In March 2019, a photo-based Facebook image post (archived here) contained the claim that 21 fathers died by suicide every week specifically because of “child access issues”: The post included a status update comment and a message on a si
Publication: TruthOrFiction
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Company Policies’ Poster
In March 2019, a poster of “Company Policies” spread on Facebook (archived here) and other sites, purportedly illustrating draconian — yet believable — rules for employees at an unidentified company: Many versions of the image appear
Truth or Fiction?→ Woodland Hills ‘Sharia Law’ Poster
On March 24 2019, a Facebook post in the group “Political Liars” (archived here) attributed a poster that apparently appeared in Woodland Hills, California to the Council on American-Islamic Relations, also known as CAIR: A status upda
Truth or Fiction?→ Guardian Angel Crying at the Cradle of an Aborted Fetus?
A February 28 2019 Facebook post (archived here) shared the image reproduced above with the following text: I shared this picture a few minutes ago, then about 5 minutes after I shared it, the post was removed from my page and also from the page of wh
Truth or Fiction?→ Derma Chronic Autoimmune Disease
On January 30 2019, this meme (archived here) appeared on Facebook, containing a claim (without sources or citations) that migrants in a caravan carried a frightening ailment known as “derma chronic autoimmune disease.” The post featured
Truth or Fiction?→ Is a ‘Bizarre New Strain of Strep’ Causing a Rash and Infecting Sinuses?
On March 3 2019, a Canadian Facebook user shared a “public service announcement” about a purportedly bizarre and new strain of streptococcus aureus going around (post archived here.) The poster referenced a second post of hers (archived h
Truth or Fiction?→ Retaliatory Attack on Christian Church in Pakistan?
On March 18 2019, just days after a right-wing extremist traveled from Australia to Christchurch, New Zealand to murder fifty people at two mosques during Friday prayers, British conservative commentator Theodora Dickinson posted a video of a burning
Truth or Fiction?→ 8 Mind-Blowing Transformations You Can Do at Home?
On March 16 2019, the Facebook page “Blossom” shared a video entitled “8 mind-blowing transformations you can do at home!” to its page and to Facebook Watch. The video raked in a massive 58 million views in just a few days, an
Truth or Fiction?→ Is the ‘OK’ Hand Sign Also American Sign Language for ‘Asshole’?
In March 2019, a Facebook user shared a meme (archived here) which claimed that the “OK sign” hand gesture is both favored by white supremacists, and that it is also American Sign Language for the word “asshole”: The meme̵
Truth or Fiction?→ Is the ‘OK’ Hand Sign Also American Sign Language for ‘Asshole’?
In March 2019, a Facebook user shared a meme (archived here) which claimed that the “OK sign” hand gesture is both favored by white supremacists, and that it is also American Sign Language for the word “asshole”: The meme̵
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Why Did Slaves Come to America?’ School Worksheet
In March 2019, two viral Facebook posts circulated with an image of an alarmingly inaccurate “Why Did Slaves Come to America?” worksheet. The viral Facebook posts were part of a larger controversy in February and March 2019 about myriad i
Truth or Fiction?→ Praying Emoji or High Five?
A long-circulating meme suggests that the “praying” emoji is definitively a “high five,” and a common iteration (seen above) shows a search for the term “highfive” with commentary such as “y’all be high
Truth or Fiction?→ Is This a World War II Photograph of Unwanted Babies for Sale in France?
On March 14 2019, the Facebook page “Pictures in History” shared an image (archived here) with the following status update: Unwanted babies for sale in France during World War II, 1940 This wasn’t this particular group’s fi
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Dave Chappelle Say ‘If You Stopped Listening to Michael Jackson … I Have Some Bad News About the Catholic Church’?
The March 2019 wide release of documentary Leaving Neverland prompted a flurry of social media activity, among the posts was a meme purportedly quoting comedian Dave Chappelle about reaction to the documentary, Michael Jackson, and the Catholic Church
Truth or Fiction?→ Does Passage of HR1 Allow Undocumented Immigrants to Vote?
On March 8 2019, a text-based status update began circulating on Facebook (archived here), asserting that the passage of legislation called HR1 granted “illegal immigrants” the right to vote. The white text across a purple background read
Truth or Fiction?→ Did President Barack Obama Settle 70,000 Somali Refugees in Minnesota, Leading to Rep. Ilhan Omar’s Election?
On March 12 2019, a Facebook user shared the image and text-based status update above (archived here) to the Facebook group “LARGEST GROUP EVER! We need 10000000 members to Make America Great Again!”, claiming that President Obama settled
Truth or Fiction?→ Did James Charles Use a Racial Slur in Twitter DMs?
Late on March 12 2019, a Twitter user shared a link (archived here) to an unavailable tweet and claimed that beauty YouTuber James Charles called them a racial slur: In a follow up tweet (archived here), the user reiterated the claim. Those images c
Truth or Fiction?→ 2005 Obama Immigration Quote
In January 2019, New Jersey politician Joseph Rudy Rullo shared the following meme (archived here), purportedly quoting then-U.S. Senator Barack Obama on immigration: It featured a photograph of Obama on the right, and on the left it read: “W
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Say Her Girl Scout Troop Recreated the Challenger Launch?
On March 10 2019, right-wing YouTube personality and conspiracy theorist Mark Dice shared the following meme to Twitter and Facebook about a purported quote by U.S. Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: First, Dice tweeted the image above with no
Truth or Fiction?→ Was Brooke Shields Photographed for ‘Playboy’ at Age 10?
In March 2019, the following meme appeared (archived here), containing a claim that Brooke Shields had been photographed suggestively for Playboy magazine when she was just ten years old: The image featured a heavily made-up small girl who looked q
Truth or Fiction?→ Will Michael Jackson’s Body Be Exhumed?
