Quick Take A post on Facebook falsely claims comedian Sam Hyde is responsible for the spread of the new coronavirus. Researchers are still working to determine the source of this latest coronavirus, though evidence suggests it was first transmitted to
Search Results (6058) for: viral
Truth or Fiction?→ Origin of the Word ‘Spinster’
The word “spinster” generally conjures up a mental picture of mean little old ladies who have never been married, glaring at young people from behind their living room curtains (which are lacy and yellowed with age, naturally) with their m
Truth or Fiction?→ Did a Twitter Post Predict Kobe Bryant’s Death in a Helicopter Crash in 2012?
On January 26 2020, Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna (as well as Orange Coast College baseball coach John Altobelli, his wife Keri, and his daughter Alyssa; Harbor Day School basketball coach Christina Mauser; mother and daughter Sarah and Payton C
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Video Footage Does NOT Show Kobe Bryant Helicopter Crash
Does a viral video show Kobe Bryant's fatal helicopter crash in Calabasas, California on January 26, 2020? No, that's not true: the viral footage is actually from December of 2018, and it shows a crash in the United Arab Emirates - when a heli
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Nancy Pelosi Did NOT Use $15,000 Worth Of Bullet Pens To Sign Articles Of Impeachment
Did Nancy Pelosi use $15,000 worth of bullet pens to ink the articles of impeachment against President Trump? No, that's not true: This was a made-up claim that took on a life of its own after many conservatives were outraged that the House Sp
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: 2015 Article About Lab-Made Coronavirus Triggers Debate
Does an article from a scientific journal in 2015 about a lab-made coronavirus refer to the current outbreak? No, that's not true, and here is some context: While the facts in The Scientist article appear to be accurate, the opinion piece is a
Truth or Fiction?→ Did a Brazilian Condom Ad Feature Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, and Kim Jong-Il?
On January 23 2020, the Facebook page “We Resist” shared the following images, purportedly a “Brazilian condom ad” mocking world leaders Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, and Kim Jong-Il: Text atop three images of Trump,
FactCheck.org→ Pelosi’s Impeachment Pens Aren’t 18-Karat Gold
Quick Take Claims spreading online say House Speaker Nancy Pelosi used expensive pens, or ones made of gold, to sign the articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump. Actually, the pens, which are made mostly of brass, have a suggested retail
FactCheck.org→ Misleading Posts Target Nine Republicans on Impeachment
Quick Take Posts circulating amid the Senate impeachment trial misleadingly accuse nine Republican senators of having “joined Democrats on impeachment.” The claim originated in October as a list of senators who had not yet co-sponsored an impeachme
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Those Cups Are Made to Be Thrown in the Laundry After You Fill Them Up, It Cleans Them’?
On January 20 2020 Facebook user Amber Miller shared a virally popular “laundry hack,” asserting that detergent cups are designed to be added to every wash, because “it cleans them”: Miller’s post racked up over 13,000 sh
Truth or Fiction?→ Alabama Senate Blocks Attempts to Raise Minimum Wage in Birmingham
In Janaury 2020, a number of Facebook users shared an article headlined “Alabama senate blocks attempts to raise minimum wage in Birmingham,” a piece which spread against the backdrop of the 2020 presidential elections and a national discu
FactCheck.org→ Social Media Posts Spread Bogus Coronavirus Conspiracy Theory
Quick Take Multiple social media posts are spreading a bogus conspiracy theory about the deadly Wuhan virus. The posts falsely claim that the virus has been patented and a vaccine is already available. That’s not true; the patents the posts refer to
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Sex Trafficker Did NOT Lie On The Road And Attack Motorist
Did a sex trafficker lie on the road to act like their car broke down before attacking motorists who stopped to help? No, that's not true: The Hillsborough County Sheriff in Tampa, Florida, said the story is a hoax, but the viral post continue
PolitiFact→ How a disinformation network exploited satire to become a popular source of false news on Facebook
