In January 2019, the Facebook page “Adult Imaginations” shared an old meme claiming that steering wheels feature raised dots in braille for blind or visually impaired drivers: The image shows raised dots on the center of a steering wheel,
Publication: TruthOrFiction
Truth or Fiction?→ Is This a Photograph of Wedding Bands Removed by Nazis in Concentration Camps?
In December 2017, the Facebook page “Historical Pictures” shared the following image: A caption read: Wedding bands that were removed from Holocaust victims prior to being executed, 1945. Each ring represents a destroyed family. Never forg
Truth or Fiction?→ Can You Now Be Fined $999 for Holding a Phone in Your Car?
On January 7 2019, the following status update appeared on social media and quickly went viral: Caught using cell phone, or holding it while driving- $999 fine and 3 yr suspended license as of Jan.2019! Ouch…be aware folks!! No specific jurisdi
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Undocumented Immigrants Send $56 Billion in ‘Pure Cash’ to Their Home Countries Last Year?
Against the backdrop of a long-running federal shutdown, purportedly over border wall funding, a Facebook user shared the following meme in January 2019: It read: ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS SENT $56 BILLION IN PURE CASH TO THEIR HOME COUNTRIES LAST YEAR ALONE
Truth or Fiction?→ Did a Woman Shoot Off a Motorist’s Middle Finger in a Utah Road Rage Incident?
On January 8, 2019, the Facebook page “Weird Facts” shared the following image claim without further information: The image showed a four-lane motorway, and the text read: A man flipped off a woman while entering a Utah Freeway, and proce
Truth or Fiction?→ Were Irreplaceable Joshua Trees Destroyed Because of the Government Shutdown?
On January 10, 2019, the Facebook page “The Other 98%” shared a meme about Joshua trees which were purportedly destroyed due to the 2018-2019 federal government shutdown: Atop two images of trees, text read: During the shutdown, with Joshu
Truth or Fiction?→ Does This Grandma Want You to Share Her Photo to Mark Her 100th Birthday?
On January 7, 2019, the Facebook page “Animals & Nature” shared a seemingly wholesome plea on the part of the purported poster’s 100-year-old grandma: Alongside the purported centenarian’s image, a caption pleaded: Today’
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Banks Collect $30 Billion in Overdraft Fees in 2018?
In January 2019, the following meme appeared on social media about overdraft fees collected by banks: The meme read: Banks collected over $30 billion in overdraft fees last year. Another way of saying that, banks took $30,000,000,000 from people who
Truth or Fiction?→ Is Rashida Tlaib’s ‘Raping and Pillaging… What Goes Around Comes Around’ Tweet Real?
In January 2019, a tweet attributed to Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib began circulating in questionable screenshot-only form on Twitter and Facebook: Dated January 4, 2019, it read: Americans have spent decades raping and pillaging my people. What goes a
Truth or Fiction?→ Do Democrats Pay The $5 Billion Wall Cost Every 10 Days to ‘Subsidize’ Illegal Immigration?
On January 4, 2019, a Facebook user shared a text-based post to a public group: It stated: Democrats pay what Trump is asking for the wall every 10 days to subsidize illegal aliens. Let that sink in. #SocialistClowns The status update was shared durin
Truth or Fiction?→ Did the United States Give Jordan $500 Million to Build a Wall on its Border with Iraq?
On January 8, 2019, just after President Donald Trump addressed the United States on the matter of his intent to construct another border wall, the Facebook page “The American Dreamer” shared the following meme: Text overlaid on an image
Truth or Fiction?→ Do You Have the Right as a Juror to Refuse to Enforce ‘Bad Law’?
On January 5, 2018, the Facebook page “Think Liberty” posted this photograph of a woman holding a sign: The sign and caption said: As a juror, you have the right to refuse to enforce any bad law in the case brought before you. #TheMoreYouK
Truth or Fiction?→ United States President Donald Trump’s Immigration Speech
On the evening of January 8, 2019, United States President Donald Trump addressed the nation from the Oval Office on the topic of immigration and what he calls a humanitarian and national security crisis on the country’s southern border as a shut
Truth or Fiction?→ Do ‘The Most Brilliant Scientists’ Not Vaccinate Their Own Children?
