In June 2020, comedian Dave Chappelle released an unexpected, 27-minute-long special titled 8:46 — a number instantly recognizable as the amount of time former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin knelt on George Floyd’s neck, killing
Snopes→ Did a Skydiver Survive Being Dragged by a 737?
A routine review of content labeled satire.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Pelosi’s Daughters Were NOT Arrested Breaking Into Liquor Store For ‘Quarantine Supplies’
Were Nancy Pelosi's Daughters Arrested Breaking Into Liquor Store For 'Quarantine Supplies'? No, that's not true: This story is from a website that caters to an audience which frequently falls for fictional stories that portray liberal politic
Snopes→ Was This Lung Removed from a COVID-19 Patient?
A patient in Chicago was so sick she had to receive a double-lung transplant.
Snopes→ How the 5G Coronavirus Conspiracy Theory Began
In times of crisis, conspiracy theories can spread as fast as a virus.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Former President Jimmy Carter Did NOT Recently Announce Liver Surgery Had Found Cancer
Did former President Jimmy Carter announce that recent liver surgery found cancer that has spread to other parts of his body? No, this is not a current event: Carter did make such an announcement but it was nearly five years ago, in August of
Snopes→ Will Elmer Fudd and Yosemite Sam No Longer Carry Guns?
Looney Tunes gets updated for HBO Max — with plenty of its signature outlandish violence.
Snopes→ Are You Immune to COVID-19 If You Have Antibodies?
Perhaps the most important question now about COVID-19 is the degree to which a prior infection protects from a second infection by the new coronavirus.
Snopes→ How the Name ‘Karen’ Became a Stand-In for White Entitlement
How, exactly, does a name like Karen become such a powerful form of social commentary?
Full Fact→ A viral Facebook post about 52 free horses is a repost from 2011
A Facebook status, claiming that “52 thoroughbred horses need homes” has been spreading on Facebook. These posts have been shared over 80,000 times. The posts say: “FREE HORSES!!!! 52 thoroughbred horses need homes. Will go to Sugarc
Snopes→ Florida Migrant Towns Become Coronavirus Hot Spots in US
Once thought likely to be spared because of their remote locations and small populations, rural immigrant communities have seen spikes in infections while having fewer resources to deal with them.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Pelosi Did NOT Suggest Eliminating the Office of the President
Did Speaker Nancy Pelosi suggest eliminating the office of the president? No, that's not true: This is a fictional piece written by a known satire website. These stories are often re-published by other sites without the satire label. Pelosi di
Poynter→ What is ballot harvesting, and why is Trump tweeting about it during an election-year pandemic?
PolitiFact and MediaWise are teaming up to debunk misinformation about the coronavirus crisis. To have Coronavirus Facts delivered to your inbox Monday-Friday, click here. As many states take steps to encourage voting by mail amid the pandemic, Preside
AFP Fact Check→ Video of nurse giving misleading advice about masks spreads on social media
A video of a nurse shared thousands of times on Facebook during the coronavirus pandemic warns the public against continuously wearing face masks. Her claims that wearing a face mask could harm the body are misleading, according to medical experts.
AFP Fact Check→ Viral Facebook posts combine two different speeches Obama gave in 2016
A post shared thousands of times in different languages purports to show former US president Barack Obama crying at an anti-racism conference, with some saying he spoke after the US police killing of George Floyd. In reality, the clip is a montage of t
Snopes→ Experts: Police ‘Woefully Undertrained’ in Use of Force
With calls for police reforms across the U.S., instructors and researchers say officers lack sufficient training on how and when to use force, leaving them unprepared to handle tense situations.
Snopes→ Historical Figures Reassessed Around Globe After Floyd Death
Protests and, in some cases, acts of vandalism in Boston, Paris, Brussels and more, erupted around monuments in an intense re-examination of racial injustices over the centuries.
Poynter→ The IFCN adds CrowdTangle as an ally in the fight against misinformation
All current and future fact-checking organizations in the International Fact-Checking Network will now get free access to CrowdTangle, a powerful social media analysis tool. This comes a month after the IFCN partnered with the platform to offer free ac
Washington Post→ Joe Biden’s shifting recollection on his civil-right activities
The presumptive Democratic nominee says he was involved in "desegregating restaurants." The record shows otherwise.
AFP Fact Check→ This quote does not exist in the newspaper and Soros’ philanthropic group denied funding any protests
A text image purporting to show a quote that billionaire financier George Soros told BILD, a major German newspaper, has been shared widely on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. The image claims that in 2014 Soros said he is “going to bring down the Un
Snopes→ JK Rowling Responds to Critics Over Her Transgender Comments
“Harry Potter” creator J.K. Rowling said she refuses to “bow down” to criticism about her recent comments on transgender people.
