On July 21 2023, Reddit accounts asked others to explain what “the deal” was with subreddit r/place in a post to the self-explanatory subreddit r/OutOfTheLoop: What’s the deal with r/place? by u/Indigo_132 in OutOfThe
Publication: TruthOrFiction
Truth or Fiction?→ Jesse Waters’ Mom Called During His Fox News Show to Remind Him Not to Lie?
On July 19 2023, a post on Reddit’s r/TikTokCringe — a forum dedicated, as its name indicates, to cringe-inducing videos — purportedly depicted an on-air phone discussion between Fox News personality Jesse Watters and his mother:
Truth or Fiction?→ Universal’s Alibi for Skewered Trees Near SAG-AFTRA/WGA Picket Line May Have Been Debunked
A statement by Los Angeles City Controller Kenneth Mejia has cast doubt on a claim by NBC Universal that it was not trying to interfere with worker strikes by pruning nearby trees in the midst of rising summer temperatures. “With cooperation from
Truth or Fiction?→ How a ‘Deadline’ Story Obscured Matt Damon’s Support for the SAG-AFTRA Strike
As Hollywood’s actors joined screenwriters on strike in July 2023, the entertainment news outlet Deadline faced online criticism for de-emphasizing actor Matt Damon’s expression of solidarity with union leadership. The site posted a tweet f
Truth or Fiction?→ When Fats Waller Was ‘Kidnapped’ for Al Capone’s Birthday
On July 11 2023, a meme about jazz pianist Thomas “Fats” Waller attending a birthday party for crime boss Al Capone was popular on Imgur: The post (“Imagine being such a talented musician that the mafia kidnaps you to perform at a b
Truth or Fiction?→ WGA Strike: ‘The Endgame is to Allow Things to Drag On Until Union Members Start Losing’ Their Homes
On July 11 2023 (two months into a Writers Guild of America strike), Deadline quoted a studio executive as saying that the endgame for Hollywood executives “is to allow things to drag on until union members start losing their apartments and los
Truth or Fiction?→ Moms for Liberty’s ‘Americans and Jews’ Tweet
On July 12 2023, a screenshot of a tweet addressing “Americans and Jews” was attributed to the far-right activist group Moms for Liberty. It was quickly shared to Reddit’s r/WhitePeopleTwitter and r/MarchAgainstNazis: “Am
Truth or Fiction?→ Meta Layoffs Grease the Skids for Election Disinformation
The tech company Meta has quietly laid off workers specializing in identifying disinformation on its lead platform Facebook, CNN reported on July 11 2023. According to the news network: Several members of the team that countered mis- and disinformation
Truth or Fiction?→ Amazon ‘Prime Day’ Price Controversy
As the heavily promoted Amazon Prime Day (although the annual sitewide sale actually lasts for 48 hours) rolled around again on July 11 2023, a Reddit account’s post about misleading prices received heavy attention on the popular subreddit r/mild
Truth or Fiction?→ Why Sriracha is ‘Out of Stock Everywhere’
On July 7 2023, a Reddit user asked what was going on with Sriracha eBay listings in a post to r/OutOfTheLoop, echoing a bevy similar questions on other platforms: What’s going on with people selling siracha on ebay for crazy amounts?
Truth or Fiction?→ Will Florida Refuse to Recognize Driver’s Licenses for Undocumented Immigrants?
