Online mockery of former New York City mayor Rudolph “Rudy” Giuliani continued in late November 2020 with a tweet by a newly-formed parody account that had other users fooled, if only for a moment. The post from “@Rudy_Giuliani_̶
Publication: twitter
Poynter→ Jack Dorsey and Mark Zuckerberg at a crossroads on their companies’ misinformation policies
Jack Dorsey and Mark Zuckerberg usually disagree, at least as far as Twitter and Facebook policies are concerned. But during Tuesday’s Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, the two tech CEOs seemed to find common ground on a few topics where they had p
Truth or Fiction?→ Did ICE’s Twitter Account Disappear?
Eagle-eyed Twitter users noted on November 12 2020 that the Twitter account for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (also known as ICE) had abruptly disappeared. While a cached version of the @ICEGov account is still available online, going to th
Truth or Fiction?→ Questions Over ex-GOP Official’s Tweet Leads to Patti LaBelle’s ‘Anti-Feminist’ Relative
A former Republican official’s allegedly misplaced Twitter message on November 10 2020 led to allegations of online chicanery that culminated in the public outing of an “anti-feminist TV critic” purportedly related to legendary singe
Truth or Fiction?→ Are Brazilian Troops Considering ‘Military Intervention’ on Trump’s Behalf?
A right-wing group based out of San Diego State University in California stoked more conspiracy theories around the 2020 U.S. presidential elections on Twitter, claiming that troops and operatives from other governments may get involved on behalf of i
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Burning 80 Trump Ballots’
As ballots continued to be counted in the U.S. presidential election, a questionable video with the equally questionable claim that someone had set several ballots marked with votes for President Donald Trump on fire suddenly appeared on social media
Truth or Fiction?→ Anonymous ‘US Politics Polls’ Twitter Account Spreading Election Disinformation
An anonymous Twitter account presenting itself as political analysis set itself to spreading disinformation on the last night of the U.S. elections on November 3 2020. The account, which called itself “US Politics Polls,” posted several fa
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘You Don’t Have to Be Registered to Vote in Minnesota’
Right-wing talk show host Sean Hannity attempted to gin up a controversy around Democratic Party Rep. Ilhan Omar on November 3 2020 — election day in the United States — by misrepresenting her on social media and on his own website. Hannit
Truth or Fiction?→ As U.S. Election Looms, Agitprop Floods Social Media Platforms
In the days leading up to the 2020 U.S. presidential election, the disinformation that has been a hallmark of the Trump campaign, then administration, then campaign again reached new heights with political smears, Soviet-style weaponized conspiracy t
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Joe Biden Call Trump ‘George’ During a Live Video?
A tweet from an official for United States President Donald Trump’s re-election campaign highlighted a widespread disinformation campaign that hinged on attempting to manufacture a “gaffe” to pin on Democratic Party presidential nomi
Truth or Fiction?→ Is This an Associated Press Photograph of Sen. Mitch McConnell’s Hands?
As he faced criticism for refusing to include relief payments for Americans in COVID-19 relief legislation, Senate Majority Leader and self-described “grim reaper” Mitch McConnell drew attention from Twitter users on October 21 2020, after
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘This Is a Reverse Financed Internship So You Will Pay $15/hr to Work Here’
An apparent prank job listing first spotted in January 2020 has continued recirculating through Facebook, with some readers taking it as a sign of late-stage capitalism’s descent into pure self-parody. The ad was posted on the job listing websit
Poynter→ Without methodology or transparency, Facebook and Twitter become the ‘arbiters of the truth’
It seems like Facebook and Twitter have decided to assume the position they’ve been avoiding for so long. Less than a month from Election Day, both companies finally became arbiters of the truth on the internet. Naive are those who believe this i
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Trump Post a Photo Mocking Biden and the Elderly?
As his re-election campaign faced a lack of support from senior voters, United States President (and the Republican Party’s 2020 presidential nominee) Donald Trump posted a photograph seemingly mocking seniors, alongside Democratic Party preside
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘My Blood IS the Vaccine’ Tweet
On October 9 2020, as speculation mounted about United States President Donald Trump’s health following his COVID-19 diagnosis, a purported tweet circulated in screenshot form: The alleged tweet, which was dated October 5 2020, said simply,
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Dr. Luke Die from COVID-19?
A pair of people on social media managed to create some online confusion around music producer Lukasz Sebastian Gottwald, a.k.a. “Dr. Luke,” on October 4 2020 — apparently independently of one another. The posts both claimed, falsel
Truth or Fiction?→ Did the Trump Campaign Use His COVID-19 Diagnosis in a Fundraising Message?
As speculation circulated online following United States President Donald Trump’s announcement late on October 1 2020 (or early on October 2 2020, depending on your time zone) that both he and First Lady Melania Trump had tested positive for CO
Truth or Fiction?→ Did the Trump Campaign Use His COVID-19 Diagnosis in a Fundraising Message?
As speculation circulated online following United States President Donald Trump’s announcement late on October 1 2020 (or early on October 2 2020, depending on your time zone) that both he and First Lady Melania Trump had tested positive for CO
Truth or Fiction?→ Did a Twitter User Tweet That Trump’s October Surprise Will be the Announcement of ‘His Infection’?
Just after midnight Eastern time on October 2 2020, news broke that United States President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump tested positive for novel coronavirus; a screenshot of a September 18 2020 tweet began circulating shortly thereafter
Truth or Fiction?→ Did a Twitter User Tweet That Trump’s October Surprise Will be the Announcement of ‘His Infection’?
