As Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) made the controversial decision to “reopen” the state in the throes of the COVID-19 pandemic, a Facebook post shared in late April 2020 urged readers to contact the governor’s mansion to request a tour
Publication: viral content
Truth or Fiction?→ Does the United States Have 4 Percent of the World’s Population and 25 Percent of the Deaths from COVID-19?
On April 18 2020, Tia Barracini published a tweet claiming that the United States accounted for four percent of the world’s population, but 25 percent of its deaths from novel coronavirus or COVID-19: Why does the US, with 4% of the world'
Truth or Fiction?→ Did the Second Wave of the 1918 Spanish Flu Kill 20 to 30 Million, While the First Wave Killed 3 to 5 Million?
Against the backdrop of spreading (but engineered) COVID-19 anti-lockdown protests in April 2020, a tweet claiming that a “second wave” of the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic was far deadlier than the “first wave” attracted a large n
Truth or Fiction?→ Misspelled ‘We the Peaple, Re-Open Pennslvania’ Sign
An April 21 2020 post on the Facebook page “CALL TO ACTIVISM” purportedly showed a COVID-19 protester in Pennsylvania, whose sign in part urged the re-opening of “Pennslvania,” as well as “we the peaple”: In just
Truth or Fiction?→ COVID-19 ‘Sacrifice the Weak’ Reopen Tennessee Protest Sign
On April 22 2020, what appeared to be a screen capture of a WKRN-TV segment about a “Reopen TN (Tennessee)” anti-lockdown protest went viral on Twitter, showing a protester with a sign that read, “Sacrifice the weak, re-open TN”
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘They Opened Up Florida Beaches and Now They Have 1400 New Cases Overnight!’ Facebook Meme
A controversial decision to open Florida’s beaches on April 17 2020 led to a rash of national criticism, and an April 18 2020 Facebook post warned that 1,400 Floridians became ill specifically because of the newly-opened beaches (archived here)
Truth or Fiction?→ Was This Illusion ‘Created by a Japanese Neurologist’ to Identify Stress Levels?
Like many other memes, a roundly-debunked graphic continued to make the online rounds in 2020, though one version did gain more traction earlier in the year. The photograph itself shows an optical illusion, but the caption often accompanying it is mis
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘The Real Plague’ Anti-Semitic Sign Spotted at Ohio Anti-Lockdown COVID-19 Pandemic Protest
On April 18 2020, a disturbing image of a purported protest sign from coronavirus anti-lockdown protests in Columbus, Ohio began circulating on Facebook, Twitter, and Reddit: Columbus, Ohio, April 18, 2020… pic.twitter.com/Q0ryJp5pOG — W
Truth or Fiction?→ Did News Outlets Publish Old Photographs of Crowded Jacksonville, Florida Beaches in April 2020?
On April 18 2020, multiple news organizations published photographs purportedly showing newly-reopened beaches in Jacksonville, Florida, in articles with headlines such as, “Jacksonville beach packed as Florida coronavirus cases hit recordR
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Allegedly, This Is From a 1958 UK Government Report’
A nearly 70-year-old catalog of “types of homosexual” continued getting attention online in April 2020, with social media users reclaiming at least one of its definitions. Photographs of a page from Austrian sociologist Richard Hauser̵
Truth or Fiction?→ Did the World Health Organization Tweet That There Was ‘No Clear Evidence of Human-to-Human Transmission of the Novel #Coronavirus’ on January 14 2020?
After United States President Donald Trump announced that he had discontinued funding to the World Health Organization, and presidential advisor Kellyanne Conway subsequently blamed the COVID-19 pandemic on the group on April 15 2020, a tweet attrib
Truth or Fiction?→ Viral ‘Ohio State House COVID-19 Protest’ Image
On April 14 2020, images of a large crowd gathered in Ohio to protest COVID-19 social distancing measures (while clearly violating those measures) circulated on social media: Trump supporters protest against #Quarantine policies in Ohio. #Covid_19
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Kellyanne Conway Say ‘This Isn’t COVID-1, Folks’ on Fox News?
