Did 38-year-old Lewis Williams from Newark, New Jersey ejaculate in his boss' coffee hundreds of times over a four-year period? No, that's not true: the story was made up by a Canadian entertainment website that makes a living by publishing fi
Search Results (6019) for: viral
FactCheck.org→ Meme Misleads on Bush’s Border Fence
Quick Take A claim that the Bush administration approved $50 billion for construction of a border wall is false. Full Story In 2006, former President George W. Bush signed into law the Secure Fence Act of 2006, which called for about 700 miles of fenc
Truth or Fiction?→ Did a Preacher Say Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Was ‘Summoning Demons’ by Dancing?
On January 25 2019, the Facebook page “Pass The 28th Amendment (Complete Removal Of The Church From The State)” shared a news article about a preacher who purportedly claimed that Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York) was “summo
FactCheck.org→ Unsupported MLK Claim Circulates Again
Quick Take Facebook posts claim that Martin Luther King Jr. was a Republican. That’s a longstanding, unsupported claim that his children have denied. Full Story On the week of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and days after what would have been his 9
Climate Feedback→ How credible were 2018’s most popular climate articles?
SUMMARY To investigate whether last year’s most “viral” climate change stories misled the people who read them, we asked scientists to evaluate a list of top articles (as we did last year). In November, we searched Buzzsumo for the
Lead Stories→ Fake News: New Research Did NOT Say Drinking Wine Is More Important Than Exercise For Living Past 90
Did new research say drinking wine is more important than excercise for living past 90? No, that's not true: the study is not new and it says the exact opposite. But an article making the claim recently went viral, the latest in a long line
Truth or Fiction?→ Do Portraits Depict Agnès Sorel in the 1400s Exposing Her ‘Favorite Boob’?
In January 2019, screenshots of the following Twitter claim about Agnès Sorel, lover to King Charles VII of France, began circulating on Facebook: The tweet said: “Women in the past were modest and had more respect for themselves.” Here
Truth or Fiction?→ Did a School Use a Creative Black and White Floor to Keep Students from Running in Halls?
In January 2019, the Facebook page “Student Teacher Problems” shared the following image and caption: How the Art Teacher prevented students from running down the hallway The Facebook post did not contain any citation or other elements tha
PolitiFact→ The video of high school students and the Native American drummer: When seeing isn’t believing
Editor's note: Over Martin Luther King, Jr., weekend, a brief video clip seemed to show a teenage boy confronting a tribal elder as other teenagers egged him on. The clip went viral on social media, igniting a fiery debate over what
Truth or Fiction?→ Was Activist Nathan Phillips in a Skrillex Video About ‘Attacking Police’?
After a mid-January 2019 Covington Catholic controversy made Native activist Nathan Phillips and student Nick Sandmann virally famous, dueling narratives struggled in a public narrative muddied by smears. Phillips was quickly accused by Big League Pol
Truth or Fiction?→ Did a Covington Catholic Student’s Mother Tweet That She Wished Natives Received More ‘Smallpox Blankets’?
In the middle of the Covington Catholic controversy on January 21 2019, rumors circulated that Julie Sandmann (mother of Nicholas Sandmann) had published a tweet wishing “smallpox blankets” had killed additional Native Americans. Julie Sand
Snopes→ Did a Group of Migrant Men With a Kidnapped Mexican Girl Hold a Texas Rancher in El Indio at Gunpoint?
We sought to corroborate an incident described in a social media post that went viral in early 2019.
Truth or Fiction?→ Is This a Picture of Covington Catholic Students in Blackface Harassing a Basketball Player?
During an uproar following a viral video of Covington Catholic students surrounding a Native American man at the National Mall on January 19 2019, allegations surfaced that students from that institution had been photographed in blackface. On January 2
Truth or Fiction?→ Did the President Tweet in Support of a Covington Catholic Student?