Snopes→ Some Stores End Practice of Locking Up Black Beauty Products
Drugstore chains Walgreens and CVS Health say they will stop locking up beauty and hair care products aimed at black women and other women of color.
AFP Fact Check→ These photos show a 2012 passenger plane crash in Myanmar’s Shan state
Multiple photos a crashed plane have been shared hundreds of times on Facebook in June 2020 alongside a claim that they show a Myanmar military aircraft that recently crashed near Rakhine state in western Myanmar. The claim is false; the photos in fact
Snopes→ Did This Happen ‘While Your TV Was Filled with Riots and Looting’?
A meme suggested all kinds of political legal news happened in early June 2020 amid unrelated, nationwide police-brutality protests.
Snopes→ Trump Fumes as Protesters Stake Out Festive Zone in Seattle
The president taunted Gov. Jay Inslee and Mayor Jenny Durkan about the situation on Twitter and said the city had been taken over by “anarchists.”
Hoax-Slayer→ ‘For the Mutual Benefit of the Orphans’ Advance Fee Scam
According to this email, a wealthy widow diagnosed with a terminal brain tumour needs your help to distribute a multi-million dollar investment fund "for the mutual benefit of the orphans and the less privileged ones in your location". The post ‘
FactCheck.org→ Trump Wrong on Crime Record
President Donald Trump wrongly claimed that “our crime statistics are at a level that they haven’t been at,” calling the numbers “record setting.” The U.S. murder rate was lower in 2014, and the violent crime rate overall has
Snopes→ Did ‘Captain America’ Movie Predict the Coronavirus Pandemic?
Even in a movie involving time travel, calling this a "prediction" takes more than a small stretch of the imagination.
Snopes→ Are ‘Blue Lives Murder’ Shirts Available to Buy on Amazon?
Social media users asked whether memes about the alleged shirts were factual.
Climate Feedback→ The potentials and limitations of tree plantings as a climate solution
In 2020, the World Economic Forum launched an initiative to plant one trillion trees to tackle climate change. Similar initiatives can be found across the world, yet the international conversation on tree plantings as a solution to reducing CO2 emissio
Snopes→ Breonna Taylor Police Report Gives Few Details, Some Wrong
The report, released this week, has a box to check for forced entry, which was checked “No,” and it also said “none” in a space for the victim’s injuries.
Truth or Fiction?→ Was a Military Memorial in Pensacola Destroyed in George Floyd Protests?
On June 4 2020, Facebook user Sam Wood shared a photograph of a broken military bench (archived here), alongside a lengthy rant insinuating that the damage it showed took place during June 2020 protests over the death of George Floyd: As of
Snopes→ Did the Kids’ TV Show ‘Paw Patrol’ Get Canceled?
Tongue-in-cheek social media posts led to rumors about the popular Nickelodeon show.
Snopes→ Life on Welfare Isn’t What Most People Think It Is
When Americans talk about people receiving public assistance, they often perpetuate stereotypes and inaccurate perceptions of who those people are and what their lives are like.
Snopes→ Did Melinda Gates Say This About Black People and COVID-19 Vaccination?
A meme alleged she said Black Americans "must be" first in line for a vax, just behind heath care workers.
Health Feedback→ Brussels halted 5G rollout in 2019 to study its radiation emissions, not because any negative health effects had been demonstrated
REVIEW An article published in 2019 which went viral in June 2020 claims that the city of Brussels, Belgium, had stopped the rollout of 5G technology “due to [its] negative health effects”. The article further claims that published data “overwhe
AllSides→ Who should judge what’s true? Tackling social media’s global impact.
https://www.csmonitor.com/World/2020/0608/Who-should-judge-what-s-true-Tackling-social-media-s-global-impact
Snopes→ Did a Medical Manufacturer Destroy Swabs After Trump’s Visit?
Puritan Medical Products said the swabs had to be destroyed "due to the number of individuals (officials, security personnel, and media) participating in the visit."
Snopes→ Did ‘Antifa’ Recruit Protesters on Craigslist in Nebraska?
“We are ANTIFA, and we're willing to pay up to 1,000 people $25 per hour for protester,” one ad allegedly said.
AFP Fact Check→ Posts falsely claim coronavirus testing is an excuse to implant Gates-funded microchips
Facebook posts shared thousands of times claim the coronavirus pandemic is a cover for a Gates Foundation-funded effort to implant microchips when patients’ noses or throats are swabbed during COVID-19 testing. This is false; the pandemic is real, th