Youth-oriented news and politics site Teen Vogue is frequently lauded for its post-2016 foray into political news, a nearly-unequivocal level of approval that suddenly faltered after sponsored Facebook public relations material was published and then
Publication: TruthOrFiction
Truth or Fiction?→ December 7 1943: 56,082 People in Auschwitz; December 7 2019: 69,550 Children in Border Camps?
A December 8 2019 Facebook post purportedly contrasting the number of people in Auschwitz on December 7 1943 (56,082) with the number of children (not adults, 69,550) detained at border camps on the same date in 2019 circulated in copy-and-paste form
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Say NO to Piercing Guns’ Viral Facebook Post
On December 29 2019, Facebook user Stephanie Lipscy shared the following post beginning with “say NO to piercing guns,” alongside an illustration of an ear being pierced: Lipscy said that the use of ear piercing guns caused “a blun
Truth or Fiction?→ Arizona Rep. Paul Gosar Pushes Digitally Altered Image of Obama with Iranian Leader
A Republican lawmaker who once inspired his family to record a statement urging constituents to vote against him and who embedded a weaponized Jeffrey Epstein meme in impeachment tweets lashed out at reporters on January 6 2020 after posting a regurgi
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Don’t Abbreviate 2020’ Warning
Beginning in early 2020, many people on social media have likely encountered a “legal warning” advising they not abbreviate the date in a month/day/year (or day/month/year) format in 2020, thanks to the purported ability of all and sundry
Truth or Fiction?→ Iranians, Iranian-Americans Stopped at U.S. Border with Canada
United States Customs and Border Patrol subjected both Iranians and Iranian-Americans to more scrutiny in January 2020 in the wake of new orders from the Department of Homeland Security, although CBP quibbled over accounts of people stopped for hours
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Missing’ Hiker Emoji Mandela Effect
Among memories considered part of the “Mandela effect” — a term for a shared false memory that stems from a collective, completely false understanding that Nelson Mandela died in prison in the 1980s — is a mass recollection of a sinc
Truth or Fiction?→ Aboriginal Flag on the Right, Australia Burning on the Left
On January 2 2019, Facebook user Benita Tahuri shared the following two images and a post — on the left, the Australian Aboriginal flag, and on the right, a photograph of the “sun and skyscape … as a consequence of the fires”:
Truth or Fiction?→ Fake Fox News Twitter Smears Rep. Ilhan Omar
A short-lived Twitter account impersonating the right-wing Fox News network managed to draw attention to itself on January 5 2020 through the familiar tactic of a made-up smear against Democratic Party Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota. The account, “
Truth or Fiction?→ Disinformation Inflames Tensions After United States Kills Iranian Commander
Late in the evening of January 2 2020, the United States announced that it had targeted and killed Iranian Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani in Iraq in a major and dramatic escalation: Iran confirmed the death of one of its most active military fi
Truth or Fiction?→ Online Trolls Seize on Anti-Semitic NYC Attacks for Anti-Black Disinformation Effort
In the wake of a series of anti-Semitic attacks in New York City during Hanukkah 2019, online troll sites and fake social media accounts moved to foment both disinformation and tension by pitting Jewish and Black communities against one another. As CN
Truth or Fiction?→ Best Buy ‘Y2K’ Sticker
If you were using social media on December 31 2019, chances are a Best Buy “Y2K warning” sticker crossed one of your feeds — it looked something like this: Although some versions were digital renderings, others like the one above showed
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘I Did Not Take This Photo and I Don’t Know Who Did’ Australian Community Firefighters Image
In the midst of late December 2019 and early January 2020 fires raging across the Australian continent, the following screenshot showing exhausted, soot-blackened firefighters circulated on Facebook: The photograph, which was apparently captured fr
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Weird Twitter’ Account Spreads Video Distorting Joe Biden Campaign Speech
On January 1 2020, a Twitter user attempting to lobby criticism on Democratic Party presidential candidate Joe Biden went a step further than a critique by posting a video that had been edited to remove context from one of his campaign speeches. The a
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Blue Eyes Are Haram’ Disinformation
On January 1 2020, disinformation purveyors all across the internet suddenly pivoted in unison to pushing the same disinformation that has muddied English-speaking social media since at least 2015, down to the same claims, the same recycled stories, a
Truth or Fiction?→ Maine Fisherman Finds Late Brother’s Insurance Card While Trawling, 11 Years After His Death
On December 27 2019, Facebook user Frank Joseph Miliano shared a moving status update about an incidental find that day while working as a commercial fisherman in Maine. Miliano uploaded a photograph of a weatherbeaten identification card, and an expl
Truth or Fiction?→ Are Drive-Thru Convenience Stores Only Located in Ohio?
