On April 22 2021, a fan campaign seeking to resurrect the Marvel Studios version of the character Tony Stark drew attention on social media with what appeared to be a photo of a billboard. We contacted Outfront Media, the company which owns the billboa
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Truth or Fiction?→ Was a U.S. Army Sergeant Caught On Video Harassing a Black Youth?
A white sergeant in the U.S. Army was arrested on April 14 2021, days after video spread online of him berating a Black youth in a subdivision near Columbia, South Carolina. The local Post & Courier newspaper confirmed that 42-year-old Jonathan Pen
Truth or Fiction?→ Rap Legend DMX’s Death Confirmed Hours After Confusion Online
Hip-hop icon DMX died on April 9 2021, hours after confusion spread on social media thanks to premature reports of his passing. The music news outlet XXL posted a statement sent by the rapper’s representatives: We are deeply saddened to announce
Snopes→ Supreme Court Dismisses Case over Trump and Twitter Critics
The case concerned the @realdonaldtrump account with more than 88 million followers and Trump's argument that it is his personal property.
Truth or Fiction?→ Comedian Reveals Himself as Creator of Viral ‘Darla From Amazon’ Twitter Account
A Chicago comedian revealed on March 30 2021 that he was the creator of at least one Twitter account that had users wondering whether it was a real “ambassador” for Amazon, as the tech megacorporation faced both a unionization vote and more
Poynter→ Factually: Tech CEOs (again) asked to explain themselves
Factually is a newsletter about fact-checking and misinformation from Poynter’s International Fact-Checking Network. Sign up here to receive it on your email every Thursday. Tech CEOs are back in the hot seat As the CEOs of Facebook, Twitter and Goog
Snopes→ Is Trump Planning To Launch His Own Social Media Site?
We've reached out to the former president's media relations team to discuss the claim.
Snopes→ Did GOP Post ‘Devestating’ Tweet About Education?
Articles about typos will undoubtedly contain at least one "embarrasing" typo.
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘The New Soul of Harlem’
The sight of a poster promoting an all-white “new soul of Harlem” shook up some readers February 2021 before a local business reassured them that it was not an authentic case of gentrification gone too far, once again proving that Poe’
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Robinhood Announce it Is ‘Upgrading its Systems’?
On February 24 2021, not long after buyers using financial app Robinhood rattled money pundits everywhere, a tweet appeared to signify that something new was afoot: Tomorrow we’ll be doing an upgrade to our systems. Buying in some stocks might be l
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Ted Cruz Blame ‘Cancel Culture’ For his Mexico Trip?
As the anger toward right-wing Texas Sen. Ted Cruz led to widespread criticism and ridicule for deserting his Texas constituents amid historically harsh winter conditions in February 2021 and attempting to blame his daughters for his decision, parodie
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Ted Cruz Fly to Mexico While Texans Were Without Electricity?
Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz was denounced online after being caught flying out of the state as hundreds of thousands of residents remained without power and water for sunnier climates. Photographs placing Cruz at the Houston airport began surfacin
Poynter→ Factually: Twitter, your Birdwatch has problems
Factually is a newsletter about fact-checking and misinformation from Poynter’s International Fact-Checking Network. Sign up here to receive it on your email every Thursday. Less than half of Birdwatch users include sources, and many reveal partisan
Poynter→ Factually: Twitter, your Birdwatch has problems
Factually is a newsletter about fact-checking and misinformation from Poynter’s International Fact-Checking Network. Sign up here to receive it on your email every Thursday. Less than half of Birdwatch users include sources, and many reveal partisan
Poynter→ Analysis: Twitter’s crowdsourced fact-checking experiment reveals problems
On Feb. 5, Twitter flagged a post from controversial YouTuber Tim Pool that said the 2020 U.S. presidential election was rigged. The platform noted that the claim was disputed and turned off engagement “due to a risk of violence.” But, on Birdwatch
Poynter→ Analysis: Twitter’s crowdsourced fact-checking experiment reveals problems
On Feb. 5, Twitter flagged a post from controversial YouTuber Tim Pool that said the 2020 U.S. presidential election was rigged. The platform noted that the claim was disputed and turned off engagement “due to a risk of violence.” But, on Birdwatch
Truth or Fiction?→ Was a Texas Ramada Hotel Charging $999 For Rooms After a Huge Winter Storm?
As residents across Texas fought power blackouts on February 15 2021 following a massive winter storm, a Ramada Hotel in Austin came under criticism online for appearing to respond by price-gouging people seeking shelter with electricity. Reporter Ton
Truth or Fiction?→ Does ‘This Little Piggy’ Have a Darker Meaning?
Adults reading social media got a jolt to their understanding of childrens’ stories in February 2021, as speculation emerged around the nursery rhyme, “This Little Piggy.” It didn’t take much. Just one Twitter post saying, R
Poynter→ IFCN Talks #1: ‘Fact-checkers shouldn’t be shields for social media platforms,’ researchers say
The first ever IFCN Talks panel looked at the recent spate of social media deplatformings, with researchers Lucas Graves, professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Francisco “Chico” Brito Cruz, director of Brazil’s Internet Lab, both a
Truth or Fiction?→ Was a Capitol Rioter Allowed to Take a Vacation in Mexico?
