In October 2018, a warning appeared and made its way around the usual internet circles to warn against eating meat from deer afflicted with “bovine tuberculosis.” The warning was accompanied by a rather unappetizing photograph of a lesion-studded hunk of meat that showed what people should avoid: This warning (and the accompanying photograph) is legitimate, […]
Pop superstar Taylor Swift — once a darling of the far-right and alt-right crowds because of her “Aryan goddess” looks and their own fevered imaginations — broke a years-long policy of silence on political matters in October 2018 to endorse a political party on her Instagram account: I’m writing this post about the upcoming midterm elections […]
LaCroix sparkling water has had something of a moment, but anything popular comes with detractors. The fruity, low-calorie beverage met its own in October 2018 in the form of a class-action lawsuit that claims, among other things, that the drink contains ingredients used in cockroach insecticide. Chicago-based law firm Beaumont Costales also slammed LaCroix for false […]
Fake news can vary widely in quality and believably from source to source, but quite often identifying it is as easy as taking a moment to learn who is behind a that particular website or social media account. Frequently the creators of fake news put quantity ahead of quality and they are counting on the […]
Imagine, if you will: A presidential election in which even the most basic facts are riddled with confusing disinformation, a far-right candidate appealing to authoritarians and repulsing many women with misogynistic comments, and connections to political aspirants such as Marine Le Pen and Steve Bannon. This is Brazil in 2018, and the person who was […]
A viral video making the social media rounds on October 4th, 2018 shows President Donald Trump carefully ascending the stairs to Air Force One on the tarmac in Minneapolis, Minnesota — with a piece of paper stuck to the back of his left shoe, then pausing at the top and waving before disappearing into the […]
In early October 2018, the usual purveyors and pushers of disinformation were anxious to take advantage of the controversy surrounding Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh to ride the ad revenue wave from whatever satire or clickbait they could think up. Most of that centered around various outlandish rumors surrounding his multiple accusers, but at least […]
Testing for a new cellular phone alert system (the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System, also known as IPAWS) began on October 3rd, 2018, with a tone and a message sent across mobile networks. The grumbling began almost immediately, as startled or irritated Americans reacted to the unsolicited (but anticipated) test, but the griping turned […]
In early October 2018, many people in the United States and abroad were closely watching the twists and turns around a Supreme Court nomination as multiple women accused the nominee of committing or abetting sexual assault. Almost immediately, bots, trolls, and useful idiots picked up on the controversy, muddying the waters with rumors, gossip, and […]
The “Star Wars” franchise was not immune from the sort of controversy that has seeped into every tiny nook and cranny of the American public discourse, thanks to the ubiquity of social media and those who wish to exploit conflicts in order to create chaos. In that vein, the film Star Wars: The Last Jedi was […]
On October 1, 2018, as much of the United States was preoccupied with stories about sexual assault, drinking, and fighting by a Supreme Court nominee, the Trump administration enacted a policy change affecting diplomats. A September 13 memo to United Nations staff laid out the changes: 3. Since 2009, the United Nations has been informed that […]
October 2018 opened with confusion among the American political set over an investigation into Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh after multiple women publicly accused him of sexual assault. One woman, California psychology professor and Stanford University researcher Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, appeared during a day-long hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee in late September to […]
The days following a September 27th, 2018 hearing before the United States Senate Judiciary Committee, in which Palo Alto University professor and Stanford research psychologist Dr. Christine Blasey Ford testified that Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh violently assaulted her during a party more than three decades before, swirled with increasingly bizarre stories about a grand conspiracy. […]
As the United States debated putting Brett Kavanaugh on the Supreme Court despite multiple assault allegations, rumors began to fly about a hearing the previous day, including a bombshell that purportedly appeared in the Wall Street Journal: WSJ: Mitchell advised Republicans that to continue questioning Kavanaugh she was required by her oath in Arizona to […]
On the eve of a scheduled hearing for Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, the California professor who has credibly accused Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her at a party in 1982, what looked like a potential bombshell story appeared on social media: Senate Judiciary Rs release a Kavanaugh investigative summary that includes: -an […]
On March 4, 2018, the quiet and picturesque British town of Salisbury was rocked by the discovery of former Russian military officer Sergei Skripal and his 33-year-old daughter Yulia Skripal foaming at their mouths on a bench outside an Italian restaurant. The culprit: Novichok, a nerve agent known to have been developed and used by […]
In order to boost circulation and rake in more advertising money, hoax and satire sites will sometimes re-run some of their older work hoping to catch clicks while the topics of their stories are once again relevant. This is a common practice with many media sites, but satirical or fake stories can wind up getting […]
The nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the United States Supreme Court was already a topic of controversy well before multiple women came forward with credible claims that he had sexually harassed and victimized them during the summer of 2018. Before Kavanaugh himself had even had a chance to respond to the charges publicly, others swooped […]
Much of the United States’ economic policy agenda in 2018 has revolved around instituting higher tariffs, protectionism, and mitigating perceived or real trade deficits. This has extended to the North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA for short, which U.S. president Donald Trump has called “the worst trade deal ever.” We are in the NAFTA […]
As the political fervor roiled around sexual assault accusations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh in September 2018, a number of explanations and excuses for his purported behavior appeared even before the details of the reports were widely known. Some of these excuses bordered on the mystical; others ignored the border and just went straight […]
Russian Mining Company Stamps Trump’s Face on New Asbestos Products-Truth!