On January 19 2019, Covington Catholic student Nick Sandmann was named in a viral video after a clip of his interaction with Native American activist Nathan Phillips at the National Mall spread across social media. In the ensuing controversy, a tweet
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Court Did NOT Order Tiger Woods To Take 137 Paternity Tests
Did a court order Tiger Woods to take 137 paternity tests? No, that's not true: the story was made up years aog by a Canadian entertainment website that makes a living by publishing fictional stories often involving weird crimes, bizarre sex
Lead Stories→ Macedonian Fake News Network Shuts Down Dozens Of Websites After Joint Investigation By Lead Stories & Nieuwscheckers
Back in November of 2018 fact checking sites Lead Stories and Nieuwscheckers collaborated to map a network of Macedonian fake news websites that had published thousands and thousands of articles since 2016, mostly stolen from other places, man
Lead Stories→ Here Are The Tools And Methods We Used To Map A Macedonian Fake News Network And The People Behind It
Sherlock Holmes had his magnifying glass. Hercule Poirot relied on his "little grey cells". But the 21st century internet detective needs more than that to catch the bad guys. In this article we present some of the tools and tricks we used to
Truth or Fiction?→ Did the United States Authorize $50 Billion for the Secure Fence Act of 2006?
On January 10, 2019, a text-based status update about United States President George W. Bush’s Secure Fence Act of 2006 went viral: President George W. Bush signed the Secure Fence Act of 2006 into law “approved $50 Billion for the wall
Truth or Fiction?→ Is This a Photograph of a Swan Hugging the Veterinarian Who Saved Its Life?
On January 12 2019, a Facebook user added the caption “The Swan embracing the veterinarian, who saved his life” to the photo below: Part of the image’s appeal seemed to be a long-circulating myth that swans are inherently dangerous a
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Marie Kondo Tell People They Could Only Keep Thirty Books at a Time?
After Netflix’s Tidying Up with Marie Kondo debuted in January 2019, social media lit up with takes lambasting Kondo’s supposedly draconian position on the possession of books: Wait Marie Kondo is telling people to toss their books? THEIR
FactCheck.org→ Football, Fast Food and a Fake Quote
Quick Take A viral meme attributes a bogus quote to Clemson University’s quarterback about his team’s visit to the White House. Full Story President Donald Trump hosted the Clemson University football team at the White House this week to c
Truth or Fiction?→ Sen. Mitch McConnell Posing With Confederate Flag?
In early January 2019, an image that appears to show Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) posing in front of a large Confederate flag while receiving what appears to be either giving or receiving an award surfaced to circulate on social media: Alongsi
FactCheck.org→ Trumps Not Donating $1 Billion for Border Wall
Quick Take A satirical story about President Donald Trump’s family donating $1 billion for his proposed border wall has spread to other sites that fail to label the work satire. Full Story Whether President Donald Trump will be able to secure fundin
FactCheck.org→ Bibles Aren’t Required for the Oath of Office
Q: Did the Supreme Court rule that it is illegal to take the oath of office with anything but the Bible? A: No. That is a made-up claim that originated on a self-described satirical website. FULL QUESTION Did the United States Supreme Court rule that
Truth or Fiction?→ Is Nancy Pelosi Refusing to Meet with Any U.S. Citizen Who Had a Family Member Murdered by ‘an Illegal’?
In January 2019, a Facebook user posted a status update that has since become virally popular. It said: IMAGINE THAT NANCY PELOSI IS REFUSING TO MEET WITH ANY U.S. CITIZEN WHO HAD A FAMILY MEMBER MURDERED BY AN ILLEGAL. The post appeared on its own
Truth or Fiction?→ Can You Now Be Fined $999 for Holding a Phone in Your Car?
On January 7 2019, the following status update appeared on social media and quickly went viral: Caught using cell phone, or holding it while driving- $999 fine and 3 yr suspended license as of Jan.2019! Ouch…be aware folks!! No specific jurisdi
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Saudi Man NOT Sentenced To 1000 Lashes For Performing Oral Sex On a Camel
Was 26-year old Abdullah al-Rashidi from Jizan in Saudi Arabia sentenced to 1,000 lashes for perfroming oral sex on a camel owned by his boss? No, that's not true: the story was made up by a Canadian entertainment website that makes a living
Lead Stories→ Old News: Infamous Lion Hunter Slipped And Fell 100 Feet To His Death During Hunt… In 2016!
