Quick Take Viral posts falsely claim Democratic presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke can’t own a gun due to a felony. O’Rourke has not been convicted of a felony. Full Story Social media users have spread viral posts that falsely ca
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Lead Stories→ Fake News: Photo Showing Greta Thunberg and George Soros Is NOT Real
Did George Soros pose for a picture with Greta Thunberg? No, that's not true: the image going viral on social media consists of an edited photo of Al Gore posing with the Swedish climate activist but the head of Gore has been digitally replace
FactCheck.org→ Trump Twists Facts on Biden and Ukraine
President Donald Trump once again twisted the facts to claim that Joe Biden, as vice president, threatened to withhold “billions of dollars to Ukraine” unless it removed the prosecutor general who “was prosecuting” Biden’s
Snopes→ Man Accused of Making Racist Threats Ordered to Stay Jailed
A white man charged with cyberstalking and making racist threats against a black activist in Virginia was ordered to remain in custody, in a case that could test the boundaries of when online trolling becomes a criminal threat.
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: Trashy Photo Is NOT Aftermath Of The Climate Change Rally In Hyde Park
Did protesters at a climate change rally in Hyde Park leave the grassy lawn littered with trash? No, that's not true: A photo purportedly showing a trashy park scene in the wake of a climate change rally is actually the aftermath of a pro-mari
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Elvis Presley Receive a Polio Vaccination on Live TV in 1956 and Raise Immunization Revels to 80 Percent?
On September 18 2019, a Reddit user shared the following post to r/interestingasfuck, along with the claim that Elvis Presley’s televised 1956 polio vaccination helped boost the popularity of the vaccine not long after its introduction:
Lead Stories→ Old News: Israel’s Netanyahu Won Re-election, Main Challenger Conceded Defeat… In April 2019
Did Israel's P.M. Netanyahu win re-election and did his main challenger concede defeat? Yes, but it didn't happen during the election in September a few days ago, it happened in April of 2019 during a different election as Reuters reported at
FactCheck.org→ Trump Bends the Facts on Lightbulbs
President Donald Trump has repeatedly criticized energy-efficient lightbulbs, saying that the bulbs people are “being forced to use” are more expensive, contain hazardous gases and give off light that’s “not as good” as incandescents. Experts
Truth or Fiction?→ Causes of Death Per Day and Rifles Meme
In September 2019, a number of memes about “causes of death” per day or per year in the United States circulated, largely as discourse surrounding purported retailer “bans” (but really, discontinuation of sales) of rifles. One
Snopes→ Dillinger Family Members Apply Again to Exhume His Body
The Indiana State Department of Health said it received the latest application.
Truth or Fiction?→ McDonald’s Loses EU Trademark Battle over the Big Mac, Burger King Starts Trolling Them?
In September 2019, a Facebook page shared the following Tumblr screenshot, which contained the claim that fast food chain McDonald’s had lost control of their “Big Mac” European Union trademark and that Burger King had “trolled
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘The Wall, It’s Real and It’s Magnificent’ Facebook Meme
On September 17 2019, the Facebook page “For America” shared the following border wall meme (archived here): An image of what was heavily implied to be United States President Donald Trump’ promised “border wall̶
FactCheck.org→ Is Right to Try Saving a ‘Lot of People’?
President Donald Trump last year signed a bill — the Right to Try Act — that provided another avenue for terminally ill patients to gain access to unapproved medications still in development. But there’s no evidence that the new law i
Truth or Fiction?→ Are ‘School Shooting Hoodies’ With Faux Bullet Holes Real?
In September 2019 a Facebook user shared the following screenshots (archived here) of a since-deleted tweet, depicting three hoodies (Virginia Tech, Columbine, and Sandy Hook) and a comment — “Ok, this is a NEED”: A link to the orig
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Trump Campaign Did NOT Steal Rykard Jenkins Identity
Did Donald Trump or his re-election campaign steal and modify pictures of U.K. celebrity Rykard Jenkins? No, that's not true: the image of the personal trainer best known for his participation in the TV show "Love Island" was stolen by a dodgy
Truth or Fiction?→ Do These Photographs Accurately Contrast Birmingham in 1940 with Birmingham in 2017?
In September 2019, the following image circulated on Facebook and other social media platforms, purportedly contrasting Birmingham, England in 1940 with Birmingham, England in 2017: At the top was a black and white image of what appeared to be soldie
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Donald Trump Say ‘Women, You Have to Treat Them Like S—‘ in a 1992 Interview?
