A right-wing, fully debunked smear about “students identifying as cats” spread further up the disinformation chain in late September 2022, going from local school gossip to statements from Republican gubernatorial candidates: Right-Wing La
Publication: reporting
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Most Intense Weather Broadcast Ever’
As Hurricane Ian bore down on Florida in September 2022, old clips of Shepard Smith’s blunt warnings to Floridians about a different storm gained new life online. “So the weatherman just gonna OD on us like that?” read one tweet showi
Truth or Fiction?→ Elected Officials Spread Questionable Claims of ‘Rainbow Fentanyl’
Claims of “rainbow fentanyl” are ushering in the 2022 Halloween season, but the most frightening aspect of the rumors might be how willing lawmakers are to believe them. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-New York) has taken up the tal
Truth or Fiction?→ California Attorney General Seizes Control of Los Angeles Sheriff’s Investigation of Local Officials
California Attorney General Rob Bonta has taken control of an investigation originally carried out by Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva, which quickly stirred accusations that the sheriff was attempting to intimidate local officials with overs
Truth or Fiction?→ Florida Gov. DeSantis Sued for ‘Fraudulent and Illegal Scheme’ Against Immigrants
Attorneys representing a group of immigrants filed a class-action lawsuit against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) on September 20 2022, accusing him of organizing their wrongful transport from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard. The group Lawyers for Civil
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Shameful and Inhuman’: Federal Agents Accused of Planting Fake Addresses on Immigrants
As criticism and attention piled onto right-wing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) for shipping a group of fifty asylum seekers from Texas to Massachusetts, an immigration attorney accused federal operatives of lying to the immigrants as part of that proce
Truth or Fiction?→ Michigan Woman Blames Internet Conspiracy Theories for Father’s Fatal Shooting Rampage
A Michigan woman whose father committed a fatal shooting attack against their family on September 11 2022 identified the “QAnon” conspiracy theory and several strands of online disinformation for the mental degeneration that preceded his ac
Truth or Fiction?→ Arrests of Anti-Monarchy Protesters
On September 11 and 12 2022, popular tweets claimed that individuals protesting the monarchy at ongoing public events in the UK were (in some cases) being cautioned, detained, or arrested: The police were far more eager to arrest a woman with an ab
Truth or Fiction?→ Michael Sheen Speech on Wales Sees New Light After Monarch’s Death
In the aftermath of the death of Queen Elizabeth II on September 8 2022, past comments by actor Michael Sheen on the effects of English dominion over his native Wales once again gained traction online. For the second time in two years, social media inf
Poynter→ Prebunking is effective at fighting misinfo, study finds
Factually is a newsletter about fact-checking and misinformation from Poynter’s International Fact-Checking Network. Sign up here to receive it in your email every other Thursday. A study that dropped last week strongly suggests […] The po
Truth or Fiction?→ Former U.S. President Boosts QAnon, 4Chan Disinformation via Truth Social App
On August 29 and 30 2022, former United States President Donald Trump turned to his app Truth Social to share dozens of disinformation-heavy posts — content that was largely not visible to users not registered with the app, but which prompted s
Truth or Fiction?→ House Report: Trump Advisor Plotted With ‘Known Extremists’ to Promote Bogus COVID-19 Drug
A discredited advisor to former United States President Donald Trump “exerted inappropriate pressure” on federal officials to promote a similarly discredited treatment for COVID-19, a House committee said in a report released on August 24 2
