On November 4 2019, a Reddit user shared the following thread to r/ChoosingBeggars, asserting they were a Facebook friend to a bride (engaged woman) who had raised $30,000 for a wedding — only to cancel it at the last minute and disclose that she pl
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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?→ Bogus ‘Energy Saver’ Boxes Continue Targeting Online Shoppers
Even for the dodgy nature of online sales, a dubious “product” appears to have rebranded itself in a particularly brazen manner. A reader alerted us in November 2019 about Ökowatt, which claims on its website that to be “used for ec
Snopes→ Customers Claim Buffalo Wild Wings Staff Tried to Reseat Them Over Skin Color
A manager asked the group to move because a regular customer didn’t want to sit near black people, they said.
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Ivanka Trump Quote Thomas Jefferson’s Denial of ‘Something He Did, in Fact, Do’?
In early November 2019, a tweet by Ivanka Trump quoting Thomas Jefferson in defense of her father, United States President Donald Trump alongside a response in screenshot form on Facebook: On October 31 2019, Ivanka Trump tweeted a partial quote:
PolitiFact→ Nancy Pelosi – Nancy Pelosi overstates Republican gains in impeachment process
The Truth-o-Meter says: Mostly False | Nancy Pelosi overstates Republican gains in impeachment process House Republicans voted unanimously against a resolution that laid out how the impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump would proceed. In an
Truth or Fiction?→ The Economics of Turning Cotton Into Jeans
A long-running graphic illustrating some of the costs of the making a pair of blue jeans has been revived again on Facebook, but unlike many memes that appear and reappear time and again, it is largely accurate. The graphic originated in November 201
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Obama Did NOT Say "He’s Low Risk", Did NOT Free ISIS Leader Al Baghdadi
Did Barack Obama say Abu-Bakr Al Baghdadi was "Low Risk" before releasing him? No, that's not true: for starters Obama did not release him and secondly the story was published by a liberal satire website that tries to mislead Trump supporters
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Mitt Romney Did NOT Form Alliance With Top Dem To Go After Trump
Did Mitt Romney just form an "alliance" with a "top dem" to go after President Trump? No, that's not true: a Daily Beast interview with former Senate majority leader Harry Reid published early in August 2019 in which he praised Romney for stan
Lead Stories→ Fake News: UN Did NOT Award Obama "Leader of the Century Award"
Did the United Nations award Barack Obama the "Leader of the Century Award" for the 4th time straight? No, that's not true. The story was published by a liberal satire website that tries to mislead Trump supporters and Republicans into sharing
Truth or Fiction?→ Could Trump’s Florida Move Qualify Him for a Tax Exemption?
While the motives behind it are unclear, United States President Donald Trump’s decision to claim Florida as his place of residence could put him in line for a tax exemption it shares with a few other states. The president announced at the end
FactCheck.org→ What Does Science Say About the Need for Nuclear?
While Sen. Bernie Sanders has said “scientists tell us” that it’s possible to go carbon neutral without relying on nuclear power, fellow Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Cory Booker, who backs the use of some nuclear energy, has said the da
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Donald Trump Was NOT Golfing During Al-Baghdadi Raid And There’s No Evidence Situation Room Photo Was Staged
Was President Donald Trump playing on one of his golf courses while U.S. soldiers were carrying out the raid that killed ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi? No, that's not true: The claim that the raid happened at 3:30 pm EST on October 26, 2019
Truth or Fiction?→ Does Adding Your Birth Year to Your Age Total The Year Number Once a Millennium?
In September 2019, a social media post shared the following math meme, claiming that a numerical rarity in 2019 made it so that “all the people are the same age,” and that no one could explain the anomaly: What appeared to be a literal s
FactCheck.org→ Misleading Posts Target GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz
Quick Take Social media posts distort the facts around an 11-year-old, dismissed DUI charge against Rep. Matt Gaetz. They also leave the false impression that he “stole from dying people.” Full Story Posts about Rep. Matt Gaetz circula
FactCheck.org→ What We’ve Learned From Impeachment Inquiry
While the House has been conducting an impeachment inquiry, President Donald Trump and others in his administration have kept their focus on the White House-released memo on Trump’s July 25 phone call with the Ukrainian president, claiming that s
Lead Stories→ Fake News: 13 Jewish U.S. Senators And 27 Jewish U.S. Representatives Do NOT Have Dual U.S. And Israel Citizenship
Are there 13 Jewish U.S. senators and 27 Jewish U.S. representatives who have dual U.S. and Israel citizenship? No, that's not true: A meme listing 40 Jewish members of the 112th congress (in 2011) falsely claims that each one has dual U.S. an
Truth or Fiction?→ Seattle November 3 2019 False Flag Attack Rumor
Rumors of a “false flag” terror attack in Seattle on November 3 2019 spiked in popularity in specific shadowy corners of social media in late October 2019, although by that point, the highly specious claims were several weeks old. A Septem
Snopes→ Did a Catholic Priest Refuse to Give Joe Biden Communion?
The Rev. Robert Morey sparked controversy in October 2019 when he said he had denied the eucharist to Biden because he "advocates for abortion."
Truth or Fiction?→ Did a Forensic Pathologist Say That Jeffrey Epstein’s Death Looks More Like Homicide Than Suicide?
