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
Publication: viral content
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?→ ‘Yesterday, 4 Canadians Died of COVID, 7 Italians, 9 Germans, and 1,263 Americans’
On August 20 2020, a Facebook user shared the following post, which purportedly shows the number of deaths due to COVID-19 in Canada, Italy, Germany, and the United States during a single day (“yesterday”): White text against a purple b
Truth or Fiction?→ Is This a Chinese ‘Luckiest Birthday’ List?
In August 2020, a nearly year-old post purportedly ranking what Chinese people believe are the “luckiest birthdays” circulated on Facebook: Facebook provided a slightly baffling automatic translation: Chinese made a list of the l
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Jeepers Creepers Rises Every 23 Years and Last Woke Up in 1997’
On August 29 2020, the Facebook page “90’s Kids Only” shared the following post concerning the film Jeepers Creepers — and purported film lore that holds its monster “rose every 23 years,” most recently in 1997:
Truth or Fiction?→ Did an RNC Speaker Say Her Biracial Son ‘Might Grow Up to be a Large Intimidating Brown Man,’ and Her ‘Biological Kids’ to be ‘White and Nerdy’?
On August 26 2020, the Facebook page “This American Carnage” shared the following meme, which purportedly shows a quote from Republican National Convention (RNC) speaker Abby Johnson on her biracial son growing up as a “large, intimi
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘You do NOT DIVIDE the deaths into the total population. EVER! NEVER!’
A popular Facebook post in August 2020 was not alone in taking issue with one estimate concerning the COVID-19 virus’ mortality rate, but might also mislead readers looking for an easy answer. The post, first published on August 20, 2020 and sha
Truth or Fiction?→ Frida Kahlo ‘If I Have to Say It … I Do Not Want It Anymore’
On August 22 2020, the Facebook page “She Is Fire” attributed the following poem — often titled “If I Have to Say It” — to artist Frida Kahlo: What became a text-only post read: Frida Kahlo to her husband…
Truth or Fiction?→ NBC News Article About Usain Bolt Testing Positive for Coronavirus Displays Photograph of Kevin Hart
On August 25 2020, images of a NBC News article began circulating showing the headline, “Usain Bolt, the fastest man alive, tests positive for coronavirus” and displaying a photograph not of Bolt, but showing comedian Kevin Hart: Pretty
Truth or Fiction?→ Is ‘Brisket’ Among HEB Hurricane Supplies?
On August 23 2020, a popular screenshot of grocery chain H-E-B‘s “hurricane supplies” appeared to show a limit on brisket items — the only product specifically named other than water: In the screenshot of an apparent KPRC b
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?→ ‘Snow, Rain, Heat, Night, Fascism … Absolutely Baller Content from the American Postal Workers Union’
Amid the United States Postal Service’s slowdowns on August 13 2020, Twitter user Charlie Bonner shared the following “baller content” attributed to the American Postal Workers Union: absolutely baller content from the postal worke
Truth or Fiction?→ Is This a Photo of Seattle — Brought to You By ‘The Environmental Left’?
On August 10 2020, a Facebook user shared the following picture, purportedly taken in Seattle the previous month and showing detritus left behind by the “environmental left”: Alongside a blurry image of a trash-filled street, the
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Mozart Write a Song Called ‘Lick My Ass’?
In August 2020 a Facebook screenshot of a tweet contrasted a moral panic over Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion’s “WAP” with a claim that classical composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart wrote a song called “Lick My Ass”: A sc
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Thousands of Seattle Democrats Gather to Demand Mail-In Voting Because Voting in Person Is Too Dangerous?
On August 18 2020, a photograph purportedly showing “thousands of Seattle Democrats” (at least, according to random people online) circulated on Twitter: This is a photo of thousands of Seattle Democrats gathering to demand mail in votin
Truth or Fiction?→ Was a New Strain of Coronavirus Known as D614G and ‘Ten Times More Infectious’ Emerge in Malaysia in August 2020?
On August 16 2020, a number of anxiety-provoking tweets discussed the purported discovery of a new strain of SARS-CoV-2 (D614G), described as “ten times more infectious” after mutating: The highly infectious Covid-19 mutation, known as
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?→ 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?→ Will Boston University Begin Awarding Posthumous Degrees in 2020?
A story published by the student newspaper at Boston University attracted attention online on August 12 2020, after revealing the school’s move to formalize the process behind awarding posthumous degrees. The Daily Free Press first broke the sto
Truth or Fiction?→ Does a Facebook Live Reveal a Shocking Secret about ‘LOL Dolls’ Amid #SaveTheChildren Panic?
On August 11 2020, social media users shared a Facebook Live video (archived here), which purportedly unveiled a shocking surprise harbored by the popular LOL Surprise! dolls — that their bodies change color when immersed in water, often in the
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Patton Oswalt Tweet ‘I Am a Proud Pedophile’?
On August 3 2020, a Facebook user shared a purported tweet from comedian Patton Oswalt, in which Oswalt purportedly claimed to be a “proud pedophile”: Commenters on the Facebook post folded it into a larger conspiracy theory abou
Truth or Fiction?→ Did the United States Issue a COVID-19 Travel Advisory for New Zealand?