On January 7, 2019, the Facebook page for NaturalNews.com shared a video, the premise for which was contained in its title: “The most brilliant scientists working for the U.S. government do NOT vaccinate their own kids.” The same video was
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Democrats Put Up a Four-Mile Fence Around the DNC in 2016?
On December 28, 2018, a Facebook user commented on a debate over border wall funding by sharing a photograph of a purported four-mile long fence erected around the Democratic National Convention (DNC): Alongside the image, the user posted a comment: A
Truth or Fiction?→ Did a Barber Mistakenly Shave a ‘Play’ Button on a Client’s Head Because of a Paused Video?
In January 2019, 9Gag shared a post titled “Barber Mistakenly Shaves A Play Button Into Client’s Hair After Being Shown A Paused Video.” It was light on details and included several amusing images: 9Gag had very little to say about t
Truth or Fiction?→ Does a Protester’s Sign Say ‘We Will Defeat America Using the Weakness of Liberal Leaders’?
In late 2018 and early 2019, an image circulated of a man holding a sign that read: “We Will Defeat America By Using The Weakness Of Liberal Leaders”: The image rarely appeared with any backstory, and it served as something of a Rorschach
Truth or Fiction?→ Did President Barack Obama Shut Down the Government to ‘Force Obamacare’ in 2013?
On December 29, 2018, a Facebook user posted a status update claiming that a federal shutdown over border wall funding was similar to one in 2013 — and it was purportedly initiated by President Barack Obama: This was nearly identical to a December 2
Truth or Fiction?→ Is the IRS Suspending Tax Refunds During the Government Shutdown?
On December 22, 2018 the United States government shut down, suspending the functions and payrolls of numerous federal agencies. As the shutdown continued into January 2019, concern and rumors began to spread over whether tax refunds issued by the Int
Truth or Fiction?→ Is This a Picture of Used Syringes Recovered in ‘Democrat Run’ San Francisco?
On December 20, 2018, the Facebook page Try Decaf shared a photograph, purportedly showing used needles “found on the streets of Democrat run San Francisco”: As of January 4, 2019, the image had been shared thousands of times. Angry users
Truth or Fiction?→ Are Deaths Listed in a ‘2018 Muslim Threat’ Tweet Accurate?
On January 1, 2019, civil rights lawyer and podcast host Qasim Rashid, Esq. tweeted a purported breakdown of the so-called “Muslim threat” relative to other risks to Americans in 2018: 2018 Recap of the “Muslim threat” Americans killed
Truth or Fiction?→ Is a Tweet Contrasting American and Japanese Generations Accurate?
On December 22, 2018, the Facebook page Ethan Berk shared an image referencing baby boomers, older people in Japan, and the attitudes of the two groups: The image involved several components, including commentary at the top, a purported tweet from BBC
Truth or Fiction?→ Are More Americans Killed Annually by Lack of Affordable Healthcare Than in Terror Attacks or Undocumented Immigrants?
On December 20 2018, the Facebook page Teanderthal Party posted the following meme about healthcare, “illegal immigration,” terror attacks, and the mortality rate in the United States: It stated: FACT: More Americans die every year from la
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Teddy Roosevelt Stand Up for the First Black Female Postmaster?
In January 2019, the Facebook page History Hustle shared a meme about President Teddy Roosevelt and a woman named Minnie Cox, the first black female postmaster in the United States: The original post (which did not include any visible citations) said:
Truth or Fiction?→ Was a Snake Head Found in a Can of Green Beans?
In late December 2018, a Facebook user shared a photograph set showing what appeared to be a snake’s head, claiming that she had found it in a can of Glory Foods green beans: Accompanying the images was a post, which read: Snake for supper anyon
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Donald Trump Say Generals at the Pentagon Were Better Looking and Stronger Than Tom Cruise?
On January 2, 2018, the Facebook page Union Thugs shared a meme attributing a quote about Pentagon generals and how they compared to actor Tom Cruise: The quote was bookended with commentary from the meme’s maker. It read: An actual thing the P
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Muslim Men Attack a UK Serviceman on New Year’s Eve?
