Publication: satire
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?→ Rep. Jack Kimble: ‘A Whopping 25% of American Students Are in the Bottom …’
On May 21 2023, a Reddit user shared a screenshot of a tweet about American students attributed to a “Rep. Jack Kimble” to the subreddit r/technicallythetruth: Can’t decide if this is satire by u/ShubhamG77 in tec
Lead Stories→ Lead Stories Launches AI-Powered FactGPT Fact Checking Chatbot
As you could tell by the date, this was an April Fools' joke and we didn't really launch a mad conspiracy-spewing AI bot. Hope you enjoyed it! Colorado Springs - Award-winning fact checking organization Lead Stories is proud to announce t
Truth or Fiction?→ A&W Root Bear ‘Bear Mascot’ Twitter Joke Ends Up on Fox News
As a January 2023 debate over M&Ms’ “spokescandies” moved through the news cycle, a tweet about A&W Restaurants purportedly issuing a similar statement was featured on Fox Business: Why are right wingers obsessed with animat
Logically→ Russian President Vladimir Putin destroyed an adrenochrome lab in Ukraine.
Putin or Russian forces did not destroy a Ukrainian adrenochrome lab. The claim originated from a story published by the parody website Real Raw News.
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Dear Teacher’ Letter Explaining Christmas Goes Viral on Twitter
On December 13 2022, a Twitter account going by @JewWhoHasItAll published a satirical “Dear Teacher” letter, describing Christmas and Christian traditions to putative school employees. A Twitter bio for @JewWhoHasItAll provided context suf
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Kyrsten Sinema Introducing Donald Trump’ Video
On September 26 2022, Twitter user Paul Lahticks (@PaulLahticks) shared a purported video showing Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Arizona) with former U.S. President Donald Trump: BREAKING: After teaming up with Mitch McConnell today in Louisville to give a s
Logically→ Donald Trump’s ex-wife Ivana Trump died after receiving the COVlD-19 vaccine booster and a monkeypox injection.
Logically→ The CEO of Tim Horton’s was arrested for possessing child pornography.
Tim Hortons CEO's alleged detention for possessing child pornography stemmed from a satirical website, and there is no basis for this claim.
Logically→ The drug Scopolamine was found in COVID-19 vaccines meant for children.
There is no evidence that Scopolamine is present in COVID-19 vaccines recommended for children. The claim originates from a satirical website.
Logically→ This video contains actual audio from Biden’s secret service team.
This video is in fact one of several similar satirical videos by a comedian and TikTok user.
Truth or Fiction?→ Taliban ‘Hanging from Blackhawk’ Video
On August 30 2021, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) tweeted a video that purportedly showed members of the Taliban hanging an interpreter from a Blackhawk helicopter in Afghanistan: This horrifying image encapsulates Joe Biden's Afghanistan catastrophe:
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: A McDonald’s In Rome, Georgia, Is NOT Offering A Starting Wage Of $31 An Hour
Is a McDonald's in Rome, Georgia, offering a starting wage of $31 an hour? No, that's not true: The claim is posted on a satirical site and is not meant to be real. A manager at a McDonald's in Rome told Lead Stories it's a hoax. Pay at t
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: AOC Was NOT Photographed Wearing $3,900 Sunglasses — It’s Satire
Was Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez photographed wearing $3,900 sunglasses? No, that's not true: She was wearing a pair of Ray-Ban sunglasses that are priced at less than $200 on the eyewear company's website. Also, this claim was on a know
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: ‘Vaccine Bandits’ Are NOT Taking Over Los Angeles’ Streets — It’s A Joke
Are "vaccine bandits" abruptly giving unsuspecting pedestrians COVID-19 vaccines and taking over Los Angeles' streets? No, that's not true: The idea was a joke started by a known satirical account on TikTok. The creator of the original vi
Snopes→ No, the AMA Didn’t Revoke Sen. Rand Paul’s Ophthalmology License
An online source described the alleged revocation of Paul's medical license as "permanent."