On April 15 2020, a viral tweet asserted Trump White House advisor Kellyanne Conway appeared on Fox News, stating “this isn’t COVID-1” when discussing challenges posed by the novel coronavirus and COVID-19: Kellyanne Conway: "
Truth or Fiction?→ Where is My Stimulus? How to Get Your Missing IRS Coronavirus Check
In mid-April 2020, a number of social media users reported receiving a coronavirus stimulus payment to their bank accounts — but many others were dismayed the long-awaited $1,200 (or more) payment had not yet reached their bank accounts. In one
Truth or Fiction?→ Coronavirus ‘Memo from a Grocery Store Manager’
An April 7 2020 Facebook post — purportedly a message from an overworked grocery store manager — racked up over half a million shares in just a few days. The post, accompanied by an image of (what looked to be pre-COVID-19 pandemic) superm
Truth or Fiction?→ Did a Swiss Town Project the Union Jack Onto the Matterhorn to Show COVID-19 Solidarity?
In early April 2020, images of the United Kingdom’s flag projected onto the Matterhorn began circulating — striking photographs that appeared to perhaps be of questionable veracity: The town of #Zermatt in #Switzerland projecting the Un
Truth or Fiction?→ Spanish Flu 1918 Family Portrait Shows Cat with Face Mask
In early April 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revised COVID-19 guidance and advised Americans to wear face masks, reviving interest in a viral photograph — purportedly a family portrait from the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic th
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Mammoth Unemployment Claims in Their Historical Context’ GIF
In early April 2020, the animated image below spread on Facebook and Twitter, bearing the label “U.S. Weekly Initial Jobless Claims (thousands, seasonally adjusted)”; no source for the shocking graph was immediately available. Blurry text
Truth or Fiction?→ Did the President of Meharry Medical Advise Sterilizing Cloth Face Masks in the Microwave Between Uses?
Discourse regarding personal protective equipment (PPE, including cloth face masks) was a large part of COVID-19 discussion on social media in early April 2020, including a viral Facebook post that repeats purported advice to sterilize cloth masks by
Truth or Fiction?→ Is New York City Planning ‘Temporary Mass Graves’ in Central Park?
On April 6 2020, the New York Post claimed that New York City was considering “temporary mass graves” in public parks such as Central Park in an article bearing the headline, “NYC may temporarily bury coronavirus victims in parks:
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Make America Great Again’ Breathing Masks
On April 5 2020, social media was alight with speculation — some fond, some alarmed — at the prospect of what appeared to be a new addition to United States President Donald Trump’s merchandise line. The rumor began on Twitter, whenÂ
Truth or Fiction?→ Was Jon Bon Jovi Photographed Washing Dishes Inside a Restaurant?
Rock star Jon Bon Jovi attracted a new fan and new admiration online after a Facebook user shared his own testimonial praising the singer and entrepreneur for putting in work to help others amid the COVID-19 pandemic. In his March 27 2020 post, Garry
Truth or Fiction?→ Are COVID-19 Patients With High BMIs Being Denied Ventilators?
As the burgeoning COVID-19 pandemic became more omnipresent in American life in mid-March 2020, Twitter and Instagram rumors about coronavirus patients with high body mass indices being denied ventilator treatment began to spread. On Twitter on March
Truth or Fiction?→ Do You Have to Request a COVID-19 Forbearance for Student Loans?
Social media users’ concern over their student loans in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic found themselves dealing with conflicting information — even from the agencies. Prior to the passage of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Se
Truth or Fiction?→ EMS Workers in New York City, Long Island, Receive Orders Not to Transport Patients Who Cannot Be Resuscitated in the Field
In early April 2020, alarming news spread across social media — that Emergency Medical Services teams in New York City and on Long Island were given orders not to transport any patients who could not be resuscitated in the field: Just heard a
Truth or Fiction?→ Is a Homophobic Church Group Running a COVID-19 Clinic in New York City?
A mobile clinic erected in New York City to help residents infected by COVID-19 (a.k.a. the “coronavirus”) is not only run by radical homophobic cleric Franklin Graham, it is requiring volunteer workers to express support for an anti-LGBTQ
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Dr. Fauci Predict a Serious Pandemic During Trump’s Presidency — in 2017?
