On May 12 2020, a screenshot of a purported tweet from United States President Donald Trump circulated — in which he purportedly lashed out at Barack Obama and said that his predecessor didn’t “prepair” for the coronavirus pa
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Truth or Fiction?→ Is the California Department of Social Services Mandating COVID-19 Testing for Eligible Families — and Threatening to Place Children in Foster Care?
In early May 2020, a letter attributed to California’s Department of Social Services circulated on Facebook. It purportedly mandated that recipients of programs like MediCal and CalFresh immediately submit to testing for COVID-19 antigens or ant
Truth or Fiction?→ Did FARK’s Drew Curtis ‘Predict’ a Difficult 2020 — in 2015?
On May 1 2020, FARK‘s Drew Curtis retweeted a tweet of his own — oddly, a December 31 2015 commentary about being a time traveler from 2020, advising readers to enjoy the new year (2016), because 2020 was apparently going to be something e
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Venice in Quarantine’: Did Flamingos Flock to Quiet Canals?
Quirky or uplifting news was in high demand as the COVID-19 pandemic dragged on, which was likely the reason that a Facebook post (“Venice … in quarantine,” archived here) purportedly showing flamingos in the deserted canals of Venic
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Elon Musk Tweet ‘If One Day, My Words are Against Science, Choose Science’ Before a COVID-19 Controversy?
As the COVID-19 pandemic progressed in the United States, dueling opinions were politicized and bluntly split between opinions based on hard science versus economics. This ended up leading to the recirculation of a purported tweet from Elon Musk about
Snopes→ Did an Irish Times Column Express ‘Pity’ for the US?
A scathing opinion column was copied and pasted then circulated online, prompting some to question its authenticity.
Truth or Fiction?→ CNN ‘Global Death Toll Approaches Three Million People’ Chyron Error
On April 27 2020, a screen capture purportedly of CNN showing anchor Wolf Blitzer with a chyron reading “GLOBAL DEATH TOLL APPROACHES THREE MILLION PEOPLE” circulated on social media, often marked with question marks, circles, and an arrow
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Meeting Between Breadfruit’ Facebook Meme
As the COVID-19 pandemic wore on in April 2020, a “Meeting Between Breadfruit” Facebook status update meme began recirculating; iterations of the meme were nearly identical: My name is [name], I think many people know me, no matter when ou
Truth or Fiction?→ Misspelled ‘We the Peaple, Re-Open Pennslvania’ Sign
An April 21 2020 post on the Facebook page “CALL TO ACTIVISM” purportedly showed a COVID-19 protester in Pennsylvania, whose sign in part urged the re-opening of “Pennslvania,” as well as “we the peaple”: In just
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘The Real Plague’ Anti-Semitic Sign Spotted at Ohio Anti-Lockdown COVID-19 Pandemic Protest
On April 18 2020, a disturbing image of a purported protest sign from coronavirus anti-lockdown protests in Columbus, Ohio began circulating on Facebook, Twitter, and Reddit: Columbus, Ohio, April 18, 2020… pic.twitter.com/Q0ryJp5pOG — W
Truth or Fiction?→ Did News Outlets Publish Old Photographs of Crowded Jacksonville, Florida Beaches in April 2020?
On April 18 2020, multiple news organizations published photographs purportedly showing newly-reopened beaches in Jacksonville, Florida, in articles with headlines such as, “Jacksonville beach packed as Florida coronavirus cases hit recordR
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Donald Trump Criticize ‘Obama’s Handling of This Pandemic’ in November 2009?
In mid-April 2020, screenshots of a tweet attributed to United States President Donald Trump on November 23 2009 began circulating, in which he purportedly criticized then-President Barack Obama’s handling of the H1N1 (also called swine flu) pan
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Amazon’s Alexa Does NOT Say ‘The Government’ Released Coronavirus
Does Amazon's Alexa speaker say that "the government" released the coronavirus? No, that's not true: The Alexa app/device does not say that the government -- any government -- planned, created and released COVID-19, which has resulted in more
Truth or Fiction?→ Did the World Health Organization Tweet That There Was ‘No Clear Evidence of Human-to-Human Transmission of the Novel #Coronavirus’ on January 14 2020?
