On June 18 2019, Twitter user @johncatsjr shared the following tweet (“why I’m voting for Donald Trump in 2020”), a missive picked up by innumerable other users — along with an original misspelling: Why I’m voting for Donald Tru
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Snopes→ Was Frank ‘Rocky’ Fiegel the Inspiration For ‘Popeye’?
According to local folklore, "Popeye the Sailor Man" was based on a real-life person from Chester, Ill.
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Malia Obama Did NOT Cash $1.2 million ‘Tax Refund’ Check
Did Malia Obama cash a $1.2 million tax refund check? No, that's not true. The story was published by a liberal satire website that tries to educate gullible Trump supporters and Republicans about the need to actually click and read links befo
Lead Stories→ Fake News: David Lynch Did NOT Say Trump Is Destroying The ‘New World Order’
Did David Lynch say President Trump is destroying the 'New World Order' or that President Trump will go down in history for destroying it? No, that's not true: a story reporting on an interview Lynch gave to The Guardian in 2018 attributes sev
FactCheck.org→ Trump’s Campaign Kickoff Claims
At a rally in Orlando on June 18, President Donald Trump officially launched his reelection campaign. Trump boasted that under his leadership, the country is “thriving, prospering and booming,” and he asked voters for four more years to
Truth or Fiction?→ The Parable of the Stolen Cookies
If you use Facebook, chances are you’ve stumbled upon the videos of Jay Shetty — perhaps the one that is very vaguely titled “Before You Judge Anyone, Watch This,” which is a parable about airport cookie theft: The same story wa
Truth or Fiction?→ Does a New ‘Gay Street’ Sign Near Stonewall Include ‘Pedosexual’ in Pride?
In June 2019 — Pride Month in the United States — the following image circulated on social media, suggesting that one of the sexual orientations added to New York City’s “Gay Street” sign was “pedosexual”: The image
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Michael Jordan Did NOT Say ‘I Won’t Release Another Shoe Until Black People Unite’
Did Michael Jordan say he won't release another shoe until black people unite? No, that's not true: an old story from 2016 went viral again in 2019 (despite having been debunked in 2016 already) and despite the fact that Michael Jordan has rel
Truth or Fiction?→ Razor Blades on Slides: Urban Legend or Legitimate Risk?
A meme shared by the page “Explore Talent” (archived here) including several images alongside a warning about razor blades purportedly affixed to playground equipment such as slides has been circulating on social media for years: The te
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Updated NASA Data Did NOT Show Global Warming Not Causing Any Polar Ice Retreat
Did NASA data show that global warming is not causing any polar ice retreat? No, that's not true: The conclusion that there is no polar ice retreat is a false result of "cherry picking" data, according to the scientists who are referenced in t
Snopes→ Is This a ‘Possum-Eating’ Spider?
Reports indicate a really big spider ate a really small possum in Australia.
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Trump Did NOT Cancel Funding For Obama’s Free House And Library
Did President Donald Trump cancel funding for Obama's free house and library and is Michelle Obama furious about it? No, that's not true: an old hoax from a satire website has been turned into a clickbait story that is still circulating the in
Snopes→ Gloria Vanderbilt, Heiress, Jeans Queen, Dies at 95
"The only thing that would embarrass me is bad writing, and the only thing that really concerned me was my children."
Lead Stories→ Fake News: NO New Dem Bill To Limit Firearm Ownership to One Per Household
Does a new bill introduced by the Democrats limit firearm ownership to one per househould? No, that's not true. The story was published by a liberal satire website that tries to educate gullible Trump supporters and Republicans about the need
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Scientists Did NOT Declare That Redheads Are Actually Genetic Super Heroes
Did scientists declare that redheads are actually genetic super heroes because of their pain tolerance compared to people with other hair colors? No, that's not true: This is a click-bait headline using a false interpretation of scientific stu
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Actor Kevin Chamberlin Did NOT Pass Away Due To Cardiac Arrest
Did actor Kevin Chamberlin pass away following a cardiac arrest? No, that's not true: rumors of his death are circulating on social media but he took to twitter himself to reassure everyone he did not die. A post has been circulating in the fo
Lead Stories→ Old News: Adam West Did NOT Recently Die At 88 As Batman And Family Guy Actor Loses Cancer Battle
Did Batman and Family Guy actor Adam West recently die at 88 after a short leukaemia battle? No, that's not true: Adam West died on June 9, 2017, although thousands of social media users began posting condolences and R.I.P. messages on the two
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Gyro Drop’ Ride Video
On June 13 2019, @Complex tweeted the following footage, purportedly showing a ride called “Gyro Drop” and its “swing” feature: WHO WOULD INVENT A RIDE LIKE THIS??? pic.twitter.com/moRN6N4UbV — Complex (@Complex) June 13
FactCheck.org→ FactChecking Trump’s Pitch to Farmers
In his much publicized visit to Iowa, President Donald Trump made a few false and misleading statements about agricultural exports: Trump touted an agreement with Japan on U.S. beef exports, but he wrongly claimed, “They haven’t bought our beef s
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Police Investigating Death Of Former Senator Who Did NOT Believe She Was Closing In On Child Trafficking Ring
Are police investigating the death of a former Arkansas state senator who believed she was closing in on a child trafficking ring? No, that's not true: Linda Collins, who lost her state senate post to another Republican last year, was shot to
Truth or Fiction?→ Did the Supreme Court Rule 5-4 Against Swearing in on the Qur’an?
