A persistent meme that resurfaced on October 23 2019 about a modern-day Robin Hood is in reality a prank posted by someone out of “social media fun.” The graphic shows a photograph of a man besides a Fox News logo, accompanied by a short d
Search Results (902) for: joke
Lead Stories→ Fake News: First Vagina Scented Air Freshener NOT Launched Onto Market By OlorPur
Did Spanish company OlorPur just launch a vagina-scented air freshener onto the marked and were they first with it? No, that's not true: the story was put out by a Spanish humor website as a joke but many people believed to be real. Note that
Truth or Fiction?→ Is Taco Bell Meat Contaminated with Metal Shavings?
On October 15 2019, an Imgur user shared the following screenshot of a purported Newsweek article, which appeared to be reporting on a Taco Bell recall involving meat contaminated with metal shavings: Its submitter’s title joked that “the
Truth or Fiction?→ Was the Original Super Mario Bros Only 40 KB (While Modern Screenshots of One Frame Are 283 KB)?
In October 2019, the following post appeared on Reddit’s r/gaming, claiming that the original Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) title Super Mario Bros. was 40 KB (kilobytes) of data, and the appended modern screenshot contained a comparative
Lead Stories→ Fake News: CNN Did NOT Report Philip Andrei Gancia Became a Porn Star
Did CNN really report a young man from the Philippines named Philip Andrei Gancia achieved his dream and became a porn star? And did they show a photo from a Brazzers porn video of him together with Brazilian model Jessica Beppler? No, that's
Truth or Fiction?→ Facebook #HocusPocus ‘Witch Checker’
In early October 2019, a Facebook status update meme appeared with the claim that people who type #HocusPocus into comments of a post could activate Facebook’s “witch checker” feature: Myriad posts involving re-worded variants o
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Barack Obama Did NOT Tweet About Asking Ukraine About Birth Certificate
Did former President of the United States Barack Obama send a tweet about asking Ukraine if they found his birth certificate? No, that's not true: the viral image making that claim is not a real screenshot of a tweet. An example of the image w
Snopes→ Did Monica Lewinsky Offer to ‘Take One For (the) Team’ to Get Trump Impeached?
A crude joke spread quickly online in the wake of an impeachment inquiry into the U.S. president.
Truth or Fiction?→ Will 154,000,000 Pieces of Plastic from Christmas Crackers in the UK Wind Up in the Ocean in a Single Year?
In late September and early October 2019, a very specific claim involving Christmas crackers (a tradition involving devices called “party poppers” in some countries; they are made from cardboard and gunpowder, generally contain confetti or
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Trump Does NOT Want To Make Mocking Jesus Christ A Hate Crime
Does President Trump want to make mocking Jesus Christ a hate crime? No, that's not true: in reality Trump has no plans to introduce such blatantly unconstitutional legislation, the story was published by a liberal satire website that tries to
Truth or Fiction?→ Would Trump Get to ‘Run Two More Times’ If He Is Not Impeached?
While he himself debunked the claim within hours, several readers contacted us asking if a scenario posted by disinformation purveyor and conspiracy theorist Jack Posobiec on October 1, 2019 was plausible. “These Democrats don’t realize th
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Iranian Censorship’ of Women’s Track and Field Competition Video
On September 30 2019, an Imgur post purportedly showing “Iranian TV censorship of women’s track and field competition” proved popular: Iranian TV censorship of women’s track and field competition The original poster didn̵
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Two Altar Boys Arrested for Putting Weed in the Censer Burner’ Claim
In September 2019, a number of social media users shared an article claiming two altar boys had been arrested for “putting weed in the censer-burner”: What started as a joke ended with the future of two altar boys from Spain. They were det
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Trump Is Now Trying To Get Mike Pence Impeached’ Claim
On September 25 2019, Politicus USA published an article headlined, “Trump Is Now Trying To Get Mike Pence Impeached,” claiming in part: During a press conference, Trump said that if he is going to be investigated, Vice President Pence’s
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Trump-Supporting Teens Trick Bernie Sanders into Posing with Them?
In late September 2019 a number of Facebook posters shared a photograph of Sen. Bernie Sanders posing with two high school girls in “Trump 2020” and “Make America Great Again” attire. Although some users shared it without a mis
Snopes→ Oklahoma Army Base Memo Warns of Potential Theater Threat
A document prepared at a U.S. Army base in Oklahoma says officials have been alerted to "disturbing" online chatter about a potential mass shooting threat at a theater during next week's release of the movie "Joker," but it references no specific locat
Truth or Fiction?→ Tekashi 69 ‘Snitched’ and Martha Stewart Didn’t?
On September 22 2019, Facebook’s “Man Page” shared the following meme, declaring that hip-hop artist Tekashi 69 — also called 6ix9ine — is “a snitch” and lifestyle personality Martha Stewart is not: On the left s
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Alien Enthusiasts NOT Shot Dead At Area 51
Were some alien enthusiasts shot dead during today's "Storm Area 51" event? No, that's not true: the source of the story was not the LA Times but a prank site designed to look like it. The story originated from an article published on the LA T
Snopes→ Are Photos of the ‘Area 51 Raid’ Real?
An internet joke led some curious conspiracy theorists to "raid" Area 51.
Truth or Fiction?→ Is Nintendo ‘Facing Backlash’ for Mario’s Signature Hat?
In September 2019, a screenshot of an article titled “Nintendo facing backlash for Mario’s signature hat resembling a MAGA hat. Should they change it?” circulated in Facebook groups amid complaints about overly sensitive readers and view
Truth or Fiction?→ Did ‘Upper Case’ and ‘Lower Case’ Originally Refer to Where Printers Kept Their Letters?