On October 30 2019, media and its social counterpart were awash in a bombshell claim that a pathologist said that Jeffrey Epstein’s death looked more like a homicide than a suicide: Jeffrey Epstein's autopsy shows signs of homicide, not su
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Ears are Straight, Fawn is Great, Ears are Curled, Fawn is Alone in the World’ Wildlife Rescue Meme
In October 2019, the Facebook page “Wild Souls Wildlife Rescue and Rehab” shared a following meme advising people to leave fawns with straight ears alone, because “curled ears” are indicative that a young deer has been abando
FactCheck.org→ Trump’s False Claim about Syrian ‘Safe Zone’
In explaining his decision to pull U.S. forces from northern Syria and allow Turkey to set up a “safe zone” in Syria, President Donald Trump falsely claimed that Turkey has lost “thousands and thousands of people from that safe zone.&
FactCheck.org→ Dubious Posts Tie Political Families to Ukraine Work
Quick Take There’s no evidence for social media claims that the children of Nancy Pelosi, Mitt Romney and John Kerry are working for “Ukrainian gas companies” or sitting “on the board of directors for energy companies doing busi
Truth or Fiction?→ Does McKamey Manor Award $20,000 to Successful ‘Extreme Haunted/Horror House’ Attendees?
In late October 2019, a number of news organizations ran stories essentially advertising an “extreme haunted house” known as McKamey Manor, widely reporting that anyone who successfully endured the attraction would be awarded $20,000 by it
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Game of Thrones’ Showrunners’ Panel Gets Internet Attention for the Wrong Reasons
An appearance by the showrunners behind the recently-concluded series Game of Thrones drew heavy attention online on October 26 2019 through an unofficial source covering the event on Twitter: David is describing the pre-meeting with GRRM who was que
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Obama Did NOT Tweet Al Baghdadi Was A Great Man, An Innocent Man & My Friend
Did former President Barack Obama send a tweet claiming Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi was "Great Man, An Innocent Man, & My Friend"? No, that's not true. The story was published by a liberal satire website that tries to misleadTrump supporters and
Truth or Fiction?→ The Sad Backstory of the ‘Woman Yelling at a Cat’ Meme
On October 26 2019, a Facebook user shared a PSA involving the popular meme often called “woman yelling at a cat,” stating that the image’s ubiquity led them to research the origins of the image: After seeing this image on many diffe
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Lonely? Don’t Be. Demodex is the Name of a Mite that Lives on Your Face. Friends Forever!’ Meme
On October 25 2019, the Facebook page “Cheerful Nihilism” shared the following meme, purportedly depicting a Demodex mite, which according to the meme lives on human faces: Above an apparent illustration of an alien-like insect, text r
Truth or Fiction?→ The Most Chilling Mushrooms in the World — the Charms of the Fungi Kingdom
On August 14 2019, the Facebook page “Freaked” shared the following post of the “most chilling mushrooms” in the world, a post that became popular ahead of Halloween that year: Above four purported examples of mushrooms (an
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Federal Warrants NOT Issued For Kathy Griffin, DeNiro, & Streisand
Were federal warrants issued for Kathy Griffin, Robert DeNiro and Barbara Streisand? No, that's not true. The story was published by a liberal satire website that tries to mislead Trump supporters and Republicans into sharing made up stories t
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Michelle Obama NOT To Be New Face of Victoria’s Secret
Is Michelle Obama to become the new face of Victoria's Secret? No, that's not true. The story was published by a liberal satire website that tries to misleadTrump supporters and Republicans into sharing made up stories that are clearly marked
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Hollywood Actor Bruce Willis Did NOT Say Trump Is The Best US President Ever
Did Bruce Willis say Donald Trump is the best US President ever? No, that's not true: and old fake quote often accompanied by a screenshot from a comedy bit with Willis wearing a MAGA had on Jimmy Fallon's show keeps making the rounds online b
Truth or Fiction?→ Hospital’s ‘$39.95 Fee to Hold a Baby’ Controversy
On October 19 2019, a Facebook page shared the following screenshot of a tweet, including what looked to be a hospital bill with a $39.95 charge for “skin to skin contact” after a mother’s cesarean section: In the original tweet w
Truth or Fiction?→ Facebook ‘News’ Service to Include ‘Diverse’ Category, Sites Associated With White Nationalism
Facebook has announced a news service aimed at providing users with a “personalized” slate of stories from four different types of categories: general, topical, local, and “diverse”: Diversity publishers as those focused on key
FactCheck.org→ Headlines Spin Ukrainian Donations to Clinton Charity
Quick Take Viral headlines wrongly suggest that the Ukrainian government gave more money than any other country to the Clinton Foundation. But the 2015 news report cited does not support that. Full Story Misleading headlines spread across social me
Truth or Fiction?→ Conservative Versus Liberal, ‘Taken at a California Public High School This Year’ Meme
In October 2018, Facebook user Matt Gaelitz shared a slide titled “Conservative vs. Liberal” along with a status update: Taken at a California public high school this year. This is what indoctrination is all about. On June 4 2018, the same
FactCheck.org→ Trump’s Spin on AIDS Epidemic
In his campaign rally speeches, President Donald Trump often boasts of his administration’s plan to end the AIDS epidemic in the U.S. in 10 years. It’s true he has proposed funding for that initiative, but he’s wrong to say “the previou
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘University of Oxford Clapping Ban’ Rumor
In October 2019, a number of tabloids claimed that the University of Oxford had “banned clapping,” a move made at the behest of “snowflakes” made “anxious” by applause. The Daily Mail was one of those outlets, repo
Truth or Fiction?→ Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Grills Facebook Chief Executive Officer Over Fact-Checking, Political Ads
Democratic Party Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez challenged Facebook chief executive officer Mark Zuckerberg on his policy allowing disinformation to be run in political advertisements on the social media platform during the tech magnate’s testimo
FactCheck.org→ Mulvaney’s Spin on Ukraine Aid
White House Acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney engaged in some serious political spin when he tried to deny what he said in a televised press conference: that the White House withheld security aid to Ukraine, in part, because the administration wanted