On March 7 2019, pop culture and media sites published a virally popular article (archived here) claiming that pop superstar Michael Jackson’s body may be exhumed: Express.co.uk is reporting that at least 11 new people are accusing Michael Jac
Truth or Fiction?→ Will Earth Lose Two-Thirds of its Animals by 2020?
In early March 2019, a Facebook user shared a screenshot (archived here) of a tweet sent the same day, which admonished followers of a scandal involving the Kardashian family. That post claimed that while readers were busy on Kardashian gossip, two-t
Truth or Fiction?→ Do New Chicago City ID Cards Allow Undocumented Immigrants to Vote?
On January 19 2019, a Facebook user shared a text-based status update (archived here), claiming that Chicago’s “City ID Cards” enables undocumented immigrants to legally vote in state and federal elections: Chicago now has City ID Ca
Truth or Fiction?→ If You Have Astigmatism, This Is What Lights Look Like
On February 28 2019, a Facebook user shared the image below (archived here) and commented: “So if u have astigmatism, then this is what lights look like to you. I always thought this was what they looked like for everybody”: The post was
Truth or Fiction?→ Was Mr. Rogers Bisexual?
On March 5 2019, an unexpected rumor that Fred Rogers (the creator and star of the beloved American children’s television show Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood) was bisexual began spreading on LGBTQ news sites and social media in general. Seve
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Say ‘White Women’ Need to Have Fewer Children and ‘More Abortions’?
In early March 2019, a Facebook user shared the following indifferently-spelled meme (archived here), featuring Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and a quote in which she purportedly insisted that “white women” ought to have ̶
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘There is Room in America and Brotherhood for All’ Statue of Liberty Dedication Speech
On March 3 2019, Texas politician Sid Miller shared “An important reminder!”, a meme (archived here) purportedly providing the last line in a Statue of Liberty dedication speech from October 1886: Atop a bronze Statue of Liberty, the meme
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Luke Perry Die After a Pneumonia Vaccine?
Actor Luke Perry died following a stroke on March 4 2019. That same day, a screenshot (archived here) suggesting Perry had received a pneumonia vaccine just before his stroke appeared and quickly began circulating: The post, captioned “In cas
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Say ‘All the Technology in the World Won’t Let Us Build a Wall in the Mountains’?
On February 22 2019, Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) shared the following meme (archived here), purporting to quote Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on the feasibility of building walls across mountains in an apparent reference to the United States border: Kin
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Real Momo Videos,’ Viral Hoaxes, and Ostension
In the aftermath of the March 2019 U.S. media frenzy surrounding the Momo challenge, a number of “real Momo videos” have opportunistically surfaced and quickly racked up large share counts. We came across several of the likely many survivi
Truth or Fiction?→ #911 Facebook Green Line or Snitch Meme
A long-circulating Facebook status meme of indeterminate claims that typing #911 in a comment will generate a green line or green bar, confirming that the user commenting is “not a snitch.” Variations of the meme (which date back to March
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘What If the Government Funded Adoptions Instead of Abortions?’
During ongoing national debate about a new abortion law in New York in February 2019, a Facebook user shared a meme with a photograph of an infant atop an American flag, bearing the following caption: WHAT IF THE GOVERNMENT FUNDED ADOPTIONS INSTEAD O
Truth or Fiction?→ Actor Luke Perry Dead at 52
Actor Luke Perry, a Gen-X heartthrob best known for his work on Riverdale and Beverly Hills: 90210 has died. Perry was best known for his role in the teen drama about a group of wealthy classmates in southern California, but went on to distinguish him
Truth or Fiction?→ Was Samuel L. Jackson an ‘Unknown Heroin Addict’ Before ‘Pulp Fiction’?
In February 2019, a Facebook page shared the following biographical meme about Samuel L. Jackson, detailing a purported drug addiction that defined his life before he got clean, which was around the time he appeared in Pulp Fiction. Alongside the mem
Truth or Fiction?→ Was Michael Cohen Hillary Clinton’s ‘Personal Lawyer’?
On February 28 2019, the Facebook page “I am not a dictator” shared the following meme (archived here), alleging that President Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen was once the personal lawyer of Hillary Clinton and/or the Clinton Fo
Truth or Fiction?→ Florida Plumber Finds Clog, Reticulated Python
A Facebook post featuring a photograph of a purported reticulated python found clogging a drain in Florida began circulating in February 2019: Individual and separate shares of the same image amassed tens of thousands of shares each, and users claime
Truth or Fiction?→ Do Children’s Characters ‘Max and Ruby’ Have a Tragic Backstory?
In 2015, the following content (archived here), an apparent Tumblr screenshot describing the purported backstory for the preschool book series and television show Max & Ruby, started to circulate on social media: Underneath a still from Max &am
Truth or Fiction?→ Did an Arkansas Republican Propose Cutting Free Lunches to Punish Students?
On February 26 2019, the Facebook page “Occupy Democrats” shared the following meme (archived here), alleging that state legislator from Arkansas Alan Clark proposed cuts to school lunch programs for disadvantaged children: Text around a
Truth or Fiction?→ Tommy Robinson Banned from Facebook, Instagram
On February 26 2019, British professional provocateur and far-right activist Tommy Robinson (née Steven Yaxley-Lennon) — perhaps best known for his involvement with disinformation purveyors such as political party (and Brexit architects) UKIP and
Truth or Fiction?→ Lady Gaga: ‘I Had a Boyfriend Who Told Me I’d Never Succeed’
After 2019’s annual Academy Awards, a Lady Gaga quote about a boyfriend who purportedly told her she would never succeed began circulating on social media. An iteration of that quote (archived here) published to Facebook one day later was capt