Despite warnings at the federal level regarding the possibility of a coronavirus outbreak in the United States, both U.S. President Donald Trump and one of his chief economic advisors have tried to push disinformation in downplaying the threat. During
Publication: reporting
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘He’s 18’: Twitter Trending Topics Amplifies Quaden Bayles Conspiracy Theory
Not long after Quaden Bayles became the virally popular star of an anti-bullying campaign, Twitter’s trending topics boosted a conspiracy theory under “He’s 18,” linked to tweets alleging the nine-year-old boy was a much olde
Truth or Fiction?→ Trump Intervenes in Sentencing of Lobbyist Who Spread Corrosive Disinformation on His Behalf
The sentencing of convicted felon Roger Stone was abruptly derailed on February 11 2020, when all four of his prosecutors resigned on the same day that United States President Donald Trump, freshly emboldened by his impeachment acquittal the week befo
Truth or Fiction?→ Prolific Web Artist Qinni Dies at 29
Well-loved DeviantArt and social media artist Qing Han, known to fans as Qinni, has died. She was 29. DeviantArt, a platform on which Qinni maintained a massive following (and which honored Qinni in 2017), confirmed Qing Han’s death in a tweet:
Truth or Fiction?→ What is a ‘Recanvass’?
Democratic National Committee chair Tom Perez’s demand on February 6 2020 not only prolonged ongoing controversy surrounding the Iowa Democratic Party Caucuses — it also ignited interest in the process of a recanvass. “Enough is enou
Truth or Fiction?→ Who Broke the Iowa Caucuses and Why Were Results Delayed?
One day after the February 3 2020 Iowa caucuses — the first primary voting of all fifty American states — the hashtag #IowaCaucusDisaster remained at the top of Twitter’s “trending” charts after a confusing night with no
Truth or Fiction?→ NikkieTutorials (Nikkie de Jager) Comes Out as Transgender
On January 13 2020, YouTube star Nikkie de Jager — known to her fans as NikkieTutorials — revealed in a 17-minute video that she is transgender: I’m coming out. https://t.co/chLHURZKk4 — NikkieTutorials (@NikkieTutorials) January 13, 2
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?→ Australian Prime Minister’s Bushfire Aid Ad Criticized Amid Flood of Disinformation
Amid the devastation suffered in Australia as a result of rampant bushfires and right-wing disinformation efforts, Prime Minister Scott Morrison faced a wave of criticism for an advertisement that both elided government regulations and circumvented ac
Truth or Fiction?→ Disinformation Inflames Tensions After United States Kills Iranian Commander
Late in the evening of January 2 2020, the United States announced that it had targeted and killed Iranian Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani in Iraq in a major and dramatic escalation: Iran confirmed the death of one of its most active military fi
Truth or Fiction?→ Online Trolls Seize on Anti-Semitic NYC Attacks for Anti-Black Disinformation Effort
In the wake of a series of anti-Semitic attacks in New York City during Hanukkah 2019, online troll sites and fake social media accounts moved to foment both disinformation and tension by pitting Jewish and Black communities against one another. As CN
Truth or Fiction?→ Maine Fisherman Finds Late Brother’s Insurance Card While Trawling, 11 Years After His Death
On December 27 2019, Facebook user Frank Joseph Miliano shared a moving status update about an incidental find that day while working as a commercial fisherman in Maine. Miliano uploaded a photograph of a weatherbeaten identification card, and an expl
Truth or Fiction?→ Rudy Giuliani Criticized After Describing Himself as a ‘Former Attorney General’ on Facebook
In late December 2019, the Facebook page of former New York mayor turned “presidential attorney” Rudolph Giuliani was quickly edited after sharp-eyed readers quickly pointed out that it contained glaringly false claims about Giuliani’
Truth or Fiction?→ Hatsune Miku and Harry Potter
On December 19 2019, “Hatsune Miku” trended on Twitter during a controversy involving J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter, and trans-exclusionary feminism (“TERF,” an abbreviation for “trans-exclusionary radical feminist” a
Truth or Fiction?→ Folgers ‘Incest Ad’
If you frequent internet culture sites like Reddit or Fark.com, chances are you know the “Folgers incest ad” — and if you do, you either love or hate this polarizing commercial. If you have no idea what we’re talking about, read on
Truth or Fiction?→ How Many Moms Are in ‘One Million Moms’?
In December 2019 the group One Million Moms grabbed headlines for purportedly forcing the Hallmark Channel’s decision — quickly reversed — to discontinue holiday season television commercials by the brand Zola due to its inclusion of a lesbi
Truth or Fiction?→ What Do You See in This Image of a Vehicle on Fire?