Just after midnight Eastern time on October 2 2020, news broke that United States President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump tested positive for novel coronavirus; a screenshot of a September 18 2020 tweet began circulating shortly thereafter
Poynter→ In the battle over content moderation, transparency seems to be all anyone can agree on
Factually is a newsletter about fact-checking and accountability journalism, from Poynter’s International Fact-Checking Network & the American Press Institute’s Accountability Project. Sign up here The theme in the debate over content moderatio
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘I Plan to Lead Another Non-Violent March Tomorrow’
A political cartoon depicting the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. recirculated online in August 2020, as users pointed out the parallels between how his efforts for Black liberation were viewed during his life and skepticism around the Black Lives Mat
Truth or Fiction?→ Conspiracy Forums Amplify Russian Troll Site’s ‘Laundry List’ of Arrested Politicians
A lengthy “copypasta” disinformation post with content dating back to at least 2015 was recirculated online in conspiracy theory forums and Facebook in August and September 2020 — amplified by a Russian website. NBC News reporter Ben
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Ben Shapiro Tweet That He and His Wife Know There Are More Important Things in Marriage Than ‘Sexual Satisfaction’?
On August 21 2020, a tweet attributed to right-wing pundit Ben Shapiro appeared: The purported tweet, which spread in screenshot form, said: You know how much this endless parade of jokes about me and my wife bothers me? Not one bit. My wife and I b
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Have You Ever Seen a LOCKED Mailbox at the USPS? Now You Have’
As criticism of the treatment of the United States Postal Service (USPS) continued to mount in August 2020, various photographs shared online prompted fears that U.S. President Donald Trump and his administration were locking mailboxes as part of effo
Truth or Fiction?→ Can You Have Your Mail-In Ballot Delivered as First Class Mail?
As social media users expressed alarm over United States President Donald Trump’s administration’s apparent efforts to sabotage the U.S. Postal Service (USPS), one Twitter user’s suggestion caught traction on August 14 2020. That acc
Truth or Fiction?→ Was a Georgia High School’s Senior Class Photographed Together Without Masks?
Online criticism concerning safety measures in schools trying to reopen amid the COVID-19 pandemic circulated around a second Georgia school in August 2020 as a photo spread online showing an entire senior class gathered together without face covering
Truth or Fiction?→ Founder of Abuse Survivors Group Accused of Creating — and ‘Killing’ — Fake Twitter Professor
A Twitter account that had gained visibility within academic circles on the platform was suspended on August 3 2020 amid a maelstrom of skepticism of its legitimacy and well as criticism toward the user suspected of creating the account as well as the
Truth or Fiction?→ Did a Reporter Call Kayleigh McEnany a ‘Lying Bitch’?
An exchange between White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany and a reporter for Al-Jazeera led to allegations that the reporter muttered an epithet. Right-wing social media users accused reporter Kimberly Halkett of calling McEnany a “lying
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Rep. John Lewis Cosplay as Himself at San Diego Comic-Con?
As memories of and remembrances for Rep. John Lewis proliferated online following his death on July 17 2020, his public appearances at California’s biggest pop-culture event were brought back to the public’s attention. Activist Bridget Tod
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Mask of the Beast’
A Facebook post attempting to falsely link protection against COVID-19 to Satanism continued to spread on the platform in July 2020 — while also providing a look into how disinformation is laundered across social media platforms. The post by Ana
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Barack Obama Take Hydroxychloroquine in 2008?
A right-wing radio host and Fox News personality attempted to gin up more conspiracy theories about former United States President Barack Obama by misrepresenting what he claimed was a prescription given to Obama. Mark Levin posted a photograph on Twi
Truth or Fiction?→ Are ‘BLM Convoys’ Threatening to ‘Occupy Atlanta’?
Conspiracy theorist Jerome Corsi reached out for attention from United States President Donald Trump on July 7 2020, all the while regurgitating a long-debunked right-wing internet boogeyman to smear the Black Lives Matter movement. Corsi took to his
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Vandals in Spain Call a Nobel Prize Winner a ‘Killer’?
A Spanish culture and history website’s anger over alleged vandalism at the country’s biggest bullfighting stadium gained attention on Twitter in June 2020, but its concern appears to be years too late. The site, Darío Madrid, claimed on
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Peaceful Flag Burning to Resist Police Sponsored by Antifa’
A group with content seemingly designed to anger right-wing readers attracted attention from actual government officials — before finally being removed from both Twitter and Facebook in June 2020. The group, “Left Behind USA,” was us
Truth or Fiction?→ Was a Dallas Business Owner Killed During a Protest Against Police Brutality?
Right-wing Twitter accounts distorted footage of an attack on a would-be vigilante during a demonstration against police extrajudicial killings in Dallas on May 30 2020. One clip disseminated online pushed the claim that the man — later identifi
Truth or Fiction?→ Was a Saint Paul Police Officer Caught Vandalizing Property at a George Floyd Protest?
Amid the social unrest permeating the Minnesota Twin Cities area following the extrajudicial killing of George Floyd in May 2020, Twitter users claimed to have identified a man spotted vandalizing a local auto parts store as a local police officer
Truth or Fiction?→ Was Derek Chauvin Photographed Alongside Donald Trump at a Campaign Rally?
In the aftermath of the extrajudicial killing of 46-year-old George Floyd at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer, social media users spread a photograph online that they claimed showed one of the officers alongside United States President Donald
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Amy Cooper Make Campaign Donations to Obama, Buttigieg, and John Kerry?
Amid the fallout of Amy Cooper’s firing for her racist harassment of Christian Cooper in May 2020, some social media users began trying to parse her political leanings as an evidence-free opinion piece in a British publication added fuel to the
Truth or Fiction?→ Social Media Users Reveal White Woman Calling Police on Black Man Filming Her
A white woman caught on video threatening to use a man’s ethnicity against him by calling New York City police to report “an African-American man threatening my life” has offered a public apology after her identity was swiftly expose