Quick Take Online headlines falsely claim that Virginia lawmakers want to make criticizing state officials a “criminal offense.” The bill doesn’t create new offenses. It would merely allow cases of threats or harassment against some state off
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Truth or Fiction?→ ’30 Marines, 1 Sailor Die in Helicopter Crash on Same Day as Kobe Bryant’ Meme
Following the January 26 2020 death of athlete Kobe Bryant, posts circulated on Facebook alongside the headline “30 Marines, 1 Sailor Die in Helicopter Crash”: Sharers definitively connected the purported news to Bryant’s death,
Truth or Fiction?→ Local News Station Conducts Voting Poll Listing Bernie Sanders as ‘Other’?
On January 20 2020, the Facebook page “Fully Automated Luxury Gay Space Communism” shared a screenshot of a tweet purporting to show a televised ABC7News Bay Area segment in which Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders appeared to receive a number of
FactCheck.org→ Trump’s Numbers January 2020 Update
Summary Now that Donald Trump has been president for three years, what has changed? Here are some things that can be measured: The economy added 6.7 million jobs, and unemployment fell to the lowest rate in half a century. The economy grew more slowly
Hoax-Slayer→ Tesco ‘£70 Voucher For Anniversary’ Facebook Giveaway Scam
According to a post that is currently being shared on Facebook, Tesco is giving everyone a £70 voucher to celebrate its 101st anniversary. The post Tesco ‘£70 Voucher For Anniversary’ Facebook Giveaway Scam appeared first on Hoax-Slayer.
FactCheck.org→ Amid Military Tension, Meme Misdates Soldiers’ Deaths
Quick Take A meme circulating on Facebook displays photos of five U.S. soldiers that purportedly were killed “this Tuesday in Afghanistan.” Actually, they died in 2013 and there was a sixth soldier killed in the same incident who isn’
Truth or Fiction?→ Did the U.S. Department of Defense Display an Image of a Nazi on the 75th Anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge?
On December 16 2019, social media accounts affiliated with the United States military put up the following image with a post attached to it commemorating the 75th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge: The photograph showed a Nazi war criminal, SS-S
FactCheck.org→ Meme Makes Flawed Obama, Trump Comparison
Quick Take Facebook users are recirculating a meme from May that makes misleading economic comparisons between Presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump. The meme includes inaccurate or selective information about Obama’s record on jobs and econom
Truth or Fiction?→ UPS Thanks Police for Killing Driver Frank Ordonez
On December 5 2019 — after law enforcement officers in south Florida shot and killed a hostage, a bystander, and two suspected thieves during a daytime shootout in a busy intersection during rush hour — a number of popular tweets claimed that UPS
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Whole Foods Holiday Food Drive’ Post
A December 2 2019 Facebook status update excoriating Amazon and Whole Foods over a purported holiday food drive (and advising customers to move unpurchased items to the “donations” section) struck a chord and racked up tens of thousands of
FactCheck.org→ Trump’s ISIS Claim Goes to the Dogs
During a White House event honoring a now-famous military dog, President Donald Trump repeated a false talking point on how much Islamic State-held land had been recaptured under his presidency. Trump recognized Conan, a combat canine who was injured d
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Now Listen You Rich People, Weep and Wail’ Tumblr Post or Bible Verse?
In November 2019, a Tumblr screenshot beginning “now listen you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming on you” was shared to the Facebook group “Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s Revolutionary Meme Stash̶
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘$60 Women’s Self-Defense Kit Sold by a Black-Owned Business’ Facebook Post
A popular November 17 2019 Facebook post purportedly shows a women’s self-defense kit in the style of a makeup bag, and the collection of stylish items was described as being sold by a black-owned business: Its image showed iridescent brass kn
Climate Feedback→ New York Times op-ed claiming scientists underestimated climate change lacks supporting evidence
SCIENTISTS’ FEEDBACK SUMMARY This op-ed by author Eugene Linden, published under the headline “How Scientists Got Climate Change So Wrong”, argues that climate scientists have long underestimated climate change. The article discuss
Truth or Fiction?→ Is Lucy Liu an Acclaimed Artist Known for Her Lesbian Paintings Under the Pseudonym Yu Ling?
