As the CostCo retail chain prepared to implement new requirements for shoppers, a message of support for the policy gained traction among Facebook users. The post is based around a photograph of a sign informing shoppers that members will be required
Publication: TruthOrFiction
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Elon Musk Tweet ‘If One Day, My Words are Against Science, Choose Science’ Before a COVID-19 Controversy?
As the COVID-19 pandemic progressed in the United States, dueling opinions were politicized and bluntly split between opinions based on hard science versus economics. This ended up leading to the recirculation of a purported tweet from Elon Musk about
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Wear Your Mask: The Urine Test’ Analogy Meme
On April 29 2020, a post titled “Wear Your Mask: The Urine Test” appeared on r/funny (and soon r/all), aiming to explain the purpose of masks during the coronavirus pandemic to pants in the presence of a person uncontrollably urinating eve
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Dolly Parton Help Fund Research for a COVID-19 Treatment?
Country music icon Dolly Parton’s reputation for philanthropy grew in April 2020 after reports appeared of her involvement in research for an antibody treatment against COVID-19. The singer announced on her Instagram account on April 1 2020 that
Truth or Fiction?→ Is There ‘No Scientific Proof’ That Social Distancing Prevents the Spread of Coronavirus?
On April 22 2020, a KUSI News item (“USC Professor Joel Hay says there is no scientific proof social distancing prevents spread of coronavirus”) appeared containing a claim that proved particularly popular among people who opposed COVID-19
Truth or Fiction?→ Are Four Networks ‘Set to Announce They Will No Longer Televise Trump’s Announcements’?
Those perhaps seeking relief from live coverage of United States President Donald Trump’s daily briefings on COVID-19 shared a Texas man’s unverified claim that some major news outlets would stop carrying them in late April 2020. “CN
Truth or Fiction?→ Medical Community Refutes Bakersfield Doctors’ Attempts to Minimize COVID-19
Two California-based doctors’ attempt to compare COVID-19 to the common flu has incurred criticism and debunking from not only their local colleagues, but medical professionals at the state and national level. In a rare step, the American Colleg
Truth or Fiction?→ CNN ‘Global Death Toll Approaches Three Million People’ Chyron Error
On April 27 2020, a screen capture purportedly of CNN showing anchor Wolf Blitzer with a chyron reading “GLOBAL DEATH TOLL APPROACHES THREE MILLION PEOPLE” circulated on social media, often marked with question marks, circles, and an arrow
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Quarantine is When You Restrict the Movement of SICK People’ Facebook Meme
On April 28 2020, amid ongoing coverage of astroturfed anti-lockdown protests, a Facebook post claimed that quarantine was intended to “restrict the movement of sick people” (archived here): White text against a red and blue background r
Truth or Fiction?→ Can Ultraviolet Light Be Injected Into the Body to Fight COVID-19?
As attention swirled around “sarcastic” remarks concerning the use of household disinfectants to treat COVID-19, some social media users attempted to gin up more support for United States President Donald Trump by fixating on another theor
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Meeting Between Breadfruit’ Facebook Meme
As the COVID-19 pandemic wore on in April 2020, a “Meeting Between Breadfruit” Facebook status update meme began recirculating; iterations of the meme were nearly identical: My name is [name], I think many people know me, no matter when ou
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Barack 6, Hussein 7, Obama 5, Covid=19’
As criticism rolled in against far-right protesters demanding their “freedom” to potentially help spread COVID-19, some social media users were apparently taken in by digital manipulation. Readers mocking the “grassroots” prot
Truth or Fiction?→ Is the Georgia Governor’s Mansion Closed Due to COVID-19, Despite Its Governor ‘Opening’ the State for Business?
As Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) made the controversial decision to “reopen” the state in the throes of the COVID-19 pandemic, a Facebook post shared in late April 2020 urged readers to contact the governor’s mansion to request a tour
Truth or Fiction?→ Did the New York Times ‘Officialize’ Kim Jong-Un’s Death?
As uncertainty surrounded the medical status of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un, at least one unknown party took advantage of the moment to sow disinformation. A bogus Twitter account billing itself as “@nytimesoffcial” — an apparent
Truth or Fiction?→ Who Is Mark Grenon?