White House Coronavirus Task Force lead member Dr. Anthony Fauci was a widely familiar face throughout the coronavirus pandemic (due in part to what many perceived as a soberingly honest approach to the crisis), and by late March 2020, Fauci was rumor
Truth or Fiction?→ Andrew Cuomo’s Pierced Nipples, Explained
On March 31 2020, a bored-in-quarantine internet turned its attention to a state governor getting national attention, and decided a photograph showed Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s “pierced nipples.” A post to Reddit’s r/TIHI (“than
Truth or Fiction?→ Should You Make a No-Sew Coronavirus Mask During the COVID-19 Pandemic?
In late March 2020, do-it-yourself and no-sew coronavirus masks were a hot topic — but not before the subject of COVID-19 and face masks became confusing and contentious. Before COVID-19 was officially declared a pandemic on March 11 2020, offic
Truth or Fiction?→ Were Florida Residents Spotted Packing Beaches During the COVID-19 Pandemic?
A photograph of beachgoers ignoring social distancing guidelines concerning the COVID-19 pandemic prompted local officials to close their gathering place to the public. The photo, attributed to Clay Archer of Jacksonville Beach, was shared thousands o
Truth or Fiction?→ Is a $1,200 Coronavirus Stimulus an Advance on 2020’s Tax Credit — or a Loan You Have to Pay Back in 2021?
In the early evening of March 27 2020, news that Americans would receive COVID-19 stimulus checks of $1,200 or higher was a flashpoint of discussion in the reporting of the passage of the the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, also
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Yelp and GoFundMe Create COVID-19 Fundraisers for Restaurants Without Telling Them?
A push from business owners forced two tech companies to modify an unprompted response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Andy McMillan, owner of a bar in Portland, Oregon — where bars and restaurants were ordered to close down as part of efforts to slow
Truth or Fiction?→ Is a ‘Coronavirus Challenge’ on Social Media Prompting Teens to Infect Themselves With COVID-19?
Amid wall-to-wall reporting on a novel coronavirus and COVID-19 in late March 2020, articles breathlessly claimed that a “coronavirus challenge” or “COVID-19 challenge” was spreading on platforms like TikTok and Twitter, inciti
Truth or Fiction?→ Did a Gerrity’s Store Discard $35,000 of Food After a Woman ‘Coughed’ on It During the Coronavirus Pandemic?
On March 26 2020, a number of social media posts involved a woman in Pennsylvania who allegedly “coughed” on $35,000 worth of food — forcing a Gerrity’s store to discard all of the items: “Grocery store Gerrity’s Supermar
Truth or Fiction?→ Are Los Angeles Police Conducting ‘Spot Checks’ on ‘Non-Essential’ Driving?
A social media dispute broke out around comedian Ashley Ray on March 25 2020, after she posted what she called an advisory for people venturing outside in Los Angeles amid the city’s stay-in-place order to limit spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Truth or Fiction?→ Is Amazon Seeking Public Donations to Fund Sick Leave During the COVID-19 Pandemic?
On March 24 2020, journalist Judd Legum published a tweet claiming that as the COVID-19 pandemic began ramping up in the United States, Amazon.com (owned by Jeff Bezos) requested public donations in order to pay for employees’ sick leave: 1.
Truth or Fiction?→ Did a Phalanx of Corporate Chief Executive Officers Step Down Ahead of COVID-19?
In March 2020, as conspiracy theorists rushed to find “meaning” to the COVID-19 pandemic, one graphic circulating online listed departures from several high-profile companies which suggested that the executives left their positions in adva
Truth or Fiction?→ The ‘Fundamental Problem’ of the ‘2.5% of the Population Which is Generally Expensive to Maintain and Not Productive’ Tweet Controversy
Viral comments and debates in mid-March 2020 included direct arguments in favor of leveraging COVID-19 deaths as an economic bulwark, often punctuated by screenshots of a purported tweet by San Diego, California lawyer Scott McMillan in which he propo
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Spanish Army Locked Down the Country Due to Coronavirus’ Image Set
During global responses to a coronavirus pandemic, a March 19 2020 Facebook post “for the ladies” purportedly showed the “Spanish Army” enforcing a country-wide lockdown to prevent the spread of SARS-nCoV-2: Above a gallery
Truth or Fiction?→ Did the NYC Department of Health Issue ‘COVID-19 Sex’ Guidelines?
On March 21 2020, Facebook and Twitter users began sharing purportedly official guidelines for COVID-19 and sex, attributed to the New York City Health Department: the NYC department of health says that during the COVID-19 pandemic “you are your s