeared to be recording
Truth or Fiction?→ Did a Los Angeles Police Officer Find a Tampon in His Starbucks Cup?
Police in Los Angeles accused workers at a nearby Target store of tampering with an off-duty officer’s drink in June 2020, reigniting debate following other questionable claims by law enforcement agencies. According to KTTV-TV, the officer alleg
Truth or Fiction?→ Were Four Busloads of Protesters (or ‘Antifa’) in Ada, Oklahoma Met by ‘600 Armed Americans,’ — and the News Won’t Report It?
On June 18 2020, Facebook user Eric Wicklund shared the following post, claiming (in yet another warmed-over variation on very well-worn scarelore) that “four busloads” of protesters planned to descend on Ada, Oklahoma — but their ne
Truth or Fiction?→ Is There a Painting of J. Marion Sims’ Experiments on Black Women at the Alabama State Capitol?
Amid the removal and re-evaluation of statues commemorating historical figures in June 2020, a Facebook post that spread widely in June 2020 conflated a statue of a gynecologist who experimented on enslaved Black women with a painting depicting him al
Truth or Fiction?→ Columbus Police Accused of Macing Double Amputee, Confiscating His Legs in Graphic Video
On June 21 2020, social media videos appeared to show the aftermath of a confrontation between a man and police in Columbus, Ohio — such as a post in r/Columbus claiming the individual had been maced by police officers: CPD just hit a
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Fireworks Every Night’ in June 2020
On June 20 2020, the Facebook page “Son of Baldwin” shared what would later become a popular iteration of a “fireworks conspiracy” set of rumors, spreading from several points on Facebook, Twitter, and Reddit: The Facebook
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Copied From an OSHA Certified Friend’
A new form of copypasta circulating on Facebook attempted to push conspiracy theories concerning face coverings and the COVID-19 pandemic by invoking the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (generally referred to as OSHA) as its “sourc
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Unprofessional Hairstyles for Men or Women’ Versus ‘Professional Hairstyles for Men or Women’ Google Image Results
On June 9 2020, Facebook user Xavier Dillingham shared the following Twitter screenshots, which purportedly showed Google search results for the terms “professional hairstyles men,” “unprofessional hairstyles men,” “p
Truth or Fiction?→ Is ‘Officer McMuffin’ Stacy Talbert a Security Guard, Not Law Enforcement?
After a June 15 2020 Facebook Live video from Stacey Talbert (during which she sobbed over a delayed Egg McMuffin at a Georgia McDonald’s) went viral, a couple of tweets claimed that Talbert was a security guard posing as a police officer: UP
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘This Fool Actually Tattooed Will Smith on His Face’
On May 15 2020, Facebook user Ed Lawson shared the following image, which purportedly depicted a man who had had Will Smith’s face tattooed over his own face: The post was extremely popular, but not every commenter was convinced that t
Truth or Fiction?→ Is Original ‘Aunt Jemima’ Nancy Green Being ‘Erased’ by Political Correctness?
PepsiCo’s June 17 2020 announcement it was retiring the Aunt Jemima brand due to the character’s original “Mammy” connotations led to immediate and extensive complaining on social media, such as a copypasta post accusing bra
Truth or Fiction?→ Did the Trump Campaign Post a Symbol Used by Nazis to Mark Political Prisoners?
In June 2020, United States President Donald Trump’s re-election campaign was criticized for invoking Nazi imagery in a new series of Facebook ads that the campaign later tried to claim featured an anti-fascist symbol. According to Media Matters
Truth or Fiction?→ Have Police in the United States Killed 120 People Since George Floyd’s Death?
On June 14 2020, a Facebook user shared the following post, asserting that police in the United States had killed an additional 120 civilians since the May 25 2020 death of George Floyd: Floyd was killed during an interaction with Minneapoli
Truth or Fiction?→ Did ’61 out of 63 Females’ Become Infertile After Receiving a Vaccine Against COVID-19?
A graphic spreading online in June 2020 acted as a nesting doll for a spate of disinformation linking conspiracy theories about both COVID-19 and tech mogul Bill Gates. The graphic claims that “61 out of 63 females GlaxoSmithKline tested became
Truth or Fiction?→ COVID-19 Risk Levels Chart: Accurate?
As of June 16 2020, chances are that a large number of people saw the following “COVID-19 Risk Levels” chart somewhere on social media — purportedly ranking common activities (as well as some o”pontoon boat rides”) agains
Truth or Fiction?→ Tamla Horsford’s Death Investigation Reopened: ‘This Picture Literally Gives Me the Chills’
On June 14 2020, a Facebook user shared the following post about the death of Tamla Horsford: Viral Posts about Tamla Horsford in June 2020 An appended image of eight women — seven white and one black — was captioned “This picture l
Truth or Fiction?→ “Google ‘322 COVID’”
On June 14 2020, posts asking readers to do a web search for the phrase “322 COVID” began circulating (particularly in QAnon circles), with an implication that the act would reveal that the novel coronavirus was a “scamdemic” a
Truth or Fiction?→ Does the NYPD Have a Slave Master With a Whip on Its Logo?
In mid-June 2020, a number of social media posts appeared featuring a close-up image of the New York Police Department (NYPD)’s insignia or badge, with emphasis on what appeared to be a “slave master” or “pilgrim with a whip
Truth or Fiction?→ Did NASCAR Reply to Ray Ciccarelli on Twitter About Their Confederate Flag Policy?
On June 11 2020, a purported Twitter exchange between NASCAR and Ray Ciccarelli began circulating as part of the discourse around NASCAR’s decision to ban the Confederate flag from its events: In the above screenshot (captioned “
Truth or Fiction?→ Dave Chappelle Releases ‘8:46’ via YouTube, Netflix, Discusses Death of George Floyd and Protests
In June 2020, comedian Dave Chappelle released an unexpected, 27-minute-long special titled 8:46 — a number instantly recognizable as the amount of time former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin knelt on George Floyd’s neck, killing
Truth or Fiction?→ Was a Military Memorial in Pensacola Destroyed in George Floyd Protests?
On June 4 2020, Facebook user Sam Wood shared a photograph of a broken military bench (archived here), alongside a lengthy rant insinuating that the damage it showed took place during June 2020 protests over the death of George Floyd: As of
Truth or Fiction?→ The Wilmington Massacre
In early June 2020m a screenshot of the following tweet was shared to Facebook; the original tweet asked students in North Carolina to retweet if they hadn’t learned about the “Wilmington Massacre” in history classes: N.C. STUDENT
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘If You See the Baby You Are Part of a Minority Who Can See Paranormal Things’
A June 9 2020 Facebook post featured a grainy, black and white image of a baby at a window — as well as a claim the “minority” of people were unable to see the baby, and that those who did were able to see “paranormal things&#
Truth or Fiction?→ Is There an ‘Antifa Debit Card’?
A self-professed “targeted individual” on Twitter apparently had his hackles raised by a group of German satiricists enough to try to use their work to gin up fears about “Antifa.” “Ever seen an Antifa debit card that can
Truth or Fiction?→ The ‘Asymptomatic Carriers’ of COVID-19 Controversy, Explained
On June 9 2020, what was framed as a World Health Organization (WHO) finding about asymptomatic spread of COVID-19 was shared seemingly everywhere — but within 24 hours, the organization had stepped in to issue an important clarification. A WHO