On January 1, 2019, British far-right activist Tommy Robinson (née Stephen Christopher Yaxley-Lennon) shared a post with photographs of an injured man, claiming that fifteen Muslim men had seriously assaulted a British serviceman one day prior in Ba
Truth or Fiction?→ Is ‘Bandersnatch’ a Real Game?
Netflix released Black Mirror standalone special “Bandersnatch,” which featured an interactive “choose your own adventure” style plot, on December 28, 2018. Immediately, viewers began dissecting its elements — chief among th
Truth or Fiction?→ Is ‘Bar’ an Acronym for ‘Beer and Alcohol Room’?
A meme with the claim that the word “bar” is an acronym for “beer and alcohol room” suddenly appeared in late December 2018: The meme was virtually identical in both presentation and format to a similar post claiming the word
Truth or Fiction?→ Do Two-Thirds of Millennials Not Know What Auschwitz Is?
In late December 2018, the Facebook page for Yahoo! Now shared a link to an article with a comment that two-thirds of millennials “don’t know what Auschwitz was”: The post linked to an article aggregated to Yahoo! from Newsweek on Apr
Truth or Fiction?→ How to Slow the Spread of Disinformation: A Guide for Newsrooms
Every day, a new fake story emerges with the power to affect policy or further corrode relationships, from interpersonal to international. This is corrosive disinformation, as different from garden-variety scams and hoaxes as a molehill is from a mount
Truth or Fiction?→ Did President Donald Trump’s Secretary of State Call Same-Sex Marriage ‘Evil’?
On December 27, 2018, a brief video appeared to show Trump administration Secretary of State Mike Pompeo discussing homosexuality and referring to the Rapture, which according to certain sects of evangelical Christianity is the end of the world in whic
Truth or Fiction?→ Did a Twitter User Claim a Border Wall GoFundMe Campaign Got ‘Almost Halfway’ to a Billion Dollars?
In late December 2018, a screenshot of a tweet attributed to a Twitter user who goes by “@MAGA_diane” began circulating on social media: The tweet appeared with a link to a GoFundMe campaign to fund a border wall between the United States
Truth or Fiction?→ Did the FBI Declare That ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ Was ‘Communist Propaganda’?
In December 2018, claims that the Federal Bureau of Investigation had once deemed the holiday classic film It’s a Wonderful Life to be “communist propaganda” circulated on various social media sites: Fun Fact: Months after It’
Truth or Fiction?→ Is a Meme About Taxes Europeans Pay for Their ‘Free Stuff’ Accurate?
On December 18, 2018, a Facebook user shared this meme about tax and purported socialism in several European countries: In addition to a chart listing purported figures for Germany, England, Italy, and Greece, its text read: JUST WANTED TO SHOW ALL O
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Trump Adviser Katrina Pierson Appear to Scold the Late John McCain for His Silence on Dossier?
A December 20, 2018 tweet from political operative Katrina Pierson was widely examined and commented on when its syntax made it appear that Pierson was chiding Sen. John McCain — who died the previous August — for his silence: Since everyone is
Truth or Fiction?→ Is a Viral ‘Package Thief vs. Glitter Bomb Trap’ Video Real?
On December 17, 2018 YouTube content creator and former NASA engineer Mark Rober shared a video called “Package Thief vs. Glitter Bomb Trap,” which purportedly showed the aftermath of a glitter bomb deployment on unwitting porch pirates wh
Truth or Fiction?→ Is a Mike Huckabee Tweet About the Clinton Foundation Real?
Following news on December 18, 2018 that the Trump Foundation would close, a tweet attributed to former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee in which he appeared to think that the Clinton Foundation was closing circulated in screenshots on social media. In
Truth or Fiction?→ Does the Arrow on a Car’s Gas Gauge Indicate Which Side Has the Fuel Tank?
A tweet published in December 2018 reiterated a long-circulating purported “life hack,” in which an easy-to-miss arrow on a car’s gas gauge indicated the side of the vehicle on which its gas tank was located: How old were you when yo
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Four Artificially Intelligent Robots Kill 29 Humans in a Japan Lab?
On December 15, 2018, a Facebook user shared what appeared to be a screenshot of an article reporting the shocking news that dozens of Japanese scientists had been killed by rebellious artificial intelligence: An Instagram handle was visible in the sc