On December 10 2019, a Facebook user shared the following photographs of a vehicle on fire — one of which includes an apparent image of a figure in the flames: Alongside the two photographs, the user wrote: Caught a picture of this vehicle
Truth or Fiction?→ Mike Huckabee, Sean Hannity, and ‘Trump 2024’
On December 12 2019, former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee tweeted ahead of a purported appearance on Sean Hannity‘s show on Fox News that he planned to go on the air to explain how United States President Donald Trump is “eligible”
Truth or Fiction?→ Canadian Conservative Leader’s Resignation Follows String of Public Falsehoods
The leader of Canada’s Conservative Party resigned his position on December 12 2019 after he was accused by party members of misusing their group’s money to pay for his children to attend private schools. According to Global News, senior C
Truth or Fiction?→ British Media Falls For Bogus Claim That Protesters ‘Whacked’ Government Advisor
On December 9 2019 — just days before a hotly contested and high-stakes general election on December 12 — British news organizations were apparently taken in by a disinformation effort as they spread a false accusation against protesters outside o
Truth or Fiction?→ Anti-Vaxxer Arrested in Samoa Boasted of American Support via Social Media
Authorities in Samoa have arrested a disinformation-peddling anti-vaccine “activist” local time amid a measles outbreak that has killed 62 people that experts said was spurred in part by social media. Samoa Observer identified Edwin Tamase
Truth or Fiction?→ Rep. Duncan Hunter’s Office Backtracks on ‘Transcript’ After Announcing Guilty Plea
On December 4 2019 —a day after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to misuse campaign funds — the office of Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-California) took responsibility for an oddly-scripted release that accompanied his interview with a local news outlet an
Truth or Fiction?→ Avoid #GivingTuesday Scams
“Giving Tuesday” or #GivingTuesday posts are all over social media the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, but as is often the case when cash is flowing and donations are a click away, scammers and profiteers have made their way into the donations
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Has Anyone Had to Give Back the Security Deposit?’ Landlord Round Table Facebook Group Post
On November 20 2019, a Twitter user posted an unredacted apparent screenshot from the Facebook group “Landlord Round Table,” in which an original poster appeared to ask fellow landlords if any of them ever had “to give back the secu
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘You Will Fail’: White House Claims Resurrect Bogus Accusations Against Obama, Clinton
White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham’s unfounded claim on November 19 2019 called to mind past disinformation charges against Democratic Party presidents on their way out of office. As CNN reported, Grisham accused staff members for for
Truth or Fiction?→ UK’s Conservative Party’s Communications Team Briefly Rebrands to Mislead Public
As a December 12 2019 general election looms over the UK and the rhetoric around its third election since 2015 grows ever louder, distractions and political stunts have hit a fever pitch, injecting misinformation and outright disinformation into its p
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Your Page is at Risk of Being Unpublished’ Facebook Warning
On November 19 2019, a number of Facebook page administrators received messages from the social media platform bearing the warning: “Your page is at risk of being unpublished” for various actions. One poster on Reddit’s r/facebook on
Truth or Fiction?→ Conspiracy Theorist Roger Stone Is Latest Trump Associate to be Convicted
Roger Stone — a longtime ally to both President Donald Trump and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones — was convicted on November 15, 2019 on seven counts of obstruction, witness tampering, and lying to Congress. The 67-year-old self-proclaimed “d
Truth or Fiction?→ Report: Coordinated Russian Disinformation Could Be ‘Significantly Impactful’
Russian disinformation efforts resulted in their content being shared on more than 100 online outlets as part of a two-pronged approach covering both social media and ginned-up websites, according to a report commissioned by the Senate Intelligence Co
Truth or Fiction?→ Who Runs ‘Journalist Excellence Worldwide’?
In early November 2019, the Facebook page “Journalist Excellence Worldwide” began making engagement inroads, with content shared to large groups and newly-viral, unrelated pages. However — no matter how convincing a page might appear at
Truth or Fiction?→ Facebook Claims We’re ‘Clickbait.’ And It Won’t Explain Why.
Even as Facebook hides behind “free speech” concerns to justify a lack of action against the spread of far-right content, it does reserve the right to determine what constitutes “clickbait” with no explanation as to how that de
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘This Isn’t About Free Expression’: Twitter Chief Dorsey Announces Ban on Political Ads
Twitter’s chief executive officer has announced that his platform will ban political advertisements, saying that they represent new challenges to political discourse. “This isn’t about free expression. This is about paying for reach,
Truth or Fiction?→ Facebook ‘News’ Service to Include ‘Diverse’ Category, Sites Associated With White Nationalism
Facebook has announced a news service aimed at providing users with a “personalized” slate of stories from four different types of categories: general, topical, local, and “diverse”: Diversity publishers as those focused on key
Truth or Fiction?→ Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Grills Facebook Chief Executive Officer Over Fact-Checking, Political Ads
Democratic Party Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez challenged Facebook chief executive officer Mark Zuckerberg on his policy allowing disinformation to be run in political advertisements on the social media platform during the tech magnate’s testimo
Truth or Fiction?→ Facebook Antitrust Investigation Expands to 47 Attorneys General
An antitrust probe against Facebook has expanded into nearly the entire continental United States and beyond, New York State Attorney General Letitia James said on October 22 2019, with 46 states and one territory taking part. James said in a statemen
Truth or Fiction?→ California Law Limiting Freelance Publication Options Could Face Legal Threat
A California law addressing the discrepancies between independent contractors and contracted workers could spur a legal challenge from journalists before it takes effect in January 2020. Under the new law, known as AB5, news outlets would face a cap i
Truth or Fiction?→ MIT Science Professor Accused of Spreading Disinformation Resigns From Science Journal
A professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has resigned from the board of a prestigious science journal after he was accused of spreading conspiracy theories about a chemical weapons attack in Syria in 2017 and a major scientific journ
Truth or Fiction?→ ABC News Yanks ‘Slaughter in Syria’ Video Revealed as YouTube Clip Filmed in Kentucky
On October 14 2019, ABC News walked back a story that aired on two of its marquee programs after the footage was revealed to be a YouTube clip filmed in the United States in 2017. “This video obtained by ABC News, appears to show the fury of the
Truth or Fiction?→ Trump Administration Rushes To Distance Itself From Massacre Video at Far-Right ‘Meme Event’
United States President Donald Trump’s administration and other right-wing figures attempted to distance themselves on October 14 2019 from a violent propaganda video, as coverage spread of a scene altered to depict Trump gunning down his “
Truth or Fiction?→ Officials Say United States Not Vacating Syria, Contradicting Trump: Reports
Amid reports that Turkish forces had begun mounting an attack on Syria, two separate news outlets reported that United States officials had contradicted U.S. President Donald Trump’s declaration that American troops would be vacating the Syria-T