The Florida merchant claiming credit for United States President Donald Trump’s remarks concerning the use of disinfectants as a “cure” for COVID-19 has a history of pushing other conspiracy theories despite legal and journalistic in
Truth or Fiction?→ Did H1N1 Infect 1.4 Billion People and Kill Nearly 600,000 Worldwide?
Under “tweets that didn’t age well,” on April 2 2020 pundit Bill Mitchell criticized measures to stop the spread of COVID-19 — claiming that the 2009 H1N1 (swine flu) pandemic infected 1.4 billion people worldwide and killed a
Truth or Fiction?→ Does the United States Have 4 Percent of the World’s Population and 25 Percent of the Deaths from COVID-19?
On April 18 2020, Tia Barracini published a tweet claiming that the United States accounted for four percent of the world’s population, but 25 percent of its deaths from novel coronavirus or COVID-19: Why does the US, with 4% of the world'
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Donald Trump Ask About Using Disinfectant Injections to Treat COVID-19?
While social media users might not believe it, it is true that United States President Donald Trump asked during a briefing about the possibility of injecting disinfectants into a human body to treat COVID-19 on April 23 2020. The president’s ou
Truth or Fiction?→ Did the Second Wave of the 1918 Spanish Flu Kill 20 to 30 Million, While the First Wave Killed 3 to 5 Million?
Against the backdrop of spreading (but engineered) COVID-19 anti-lockdown protests in April 2020, a tweet claiming that a “second wave” of the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic was far deadlier than the “first wave” attracted a large n
Truth or Fiction?→ Was There a ‘Canine Coronavirus Vaccine in 2001’?
On April 22 2020, screenshots of an image post featuring a “canine coronavirus vaccine” appeared and was circulated alongside captured text about the vial dating back to 2001 (archived here): Text over a battered vial labeled
Truth or Fiction?→ Misspelled ‘We the Peaple, Re-Open Pennslvania’ Sign
An April 21 2020 post on the Facebook page “CALL TO ACTIVISM” purportedly showed a COVID-19 protester in Pennsylvania, whose sign in part urged the re-opening of “Pennslvania,” as well as “we the peaple”: In just
Truth or Fiction?→ COVID-19 ‘Sacrifice the Weak’ Reopen Tennessee Protest Sign
On April 22 2020, what appeared to be a screen capture of a WKRN-TV segment about a “Reopen TN (Tennessee)” anti-lockdown protest went viral on Twitter, showing a protester with a sign that read, “Sacrifice the weak, re-open TN”
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Dear Georgia IDGAF’ Meme
On April 21 2020, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp made the controversial decision to “re-open” some of his states non-essential businesses in spite of a spreading COVID-19 pandemic; that night, a meme addressed to Georgia residents advised, &#
Truth or Fiction?→ Did a ‘Hot Mic’ at Coronavirus White House Briefing Reveal a COVID-19 Conspiracy?
On April 20 2020, purported “hot mic” footage from a White House coronavirus press briefing appeared and quickly began circulating — involving discussion of what seemed to be fudged case-fatality rate numbers as well as the existenc
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘At $50 a Test It Wasn’t Enough … at $100 It Is’
A quote from the White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator about its response to the COVID-19 pandemic has begun circulating online among social media users criticizing it for its implications regarding for-profit healthcare. The quote has been use
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘They Opened Up Florida Beaches and Now They Have 1400 New Cases Overnight!’ Facebook Meme
A controversial decision to open Florida’s beaches on April 17 2020 led to a rash of national criticism, and an April 18 2020 Facebook post warned that 1,400 Floridians became ill specifically because of the newly-opened beaches (archived here)
Truth or Fiction?→ Was This Illusion ‘Created by a Japanese Neurologist’ to Identify Stress Levels?