Truth or Fiction?→ Twitter Wrongfully Flags Stories on COVID-19 Research as ‘Misleading’
Social platform Twitter has started to flag articles about COVID-19 as “potentially misleading,” despite the articles being based on actual research and legitimate reporting, with no explanation. One such article, posted by the Internation
Truth or Fiction?→ The Origin of the ‘Spitting Stalin’ Statue
A statue of “spitting Stalin” that is periodically viral online is real — but its location is unclear. Photographs of a statue of the former Soviet Union leader Joseph Stalin, usually seen half-submerged, have circulated online for ye
Poynter→ Kenya’s presidential election a hotbed of false information ahead of and during voting
In Kenya, if you didn’t like the results of the presidential election, the joke went, change the channel. News stations were tallying results manually, projections were neck and neck, and […] The post Kenya’s presidential election a hotbe
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘You Don’t Sound American’
A 2018 interview showing two local television news presenters ambushing an Iranian-American activist — and then getting rebuffed — received renewed attention in August 2022. Another activist, Dr. Arash Daneshzadeh, posted (and later deleted
Truth or Fiction?→ House Report Shows How ‘Herd Immunity’ Disinformation Influenced Trump’s COVID Response
As the United States deals with both the continued spread of COVID-19 and a rise in monkeypox cases around the country, a House subcommittee report showed how “herd immunity” disinformation gained traction during Donald Trump’s presid
Truth or Fiction?→ House Report Accuses Corporate Landlords of ‘Abusive Eviction Practices’ Despite CDC Moratorium
Four property management companies accounted for nearly 15,000 eviction filings in the United States as the COVID-19 pandemic raged on, according to a House investigation — nearly triple the amount that had previously been reported. Their practic
Truth or Fiction?→ YouTube Targeting ‘Abortion Misinformation’ Post-Dobbs
Nearly a month after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade on June 24 2022, YouTube indicated that it would identify and remove “abortion misinformation” from its platform in a July 21 2022 statement: YouTube says it will cra
Truth or Fiction?→ NewsGuard Amends Fox News’ Rating from ‘Green’ to ‘Red’
On July 21 2022, anti-disinformation activist Nandini Jammi tweeted that NewsGuard (a subscription-based browser extension for tracking misinformation and disinformation by source) had downranked Fox News from “trustworthy” to “procee
Truth or Fiction?→ Florida Newspaper Pulls Op-Ed Sympathizing With White Nationalist Group
A Florida newspaper has apologized and pulled an op-ed by a woman married to a member of the far right, white nationalist group calling itself the Proud Boys — which they originally ran without disclosing her ties to that organization. The execu
Truth or Fiction?→ Richmond Police Retract Disinformation Blaming George Floyd Protesters for Tear-Gassing
Police in Richmond, Virginia have formally retracted a two-year-old disinformation campaign that they used justify attacking demonstrators with tear gas during protests in the summer of 2020. In a thread of tweets late on the afternoon of July 1 2022 &
Truth or Fiction?→ L.A.’s Mayoral Candidates Mum after Police Attacks on Journalists at Roe v. Wade Protests
Despite ongoing attacks by law enforcement against journalists covering protests, Los Angeles’ mayoral candidates, both running on the Democratic Party ticket, have not weighed in on the accounts of police attacks against journalists during prote
Truth or Fiction?→ Fifth January 6 Hearing Shows Scope of Attempts to Undermine Democracy
The fifth hearing by the January 6 2021 committee covered the pressure that Donald Trump exerted on state and federal officials to call the U.S. presidential election in his favor in 2020 so that he could remain in power. The testimonials came on June
Truth or Fiction?→ Is a Kansas City News Outlet Ducking Questions About its ‘Fentanyl Overdose’ Story?