An August 7 2020 tweet by the New Zealand Herald claimed that the United States issued a travel warning to its citizens about New Zealand due to the country’s purported 23 active cases of COVID-19: The US Government has warned its citizens t
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Trump Once Say He Had Known Jeffrey Epstein for Years and ‘He Likes Women … on the Younger Side’?
On August 6 2020, the Facebook page “Americans Against The Republican Party “shared the following image of convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein and United States President Donald Trump, along with a quote: White text with a photograph of
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?→ Did U.S. President Donald Trump Say ‘When I Took Over, We Didn’t Even Have a Test’ for COVID-19 During an Axios Interview?
On August 5 2020, a quote meme was shared to Imgur referencing an Axios interview which August 3 2020, and it quoted United States President Donald Trump as saying that when he “took over … we didn’t even have a test” for COVID
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?→ First Day of School in Paulding County, Georgia
On August 4 2020, a purported photograph of the first day of school in Paulding County, Georgia circulated on social media — showing a densely crowded school hallway and only a few students wearing masks: The same image was shared t
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘OK, Who Had Nuclear Cannibal Ants for August?’
On August 2 2020, a Facebook user shared the following anxiety-provoking Twitter screenshot with the following commentary: Okay, who has nuclear cannibal ants for August? The screenshot showed an August 2 2020 tweet by @NinjaEconomics: One million
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘New Zealand Rugby Game Today as We Have No COVID Cases’
On July 26 2020, a post to Reddit’s r/Damnthatsinteresting purportedly showed images from a rugby game in New Zealand on the same day, in a stadium full of fans — because the country has successfully suppressed COVID-19: New Zea
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Elon Musk Tweet ‘We Will Coup Whoever We Want, Deal With It’?
On July 29 2020, comedian Lee Camp shared the following image, which quoted Elon Musk as saying the United States would “coup whoever we want,” and to “deal with it”: Across an image of Musk, text read: My name is Elon Musk.
Truth or Fiction?→ Did the United States Postal Service Urge Mail-In Voters to Request Envelopes by October 20th?
Amid increasing concern over the United States Postal Service’s efficiency leading up to the 2020 U.S. elections, a CBS News host’s tweet warned voters seeking to take part by mail. “USPS says you should give mail in ballots at least
Truth or Fiction?→ Are Uniformed Private Contractors Patrolling Portland and Snatching Protesters?
On July 25 2020, a rumor spread on Facebook that that individuals patrolling Portland in military uniform (sometimes snatching people off the street) were private contractors, and that they were working for a company called “Black River”:
Truth or Fiction?→ Was This Photograph Taken at a Protest in Portland?
A Black photojournalist’s work recirculated online in July 2020, though without credit to him and sometimes eliding the context of his original photograph. Freelancer Crush Rush first took the photograph on May 31 2020 during protests against po
Truth or Fiction?→ Is Pepper-Spraying Medical Supplies a War Crime?
Footage posted by a journalist covering the ongoing protests against police brutality brought back to light an apparent loophole exploited by law enforcement. As part of his coverage on July 22 2020, Portland-area reporter Sergio Olmos posted footage
Truth or Fiction?→ Did the Media Ignore a Pro-Police March Across the Brooklyn Bridge in July 2020?
In July 2020, a photograph of a purported “defend the police,” “pro-police,” or “back the blue” march across the Brooklyn Bridge began circulating — alongside claims that “even Fox News” refused t
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘A Strip of Medical Tape on Top of Your Mask Will Keep Your Glasses from Fogging Up for Hours’
On July 17 2020, a Facebook user shared a very popular tip for people who wear glasses and face masks — advising them that introducing a strip of medical tape at the top of the mask would prevent glasses from fogging up for hours: In the photog
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘It’s Just a Mask, It’s Just a Vaccine’ [Covid Fanfics]
On July 14 2020, Facebook user Ryan Thames shared the following post, along with a claim that temporary behavior intended to curb the rates of a respiratory-borne virus during a pandemic, such as recommending the widespread use of face masks to cut ba
Truth or Fiction?→ Is This Sgt. Rubino of the New Haven Police Department Using Excessive Force During June 2020 Protests?
In June 2020, the following image appeared in a Facebook post, alongside a status update saying that the was a Sgt. Rubino of the New Haven Police Department: Text accompanying the image referenced the May 2020 death of George Floyd, linking the inc
Truth or Fiction?→ Is this Durex Coronavirus Ad Real?
Chances are you’ve seen some version of this purported Durex advertisement in heavy circulation at some point during the COVID-19 pandemic, featuring and comparing a face mask with a condom: The screenshot above included commentary from a s
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Stop What You Are Doing Google Who Invented Blow Up Dolls Right Now’
On July 16 2020 the Facebook page Memes Republic commanded its followers stop whatever they were doing and “Google who invented blow up dolls” immediately: The post rapidly racked up shares, nearing 60,000 in under 24 hours. So what hap