An early August 2019 Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raid at Mississippi chicken plant made national news due to its size and the number of children left without parents or guardians in its wake; in its aftermath, rumors claimed that the b
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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
Truth or Fiction?→ A Million Seconds Ago Was July 24th, a Billion Seconds Ago Was 1988?
Around August 5 2019, a text meme began circulating on social media comparing a “million” to a “billion” by pointing out that a million seconds prior was the month before (specifically, July 24) and a billion seconds prior was
FactCheck.org→ Obama Hasn’t Called For ‘All-Out Gun Confiscation’
Quick Take A headline circulating on partisan websites distorts former President Barack Obama’s tweet advocating stricter gun laws in the wake of the most recent mass shootings. Full Story Former President Barack Obama posted a statement on Twi
FactCheck.org→ Baseless Claim About Barr Visit to Epstein Prison
Quick Take A baseless claim that Attorney General William Barr visited the prison where accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein was being held has been circulating online. But the sole source of that claim — a former mob associate — told us
Truth or Fiction?→ Did a Gallery Worker Mistake an Art Installation for Trash?
An odd story from February 2014 involving a $14,000 art installation and an unwitting maintenance worker that first gained attention online through the use of Tumblr saw new life in August 2019 after being shared widely on Facebook. Italian media firs
FactCheck.org→ Bogus Conspiracy Theory Claims Epstein is Alive
Quick Take A Facebook post from a user who appears to subscribe to QAnon conspiracies claims that Jeffrey Epstein is not dead. The theory is based solely on a news photo that shows an unresponsive Epstein being wheeled into a hospital on a gurney. Fu
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Guard Watching Epstein Has NOT Mysteriously Vanished
Did one of the guards (named Arturus Tubolls) that was supposed to watch Jeffrey Epstein mysteriously vanish? No, that's not true: the story was published by a liberal satire website that tries to fool Trump supporters and Republicans into sha
FactCheck.org→ Unproven Claim of ‘Camera Malfunction’ Before Epstein’s Death
Quick Take Viral posts claim there was a “camera malfunction” at the prison housing accused pedophile Jeffrey Epstein before his death. Officials have not confirmed that. Full Story As federal officials probe the circumstances surroundi
Truth or Fiction?→ Are the ‘Epstein Gurney Photos’ Fake?
Conspiracy theories circulated broadly and relentlessly after the August 10 2019 death of high-profile convicted sex offender and accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein in federal custody, including claims that widely published “gurney photos
Truth or Fiction?→ Is Doc from ‘Fraggle Rock’ Also Doc from ‘Boondock Saints’?
In August 2019 Facebook page The Secret Nerd Base shared a “today years old” meme claiming that “Doc” from the childrens’ show Fraggle Rock was played by the same actor portraying “Doc” in the bloody vengean
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Bill Barr Did NOT Allegedly Make Secret Visit To Jail Before Epstein’s Death
Did U.S. Attorney General William Barr allegedly make a secret visit to the Manhattan jail where Jeffrey Epstein was being held just two weeks before the accused sex trafficker was found dead in his cell? No, that's not true: There is no actua
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Netflix Really Cancel ‘The OA’?
News that Netflix had cancelled its popular supernatural show The OA after airing only two of its five planned seasons aired broke on August 5 2019, causing #SaveTheOA and #RenewTheOA to trend on Twitter. Not long after, fans of the show on Reddit
FactCheck.org→ The Response to the Congressional Baseball Shooting
Quick Take A viral Facebook post claims that “not one Democrat called for gun control” after a 2017 shooting involving Republicans in Congress. While demands for legislative action were quieter, there were some. Full Story In the afterm
FactCheck.org→ Photos Don’t Tell the Whole Story on Border Trash
Quick Take Old pictures of trash strewn in the Arizona desert are circulating on Facebook with the suggestion that they were taken recently and that the media failed to cover it. Neither of those things is true. Full Story Photos of trash near Arizon
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Anne Frank Write that ‘Terrible Things’ Were Happening, Parents Taken While Children Were at School?
After an August 7 2019 Immigration and Customs Enforcement raid in Mississippi in which young children were left to wander the streets after their parents had been arrested, a quote attributed to Anne Frank about similar occurrences before the Holoca
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Tommy Lee Write a Lengthy Anti-Trump Screed on Twitter?
On August 7 2019, musician Tommy Lee shared a screenshot of a longer post to Twitter, commentary in which he purportedly began “You Trumpsters better pray that liberals never gain control of the WH again”: pic.twitter.com/XLT4DQJo5b &mda
FactCheck.org→ Ivanka Didn’t Wear a Swastika in Colorado
Quick Take A manipulated photo of Ivanka Trump adds a logo that looks like a swastika to her shirt. Full Story Ivanka Trump recently posed for a photo with a Colorado sheriff, and she did not wear a Trump logo that mimics a swastika. The president
Snopes→ GOP Freezes Twitter Spending After McConnell Account Locked
Twitter temporarily locked McConnell’s campaign account after it shared a video in which some protesters spoke of violence outside his Kentucky home.