Did veterinarian/hunter Luciano Ponzetto slip and fall 100 feet during a hunt and did he die from his injuries? Yes, he did... in 2016. But the "news" of his death recently went viral again after an activist site reposted it without giving a
Lead Stories→ Old News: Suspected Drug Smugglers Got Stuck Trying to Drive Over U.S.-Mexico Border Fence… in 2012
Did suspected drug smugglers use ramps to attempt to scale President Trump's border wall or fence in Yuma, Arizona? Yes they kind of did... in 2012, right during the middle of the Obama administration. The story recently went viral again proba
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Former Price Is Right Host Bob Barker NOT Dead at Age 95
Did former Price Is Right host Bob Barker die aged 95 after splitting his head due to a fall? No, that's not true: a brand new fake news site is simply recycling an old death hoax while updating just the age The story originated from an articl
FactCheck.org→ Facebook Posts Misrepresent Photo of Rep. Tlaib
Quick Take A false narrative spread on Facebook claims Rep. Rashida Tlaib was “caught on film trying to attack someone.” The photo in question is actually from a 2016 Trump campaign event she protested. Full Story Democratic Rep. Rashida T
FactCheck.org→ Social Posts Distort Facts of 2013 Shutdown
Quick Take Viral Facebook posts say that former President Barack Obama “shut down the government to force Obamacare.” That’s misleading. Full Story The current partial government shutdown that began Dec. 22 arose as a result of an im
FactCheck.org→ Phony Claim On Elizabeth Warren’s Health
Quick Take A baseless claim about Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s health is circulating on social media. Full Story Shortly after Sen. Elizabeth Warren announced on New Year’s Eve that she has formed an exploratory committee for president, an inte
Snopes→ Were All Speed Limit Cameras on Two Major English Roads Set to 72 MPH in January 2019?
A viral social media message warned users in the U.K. about driving on the M1 and M25.
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Aquaman Actor Jason Momoa NOT Caught Inappropriately Touching Underage Girls Breast On Video
Was actor Jason Momoa caught on video inappropriately touching the breast of an underage girl? No, that's not true: a short snippet of a longer video of the actor watching a dance performance with his children was uploaded to the internet with
FactCheck.org→ Bogus Claim on Interest Rate Increases
Quick Take The Federal Reserve has raised interest rates nine times since 2015, so a claim circulating on social media that there were no increases during the Obama administration is wrong. Full Story The central bank raised interest rates on Dec. 19,
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Vice President Pence NOT Kicked Out Of Iceland
Was Vice President Mike Pence refused entry to Iceland on January 7, 2019 because that country has a White Southern Baptist travel ban in force? No, that's not true: the story originated from a satire blog but looked real enough to many peopl
Climate Feedback→ Is President Trump right that polar ice caps are setting records for growth, instead of melting?
In a January 2018 interview with ITV, President Trump claimed that the ice caps are not melting but are setting records: “The ice caps were going to melt. They were going to be gone by now, but now they’re setting records, okay? They’
FactCheck.org→ Story Cherry-Picks in Assessing CNN Ratings
Quick Take A story shared on Facebook uses selective TV ratings data to make the misleading claim that CNN was not one of the 10 most watched cable networks in 2018. Full Story A conservative website takes aim at CNN by misrepresenting recently releas
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Tlaib Did NOT Apologize For "Impeach The Motherfucker" Comment, Did NOT Mean To Say "Imprison The Motherfucker"
Did Rashida Tlaib apologize for her "impeach the motherfucker" comment against President Donald Trump and did she mean to say "imprison the motherfucker" instead? No, that's not true: the viral story making that claim came from a satirical bl