On November 5 2019, a Facebook user shared the following post about actor Lucy Liu, indicating they were “today years old” when they discovered Liu was an accomplished artist under a pseudonym (“Yu Ling”) in addition to her act
FactCheck.org→ Bogus Warren Quote Ignites Immigration Anger
Quick Take Immigration comments by Sen. Elizabeth Warren have been selectively edited in a misleading way and are circulating widely online. Full Story A meme that misleadingly rephrased the words of Sen. Elizabeth Warren — one of 17 candidates
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Photo Does NOT Show Woman Who Had 11 Babies
Does the photo below show a woman who had 11 babies? No, that's not true: a viral image combined two unrelated photographs, one showing a woman from Mexico who was operated for a huge tumor and the other showing eleven babies born in India on
Truth or Fiction?→ All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day in Poland
On November 1 2019, the Facebook page “Witches Night” shared an image set and with it a post claiming that people in Poland — a Catholic majority country — do not celebrate Halloween, instead broadly directing that seasonal attenti
Truth or Fiction?→ Trick-Or-Treating at an ‘Old Folks Home’ Facebook PSA
On October 27 2019, the Facebook page “Mommy&Kids” shared a status update meme against a spooky-themed background, advising parents of “littles” to spend some of their Halloween evening trick-or-treating at an “old f
FactCheck.org→ Obama Didn’t Authorize ‘Lying’ by the Media
Quick Take Social media posts falsely claim that former President Barack Obama signed a bill that made it permissible for “the media” to get “away with lying.” The bill had no bearing on private media outlets or what they can re
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Man’s Penis Did NOT Explode After Attempting to Inflate It With Helium
Did an unnamed 34-year old man try to inflate his penis with helium for a prank and did he end up blowing up his penis? No, that's not true: the events described in the story did not happen in Crystal Lake, Illinois (and also not in Clarkston,
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Black Female Prisoners Are NOT Sterilized To Cut Welfare Costs In California
Are African-American women inmates in Caifornia prisons sterilized to cut welfare costs in California? No, that's not true: The claim is a distortion of an investigative report that documented how some doctors at two state prisons bypassed app
Truth or Fiction?→ The ‘Inspirational’ History of KFC’s Colonel Sanders
The man behind the Kentucky Fried Chicken fast food chain led a truly colorful life, but a recurring meme dating back at least as far as 2016 obscures the facts in favor of presenting a more “inspirational” version. One version of the purp
Truth or Fiction?→ Is it Now Illegal to Say ‘Illegal’ in New York City?
In late September and early October 2019, a number of posts on social media claimed that New York City had made it illegal to call anyone “illegal” or an “illegal alien.” A September 30 2019 video post by Tim Pool was titled &
Truth or Fiction?→ Teddy Roosevelt’s Bar Fight: ‘If I’ve Got to, I’ve Got to’
On September 26 2019 an Imgur user shared the following Teddy Roosevelt “fun fact” meme: Messing with wrong Guy A post titled “Messing with [the] wrong guy” and referencing its subject as “Teddy Badass Roosevelt,
Truth or Fiction?→ Did the Confederate Flag’s Designer Call it a Symbol of White Supremacy, Not Southern Heritage?
In September 2019, a July 2015 blog post circulated on Facebook, bearing the headline: “Confederate Flag Designer Said It Is A Symbol Of White Supremacy — Not Southern Heritage.” When rendered on Facebook, the link prominently displayed
Truth or Fiction?→ Five Iron Workers Atop a Tower ‘Selfie’
In September 2019, the following image circulated on Facebook, apparently showing five construction or ironworkers crowded atop a dizzyingly tall tower: Simply looking at the image and the smiling men was enough to upset some acrophobic readers,
Truth or Fiction?→ Is This the Only Existing Footage Of the First Plane Hitting the World Trade Center?