Amid ongoing criticism for his targeting of undocumented immigrants, right-wing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) announced that as of July 1 2023, state authorities would no longer recognize driver’s licenses created in five other states for the ben
Truth or Fiction?→ FDR and the Business Plot of 1933
On July 6 2023, a post to Reddit’s r/todayilearned subreddit shared a post about United States President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) and “The Business Plot” of 1933: TIL of The Business Plot of 1933, a failed attempt t
Truth or Fiction?→ Oklahoma Education Head Says State Will Not Back Away From Tulsa Race Massacre
The head of Oklahoma’s state Department of Education drew local and national criticism after a July 6 2023 meeting for a seemingly evasive answer to a question about the infamous 1921 attack on Tulsa’s “Black Wall Street” —
Truth or Fiction?→ Trump ‘Leaked’ Obama’s Address
In late June 2023, headlines appeared about a far-right activist named Taylor Taranto who had been arrested for apparently casing the neighborhood of former United States President Barack Obama after broadcasting a series of escalating threats: Taylor
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Please Don’t Send Us Unsolicited Nude Pics… Sincerely the Aliens’ Meme
On July 6 2023, an Imgur account shared a meme which referenced “unsolicited nude pics” sent by humans into space: The meme had two parts, including a simple line drawing of two naked humans at the bottom. Text appended to the top of the m
Truth or Fiction?→ U.S. Navy Twitter Account Features Russian Ship on Independence Day Post
The U.S. Pacific Fleet — which calls itself the largest naval force of its type in the world — tweeted, then deleted a tweet marking the July 4th Independence Day holiday after a researcher pointed out that it used a photo depicting Russian
Truth or Fiction?→ Federal Judge’s Ruling ‘Limits’ Biden Administration’s Contact with Social Media
On July 4 2023, a post to Reddit’s r/politics suggested that a federal judge had blocked the Biden administration from “communicating with social media companies”: Federal judge blocks Biden administration officials from co
Truth or Fiction?→ Cartier Boss with $7.5 Billion Fears ‘Prospect of the Poor Rising Up’ Every Night
On July 3 and 4 2023, screenshots of a headline (“Cartier boss with $7.5bn fortune says prospect of the poor rising up ‘keeps him awake at night'”) spread in three popular iterations on Twitter (and in many scattered tweets): We’
Truth or Fiction?→ The New York Times’ ‘Ways You Can Still Cancel’ Student Loan Debt
After the Supreme Court’s June 30 2023 ruling blocking the Biden administration’s student debt forgiveness program, screenshots of a New York Times article about “ways you can still cancel your student debt” were shared to Tw
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Calling 911 on the Fourth of July’
A Georgia sheriff’s department’s semi-tongue-in-cheek advisory regarding calling emergency services during the 4th of July holiday has lingered online. As WSB-TV reported in 2022, officials in Troup County first posted the graphic: Separat
Truth or Fiction?→ Crocodile ‘Virgin Birth’
On June 27 2023, the concept of parthenogenesis made its way around social media after an Imgur user shared a meme about a crocodile’s “virgin birth” in the form of a screenshot: Praise No date for the headline was visible in the sc
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Wilhelm Scream’ Found
On June 29 2023, an Imgur account shared a news screenshot, asserting that the famous audio snippet known in popular culture as the “Wilhelm scream” was found “in an archive” in California: Poor Wilhelm Alongside a post title
Truth or Fiction?→ Right-Wing Media Pushes Claims of Ukrainian ‘Baby Factories’
As the Russian invasion of Ukraine continued through 2023, so did attempts by right-wing bloggers and broadcasters on the fringe to generate and promulgate ghoulish allegations against Ukrainians. One recent example is the claim that Russian troops dis
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Memento Homo’ and Untrustworthy Google Results
On June 26 2023, Google took another turn toward actively disinforming readers when the search engine propagated a joke tweet by Twitter account @WeirdMedieval as a legitimate translation: crying bc google is propagating my fake news pic.twitter.c
Truth or Fiction?→ Reddit’s Fight Against Its Moderators is Now Affecting Google Searches
A labor dispute between Reddit and its forum moderators immediately spilled onto another tech platform, affecting Google users enough that the popular search engine acknowledged it at an “all-hands” meeting. According to CNBC, Google’