A Texas woman who boasted that she took part in the seditious attack against the U.S. Capitol on January 6 2021 became an online symbol for white privilege in the judicial system after asking for permission to leave the country. It is true that Jenny
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘President Trump’s New Office Looks STUNNING’
Even after the end of his presidency, supporters of Donald Trump continued peddling bad information online in February 2021. Anti-Muslim lecturer Brigitte Gabriel posted a photograph of Trump on Twitter saying, “President Trump’s new office lo
Poynter→ Fact-checkers express initial skepticism about Twitter’s ‘Birdwatch’
Fact-checkers were diplomatic in their skepticism of Twitter’s announcement last week that it would be piloting a new feature to crowdsource verified information on the platform –– Birdwatch. The program, currently only available in the U.S., all
Truth or Fiction?→ Does Jen Psaki Have a Brother Working for Citadel LLC?
As discourse and debate surrounding online trading in general and the app Robinhood in particular continued to spread in January 2021, some right-wing social media users attempted to link it to new White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki, claiming that
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Donald J. Trump’s Term Ended on 2021-01-11 19:49:00’
As Democrats attempted to push for the impeachment of outgoing United States President Donald Trump on January 11 2021, the U.S. State Department’s website drew attention online for apparently listing that day as the end of both his term and tha
Truth or Fiction?→ Does Trump Have an OnlyFans Account?
As outgoing United States President Donald Trump and his supporters were locked out of some digital platforms, social media users asked — sometimes derisively — if Trump would open an account on the subscription-based service OnlyFans. Two
Truth or Fiction?→ Twitter Finally Shuts Down Donald Trump’s Account
Two days after he incited an attack by his supporters on the U.S. Capitol and just over two months after he decisively lost the 2020 election to Democratic Party candidate Joe Biden, outgoing United States President Donald Trump was ousted again ̵
Truth or Fiction?→ Did a Texas Newspaper Claim “Members of Antifa’ Were Attacking the Capitol?
As the United States continued to reel from the January 6 2021 Capitol riots, an east Texas newspaper became the center of a related side story after it was caught repeating a debunked right-wing conspiracy theory surrounding the attack on the U.S. C
Truth or Fiction?→ Amid Fascist Coup Attempt, Twitter Cowers From Banning Donald Trump
Even as he incited a far right, explicitly fascist coup attempt against the American government, Twitter refused to say whether it would remove outgoing United States President Donald Trump’s account on the platform: A company spokesperson told
Truth or Fiction?→ Is This a ‘Biblical’ Crowd of Trump Supporters in Washington D.C.?
As a crowd of loyalists for outgoing President Donald Trump gathered in Washington, D.C. at least one account wasted little time recycling a common disinformation tactic in order to make attendance seem much higher than it actually was. The user,
Truth or Fiction?→ Right-Wing Senator’s Claim of ‘Antifa’ Attack Debunked by Protesters’ Video
A right-wing U.S. lawmaker’s attempt to claim that “Antifa” threatened his family was immediately debunked by video showing a peaceful protest outside his home. The activist group ShutdownDC streamed video of its demonstration on Jan
Truth or Fiction?→ Is This a Deleted Scene From ‘Love Actually’?
Since it takes place around Christmas, the film Love Actually becomes an online conversation topic every holiday season. In December 2020, however, still more people became aware of a scene that didn’t make it into the movie’s final cut. I
Truth or Fiction?→ Were Illinois Police Filmed Arresting Another Law Enforcement Officer?
Footage of police officers seemingly arresting one of their own drew attention — and some cheers — online in December 2020, but authorities have not elaborated on the incident. As the Daily Dot reported, the incident was captured in Harvey
Truth or Fiction?→ Is the Trump Campaign Planning a Second Inauguration?
A suspicious screenshot grabbed Twitter users’ attention on December 17 2020, making some think that outgoing President Donald Trump and his campaign intended to continue denying his loss in the U.S. presidential elections into the new year. The
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Louie Gohmert’s Tooth Fall Out During a Press Conference?
Republican Rep. Louie Gohmert became instant online fodder (again) on December 8 2020, after a news site posted footage showing one of the Texas lawmaker’s teeth falling out as he spoke. The brief clip from The Recount showed his tooth coming lo
Truth or Fiction?→ Did a Video Expose Democrats ‘Planning to Cheat’ in Georgia?
A right-wing radio talk show host’s website appropriated and misrepresented an actual reporter’s work involving a Republican-supporting attorney in Florida, offering an excellent object lesson into the way disinformation can be perpetuated
Truth or Fiction?→ Do Squirrels Land Like Superheroes When They Jump?
The “science of cute” collided with animal behavioral science on social media in a major way after a post about squirrels went viral. “The best thing I’ve learned this week is that when squirrels fall/jump — they land like su
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Twitter Suspend Bobby Piton, an ‘Election Whistleblower,’ to Prevent People ‘Understanding His Testimony’?
On November 30 2020, the name “Bobby Piton” became a trending topic on social media following a “hearing” at an Arizona Hyatt hotel about Joe Biden’s win in the 2020 U.S. presidential election. Piton was not mentioned by
Truth or Fiction?→ Did an Italian Singer Score a Hit Song Using ‘Nonsense’ English Lyrics?
A decades-old cross-cultural hit by Adriano Celentano and Celeste Mori was brought back to light both in the U.S. and the pair’s native Italy in November 2020, thanks to social media and a Scottish artist. Harriet Mould found herself becoming co
Truth or Fiction?→ Did James Woods Play Rudy Giuliani in a Movie?
Former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani’s embarrassing November 2020 continued apace after social media users discovered a clip from what could charitably be called a flattering portrayal of him from nearly two decades earlier. The scene, taken
Truth or Fiction?→ How to Fight Disinformation: Introduction and Overview
This is the first of a series about how communities can fight back and protect themselves against weaponized disinformation. In 2015 and 2016, new and paranoid strains of political ideology took social media discourse by storm. The details varied by c