A couple of days before Christmas, a fabricated story about a Donald Trump rally went viral on Facebook. Published by AJUAnews.com, the article claimed a Trump rally in Chicago had drawn massive crowds — evidence that Democrats in the liberal Mid
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Patent For Coronavirus That Expired Is NOT For New Strain Killing People In China
Did a patent expire on January 22, 2020, for the "new" coronavirus, and does that prove the virus was "invented"? No, that's not true: The patent is about the SARS coronavirus, which broke out in China in 2002, not the current Wuhan City strai
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Two Republican Senators Did NOT Say ‘Is This Stuff Real?’ About Impeachment Trial
Did two Republican senators who only watch Fox News really say, "Is this stuff real? I haven't heard any of this before"? No, that's not true: Joe Lockhart, the White House press secretary for President Clinton during his impeachment, shared t
Snopes→ China Shuts Down More Cities in Bid to Contain Deadly Virus
China decided to lock down three cities that are home to more than 18 million people in an unprecedented effort to try to contain a deadly new viral illness that has sickened hundreds and spread to other cities and countries in the Lunar New Year trave
FactCheck.org→ Impeachment-Social Security Hoax Resurfaces in Video
Quick Take A viral YouTube video rehashed, and added to, a debunked hoax about House Speaker Nancy Pelosi taking money from Social Security to pay for the impeachment investigation into President Donald Trump. The claim originated on a self-described s
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘How Canadians Are Dealing with an Unprecedented Blizzard’ Post
A January 20 2020 post on the Facebook page “Quick Turtle” (called “How Canadians Are Dealing With An Unprecedented Blizzard”) was shared almost 60,000 times in two days: In addition to the status update and title, nineteen
FactCheck.org→ Posts Distort Democrats’ Positions on Venezuela, China, Iran
Quick Take Social media posts make a broad and misleading claim that “Democrats stood with” the leaders of Venezuela, China and Iran rather than supporting oppressed people in those countries. The facts don’t support that generalizati
Truth or Fiction?→ Harry S. Truman: ‘Socialism is a Scare Word’
In January 2020, a Facebook post from September 2019 featuring an image of President Harry S. Truman and claims in 1952 Truman said that “socialism is a scare word” continued to spread: At the top of the meme, text over an image of Trum
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Ruby Bridges is Only 65’ Meme
On January 17 2020, the Facebook page “The Other 98%” shared the following meme, which claimed that as of January 2020, Ruby Bridges (the iconic little girl who was the first black child at a previously all-white public school in Louisiana
Truth or Fiction?→ Trump ‘Break My Stride’ Tweets
On January 18 2020, Twitter users shared the following video that purportedly showed a screenshot of United States President Donald Trump’s recent tweets — which taken together, formed the lyrics to “Break My Stride,” a 1983 pop s
Lead Stories→ Fake News: This Author Does NOT Believe All Red Hats Should Be Banned Because They Make Her ‘Uncomfortable’
Did author Rebecca Makkai write that all red hats should be banned because they make her uncomfortable? No, that's not true: Makkai did share some fashion advice on Twitter about red hats, suggesting that "normal" people might want to avoid we
Truth or Fiction?→ Martin Luther King, Jr.: ‘Capitalism Does Not Permit an Even Flow of Economic Resources’
On January 17 2020, an Imgur post featured a screenshot of a tweet by @andrehenry quoting Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on Capitalism, asserting that such a system did not “permit an even flow of resources”: “Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. wa
Truth or Fiction?→ Nancy Pelosi’s ‘Gold Pens’ Impeachment Controversy
On January 16 2020, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s gold pens on silver platters were the subject of a Facebook post shared by known disinformation peddler and sometimes grifter Brian Kolfage: Across a photograph of three trays of gold-ti
FactCheck.org→ Setting the Record Straight on Climate Change and Arson in Australia’s Bushfires