On September 14 2019 the popular — but not always accurate — Facebook page “Occupy Democrats” shared a Donald Trump quote meme (archived here), alleging that the President said “women, you have to treat them like shit” in
Lead Stories→ Fake News: JFK Jr. Is NOT Alive And Will Not Replace Vice President Pence as Donald Trump’s 2020 Running Mate
Is John F. Kennedy Jr. alive and will he make a public return to join President Donald Trump as his vice presidential running mate in 2020? No, that's not true: It is a cornerstone of a conspiracy myth promoted by QAnon followers who believe t
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘2045 Time Traveler Took This Video in the Future…’
On August 30 2019 the Facebook page “Mysterious Society” shared the following video, “Time Traveler Took This Video in the Year 2045”: In a rambling six-minute clip, a seemingly distressed man repeatedly impresses upon viewe
FactCheck.org→ Yang’s Top-Gun Tale
Making a point about Defense Department waste, Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang related a secondhand story about a Navy fighter pilot who said that airmen routinely dumped fuel into the Pacific Ocean at the end of the fiscal year as a way
Truth or Fiction?→ Cornel Nistorescu 9/11 ‘Ode to America’ Editorial
On September 11 2019 a Facebook user shared an editorial credited to Romanian newspaper columnist Cornel Nistorescu. Alongside a photograph showing black smoke billowing out of the North Tower of the World Trade Center, the post was prefaced with comm
Truth or Fiction?→ Did ICE Get Caught Shopping for ‘Urban Warfare’ Training Facilities?
A Newsweek story published on September 11, 2019 revived fears about the possible intentions of the United States’ Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after it showed that the agency failed to redact documents related to “urban warfa
Lead Stories→ Fake News: ADHD Is NOT A FAKE Disease Invented By Big Pharma To Drug Children For Profit
Is ADHD is a fake disease invented by Big Pharma to drug children for profit? No, that's not true: While there may be examples of misdiagnoses of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, scientific evidence shows it is real and that many pati
Truth or Fiction?→ United States Air Traffic on September 11, 2001
In September 2019, approaching the eighteenth anniversary of September 11th 2011, a Reddit user shared the following GIF purportedly depicting United States air traffic during and after the attacks to r/DamnThatsInteresting: U.S. Air Traffi
Snopes→ Questions After Police Fatally Shoot Man Who Streamed Chase
The shooting sparked a protest and raised questions about whether police were too quick to shoot Brian Quinones
FactCheck.org→ Biden’s Record on Iraq War
Twice in the last five weeks, Joe Biden has claimed that despite voting to authorize military force against Iraq in 2002, he opposed the Iraq war from “the moment” it began. That’s not accurate, and Biden now says he misspoke. The pub
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Students Did NOT Invent Bacteria That Eat Plastic From The Oceans And Turn It Into Water
Did two high school students invent a bacteria that eats plastic from the ocean and turns it into water? No, that's not true: When Miranda Wang and Jeanny Yao were teen-aged high school students in 2012 they did identify a bacteria that breaks
Truth or Fiction?→ Weather Agency Contradicts Itself Over Trump’s Hurricane ‘Forecast’
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) disavowed its own agency’s findings in a brief statement on September 6 2019, siding with United States President Donald Trump amid allegations that the president may have illegally alte
Snopes→ Was Mike Pence Greeted by a Widespread Display of LGBT Rainbow Flags in Iceland?
The U.S. vice president was met with protests on visits to two European countries in September 2019.
FactCheck.org→ Deceptive Second Amendment Ads
Ads posted on Facebook from a committee working to reelect President Donald Trump claim that Democrats are calling for the Second Amendment to be repealed. To support the claim, the Trump campaign pointed to statements by a few state lawmakers and one
Truth or Fiction?→ Are Japanese Students Exempt from Taking Exams Until the Fourth Grade?
Some social media users and blogs looking to criticize the American educational system have seized on citing its Japanese counterpart as an aspirational example. But at least one widely-circulated example hinges on a lack of context. The claim has bee
FactCheck.org→ Trump’s False ‘Facts’ on the Environment
Just as CNN was beginning its climate town hall event, President Donald Trump tweeted a list of “8 facts” boasting of the nation’s air quality and carbon emissions reductions. Several of his “facts,” however, are inaccurate or
FactCheck.org→ Trump Doubles Down on Inaccurate Hurricane Forecast
President Donald Trump inaccurately stated in his Sept. 1 tweet that Alabama “will most likely be hit” by Hurricane Dorian — a statement that was fact-checked in real time by the National Weather Service. Despite that, Trump has now t
FactCheck.org→ A Misleading Take on the Trump Family’s Citizenship
Quick Take Viral social media posts wrongly suggest that President Donald Trump’s three eldest children are citizens only because of birthright citizenship. Full Story President Donald Trump’s first wife, Ivana, became a U.S. citizen in 1
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→ Phony Tweet Targets AOC
Quick Take A fake tweet circulating online attributes a made-up statement about hurricane preparation to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Full Story Two popular targets for misinformation — Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and major weat
Lead Stories→ Fake News: NO Fentanyl-Poisoned Flyers Placed On Cars
Did someone place flyers poisoned with Fentanyl on a police car in Harris County? No, that's not true: the Harris County Sherrif's Office issued a statement with that claim on June 26, 2018 via a Facebook post but then retracted it a few days
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘There are 30,000 Gun Related Deaths Per Year by Firearms’
In August 2019, a Facebook post about the United States’ purported 30,000 gun deaths per year circulated, typically copied and pasted into individual posts which themselves were each shared a handful of times. One particular version coupled with
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Study Does NOT Find Ginger Is 10,000x More Effective At Killing Cancer Than Chemo
Does a scientific study conclude that ginger is 10,000 times more effective at killing cancer than chemotherapy? No, that's not true: It is a gross misrepresentation of research that involved using with a ginger extract on mice in a lab and ce