On February 6 2023, a massive earthquake near the city of Kahramanmaraş, Turkey affected Turkey and Syria. A popular post on Reddit’s r/todayilearned claimed that Greece and Turkey had a standing agreement about “earthquake diplomacy”
Publication: viral content
Truth or Fiction?→ Did CBS Say Bad Bunny Was ‘Singing in Non-English’?
The CBS television network and the Grammy Awards both came under criticism on February 6 2023 for refusing to provide Puerto Rican artist Bad Bunny with suitable closed-captioning. Viewers posted screenshots from the broadcast showing captions reading
Truth or Fiction?→ Chinese Spy Balloons Under Trump
On February 5 2022, a popular post to Reddit’s r/worldnews suggested that a Chinese spy balloon controversy was not the first of its sort — positing that “at least” three similar incidents occurred during the Trump administratio
Truth or Fiction?→ Were People in Austin Filmed Going Into a Dumpster for Food?
A scene capturing the lengths some people in Austin, Texas had to go to for food in early February 2023 drew attention outside the state. The footage of people taking food from a dumpster was posted by local news outlet KEYE-TV on February 2 2023; the
Truth or Fiction?→ After Fred la Marmotte’s Death, Winter-Watching Animals are Divided
The announcement that the groundhog Fred la Marmotte had died, on the day residents in a Quebec town were set to mark his winter prediction, touched off not just a somber Groundhog Day for his constituents but a split between his colleagues. Canadian m
Truth or Fiction?→ Were Overdraft Fees Created in 1990?
On February 2 2023, an Imgur user shared a screenshot of a tweet which claimed that overdraft fees were “created in 1990”: In the screenshot, the Twitter handle for American politician Nina Turner (D) was visible. No date appeared on the s
Truth or Fiction?→ Donald Trump and Bob Woodward ‘Depends’ Tweet
On January 31 2023, a screenshot purportedly of a tweet by journalist Bob Woodward disclosing information about former United States President Donald Trump’s “Depends” [sic] appeared on Imgur: At the top of the image, the name “
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘ExxonMobil Reported a Record-Smashing Profit of $55.7 BILLION in 2022 …’
On January 31 2023, Imgur user Mech0T1 shared a screenshot of a tweet, which contained a claim that ExxonMobil had reported $55.7 billion in profit for 2022: BREAKING: ExxonMobil reported a record-smashing profit of $55.7 BILLION in 2022.While taxpay
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Some One Dreamed the Other Night That He Was Living in the Year 2023 … Eggs Had Gone Up to $10 a Dozen’
In late January 2023, an Imgur account shared an image of a newspaper clipping which contained an apparent lament about the future cost of eggs a century from 1923: The post was titled “Nostradamus, is that you in 1923?” The text shown on
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
Truth or Fiction?→ Is Paprika ‘Just Dried Bell Pepper’?
A popular January 24 2023 Facebook post showed a screengrab of a viral tweet claiming that paprika is nothing more than “just dried and crushed red bell peppers,” describing the purported news as “really shocking”: Learning th
Truth or Fiction?→ How Many Mass Shootings (So Far) in 2023?
On January 24 2023, a Reddit user on r/dankmemes shared a post indicating there had been 36 mass shootings in the United States for the year to date: New Year, Same Me from dankmemes Against a meme template from The Simpsons,
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘The Doomsday Clock Was Moved to 90 Seconds to Midnight … The Closest It’s Ever Been’
On January 24 2022, the hashtag #DoomsdayClock trended on Twitter; this seemed to be the result of several organizations and accounts referencing the “Doomsday Clock,” which was “moved to 90 seconds to midnight, the closest it’s
Truth or Fiction?→ Amazon Ending Amazon Smile
On January 19 2023, a popular post on r/technology indicated Amazon was ending a service called “Amazon Smile,” its charitable donations program: Amazon discontinues charity donation program amid cost cuts from technology
Truth or Fiction?→ Eggs, Chickens, and ‘Windfall Profit Tax’ Tweets
Amid concerns about the lack of availability and rocketing prices of eggs, a popular January 15 2023 post to Reddit’s r/SandersForPresident touched on one of the topics contained in public discussions: We need a windfall profits tax.
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Spy Software’ Time Theft Firing
In mid-January 2023, viral posts on social media addressed a worker who was reportedly fired after “spy software” identified “time theft”: Spy software found a worker wasn’t working as much as she said. Now she
Truth or Fiction?→ Was Pastina Discontinued?