A Kansas City news organization is not addressing major questions around a story about a suspected “fentanyl overdose” that relies on disinformation and debunked law enforcement narratives. The story, which aired on KCTV-TV on June 16 2022,
Truth or Fiction?→ Third January 6 Hearings Looks at Pressure, Disinformation Campaigns to Overturn Election
The third hearing by the House committee investigating the January 6 2021 insurrection focused on the pressure campaign to overturn the 2020 presidential election — and the deeply corrosive weaponized narratives which undergirded the attempt. The
Truth or Fiction?→ Doctor Pushing COVID Disinformation Sentenced to Prison for Capitol Riot
A California physician who has been at the forefront of COVID-related disinformation was sentenced to 60 days in prison for taking part in the January 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol. According to CNN, Dr. Simone Gold was also ordered to pay a $9,500 f
Truth or Fiction?→ Disinformation Takes Center Stage at January 6 Committee Hearings
The role of weaponized disinformation campaigns in the January 2021 attempted coup at the United States Capitol was the main topic at the second January 6 Committee hearing about the events that culminated in a violent insurrection. The House select
Truth or Fiction?→ Book Lovers Fight Back Against Banning Attempts
As the far right’s attempts to ban books continues throughout the country, book lovers are fighting back. The latest attempt to ban Kurt Vonnegut’s works for “obscenity” has been challenged by both a Florida English teacher and a gr
Truth or Fiction?→ Leonna Hale Photoshop Controversy
On May 30 2022, social media users discussed the shooting of Leonna Hale, a purportedly unarmed pregnant woman in Kansas City — frequently in the context of police actions during and after the May 24 2022 Uvalde, Texas school shooting: Kansas C
Truth or Fiction?→ Head of Shuttered DHS Disinfo Agency Says She Got Death Threats Amid Right-Wing Campaign
Besides being targeted by a right-wing disinformation campaign, the official who would have headed up a federal initiative fighting that sort of rhetoric said she received daily death threats. “Over the last three weeks, I maybe had one or two da
Truth or Fiction?→ Trump’s Bogus DHS Chief Changed Intel on Russia that ‘Hurt’ him: Report
The wrongfully-installed “acting” head of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ordered changes in 2020 to a report on Russian interference saying it would hurt then-United States President Donald Trump, according to a report from the d
Truth or Fiction?→ Not Just Freshii: U.S. Restaurant Chains Have Tested Outsourcing Cashiers for Years
While it quickly attracted attention online in April 2022, the introduction of “Virtual cashiers” in a string of grocery stores in Canada is only the latest iteration of companies testing the idea of outsourcing customer-service functions.
Truth or Fiction?→ Los Angeles County Sheriff Announces Plans to ‘Investigate’ Journalist Over Articles
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department has announced plans to target a journalist for an “investigation” over her reporting on their treatment of a man in custody. Conspiracy theory-slinging Los Angeles County sheriff Alex Villan
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘This Fukang Meteorite is 4.5 Billion Years Old’
The journey of a rare type of meteorite to Earth has continued online, albeit with the details fudged over time. In this case, the Fukang Meteorite (named after the Chinese town where it was discovered) has become a recurring meme online. In many itera
Truth or Fiction?→ LibsOfTikTok ‘Doxxed’ Controversy
On April 19 2022, Washington Post writer Taylor Lorenz’s profile of the @LibsOfTikTok account was published — followed by intense discourse about whether the subject of the piece was “doxxed” by the outlet. Early that morning, L
Truth or Fiction?→ Right-Wing Lawmakers Take Up Spreading Fake ‘Students Identify as Cats’ Rumors
Amid the latest wave of anti-LGBTQ legislation around the United States, right-wing candidates and social media boards are pushing a separate type of disinformation to gin up concerns that local students are “identifying as cats.” In a rece
Truth or Fiction?→ Russian Racer Competing Under Italian Flag Gave Nazi Salute on Podium
A Russian race car driver attracted international notice in April 2022 after apparently demonstrating a Nazi salute on stage following a race, then laughing: An investigation has been launched into the “unacceptable conduct” of a Russian junior
Truth or Fiction?→ Three Things to Remember About That Study of Fox Viewers Who Watched CNN
A report published in April 2022 showing short-term effects (thus far) in viewers of the right-wing Fox network as greeted with widespread coverage and, in some cases, familiar distortions of its findings. In the study by David E. Broockman and Joshua
Truth or Fiction?→ January 6th Defense Lawyer Disbarred
Fifteen months after the January 6 2021 Capitol insurrection, news that defense lawyer Johnathon Moseley was disbarred in April 2022 began spreading on social media platforms: Court orders Jan. 6 defense lawyer disbarred from politics