On June 11 2019, a Facebook user shared the following text-based status update (archived here), claiming the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 against the use of the Qur’an for swearing oaths: Right off the bat, the format of the post was a scourge to fa
FactCheck.org→ Falsehood Swirls About Biden, SEALs
Quick Take Viral posts on Facebook claim, falsely, that former Vice President Joe Biden “leaked the names of SEAL Team 6 family’s to Al Qaeda.” Biden publicly credited the SEALs with killing Osama Bin Laden, but did not disclose the
Truth or Fiction?→ Can Shaking Your Phone Report Posts and Land Your Friends in Facebook Jail?
In June 2019, a number of Facebook posts popped up warning mobile users of a purported new mobile feature in which shaking a phone with the social media platform’s mobile app open could lead to automatic reporting of posts (and, readers surmised
Climate Feedback→ Financial Post commentary jumps to unsupported conclusions in claiming “climate change isn’t causing extreme weather”
SCIENTISTS’ FEEDBACK SUMMARY This op-ed published by the Financial Post, written by Ross McKitrick, describes a presentation by University of Colorado Boulder researcher Roger Pielke, Jr. The article misrepresents analyses of trends in US weat
FactCheck.org→ Trump’s Dubious Claims About China
In remarks to the press in Iowa and before departing for Iowa, President Donald Trump talked about ongoing trade negotiations with China, and the possibility of enacting further tariffs. But Trump distorted the facts on several points: Trump correctly
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Jay-Z Did NOT Say ‘Satan is Our True Lord, Only Idiots Believe in Jesus’
Did rapper Jay-Z say 'Satan is Our True Lord, Only Idiots Believe in Jesus'? No, that's not true: the quote was made up in 2017 by a website that has since deleted the post, supported by a video that does not show the singer uttering those wor
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Ihlan Omar Did NOT Propose Nationwide Ban on ‘Unhealthy and Immoral’ Bacon
Did Ihlan Omar propose a nationwide ban on bacon because it is 'unhealthy and immoral'? No, that's not true. The story was published by a liberal satire website that tries to educate gullible Trump supporters and Republicans about the need to
Lead Stories→ Fake News: 14 State Attorney Generals Did NOT Step Forward Demanding Indictments Against Clinton and Obama
Did 14 State Attorney Generals step forward demanding indictments against Clinton and Obama? No, that's not true. The story was published by a liberal satire website that tries to educate gullible Trump supporters and Republicans about the nee
Snopes→ Here’s What the ‘Dobby’ Alien Video Most Likely Shows
Out of all the things a viral video might have captured, a real-life Dobby is probably the least likely.
Lead Stories→ Fake News: American Tourist NOT Arrested in Saudi Arabia For Refusing To Trade Wife to Prince For 45 Camels
Was 59-year old Michigan inhabitant Karim Najibullah arrested in Saudi Arabia for refusing to sell his wife to a Saudi prince for 45 camels? No, that's not true: the story was made up by a Canadian entertainment website that makes a living by
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Slaves Braid Routes to Freedom Into Hairstyles?
In February 2019, a Facebook user shared a post (archived here) that showed patterns for hairstyles with a claim that slaves used braid patterns to plot out routes to freedom: What if I told you all, during slavery, our ancestors braided escape route
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Keanu Reeves Tweet ‘Be Kind to Animals or I’ll Kill You’?
In June 2019 (not long after the feature film John Wick 3 was released), a purported tweet attributed to Keanu Reeves began circulating on Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, and meme sites. Screenshots of what looked like a verified @KeanuReeves account twee
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Study Did NOT Conclude Bigger Than Average Penis Is a Disability Associated With Low Mental Capacity
Did researchers from the University of Sussex and the University of Kinshasa conclude that having a bigger than average penis is a disability associated with low mental capacity ? No, that's not true: there is no trace of such research on the
Lead Stories→ Fake News: NOT A Picture Of Keanu Reeves Running Away With Camera From Paparazzi
Did actor Keanu Reeves steal a camera from some paparazzi guy and is there a picture of him running away with it circulating on the internet? No, that's not true: the miscaptioned image is actually footage from the set of the movie "Generation
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Ihlan Omar Did NOT Commit Treason and Nancy Pelosi Did NOT Cover It Up
Did Ihlan Omar commit treason and did Nancy Pelosi cover it up? No, that's not true. The story was published by a liberal satire website that tries to educate gullible Trump supporters and Republicans about the need to actually click and read
Climate Feedback→ Claim that human civilization could end in 30 years is speculative, not supported with evidence
SCIENTISTS’ FEEDBACK SUMMARY This article at IFLScience describes a report produced by an Australian think tank. The report attempts to describe a possible worst case climate scenario in 2050. The report claims this scenario leads to a “
Snopes→ Police Surround House for Burglary, Find Deer Instead
The homeowner hid in a closet and realized she had left her weapon in the kitchen. Officers say they were worried it could end up in the hands of the burglary suspect.
Snopes→ Did Queen Elizabeth II ‘Troll’ President Trump with Her Tiara?
How much shade can a tiara really provide?
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Malia Obama NOT Arrested Again, NO Complete Media Blackout
Was Malia Obama arrested again? No, that's not true: she was never arrested a first time either and the whole thing was made up by a liberal satire website that tries to trick gullible conservatives into sharling, liking and commenting on made
Truth or Fiction?→ The Chernobyl ‘Bridge of Death’
In May 2019, the release of HBO’s show Chernobyl caused a spike of interest in all aspects of the nuclear disaster — including the revival of some long-forgotten rumors. A postscript relating to a scene in Pripyat brought back one suck story