A Facebook user’s popular post in November 2019 expressed surprise over the existence of drive-thru convenience stores, but their popularity and their existence itself date back decades. The post (which has been spread more than 10,000 times on
Truth or Fiction?→ Detainee Trying to Feed Her Baby or ‘The Nativity 2019’?
On December 24 2019, a photograph shared to Twitter circulated with the claim that it showed “a detainee trying to feed her baby,” heavily implying that the image showed victims of the Trump administration’s family separation policy
Truth or Fiction?→ Was Paul Rudd the Same Age as Wilford Brimley in ‘Cocoon’ as of December 2019?
On December 30 2019, the Twitter account @BrimleyLine tweeted that actor Paul Rudd was, as of that date, 18,530 days old — exactly as old as actor Wilford Brimley when he starred in the film Cocoon: Born April 6, 1969, actor Paul Rudd ('Cluel
Truth or Fiction?→ Rudy Giuliani Criticized After Describing Himself as a ‘Former Attorney General’ on Facebook
In late December 2019, the Facebook page of former New York mayor turned “presidential attorney” Rudolph Giuliani was quickly edited after sharp-eyed readers quickly pointed out that it contained glaringly false claims about Giuliani’
Truth or Fiction?→ Was Trump Not Really Impeached?
United States President Donald Trump and his Republican Party allies could seize on an op-ed by a Harvard University law professor in order to change the definition of impeachment to suit his purposes. The House of Representatives voted on December 18
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Donald Trump’s Letter to Nancy Pelosi Secretly Display ‘F*** You, C***’?
A purported copy of United States President Donald Trump’s December 20 2019 letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi appeared on Reddit’s r/therewasanattempt one day later, with a big red markup around a hidden message reading “Fuck you,
Truth or Fiction?→ Aldi ‘Free Food on Christmas Eve’ Facebook Post
A December 12 2019 MSN.com post with the headline “Aldi issues plea for vulnerable people to come and collect free food on Christmas Eve” was making the Facebook rounds as Christmas Eve 2019 approached, with innumerable shares appearing in
Truth or Fiction?→ Hatsune Miku and Harry Potter
On December 19 2019, “Hatsune Miku” trended on Twitter during a controversy involving J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter, and trans-exclusionary feminism (“TERF,” an abbreviation for “trans-exclusionary radical feminist” a
Truth or Fiction?→ Is This a Photograph of the Chernobyl ‘Elephant’s Foot’?
Even before a show based on the Chernobyl disaster renewed interest both on and off social media, one of the most vivid online reminders of the April 1986 nuclear reactor meltdown continued to circulate online. A Facebook post that was shared more tha
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Do You Know What’s Deplorable? Being Impeached’ Tweet
On December 18 2019, United States President Donald Trump was impeached on two counts by the House of Representatives; that night and the following day, screenshots and quotations of a tweet purportedly from his son Donald Trump Jr. to then-presidenti
Truth or Fiction?→ Did J.K. Rowling ‘Confirm Her Stance Against Transgender Women’?
