A sign expressing a particularly outlandish message supporting United States President Donald Trump grabbed attention online in February 2020: A photograph of the sign — bearing the message “God bows down to President Donald J. Trump, dec
Publication: reddit
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Can We Brainstorm Ways to Make This Sound Less Racist’ Michael Bloomberg Subreddit Post
Amid ongoing controversy involving Democratic candidate Mike Bloomberg and his attitude toward New York City’s stop-and-frisk policies, blogger and reporter Zaid Jilani tweeted a screenshot from Reddit’s r/PresidentBloomberg — in whi
Truth or Fiction?→ Are Americans Getting Jailed for Unpaid Medical Debt?
On February 10 2020, a story about people in Kansas being jailed over medical debt spread on Facebook and Reddit: "You wouldn’t think you’d go to jail over medical bills": County in rural Kansas is jailing people over
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Trump Supporters Sabotage the Iowa Caucus Hotlines on Election Night?
On February 6 2020, a number of news organizations reported that the chaos during (and following) the Iowa caucus was exacerbated by a flood of calls to an election night hotline made by supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump to further confuse the
Truth or Fiction?→ Where Does the Phrase ‘Eat the Rich’ Come From?
In late January 2020, a meme about the popular phrase “eat the rich” began circulating on Imgur and Facebook in a long screenshot apparently taken from Tumblr: In the screenshot were two Tumblr posts, the first of which was shared by u/as
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘We Have Noticed the Condition of Your Vehicle’ Viral Human Resources Letter
On January 21 2020, the Facebook page “Inhumans of late capitalism” posted the following screenshot of a purported letter from a human resources department at an unidentified company that appeared to be haranguing an employee for the condi
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Vermont Socialist Plans Mayoralty with Bias Toward Poor’ Headline
As the Iowa caucuses edged closer in January 2020, Twitter account @CANCEL_SAM shared a screenshot of a purported 1981 New York Times article ostensibly about Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) bearing the headline, “Vermont Socialist Plans Mayor
Truth or Fiction?→ Online Debate Stirs Fears of a ‘Star Wars’ Disinformation Campaign
A round of rumors and criticism surrounding the new Star Wars movie series has ignited debate in what has become an ongoing discussion about disinformation pushed in pop culture fandom — but experts are split whether that label applies to a Reddi
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Hong Kong Protester Looks Like a Post Apocalyptic Survivor’
On November 17 2019, the following image was shared to Reddit’s r/pics, titled: “Hong Kong Protester looks like a post apocalyptic survivor. May HK have the strength it needs to survive”: Hong Kong Protester looks like a p
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Americans are So Brainwashed, They Think They Won the Space Race’ Meme
On November 9 2019, a post to Reddit’s r/socialism made a titular claim that Americans “think they won the space race”: Americans are so brainwashed that they think they won the space race. from socialism Ano
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Modesto Is Woke,’ ‘Epstein Was Murdered’ Traffic Sign
On November 6 2019, the following post was shared to Reddit’s r/pics, featuring a roadside traffic sign reading “Epstein was murdered” in digitized text: Modesto CA is woke from pics At the time the image was
Truth or Fiction?→ Bill Murray’s Advice on Relationships, If You Think You Found ‘the One’
A long-circulating October 2015 Facebook post for the “92.1 CITI” page featured an image of actor Bill Murray alongside his purported advice on what to do when you think you find “the one”: Text under a photograph of a typi
Truth or Fiction?→ Bride Steals $30k in Wedding Donations Then Asks for More?
On November 4 2019, a Reddit user shared the following thread to r/ChoosingBeggars, asserting they were a Facebook friend to a bride (engaged woman) who had raised $30,000 for a wedding — only to cancel it at the last minute and disclose that she pl
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Lonely? Don’t Be. Demodex is the Name of a Mite that Lives on Your Face. Friends Forever!’ Meme
On October 25 2019, the Facebook page “Cheerful Nihilism” shared the following meme, purportedly depicting a Demodex mite, which according to the meme lives on human faces: Above an apparent illustration of an alien-like insect, text r
Truth or Fiction?→ The Most Chilling Mushrooms in the World — the Charms of the Fungi Kingdom
On August 14 2019, the Facebook page “Freaked” shared the following post of the “most chilling mushrooms” in the world, a post that became popular ahead of Halloween that year: Above four purported examples of mushrooms (an
Truth or Fiction?→ Hospital’s ‘$39.95 Fee to Hold a Baby’ Controversy
On October 19 2019, a Facebook page shared the following screenshot of a tweet, including what looked to be a hospital bill with a $39.95 charge for “skin to skin contact” after a mother’s cesarean section: In the original tweet w
Truth or Fiction?→ Did a Smart Car Owner Park His Auto Inside His Kitchen to Avoid Hurricane Damage?
Even for social media, a snapshot of a Florida man’s zeal for hurricane preparedness was recycled seemingly within hours, and wound up getting online traction on two different platforms. Jessica Eldridge first gained attention online on Septembe
Truth or Fiction?→ A Friendly Reminder Children Need a Lanyard to Trick or Treat in Nichols Hills?
On October 23 2019, an Imgur screenshot purportedly showed a post to Reddit’s r/okc, containing a “friendly reminder that your children must have a resident’s lanyard to Trick or Treat in Nichols Hills”: Originally posted one
Truth or Fiction?→ Jewish Prisoners Liberated from a Train in Madgeburg in April 1945
On October 22 2019 a Reddit user shared the following image to r/pics, purportedly depicting a moment during World War II when Jewish prisoners learned they had been liberated from a train traveling to a death camp: This is such a powerful
Truth or Fiction?→ Zinaida, Get Your Gun
On October 16 2019, a Tumblr screenshot was shared to Imgur and the Facebook page “Revolution Porn”; the post contained an illustration of a young girl reaching for a gun as a man in Nazi regalia looked the other way with text about the s
Truth or Fiction?→ Was the Original Super Mario Bros Only 40 KB (While Modern Screenshots of One Frame Are 283 KB)?