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘First Day of School’ Picture After Mississippi ICE Raid
On August 8 2019, Facebook user Lora Kay Morrow shared the following photograph (archived here), purportedly showing a distressed young girl whose parents were detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on her first day of school in Mississ
Truth or Fiction?→ 2019 ‘Reported Cases of Flesh Eating Bacteria’ Map on Facebook
On July 17 2019, a Facebook user shared a post (archived here), claiming an image of a map plotted the locations of “reported cases of flesh eating bacteria” that summer. In the status update, the user wrote: I will no longer be going to
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Mitch McConnell Campaign Did NOT Say ‘Boys Will Be Boys’ After Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Blasts Disturbing Groping Pic
Did Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's campaign say "boys will be boys" in its reply to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's criticism of a tweeted photo of teen volunteers groping a life-size cardboard cut-out of her? No, that's not true: "B
PolitiFact→ Why do some people think mass shootings are staged every time?
The mass shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, weren’t coordinated by a shadowy, leftist branch of the government. The media haven’t "changed the identity" of the shooters, and the Ohio gunman did not actually die in 2014
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Last Year Guns Killed’ Protest Sign
A November 2018 Facebook post about purported gun deaths “last year” (in this case, 2017) circulated in the aftermath of two back-to-back deadly mass shootings in early August 2019 (post archived here): A sign held up at an unnamed eve
Lead Stories→ Fake News: New DNA Does NOT Prove 98% Of African Americans Are In Fact Indigenous Aborigines Of America
Does new DNA prove that African Americans are indigenous aborigines of America? No, that's not true: The claim that 98 percent of Black Americans are actually "Native Indians" is made in a series of articles and videos that lack documentation
FactCheck.org→ What Republicans Did on Mental Health, Guns
Quick Take A social media post misleadingly claims that Republicans “voted to allow people with pre-existing mental illness to buy firearms.” The measure blocked the Social Security Administration from reporting to the U.S. background chec
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Police in Texas Attach a ‘Leash’ to a Black Man’s Handcuffs?
On August 5 2019 the Facebook page “Adrienne Bell for Congress” shared the following image without a description, which appeared to show a black man handcuffed and attached to a leash held by a white police officer who was leading him do
PolitiFact→ No proof prescription drugs fuel mass shootings
Psychiatric drugs are a common culprit as people search for answers following horrific violence. But experts say there is no credible research linking medications to mass shootings. The unproven claim has different variants, but they share an assertion
PolitiFact→ That viral tweet about mass shootings by country? It needs additional context
A statistic about mass shootings in the United States compared to 23 other countries exploded on social media after attacks in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio. New York City Democratic activist Keith Edwards saw his Aug. 3 tweet shared nearly 390,000
Truth or Fiction?→ DJ Cooper ‘Pregnant’?
On August 4 2019, the Facebook page “NBA talk” shared a meme containing the claim that that male basketball player DJ Cooper’s urine test for drugs returned a positive result… but not for drugs: Along with a status update
Lead Stories→ Fake News: AG William Barr Did NOT Tweet Odds Of Mass Shootings In Hometowns Of 2 Democrat Presidential Candidates Are 250 Billion To 1
Did Attorney General William Barr tweet that the odds of two mass shootings in the same weekend and both in the hometowns of two Democratic presidential candidates are 250 Billion to 1? No, that's not true: It is a made up tweet that did not a
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
FactCheck.org→ Sites Spread ‘Satirical’ Story on Pelosi, Impeachment
Quick Take A story claiming that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi offered to “drop impeachment in exchange for full immigrant amnesty” is false. It was created by a publication that calls its work satire. Full Story Half of House Democrats ha
Truth or Fiction?→ Is Someone Putting Nair in Hair Conditioner Bottles?
A pair of posts shared to Facebook on July 28 and 29 2019 carried a warning to consumers, claiming that a woman’s hair had “fallen out in clumps” because someone had added Nair (or another cream-based depilatory) to conditioner purch
Truth or Fiction?→ Is OfficeMax Selling Bullet-Resistant Backpacks?
On July 28 2019, a Facebook user shared a Snapchat image to Facebook (archived here), apparently showing a sale at OfficeMax of bullet-resistant backpacks. Across the image was text reading “SHIT JUST BROKE MY HEART,” and the following co
Lead Stories→ Fake News: 1 Minute Message Is NOT From Congresswoman, Michigan Rep. Rashida Tlaib
Was a video labeled as a "1 minute message" discussing the "process of making America Muslim" from Rep. Rashida Tlaib, the freshman congresswoman from Michigan? No, that's not true: The clip is from a 19-minute-long speech delivered 30 years a
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Psychologists Do NOT Urge Folks To Be Friends With Those Who Swear A Lot
Do psychologists urge people to make friends with people who swear a lot because they are smarter and more honest? No, that's not true: It is an inaccurate interpretation of research that looked at the theory that people who know more swear wo
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Lemons Evolve Naturally?
On July 29 2019, the Facebook page “Absurd Memes for a Better Tomorrow” shared a claim that lemons are not naturally occurring: Underneath a “what’s on your mind” tweet in a screenshot, another account responds with a
FactCheck.org→ Cummings Didn’t Have Obama’s Records ‘Sealed’
Quick Take A meme on Facebook falsely claims that Democratic Rep. Elijah Cummings “wrote a bill to keep all of Obama’s record sealed.” That distorts bipartisan legislation dealing with the federal records of all presidents that Cumm
Truth or Fiction?→ Does Video Show Seesaws on Both Sides of the Border Wall?
On July 29 2019, the Facebook page “Jolt Texas” shared a video (archived here), stating that “[artists] installed seesaws at the border wall” so that “kids in the U.S. and Mexico could play together”: The clip r