On September 12 2019, Twitter user Benjamin Molineaux shared the following tweet and image, suggesting that the common terms “uppercase” and “lowercase” originated with the standard physical storage of typesetting equipment:
Truth or Fiction?→ Did a Man Decide to Use Drawings of ‘Cat Heads’ as His Official Signature?
On September 7 2019, Facebook user Rich Preston shared a series of screenshots telling the firsthand story of a man who purportedly used little cat head drawings as his license signature because he thought it would be funny, but regretted the decision
Truth or Fiction?→ Did North Carolina’s GOP Trick Democrats into Attending a 9/11 Memorial, Then Pass an Unpopular Healthcare Bill?
On September 11 2019, a Facebook user shared the following post (archived here), which claimed in a three-part commentary that North Carolina Republicans used the anniversary of 9/11 to “trick” Democrats into missing a last-minute vote: &
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
Lead Stories→ Fake News: NASA Does NOT Admit Climate Change Occurs Because Of Changes In Earth’s Solar Orbit, Not Because Of SUVs And Fossil Fuels
Did NASA admit that global climate change occurs because of changes in Earth's solar orbit, and not because of emissions from SUVs burning fossil fuels? No, that's not true: NASA scientists studying climate change have not changed their opinio
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand Did NOT Say: ‘Let women breastfeed on the battlefield’
Did U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand say "Let women breastfeed on the battlefield"? No, that's not true: It is a made-up quote published by a satirical news site. The junior senator from New York, who is running for the Democratic presidential nom
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Vegans NOT Now Claiming ‘Stuffing The Turkey’ To Be Sexual Assault
Are vegans now claiming that the American Thanksgiving holiday practice "stuffing the turkey" is sexual assault?? No, that's not true: Articles making the claim offer no quotes, sourcing or details to confirm that anyone associated with the ve
Lead Stories→ Fake News: LA Times Did NOT Report Donald Trump Admitted Being A Nazi In A Speech
Did the Los Angeles Times report President Donald Trump admitted to being a Nazi in a speech? No, that's not true: a prank website with a domain name that is almost identical to the real LA Times published a webpage that looked just like an LA
Lead Stories→ Fake News: NO Nokia 3310 Found in Drawer After 20 Years With 70% Battery Left
Was an old Nokia 3310 phone found in a drawer after 20 years with 70% battery remaining? No, that's not true: a story that claimed Kevin Moody from Ellesmere Port had found his old phone still 70% charged while cleaning out a drawer was publis
FactCheck.org→ Viral Quote Falsely Attributed to McCarthy
Quick Take Social media posts erroneously attribute a quote to House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy. He didn’t say that “there are no mass shootings in Japan because there are no video games there.” Full Story In the days after th
Lead Stories→ Fake News: NO New York City Petition to Rename Landfill After Donald Trump With Over 3 Million Signatures
Did a New York City petition to rename a landfill after President Donald Trump get over three million signatures? No, that's not true: the story was put out by a satirical website and after it went viral many on social media believed or wished
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Sam Hyde Is NOT The Shooter In Nicetown, Philadelphia
Is the suspect in the ongoing active shooter situation in Nicetown, Philadelphia a right wing extremist named Sam Hyde? No, that's not true: every time a shooting happens certain online trolls start blaming the comedian for it in a weird in-jo
Snopes→ Is ‘Cum Park Plaza’ a Real Place?
How many crude jokes can be stuffed into a single image?
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Donald Trump Did NOT Say "If The U.S. Converts To Wind Power, We’ll Run Out Of Wind"
Did President Donald Trump say "If The U.S. Converts To Wind Power, We'll Run Out Of Wind" during a speech at a Pennsylvania rally? No, that's not true: a short article based on a video clip from a tweet completely misquotes Trump. The Presid
Truth or Fiction?→ Is the Trump Administration Rewriting the Statue of Liberty’s Poem?
On August 13 2019, a number of news outlets ran headlines such as “Trump official revises Statue of Liberty poem to defend migrant rule change” and “Cuccinelli edits Statue of Liberty poem to defend new rule,” leading some read
FactCheck.org→ President Trump’s Rhetoric
Prior to departing for visits to El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, on Aug. 7, President Donald Trump rejected the premise that his rhetoric has divided the country, as his critics have claimed. He said “my rhetoric … brings people together.
Lead Stories→ Fake News: ICE Raids Pick Up 680 Workers In Mississippi Food Plants… 3 Buses NOT Filled With Koch Bros. Workers
Did ICE raids that detained 680 workers at Mississippi food plants fill three buses with workers from a Koch Brothers' plant? No, that's not true: The Koch Foods plant that was raided in Morton, Mississippi, is not owned or affiliated with the
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Sam Hyde Is NOT The Shooter At The El Paso Walmart
Was the shooting in El Paso today perpetrated by someone named "Sam Hyde"? No, that's not true: trolls on Twitter quickly started claiming to have heard via police scanners that he was the shooter but it is an internet tradition in some circle
Lead Stories→ Fake News: NO Paintings or Artworks Worth $10 Million Stolen From House of Elijah Cummings
Were paintings and artworks worth $10 million stolen from the house of Rep. Elijah Cummings? No, that's not true: the story was put out by a parody Twitter account after a real report about a failed burglary at Cummings' house surfaced. The
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Man Does NOT Makes Popcorn With A Pickle And Some Salt
Can you cook popcorn using a pickle, some salt, a small battery, and an iPhone charger? No, that's not true: A video showing a man making popcorn with just those tools is faked by an Australian magician. Popping corn kernels requires far more