In October 2019, the following post appeared on Reddit’s r/gaming, claiming that the original Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) title Super Mario Bros. was 40 KB (kilobytes) of data, and the appended modern screenshot contained a comparative
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Sometimes Dogs or Wolves in Movies Need CGI Tails Because They’re So Excited to be Doing a Good Job Acting’
On October 6 2019, the following post spread rapidly on Facebook, concerning wolves and dogs in the movie industry and how they may sometimes need computer-generated editing to make them look less happy or excited: View post on imgur.com Beneath an
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘When We See Cancer in Pork, We Just Cut It Out And Still Sell It To Customers’ Claim
A February 2018 post (“An Experienced Butcher Admits: “When We See Cancer In The Pork, We Just Cut It And Still Sell It To Customers””) circulated widely on Facebook in October 2019, inspiring a fresh round of users vowing to never aga
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Rolex Sales Records Help Solve a Murder?
In September 2019, a Reddit r/todayilearned post claimed that luxury watch manufacturer Rolex maintained such “meticulous” sales records that their data was used to solve an open homicide: TIL of The Rolex Murder. On July 28, 19
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘The Simpsons Predicted Greta Thunberg’ Meme
There is a common, cyclical rumor that animated comedy series The Simpsons — which began its run in 1989 — has predicted numerous events to come. In September 2019, one such iteration claimed that climate crisis activist Greta Thunberg was amon
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Greenland’ Boat in Arctic Ice Picture
On September 25 2019, a Reddit user shared a dramatic image to r/pics, titled simply “Greenland”: Greenland from pics Six days earlier, a different user shared the image to r/MostBeautiful, earning a fraction of th
Truth or Fiction?→ Did a Man’s Co-Workers Inadvertently Pose with a ‘Sleeping’ Corpse?
On September 20 2019, a Facebook page shared the following screenshot of a purported headline: “Man suffers heart attack, dies at work, coworkers gather for group selfie thinking he’d fallen asleep”: In an appended status update,
Truth or Fiction?→ Did a Man Decide to Use Drawings of ‘Cat Heads’ as His Official Signature?
On September 7 2019, Facebook user Rich Preston shared a series of screenshots telling the firsthand story of a man who purportedly used little cat head drawings as his license signature because he thought it would be funny, but regretted the decision
Truth or Fiction?→ Starbucks 20-Ounce Venti vs. 12-Ounce Grande Video Experiment
On August 11 2019 the Facebook page Mercadotecnia Total shared the following video (translated title: “Effective Marketing: Venti vs Large @ Starbucks”): That iteration racked up more than five million views in just one month, and a co
Truth or Fiction?→ United States Air Traffic on September 11, 2001
In September 2019, approaching the eighteenth anniversary of September 11th 2011, a Reddit user shared the following GIF purportedly depicting United States air traffic during and after the attacks to r/DamnThatsInteresting: U.S. Air Traffi
Truth or Fiction?→ Did a Woman Post an Ad Offering to Babysit ‘White Kids Only’?
An apparent attempt at harassment against a woman in Cottage Grove, Oregon in August 2019 was amplified through social media on several platforms, and at least one blog post took the false claim at face value. A photograph of 31-year-old Amber Lee Hug
Truth or Fiction?→ A Million Seconds Ago Was July 24th, a Billion Seconds Ago Was 1988?
Around August 5 2019, a text meme began circulating on social media comparing a “million” to a “billion” by pointing out that a million seconds prior was the month before (specifically, July 24) and a billion seconds prior was
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Netflix Really Cancel ‘The OA’?
News that Netflix had cancelled its popular supernatural show The OA after airing only two of its five planned seasons aired broke on August 5 2019, causing #SaveTheOA and #RenewTheOA to trend on Twitter. Not long after, fans of the show on Reddit
Truth or Fiction?→ Is This an Accurate Picture of 2019’s Mass Shooters?
Research in progress. Two days after the August 3 2019 El Paso, Texas mass shooting, in which the suspect expressed a range of violent white supremacist views, an image was posted to Reddit’s r/conspiracy (archived here) purportedly showing a
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 a Man Have a Heart Attack After His Wife Faked His Lover’s Head in the Fridge?
On May 18 2019, the Facebook page “Husbands & Partners of Menopausal Women” shared the following image (archived here), with a caption suggesting that a man had a heart attack after viewing what appeared to be the severed head of his
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Indonesian Reporting Commission’ Facebook Purge Controversy
On the evening of May 15 2019, participants in popular Facebook groups and related pages became swamped by notifications that they were changing en masse from “closed” to “secret” after other groups with high membership counts
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Chicago Police Urinate on Food for a Black Panthers Free Breakfast Program in 1969?
On April 29 2019, a researcher shared the following tweet showing a screenshot of text reporting that in 1969, police in Chicago had urinated on food and supplies gathered by the Black Panthers for a free breakfast program: Holy shit – I’m r
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?→ Is This an Abandoned Button Factory Stairwell?
On February 15 2019, the Facebook page “Quartzsite Happenings” published the following photograph, captioned “Stairway in an abandoned button factory”: The compelling image began racking up shares, but it suspiciously lacked an