On July 16 2019, the Facebook page “Close the Camps” shared the following screenshot (archived here) of a Facebook post asserting that riots, rebellion, and war were necessary to put a stop to concentration camps, World War II, and slaver
Publication: TruthOrFiction
Truth or Fiction?→ Did United States President Barack Obama Remove a ‘Citizenship Question’ from the Census?
In July 2019, a Facebook user shared a text-based status update about the census-related “citizenship question,” which claimed that such a question had existed on the United States Census for 160 years — until President Obama outlawed
Truth or Fiction?→ Did ‘Leftist Protesters’ Scream ‘F*** the Troops’ at a Detention Facility Protest in Aurora?
On July 15 2019, Facebook user DC Draino and Twitter user @StClairAshley shared footage purportedly showing a confrontation between StClair and unnamed “leftist protesters” outside an immigration detention facility in Aurora, Colorado:
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘YesJuliet’ Instagram Murder Rumors
On July 14 2019, rumors began spreading on Instagram, Reddit, Discord, 4Chan, Twitter, and other social media sites about purported disturbing posts shared by Instagram user @YesJuliet about an alleged murder of a 17-year-old girl named Bianca Devins
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Storm Area 51, They Can’t Stop All of Us,’ Explained
In early July 2019, a number of memes and content related to the Facebook event “Storm Area 51, They Can’t Stop All of Us” began circulating on the social network, as well as other social media. The public Facebook page for the event
Truth or Fiction?→ Was the U.S. Women’s National Team Defeated by Teenaged Boys in a 2017 Soccer Match?
After the United States Women’s National Team beat the Netherlands 2 to 0 to win the World Cup in July 2019, the fans of the nation’s soccer team were delighted. It also lent serious heft to the players’ demand for pay and treatment
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Third World Country? Nah, LA California’
In June 2019, a Facebook user shared the following image (archived here), purportedly illustrating the poor state of affairs in Los Angeles in particular and California overall: Third world country? Nah, LA California. This is exactly what socialism i
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Water Intoxication in Dogs’ Warning
A July 2018 Facebook warning about dogs suffering from water intoxication continued circulating in 2019, describing the unexpected death of an otherwise healthy pet: This appeared to be a copy of an individual’s Facebook post to a page with a
Truth or Fiction?→ Was Lil Nas X Dropped by Wrangler After He Came Out as Gay?
On July 1 2019, country hip-hop musician Montero Lamar Hill — better known as Lil Nas X — published tweets subtly alluding to his sexual orientation: Two hours [after tweeting about a UK appearance], the Atlanta-born [Lil Nas X] and arguably the n
Truth or Fiction?→ Were There Drive-Throughs in Ancient Rome?
In July 2019, the Facebook page “Nerds Raging” shared the following Tumblr screenshot, which consists of one purported book passage about drive-through restaurants in ancient Rome and subsequent humorous commentary: Underneath a screens
Truth or Fiction?→ Is a ‘Perfect Road Trip’ of Obscenely-Named Towns Real?
On July 4 2019, the Facebook page “Gringott’s Bank of Enchanted Memes” shared a meme (archived here) illustrating a purported route through the United Kingdom with a number of licentious and salacious location names: From top to b
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Fans Contract Herpes from Belle Delphine’s Bathwater?
In July 2019 Instagram cosplayer Belle Delphine offered her bathwater for sale, news of which was quickly followed by a rumor that purchasers were afflicted with herpes after drinking it. Prior to that story appearing, Insider reported: Belle Delphin
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Doing it Wrong’ Glade Air Freshener Meme
On June 29 2019, the Facebook page “Be My Guest” shared a meme about the purportedly widespread, incorrect use of Glade brand air fresheners (archived here): Under text reading “I’ve been doing it wrong all my life,” t
Truth or Fiction?→ Disney, Ariel, and the ‘White Mermaids’ Dispute
In early July 2019, Haile Bailey’s casting as main character Ariel in a live-action reboot of Disney’s animated film The Little Mermaid caused controversy on social media, sparking a meme about another person of color having appeared in
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Say If ‘Owning Guns Was a Right It Would Be in the Constitution’?