Summary of eRumor:
A Russian mining company has sold asbestos with President Donald Trump’s face stamped on it and the phrase, ““Approved by Donald Go to site post…»
Rep. Ateesha Nubbins Introduces Bill Banning Voters Over 60-Fiction!
Summary of eRumor:
U.S. Rep. Ateesha Nubbins, a Democrat from Delaware, introduced legislation that would place an upper age limit on voting rights, banning voters older than 60.
The Go to site post…»
Stores Recall Frozen Vegetables After Listeria Outbreak Kills Nine-Misleading!
Summary of eRumor:
Social media posts warn that grocery stores have recalled frozen vegetables after a listeria outbreak killed nine.
The Truth:
Supermarkets in Austria, Den Go to site post…»
Drivers Can Be Ticketed $250 Under Florida Cell Phone Law-Mostly Fiction!
Summary of eRumor:
Drivers can be ticketed $250 for distracted driving under a Florida cell phone law passed June 28, 2018.
The Truth:
While the Florida Legislature has been cons Go to site post…»
Maxine Waters: Next Supreme Court Justice Should Be an Illegal Immigrant-Fiction!
Summary of eRumor:
U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters, a California Democrat, said the next justice appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court should be an illegal immigrant.
The Truth:
Ma Go to site post…»
Sketchers Lightable Shoes Start Fire, Burn Toddler-Fiction!
Summary of eRumor:
Warnings about Sketchers lightable shoes causing fires when wet and giving a toddler second degree burns have spread on social media.
The Truth:
Reports that Sketchers light Go to site post…»
Lennie Reisch’s Facebook Post on Immigration, Child Separations-Authorship Confirmed!
Summary of eRumor:
A Houston woman named Lennie Reisch posted on Facebook about her journey to America as an unaccompanied minor from Cuba amid controversy over Go to site post…»
Silent Partner of Red Hen Restaurant is a Registered Sex Offender-Unproven!
Summary of eRumor:
Stephanie Wilkinson, the owner of the Red Hen restaurant who refused service to Sarah Huckabee Sanders, has a silent partner named Barney Allen Frazier, Sr, Go to site post…»
FBI Agent David Raynor Murdered Ahead of Clinton Testimony-Reported as Fiction!
Summary of eRumor:
FBI Agent David Raynor was murdered with his own service weapon days before he was scheduled to testify against Hillary Clinton.
The Truth:
FBI Special A Go to site post…»
Bill Clinton’s 1996 Immigration Law is to Blame for Child Separations-Fiction!
Summary of eRumor:
Bill Clinton’s 1996 (or 1997) immigration law is to blame for a federal policy that separates immigrant children from their parents at the bor Go to site post…»
Peter Fonda Calls for Barron Trump to be Kidnapped on Twitter-Truth!
Summary of eRumor:
Actor Peter Fonda called for Barron Trump to be kidnapped and caged “with pedophiles” on Twitter.
The Truth:
Peter Fonda tweeted “we should rip Ba Go to site post…»
Camp Fire Story: Under Armour Clothing is Not Fireproof-Undetermined!
Summary of eRumor:
A Facebook post warns of a girl who was badly burned while wearing Under Armour clothing near a camp fire.
The Truth:
Without key details, there’s no way to Go to site post…»
Facebook Hoax: Tyler Perry Is Giving Away $750,000-Fiction!
Summary of eRumor:
Facebook posts claim that Tyler Perry is giving away $750,000, or a free SUV.
The Truth:
False claims that Tyler Perry is giving away $750,000 that circulated in June 2018 a Go to site post…»
Trump Administration Holding Immigrant Children in Cages-Mostly Truth! & Misleading!
Summary of eRumor:
As part of its “zero tolerance” policy on illegal immigration, the Trump administration holds immigrant children in cages after Go to site post…»
Child Trafficking Camp in Tucson Tied to Clinton Foundation-Fiction!
Summary of eRumor:
An abandoned child trafficking camp in Tucson has been tied to the Clinton Foundation.
The Truth:
An abandoned camp was found along the U.S.-Mexico border in early Go to site post…»
House Democrats Draft Bill Making Eating at Chick-fil-A a Hate Crime-Fiction!
Summary of eRumor:
House Democrats have introduce legislation to make eating at Chick-fil-A restaurants a hate crime.
the Truth:
A website that describes its content as ̶ Go to site post…»
Robert De Niro Was Part of an International Child Prostitution Ring-Mostly Fiction!
Summary of eRumor:
Robert De Niro was connected to an international prostitution ring that used children.
The Truth:
Authorities investigating a French “call-girl Go to site post…»
Bush’s Baked Beans Issues Recall-Outdated!
Summary of eRumor:
Bush’s Baked Beans has recalled three kinds of beans because of defective cans.
The Truth:
Bushes Baked Beans issued a product recall in July 2017, and it was re-reported as brea Go to site post…»
Anthony Bourdain Had Information on Hillary Clinton, Sex Trafficking Ring Before His Death-Fiction!
Summary of eRumor:
Before Anthony Bourdain’s death from an apparent suicide, he was ready to expose information on Hillary Clinton and a child sex Go to site post…»
Pope Francis Orders White Women to Have Children with Muslim Migrants-Fiction!
Summary of eRumor:
Pope Francis supposedly encouraged white women to “breed” with Muslim migrants to counter declining birthrates.
The Truth:
The claim that Pope Go to site post…»