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Yevgeniy Prigozhin’ is ‘Under a Felony Indictment in the US’
After a June 2023 Wagner Group “rebellion” in Russia, the evolving story took yet another turn after its purported leader, Yevgeniy Prigozhin was identified as being under “felony indictment” and “wanted” by the U.S
Truth or Fiction?→ NASA ‘Internet Apocalypse’ Outage Rumors, Explained
In June 2023, rumors that the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) warned of an “internet apocalypse” spread virally on platforms like TikTok and Reddit: What’s going on with NASA saying we could lose i
Truth or Fiction?→ British Media Further Spreads Myth About ‘Students Identifying as Cats’
A popular right-wing disinformation trope from the United States targeting LGBTQ teenagers has been re-laundered into political circles in the UK — and all based on a purportedly recorded argument. As the progressive Byline Times and other UK out
Truth or Fiction?→ Researchers: Nazi-Quoting ‘Moms’ Have Forged Ties to Other Right-Wing Groups
As the right-wing group “Moms for Liberty” was caught quoting Adolf Hitler in its material in June 2023, it was also revealed as both an ally to other far-right extremists and a major player in anti-government efforts targeting Black and LG
Truth or Fiction?→ A Moms For Liberty Chapter Quoted Hitler in Newsletter
On June 22 2023, claims that a chapter of far-right group Moms for Liberty in Hamilton County, Indiana had apologized “quoting Adolf Hitler” circulated on social media: Remember when members of the Republican Party went on a 3-day ran
Truth or Fiction?→ Experts Warn: ‘Freedom Convoy’ Supporters Now Pushing Anti-LGBTQ Movement
In what should by now be a familiar shift, supporters of the right-wing “Freedom Convoy” have moved on to pushing anti-LGBTQ campaigns, according to Canadian experts. “In terms of the organizers and the people who had the loudest voic
Truth or Fiction?→ The French ‘Barbie’ Poster
On June 16 2023, images of a purported French promotional poster for the Barbie movie began circulating on social media, becoming virally popular due to a rumored double entendre (or “error”) in translation. The ‘French Barbie Poster
Truth or Fiction?→ Fake Twitter Account @OceanGateExpeds Suspended After Spreading OceanGate Disinformation
As efforts to locate a “missing submersible” operated by OceanGate Expeditions continued on June 21 2023, the Twitter account @OceanGateExpeds published several viral tweets. The account was eventually suspended, but not before putting out
Truth or Fiction?→ The Missing Submarine and the ‘Logitech Controller’
On June 20 2023, “Logitech” trended on Twitter amid claims that a missing submersible that was intended to visit the remains of the Titanic was “controlled by a Logitech controller”: The Titanic tourist submarine that went mi
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Kentucky Cutting Polling Places’
On June 20 2023, an Imgur account shared a screenshot of a tweet about “Kentucky polling places,” specifically about a purported closure ahead of “Tuesday’s” primary: Voter disenchantment An image attached to the tweet
Truth or Fiction?→ Meta’s Zuckerberg Claims ‘Establishment’ Pushed for Censorship on COVID-19 Disinformation
Facebook owner Mark Zuckerberg claimed that a nebulous “establishment” mistakenly pushed for his platform to censor information regarding COVID-19 because they thought it was disinformation. While discussing issues concerning moderation wit
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Comer Admits Nobody Has Heard From Biden Informant in Three Years’
On June 16 2023, a Reddit user shared a post (“Comer admits nobody has heard from alleged Biden informant for three years”) to r/politics: Comer admits nobody has heard from alleged Biden informant for three years by u/Deroc
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Homosexuals Are Overrepresented …’
On June 13 2023 — amid a hugely weaponized disinformation narrative about queer and trans people timed to correspond with Pride Month — an iFunny commenter responded to a Pride flag-related post with a claim: “Despite being 2 percent
Truth or Fiction?→ JP Morgan Claims to ‘Now Understand’ Jeffrey Epstein Was a Predator
In negotiating a $290 million settlement with the victims of billionaire sexual predator Jeffrey Epstein, megabank JPMorgan suggested ignorance of Epstein’s activities. “We all now understand that Epstein’s behaviour was monstrous,
Truth or Fiction?→ ZipRecruiter ‘Crisis Actors Needed in Miami’
On June 12 2023, a screenshot of a tweet about a ZipRecruiter “crisis actors” job listing for Miami, Florida was shared to r/WhitePeopleTwitter: Be careful out there folks by u/greentreefer in WhitePeopleTwitter