Quick Take Various claims online suggest that climate change hasn’t contributed to the bushfires ravaging the East Coast of Australia, pinning the blame instead on arson. Those claims distort the facts. Full Story Several recent reports have fou
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Downy in Toilet’ Housekeeping Hack
On January 14 2020, a Facebook post appeared advising readers to pour a cup of laundry detergent of fabric softener like Downy into their toilet tank, a supposed housecleaning “hack”: Alongside a photograph of a person in yellow glove
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Video Does NOT Show White Hair Permanently Becoming Black In Just 4 Minutes
Did a video show white hair permanently becoming black in just four minutes using three simple ingredients? No, that's not true: The viral video does not actually demonstrate what it claims in the header, and viewers have to watch the entire c
Lead Stories→ Fake News: NO Proof That Soleimani’s Daughter Is American Citizen
Is the daughter of slain Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani an American citizen? No, that does not appear to be true: There is no proof that Zeinab Soleimani became a U.S. citizen because of the Iranian nuclear deal. A meme being shared online cite
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Research Has NOT Confirmed That The Youngest Sibling Is The Funniest
Did new research confirm that the youngest sibling in a family is the funniest? No, that's not true: The viral claim is based on an unscientific Internet poll, not any sort of quantitative or qualitative research method. There are a variety of
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Lil Boosie Did NOT Attack George Zimmerman Outside A Miami Walmart
Did Lil Boosie attack George Zimmerman outside a Walmart in Miami, Florida? No, that's not true: Even though the rumor has gone viral in recent days, it was based on a 2014 satirical story making the same claims. The rapper - now known as Boos
FactCheck.org→ Post Blurs Facts on Military Draft, Immigrants
Quick Take A meme falsely claims President Donald Trump “makes illegals eligible” for the draft. There is no military draft, and immigrants — including those in the country illegally — are already required to register with the S
FactCheck.org→ A Misleading Take on Alabama’s Abortion Law
Quick Take An Instagram post misleadingly claims a young rape victim can be “thrown in prison” for receiving an abortion in Alabama. Under a new law, which has been temporarily blocked by a federal judge, criminal charges could be brought again
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Blue Buffalo Dental Bones Hemorrhagic Gastritis’ Facebook Warning
On January 5 2020, Facebook user Nikki McDonald shared the following post about the brand Blue Buffalo’s Dental Bones product, reporting that her dog Dallas was gravely injured and nearly killed after she gave him the product: In under a week
Truth or Fiction?→ Were an Army Veteran’s Prosthetic Legs ‘Repossessed’ After a VA and Medicare Dispute?
On January 9 2020, an article about Army veteran Jerry Holliman and the repossession of his prosthetic legs after a payment dispute between the VA and Medicare was shared to Reddit’s r/nottheonion, a subreddit for news stories odd enough to soun
FactCheck.org→ Video of Clinton on Iran Taken Out of Context
Quick Take An out-of-context clip from a 2008 interview with then-presidential candidate Hillary Clinton is circulating on Facebook. It shows her saying the U.S. “will attack Iran” if she becomes president. But she was responding to a quest
Lead Stories→ Fake News: There is NOT a 28th Amendment That Has Long Been Ignored
Is there a 28th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution that has long been ignored? No, that's not true: There are only 27 amendments and none states that "Congress shall make no law that applies to its citizens of the United States that does not a
FactCheck.org→ Posts Spread Fake Omar Tweet Calling for ‘Violence’
Quick Take A fictitious tweet attributed to Rep. Ilhan Omar is circulating on social media. The congresswoman didn’t write that the “time for violence is now” over her disagreement with President Donald Trump’s actions on Iran.
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Video Does NOT Show Trump Reacting To Allahu Akbar Shout From Crowd
Does a video show President Donald Trump reacting to a crowd member shouting "Allahu Akbar" and getting swarmed by security agents during one of his speeches? No, that's not true: somebody added audio of someone shouting "Allahu Akbar" to an o