After United States President Donald Trump announced that he had discontinued funding to the World Health Organization, and presidential advisor Kellyanne Conway subsequently blamed the COVID-19 pandemic on the group on April 15 2020, a tweet attrib
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Bernie Sanders Say ‘I Will Never Tell You How to Vote, If I Do, Don’t Listen to Me’?
On April 13 2020, former presidential candidate and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders endorsed Joe Biden, causing memes and tweets that attributed a quote to Sanders (“I will never tell you how to vote. If I do, don’t listen to me”) to recirc
FactCheck.org→ Trump’s Latest Voter Fraud Misinformation
President Donald Trump continues to add false and exaggerated statements to his already lengthy list of bogus voter fraud claims. There is no evidence to back up Trump’s blanket claim that “mailed ballots are corrupt.” Voting experts
Truth or Fiction?→ Did the President of Meharry Medical Advise Sterilizing Cloth Face Masks in the Microwave Between Uses?
Discourse regarding personal protective equipment (PPE, including cloth face masks) was a large part of COVID-19 discussion on social media in early April 2020, including a viral Facebook post that repeats purported advice to sterilize cloth masks by
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Audio Of Biden Calling Coronavirus A ‘Hoax’ WAS Manipulated
Did U.S. Democratic Presidential candidate Joe Biden call the coronavirus a "hoax"? No, that's not true, and here is some context: The audio on a tweet was manipulated, and Biden never called the novel coronavirus a hoax. The clip was delibera
Lead Stories→ Locked Out: Losing Your Facebook And Instagram Accounts In Times Of Coronavirus
Two weeks before strict nationwide coronavirus lockdown measures were announced in Britain, Abbie had already been practicing the recommended social distancing. In her flat in the southwest of England, she had plenty of projects in the works a
FactCheck.org→ No Evidence to Back COVID-19 Ibuprofen Concerns
Q: Does ibuprofen make COVID-19 worse? A: There is no evidence that ibuprofen or other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs can make COVID-19 cases more severe. You should consult your doctor before changing medications. FULL QUESTION Is it true tha
Truth or Fiction?→ Did the NYC Department of Health Issue ‘COVID-19 Sex’ Guidelines?
On March 21 2020, Facebook and Twitter users began sharing purportedly official guidelines for COVID-19 and sex, attributed to the New York City Health Department: the NYC department of health says that during the COVID-19 pandemic “you are your s
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Helicopters Are NOT Spraying Disinfectants To Try To Eradicate Coronavirus
Are helicopters being used to spray disinfectants into the air to eradicate the coronavirus? No, that's not true: This is a false rumor spreading around the world on social media, as well as through popular messaging services. The hoax has pro
Truth or Fiction?→ Trump Crosses out ‘Corona’ on Virus Prepared Remarks, Writes ‘Chinese’
On March 19 2020, a number of tweets purportedly showed a close-up of United States President Donald Trump’s prepared remarks on the progress of a coronavirus pandemic, where he apparently used a marker to cross out the “corona” of &
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: All U.S. Citizens Are NOT Entitled To $700 Per Week To Stay At Home To Avoid Spread Of Coronavirus
Are all U.S. citizens entitled to $700 per week to stay at home to avoid the spread of the novel coronavirus? No, that's not true: The link in the posts takes viewers to a gorilla giving the middle finger. The post was a hoax related to the co
Truth or Fiction?→ Did MSNBC Switch Colors for “Favorable” and “Unfavorable” for Only Bernie Sanders in a Super Tuesday Chyron?
Super Tuesday reporting generated a lot of social media discourse in March 2020, and among circulating claims was one that network MSNBC manipulated their on-screen graphics by “swapping colors” for presidential candidates Bernie Sanders a
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Muslims Did NOT Demand Locals Not Walk Dogs In Public, Saying It Was A Violation Of Sharia And "Disrespects" Them
Did Muslims in Manchester, England, demand that locals not walk dogs in public since it is a violation of Sharia and "disrespects" them? No, that's not true: There is no proof that such a claim, which has been debunked before, came from the Mu
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Chuck Schumer Did NOT Quietly Delete His Tweet Criticizing Trump’s China Travel Ban As ‘Premature’ And ‘War Against Immigrants’
Did U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer quietly delete his tweet criticizing President Trump's China travel ban as "premature" and a "war against immigrants"? No, that's not true: The tweet being shared was completely fabricated. Twitter
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Mike Bloomberg Say Bernie Sanders Would Have Beaten Trump in 2016?