Rumors that author J.K. Rowling (of the popular Harry Potter series) was a trans-exclusionary feminist circulated for years due to her comments and behavior on Twitter, culminating in a viral June 2019 Medium piece by Phalen Fairchild titled, “
Truth or Fiction?→ Folgers ‘Incest Ad’
If you frequent internet culture sites like Reddit or Fark.com, chances are you know the “Folgers incest ad” — and if you do, you either love or hate this polarizing commercial. If you have no idea what we’re talking about, read on
Truth or Fiction?→ Hoax ‘Toronto Impeachment Protest’ Photo
Amid a series of December 17 2019 demonstrations in the United States marking a vote on whether to impeach U.S. President Donald Trump, one Twitter user attempted to troll the protests by passing off a photograph of a different event. The user, ̶
Truth or Fiction?→ Downward Tilting Toilet
On December 2019, Twitter and Facebook were flush with posts about a downward tilted toilet — purportedly designed to be unbearable to sit upon for more than five minutes — installed by employers to discourage lengthy bathroom breaks: BREAKI
Truth or Fiction?→ How Many Moms Are in ‘One Million Moms’?
In December 2019 the group One Million Moms grabbed headlines for purportedly forcing the Hallmark Channel’s decision — quickly reversed — to discontinue holiday season television commercials by the brand Zola due to its inclusion of a lesbi
Truth or Fiction?→ What Do You See in This Image of a Vehicle on Fire?
On December 10 2019, a Facebook user shared the following photographs of a vehicle on fire — one of which includes an apparent image of a figure in the flames: Alongside the two photographs, the user wrote: Caught a picture of this vehicle
Truth or Fiction?→ Ahoy, Matey: Book Excerpt Fuels Surge of Interest in Same-Sex Pirate Partnerships
In December 2019, a graphic circulated online that questioned the dominant narrative on (and perhaps had some readers rethinking their views about) the pirate culture of the 17th century. A photograph, taken from the 2019 book The Queeriodic Table:
Truth or Fiction?→ NYT, 1932: ‘German Centrists’ Believe Nazis Allowed to Participate Will Become More Moderate?
In an ongoing online debate over whether centrists enable fascists, a December 16 2019 tweet purportedly showed an authentic New York Times article from 1932, which reported that “German centrists” believed that Nazis would become “
Truth or Fiction?→ Did the U.S. Department of Defense Display an Image of a Nazi on the 75th Anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge?
On December 16 2019, social media accounts affiliated with the United States military put up the following image with a post attached to it commemorating the 75th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge: The photograph showed a Nazi war criminal, SS-S
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Supreme Court Can Extend Trump’s Term By Up To 3 Years If He’s Acquitted In The Senate’ Facebook Share
A December 12 2019 article with the headline, “Supreme Court Can Extend Trump’s Term By Up To 3 Years If He’s Acquitted In The Senate” spread widely on social media — particularly Facebook — in the days after it appeared. It cla
Truth or Fiction?→ Was an ‘Anti-Semitic’ Bernie Sanders Shirt Sold at the DNC in 2016?
On December 13 2019, in the wake of a column accusing Sen. Bernie Sanders (who is Jewish) of having an “anti-Semitism problem,” several people came forward to claim that a T-shirt with an anti-Semitic caricature of Sanders was sold at the
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Michael Bloomberg Supporters Invent Their Own ‘Dance’?
On December 12, 2019, Democratic presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg’s campaign got viral attention online — though probably not in a way they anticipated, thanks to comedians Nick Ciarelli and Brad Evans. “Look out #TeamPete becaus
Truth or Fiction?→ Fresh Snow Absorbs Sound
On December 12 2019, the Facebook page “Weird Facts” shared the following meme about how fresh snow “absorbs” sound: Underneath an image of a snowy street, text read: Fresh snow absorbs sound, lowering ambient noise
Truth or Fiction?→ Mike Huckabee, Sean Hannity, and ‘Trump 2024’
On December 12 2019, former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee tweeted ahead of a purported appearance on Sean Hannity‘s show on Fox News that he planned to go on the air to explain how United States President Donald Trump is “eligible”