As the anniversary of September 11 2001 approached in 2019, a video called “The Only Existing Footage Of 1st Plane Hitting WTC” circulated on social media in remembrance of a brief but pivotal moment in American history — but it’s
Truth or Fiction?→ Is the United States the 118th Safest Country in the World — Down From 65th in 2018?
A September 3 2019 tweet (shared to Facebook the following day) contained the alarming claim that the United States was ranked the 118th safest country in the world in 2019, dropping from the 65th spot in 2018: The United States is the 118th safest
Truth or Fiction?→ Palindrome Week, September 2019
On September 9 2019 and subsequently, a “palindrome week” meme circulated on Twitter: Above 10 dates ranging from September 10 to 19 2019, text read: PALINDROME WEEK Each date reads the same backwards and forwards for the next 10 days.
Lead Stories→ Fake News: MacGyver Star Richard Dean Anderson NOT Dead at Age 67
Did actor Richard Dean Anderson, most famous for his role as MacGiver, pass away? No, that's not true: an old April Fool's joke posted to Medium in 2017 seems to have gone viral again on Facebook even though the original article was long ago d
FactCheck.org→ Pence’s ‘Politically Correct’ Obama VA Claim
In an address to veterans, Vice President Mike Pence said “VA hospitals were removing Bibles” and “banning Christmas carols” under the last administration, and “will not be religion-free zones” under this administrat
FactCheck.org→ Amazon Doesn’t Produce 20% of Earth’s Oxygen
Q: Does the Amazon produce 20% of the world’s oxygen? A: No. Scientists estimate the percentage is closer to 6 to 9%, and the Amazon ultimately consumes nearly all of that oxygen itself. FULL QUESTION Does the Amazon Rainforest truly produce 20%
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Little Girl Is NOT Missing And Police Do NOT Want This Picture To Be Shared To Find Her
Is a "little girl" named Elizabeth Brown, aged 15 missing in Ruskin and do the police need you to share picture to help find her? No, that's not true: an old report about a missing girl from 2017 was republished in 2019 by a website that was r
Truth or Fiction?→ Was Ivanka Trump Photographed Wearing a Swastika Logo?
On July 23 2019, the Twitter account @ScenarioLENS shared the following image of Ivanka Trump, posing with a law enforcement agent in what looked like a strange, stylized swastika sweater: What the hell is she wearing?! pic.twitter.com/G3IZVFipkn &md
FactCheck.org→ Unpacking Biden’s and Trump’s Big Cancer Promises
On the campaign trail, former Vice President Joe Biden and President Donald Trump have both claimed that a cure to cancer would soon become a reality — if they were elected in 2020. Experts, however, don’t share that degree of optimism. Despi
Lead Stories→ Fake News: State Of Florida Did NOT Pass Law Which Makes Nudity Legal At All Public Beaches
Did the State of Florida pass a law that makes nudity legal at all public beaches? No, that's not true: the story was put out in 2015 by a website that hides a satire disclaimer behind a footer link. The story went viral again in 2019 after i
FactCheck.org→ Citizenship, the Census and Obama
Quick Take Memes circulating online claim that former President Barack Obama removed the citizenship question from the 2010 census. He didn’t. The citizenship question in 2010 was handled the same way it had been since 1970. Full Story The Tr
Truth or Fiction?→ Was the U.S. Women’s National Team Defeated by Teenaged Boys in a 2017 Soccer Match?
After the United States Women’s National Team beat the Netherlands 2 to 0 to win the World Cup in July 2019, the fans of the nation’s soccer team were delighted. It also lent serious heft to the players’ demand for pay and treatment
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Third World Country? Nah, LA California’
In June 2019, a Facebook user shared the following image (archived here), purportedly illustrating the poor state of affairs in Los Angeles in particular and California overall: Third world country? Nah, LA California. This is exactly what socialism i