New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York) has captured the attention of the internet and its trolls, which means that memes and rumors about her are quite common — most of which seem to attribute either motives or quotes to her with no cit
Truth or Fiction?→ Did a Symbolic Random Chat Room Name Appear After Etika’s Death?
After the death of YouTube gaming streamer Etika was confirmed in late June 2019, his on-and-off girlfriend Alice Pika hosted a memorial livestream on June 26 2019. Not long after, a rumor circulated on Reddit and other sites about what the appearance
Truth or Fiction?→ Sparkler Ash Dog Death Warning
On June 26 2019, a Facebook user posted the following story about the death of their pug Zoe, urging other users to be aware of the purported danger posed by spent firework and sparkler ash: In part of the post, Copp said that Zoe had recently died
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Colin Kaepernick Force Nike to Cancel ‘Offensive’ Betsy Ross American Flag Sneakers?
On July 1 2019, the Wall Street Journal published an article reporting that Nike had canceled shipment of a planned Betsy Ross flag-themed sneaker, adding that former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick had forced the athletic wear company to do so as
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Protesters Throw ‘Concrete Milkshakes’?
Dueling protests became dueling narratives in Portland, Oregon on June 29 2019 when clashes erupted between Proud Boys attendees and anti-fascist demonstrators, quickly devolving into rumors that milkshakes thrown at one person contained one or mor
Truth or Fiction?→ Did a Woman on Facebook Mistake Drill Bits Discarded at a Gas Station for Bullets?
In March 2018, the Facebook page “Historical Pictures” shared the following meme (archived here), purportedly a screenshot of a Facebook post in which a woman named Emily Noel mistakes discarded drill bits for bullets: Underneath a phot
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Dwight Eisenhower Say Someday ‘Someone Will Claim It Never Happened’ in 1945?
On June 9 2019, the Facebook page “No To Theocracy” shared the following meme (archived here), featuring a quote in which President Dwight Eisenhower appeared to have predicted Holocaust denial: Above a photograph skeletal human remains
Truth or Fiction?→ Did a Man Get Plastic Surgery and Change His Name to Circumvent a Restraining Order?
A December 2018 article headlined, “Man gets plastic surgery and name change to date his ex-girlfriend after she obtains restraining order” has appeared intermittently on social media after its publication. No obvious date appeared on the
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Socrates Say ‘When Debate is Lost, Slander Becomes the Tool of the Losers’?
On June 26 2019, Eric Trump tweeted a meme attributing a quote about slander to the philosopher Socrates: pic.twitter.com/ojBEcJPGjt — Eric Trump (@EricTrump) June 26, 2019 Against an image of what appeared to be a black and white photograph o
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Socrates Say ‘When Debate is Lost, Slander Becomes the Tool of the Losers’?
On June 26 2019, Eric Trump tweeted a meme attributing a quote about slander to the philosopher Socrates: pic.twitter.com/ojBEcJPGjt — Eric Trump (@EricTrump) June 26, 2019 Against an image of what appeared to be a black and white photograph o
Truth or Fiction?→ Dr. Seuss ‘Foreign Children’ Comic
In June 2019, the following meme featuring a quote by a Fox News personality and a purported comic by Dr. Seuss on “foreign children” circulated on social media: At the top of the meme was a screenshot of Fox News’ Fox & Friends
Truth or Fiction?→ Dr. Seuss ‘Foreign Children’ Comic
In June 2019, the following meme featuring a quote by a Fox News personality and a purported comic by Dr. Seuss on “foreign children” circulated on social media: At the top of the meme was a screenshot of Fox News’ Fox & Friends
Truth or Fiction?→ There Is No Credible Evidence Rep. Ilhan Omar Married Her Brother
On June 23 2019 pundit Dinesh D’Souza tweeted a very old claim: That Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minnesota) once married her own brother: I’m trying to keep the @IlhanMN story straight. She marrried her brother to evade immigration laws? Then she div
Truth or Fiction?→ Does It Cost $750 a Day to House Migrant Children in Camps?