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: LeBron James Did NOT Blame ‘Space Jam 2’ Box Office Numbers On Systemic Racism
Did LeBron James blame disappointing "Space Jam 2" numbers on the "long history of systemic racism at the box office"? No, that's not true: There is no evidence LeBron James said that or anything similar to it. This "Breaking" news story
Truth or Fiction?→ Rep. Jack Kimble: ‘I Find It Very Suspicious …’
In July 2021, Facebook users and pages began sharing screenshots of a tweet attributed to “Rep. Jack Kimble” (@repjackkimble), in which he appeared to speculate on the reasons unvaccinated people were likelier to be infected and become ill
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: A Mormon Athlete Named ‘Rebecca Washington’ Will NOT Replace Sha’Carri Richardson On The U.S. Olympic Team
Will a Mormon athlete named Rebecca Washington replace U.S. runner Sha'Carri Richardson on the U.S. Olympic team? No, that's not true: This claim comes from a post made by a parody Twitter account; the runner replacing Richardson is not n
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘U.S. Quietly Slips Out Of Afghanistan In Dead Of Night’ Onion Story
On July 6 2021, Twitter user @SIGSYS published two screenshots, one a satirical headline from The Onion in July 2011 about the United States having “quietly slip[ped] out of Afghanistan in [the] dead of night,” and a July 2021 Associated
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Heinz Did NOT Release A Condiment Called ‘Mayoreo’ — It’s Satire
Did the Kraft Heinz Company release a condiment called Mayoreo, a mix of mayonnaise and Oreos? No, that's not true: The company confirmed that Mayoreo is not a real product and that a viral image of the product is Photoshopped. The claim
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Photo Of Canal Is NOT From Georgia Or The United States — It’s From Belgium
Does a photo show a canal in Riverdale, Georgia? No, that's not true: The canal in the photo is actually the Sart Canal Bridge in Belgium. The same photo can be found on numerous places on the internet, including on Google Maps and Google
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: U.S. Military Did NOT Arrest Dr. Deborah Birx
Did the U.S. military arrest former White House coronavirus response coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx for her role in deceiving the public about the effectiveness of masks in preventing the spread of COVID-19? No, that's not true: The claim i
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: This Child Was NOT Incarcerated For Changing ‘SpongeBob SquarePants’ Theme Song Lyrics — He Was A Murder Victim
Did a 9-year-old child go to prison for changing the theme-song lyrics to the classic Nickelodeon cartoon, "SpongeBob SquarePants"? No, that's not true: The picture used with the claim is of a young murder victim who was not named "Jake S
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Chicago Police Are NOT Required To Ask Consent Of Arrestees
Is the Chicago Police Department now requiring its officers to ask for consent before arresting criminals? No, that's not true: The claim came from a satirical website, and a spokesperson for the Chicago Police Department said the claim i
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: This ExxonMobil Gas Station Sign Is NOT Real
Did a gas station post a sign saying that customers must show proof of employment to make a gas purchase? No, that's not true: The picture of the sign is satire and was created using an online image generator. The claim appeared in a Face
Truth or Fiction?→ Did RuPaul Say Evidence of the Armenian Genocide ‘Just Isn’t There’?
A brand-new Twitter account manufactured cheap online clout in April 2021 by posting a false “report” painting television host RuPaul as a political commentator. The account, “Breaking Celebrity News,” generated angry responses
Truth or Fiction?→ PragerU ‘Racism = Bad’ Graphic
On March 13 2021, the Facebook page Comrade Britney shared the following Gravel Institute (@GravelInstitute) tweet from one day prior, depicting a purported PragerU graphic describing “leftist logic” as “racism = bad”: HmmR
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Chuck E Cheese Issue a Statement on the Capitol Riots?
On January 7 2021 a statement on the Capitol riots, attributed to the family-themed restaurant chain Chuck E Cheese, began circulating on Twitter: Thank you, Chuck E Cheese. pic.twitter.com/ZaOAk47n4b — Queen LaDeefa (@It_Aint__ME) January 7,
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Ownership of Jeffrey Epstein’s Former Island Was NOT Traced To the Clinton Foundation
Does the ownership of the late pedophile financier Jeffery Epstein's island also have ties to the Clinton Foundation? No, that's not true: This is an entirely false claim from a known satire site. The claim appeared an article published b
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: The Constitution Does NOT Say That A Candidate Can Just Declare Themself Winner
Does the Constitution say if Trump declares himself the winner at any time on November 3 then he automatically wins? No, that's not true: This is satire from Houston talk radio host Michael Berry. The claim was posted to Facebook and Twi
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Kwik Trip Launches Kwik Strip Gentlemen’s Clubs’
An October 12 2020 article headlined “Kwik Trip Launches Kwik Strip Gentlemen’s Clubs” was predictably a hit on social media, purportedly heralding a new gentleman’s club venture from the convenience store chain: Kwik Tr
Truth or Fiction?→ Did a Louisiana Man Drop Dead Moments After Calling a Woman a Racial Epithet?
In September 2020, what looked like a news article about a Louisiana man who instantly died after using a racial slur to insult a woman went viral across social media platforms: "No one who knew the woman personally spoke to reporters nor th
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Nick Jonas Tweet That It’s ‘Weird’ He Sings Songs About Sexy Ladies with His Brothers?
On August 12 2020 a screenshot was shared to Facebook, purporting to show a genuine Twitter thread in which Nick Jonas of the Jonas Brothers wondered aloud whether it was “weird” to “sing about sexy ladies” with your brothers:
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Stats Canada Report That Not One Baby Has Been Named Karen Since November 2019?
On August 5 2020, a popular Imgur post appeared to show a headline reporting that not one baby in Canada had been named “Karen” since November 13 2019: Well that was unexpected and quite hilarious. Name choice dropped due to a meme. On I
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Ivanka Trump Accuse Dr. Anthony Fauci of Trying to Make Her Father Look Incompetent?
In mid-July 2020 a link circulated on social media, appearing to be an article reporting that Ivanka Trump had accused Dr. Anthony Fauci of trying to make her father, United States President Donald Trump, “look incompetent”: Ivanka Says
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Pentagon Did NOT Confirm Coronavirus Accidentally Got Into Chemtrail Supply Chain
Did the Pentagon confirm that the novel coronavirus accidentally got into the chemtrail supply chain? No, that's not true: The site publishing the claim creates satirical content for aviation buffs (think The Aviation Geek Club meets The Onion
Truth or Fiction?→ Did SCOTUS Rule Trump Can Remove Chuck Schumer from the Senate?
In early April 2020, an apparent article headlined “SCOTUS Rules Trump Can Remove Chuck Schumer from Senate” circulated through individual Facebook posts and groups. One iteration was shared to the group “People for the secession of
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Curfew NOT Issued For Bossier City Due To Coronavirus
Did Bossier City, Louisiana, issue a curfew for all residents due to the novel coronavirus? No, that's not true: The site making the claim is known for creating prank stories. Above the story's headline is a note in small type that says, "It's