Like many other memes, a roundly-debunked graphic continued to make the online rounds in 2020, though one version did gain more traction earlier in the year. The photograph itself shows an optical illusion, but the caption often accompanying it is mis
Truth or Fiction?→ Disinformation Linking COVID-19 to Hemoglobin Spreads to Spanish-Speaking Readers
The conspiracy theory pushing the idea that COVID-19 binds itself to patients’ hemoglobin has spread beyond English-language websites, and it is now targeting readers on social media and news organizations in Spanish. This version of the claim,
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘The Real Plague’ Anti-Semitic Sign Spotted at Ohio Anti-Lockdown COVID-19 Pandemic Protest
On April 18 2020, a disturbing image of a purported protest sign from coronavirus anti-lockdown protests in Columbus, Ohio began circulating on Facebook, Twitter, and Reddit: Columbus, Ohio, April 18, 2020… pic.twitter.com/Q0ryJp5pOG — W
Truth or Fiction?→ Did News Outlets Publish Old Photographs of Crowded Jacksonville, Florida Beaches in April 2020?
On April 18 2020, multiple news organizations published photographs purportedly showing newly-reopened beaches in Jacksonville, Florida, in articles with headlines such as, “Jacksonville beach packed as Florida coronavirus cases hit recordR
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Allegedly, This Is From a 1958 UK Government Report’
A nearly 70-year-old catalog of “types of homosexual” continued getting attention online in April 2020, with social media users reclaiming at least one of its definitions. Photographs of a page from Austrian sociologist Richard Hauser̵
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Donald Trump Criticize ‘Obama’s Handling of This Pandemic’ in November 2009?
In mid-April 2020, screenshots of a tweet attributed to United States President Donald Trump on November 23 2009 began circulating, in which he purportedly criticized then-President Barack Obama’s handling of the H1N1 (also called swine flu) pan
Truth or Fiction?→ Facebook Activity for Right-Wing ‘Gridlock’ Protests Surges
Facebook groups supporting or organizing anti-government protests continued to appear on the platform in mid-April 2020, despite the platform reportedly shuttering at least two such events. We found several groups using the “Operation Gridlock&#
Truth or Fiction?→ Meme Comparing ‘Flattening the Curve’ of COVID-19 to Deploying a Parachute Goes Viral
In mid-April 2020, a meme appeared on Facebook, a “very appropriate analogy” about “flattening the curve” of the COVID-19 pandemic amid growing calls to lift social distancing measures (occasionally in the form of protests). Ve
Truth or Fiction?→ Did the World Health Organization Tweet That There Was ‘No Clear Evidence of Human-to-Human Transmission of the Novel #Coronavirus’ on January 14 2020?
After United States President Donald Trump announced that he had discontinued funding to the World Health Organization, and presidential advisor Kellyanne Conway subsequently blamed the COVID-19 pandemic on the group on April 15 2020, a tweet attrib
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Los Angeles and NYC Announce ‘No More Concerts In 2020’?
A newly-created Twitter account’s unsubstantiated claim was still shared widely on the platform by readers perhaps dreading the long-term ramifications of the COVID-19 pandemic on Los Angeles and New York City. Touting it as “BREAKING NEWS
Truth or Fiction?→ Did a Man ‘Die Twice’ From COVID-19?
Conspiracy-hungry social media users possibly itching for a chance to slam what they call “fake news” shared a morbid attempt at a joke on Facebook — and in doing so, ended up making light of an actual death resulting from the COVID-
Truth or Fiction?→ Viral ‘Ohio State House COVID-19 Protest’ Image
On April 14 2020, images of a large crowd gathered in Ohio to protest COVID-19 social distancing measures (while clearly violating those measures) circulated on social media: Trump supporters protest against #Quarantine policies in Ohio. #Covid_19
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Kellyanne Conway Say ‘This Isn’t COVID-1, Folks’ on Fox News?
On April 15 2020, a viral tweet asserted Trump White House advisor Kellyanne Conway appeared on Fox News, stating “this isn’t COVID-1” when discussing challenges posed by the novel coronavirus and COVID-19: Kellyanne Conway: "
Truth or Fiction?→ Where is My Stimulus? How to Get Your Missing IRS Coronavirus Check
In mid-April 2020, a number of social media users reported receiving a coronavirus stimulus payment to their bank accounts — but many others were dismayed the long-awaited $1,200 (or more) payment had not yet reached their bank accounts. In one