In June 2019, social media posts popped up claiming that that it costs taxpayers $750 (or $775) per child per day to house immigrant children in “tent cities” and other detention facilities. A June 22 2019 post on the Facebook page “
Truth or Fiction?→ Does an Photograph Show Rosaries Confiscated from Border Detainees?
In June 2018, a Facebook user shared a post (archived here) featuring a screenshot of a tweet about rosary beads purportedly confiscated from migrants taken into custody by border agents. That post was shared more than 89,000 times in a year. The twe
Truth or Fiction?→ Did U.S. President Barack Obama Have a Separation Policy at the Border?
In late June 2019, United States President Donald Trump repeatedly claimed that his administration did not have a family separation policy at the border — going further to attribute the controversial actions to his predecessor, Barack Obama. Trump
Truth or Fiction?→ Was Don Rickles Included in ‘Toy Story 4’ Thanks to Archival Material?
On June 23 2019, the Facebook page “Just Disney” shared a meme which claimed that the late Don Rickles’ Mr. Potato Head character appeared in the feature film Toy Story 4 — despite his death in April 2017: Beneath a sti
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Donald Trump Send Six Tweets Warning President Barack Obama Would Attack Iran as a Diversion?
As tensions between the United States and Iran escalated in June 2019, a number of memes circulated that purportedly depicted tweets sent by Donald Trump between 2011 and 2013 — predicting that former United States President Barack Obama would fabri
Truth or Fiction?→ Have Arrest Warrants Been Issued for Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama?
Despite fears of “deepfake” videos and other high-tech ways disinformation could potentially proliferate in the very near future, the stories that still get the most traction are often decidedly low effort. Take, for example, the case of a
Truth or Fiction?→ Did the Cook and Janitor of a Bankrupt Assisted Living Home Stay to Care for Abandoned Residents?
On June 16 2019, the Facebook page “Weird Facts” shared the following meme (archived here), about a cook and a janitor who purportedly refused to abandon the residents of a bankrupted care home: Atop an image of two unidentified men, th
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Malia Obama Cash a $1.2 Million Check?
A headline about former First Daughter Malia Obama (archived here) depositing a suspiciously large check got a lot of traction on social media in June 2019: However, this story is suspect for two reasons. First, it contains little beyond a provocati
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Why I’m Voting for Donald Trump in 2020’ Twitter Meme
On June 18 2019, Twitter user @johncatsjr shared the following tweet (“why I’m voting for Donald Trump in 2020”), a missive picked up by innumerable other users — along with an original misspelling: Why I’m voting for Donald Tru
Truth or Fiction?→ The Parable of the Stolen Cookies
If you use Facebook, chances are you’ve stumbled upon the videos of Jay Shetty — perhaps the one that is very vaguely titled “Before You Judge Anyone, Watch This,” which is a parable about airport cookie theft: The same story wa
Truth or Fiction?→ Does a New ‘Gay Street’ Sign Near Stonewall Include ‘Pedosexual’ in Pride?
In June 2019 — Pride Month in the United States — the following image circulated on social media, suggesting that one of the sexual orientations added to New York City’s “Gay Street” sign was “pedosexual”: The image
Truth or Fiction?→ Razor Blades on Slides: Urban Legend or Legitimate Risk?
A meme shared by the page “Explore Talent” (archived here) including several images alongside a warning about razor blades purportedly affixed to playground equipment such as slides has been circulating on social media for years: The te
Truth or Fiction?→ Should You Avoid Puffy Bags of Salad or Lettuce in Favor of Flat Ones?
On June 13 2019, the Facebook page “Crafty Morning” shared the following meme (archived here), featuring an image of salad and lettuce in bags at a supermarket along with purported tips for selecting the freshest produce: Above an imag