In December 2022, social media posts began to appear with the claim that the small, star-shaped pasta known as “pastina” had been discontinued. A humorous December 30 2022 TikTok post titled “When they find out they discontinued past
Truth or Fiction?→ Keystone Pipeline Kansas Leak
On January 10 2023, Imgur user Mech0T1 shared a screenshot of a tweet, which claimed that the Keystone Pipeline ruptured in Kansas in December 2023: Last month, the Keystone pipeline ruptured for the 23rd time since 2010 and spilled 14,000 bathtubs&#
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Nobody Wants to Work Anymore,’ 1894 to 2022
On January 10 2023, an Imgur account shared a “nobody wants to work anymore” meme, which had a compilation of purported print appearances of the complaint dating all the way back to 1894: “Nobody wants to work anymore!” said pl
Truth or Fiction?→ Robin Williams: ‘Politicians Should Wear Sponsor Jackets’ Like NASCAR Drivers …
In January 2023, a viral tweet from late December 2022 continued to circulate, with a purported quip from late comedian and actor Robin Williams that politicians ought to wear “sponsor jackets” like NASCAR drivers: Robin Williams was righ
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘To Catch a Predator’ Texas DA Tweet
On January 5 2023, a Reddit post to r/WhitePeopleTwitter queried whether it was true that the To Catch a Predator series (a sting-based reality show) ended after an entrapped Texas district attorney died by suicide “in front of the camera”
Truth or Fiction?→ Vintage Union Christmas Cartoon
On December 22 2022, an Imgur account shared the following image of what appeared to be a vintage Christmas cartoon illustrating benefits offered by unions to working class Americans: No contextual information was supplied alongside the image, which
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘I Wish Iraqi Journalist Muntadhar Al-Zaidi a Very Pleasant Anniversary of the Time He Threw a Shoe at George W. Bush’
On December 20 2022, an Imgur account shared a screenshot that purportedly showed Iraqi journalist Muntadhar al-Zaidi thanking someone who wished him a “very pleasant anniversary of the time he threw a shoe at President George W. Bush” on
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Cast Down The Mighty, Send The Rich Away’
An anti-capitalist Biblical message out of a church in New Zealand is getting quite a lot of attention online. “I’m quite amazed how much beef we’re getting that this sign is not Christmassy,” Dean Jay Ruka said of the sign outs
Truth or Fiction?→ A Brief History of New York Times Crossword Puzzle Swastikas
On December 19 2022, an Imgur account shared a screenshot of a tweet claiming that the December 18 2022 New York Times crossword puzzle was in the shape of a swastika: .@NYTimes Last straw. On the first night of Hanukkah?! I’m done with you. It’
Truth or Fiction?→ TikTok ‘Angel Cut,’ ‘Angel Cut With Layers’ Explained
On December 11 2022, TikTok hair influencer Leda Fazal (@ledafazal) shared a clip about an “angel cut” or “angel cut with layers,” one of many purported secret signals aimed at assisting victims of domestic violence or human tra
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘First Recorded Snowball Fight’
A December 11 2022 tweet from History in Pictures (@HistoryInPics) purportedly depicted the first recorded snowball fight in 1897: First ever recorded snowball fight (1897) pic.twitter.com/c6t6A0Mgo0 — History In Pictures (@HistoryInPics) Decem
Truth or Fiction?→ Indiana College Chancellor Apologizes After ‘Made-Up Asian’ Remark Comes to Light
The head of a Purdue University campus quickly backtracked after footage of him making an anti-Asian “joke” in December 2022 gained more attention on social media. Chancellor Thomas L. Keon’s outburst during a commencement ceremony wa
Truth or Fiction?→ Original Lyrics to ‘Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas’
In December 2022, TikTok user @realityshowreject shared a video about the original lyrics to “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” stating that Judy Garland objected to them: @realityshowreject Does Christmas make anyone else incredibl
Truth or Fiction?→ DeSantis Lawyers ‘Define Woke’
On December 3 2022, tweets and posts appeared about attorneys for Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) being “forced” to define the popular descriptor “woke,” purportedly responding that it was “the belief there are systemi
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Tax Refund Shock’
On December 1 2022, an Imgur user shared a screenshot of a news article reporting that 2023 U.S. tax refunds (that is, filed in 2023 for the year 2022) might “shock” filers: That claim alone was provocative, as many Americans rely on annu
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Established Titles’ Controversy
On November 23 2022, YouTube creator Scott Shafer uploaded a video partly titled “Established Titles Scam -YouTube’s BIGGEST Con,” about a common sponsor of YouTube shows (the company Established Titles) and whether their business mo
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Buffalo, NY. Look at All That Snow 😱 ❄️’
A massive snowstorm on November 20 2022 in Buffalo, New York in turn caused a veritable blizzard of images of staggering quantities of snow to circulate across platforms, among them a viral Facebook post purportedly showing the aftermath of the storm a
Truth or Fiction?→ Were Elon Musk and Donald Trump Both Complaining About ‘Activists’?
As criticism mounted surrounding Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter, a comedy writer gained attention on the platform with a post that had other users comparing Musk to right-wing former United States President Donald Trump. On November 4 2022, Musk
Truth or Fiction?→ Claussen ‘Pickle Candy Corn’
On Halloween 2022, a photograph of Claussen “pickle candy corn” was shared to Facebook by The Big Dill (@worldslargestpickleparty): In an appended status update, The Big Dill wrote: “Honestly i’m cornflicted.” The image d
Truth or Fiction?→ A Florida Attorney Opposed to Helmet Laws Died in a Motorcycle Crash
On October 26 2022, a popular Reddit post suggested that a Florida attorney known for opposing helmet laws had died in a motorcycle crash: Attorney who fought Florida helmet laws died in motorcycle crash while not wearing one from Leopa
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Pornstar Brandon Cummings … Arrested After Beating Up 35 Neo-Nazi’s’
On October 24 2022, an Imgur account shared what looked like a screenshot of an attention-grabbing, somewhat grammatically incorrect headline (“Pornstar Brandon Cummings, From The Famous ‘Let’s Go Brandon’ Series Of Male On Male Po
Truth or Fiction?→ Why Texas Schools Send Parents DNA Kits for ‘Emergencies’
On October 19 2022, a link about Texas schools sending DNA kits to parents for ease of student identification in an “emergenciwes” was shared to Reddit’s r/nottheonion — a subreddit for “true stories that are so mind-blowi
Truth or Fiction?→ Alaska Snow Crab Season Canceled
In October 2022, a popular post to Reddit’s r/news indicated that Alaska’s regular snow crab season was canceled, pending investigation into the cause of a major problem: Alaska snow crab season canceled as officials investigate
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘With an Insurance Card You’re Entitled to Four Free Boxes of Two Covid Tests Per Month from CVS or Walgreens’
On October 16 2022, a tweet went viral about eight free COVID-19 tests per month, available to Americans “with an insurance card” through pharmacy chains CVS and Walgreens: Did you know that with an insurance card you’re entitled to f