After the February 26 2020 Democratic debate, memes and Twitter screenshots circulated on Facebook which suggested that presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg said that Bernie Sanders — also running for president — would have beaten Unit
Truth or Fiction?→ Buttigieg Deletes Tweet Decrying ‘Nostalgia for the Revolutionary Politics of the 1960s’
During the February 25 2020 Democratic debate, Pete Buttigieg said that the United States “can’t afford a scenario where it comes down to Donald Trump with his nostalgia for the social order of the 1950’s and Bernie Sanders with his nost
Lead Stories→ Fake News: A Viral Image Does NOT Show Rep. Ilhan Omar Without A Head Scarf
Does a viral photo show U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar without a head scarf? No, that's not true: it is an altered image of a man arrested in South Wales that purports to be the Democrat from Minnesota. The image, including one posted here (archived her
Truth or Fiction?→ Was a Man Arrested for Allegedly Forcing a Woman to Watch ‘Roots’ to ‘Better Understand’ Her Racism?
On February 17 2020, an odd story came out of Cedar Rapids, Iowa via The Gazette, about the arrest of a man who allegedly forced made a woman watch the mini-series Roots so that she might better understand her own racism: A Cedar Rapids man [Rober
Truth or Fiction?→ Trump Intervenes in Sentencing of Lobbyist Who Spread Corrosive Disinformation on His Behalf
The sentencing of convicted felon Roger Stone was abruptly derailed on February 11 2020, when all four of his prosecutors resigned on the same day that United States President Donald Trump, freshly emboldened by his impeachment acquittal the week befo
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Can We Brainstorm Ways to Make This Sound Less Racist’ Michael Bloomberg Subreddit Post
Amid ongoing controversy involving Democratic candidate Mike Bloomberg and his attitude toward New York City’s stop-and-frisk policies, blogger and reporter Zaid Jilani tweeted a screenshot from Reddit’s r/PresidentBloomberg — in whi
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘This is a Real-Life Post by an Anti-Abortion Activist, You Can’t Make This S*** Up’
On February 3 2020, Twitter user @HayleeFarless shared the following purported screenshot of a woman named Jamie Jeffries to a closed Facebook group called, “Are You Even Pro-Life?” with a comment claiming that it was “a real-life po
Truth or Fiction?→ Social Media Platforms Spread Epoch Times’ Iowa Caucus Disinformation
Another debunked claim from a right wing “activist” group responsible for chronic disinformation continued to spread on social media on February 3 2020 as voters in Iowa prepared for the Democratic Party presidential caucus. The group R
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Adam Schiff Did NOT Reveal His Daughter Is Dating Trump Whistleblower
Did Democratic U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff of California reveal that his daughter is dating the alleged whistleblower whose complaint against President Trump launched the impeachment inquiry? No, that's not true: The story is a hoax, and the website
Truth or Fiction?→ Did JK Rowling Respond to ‘No One Should Live in a Closet’ Tattoo with ‘Yes They Should’?
On January 25 2020, Twitter user @iknownaama tweeted the following image, a purported screenshot of JK Rowling reacting to a pro-LGBT tattoo (“no one should live in a closet”) by saying “yes they should”: so did the simulatio
Truth or Fiction?→ Local News Station Conducts Voting Poll Listing Bernie Sanders as ‘Other’?
On January 20 2020, the Facebook page “Fully Automated Luxury Gay Space Communism” shared a screenshot of a tweet purporting to show a televised ABC7News Bay Area segment in which Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders appeared to receive a number of
Truth or Fiction?→ Trump ‘Break My Stride’ Tweets
On January 18 2020, Twitter users shared the following video that purportedly showed a screenshot of United States President Donald Trump’s recent tweets — which taken together, formed the lyrics to “Break My Stride,” a 1983 pop s
Snopes→ Portrait Found in Gallery’s Walls Verified as Missing Klimt
The authentication of the painting solved one of the art world's enduring mysteries.