A long-popular October 2018 Facebook post continued spreading through late 2019, alleging that private prisons were suing states over unmet contract quotas promising a minimum number of profitable inmates. A status update read “SO WE JUST NOT GO
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Truth or Fiction?→ Federal Deficit $585 Billion in January 2017 Versus $984 Billion in January 2019
On December 1 2019, the Facebook page “Impeach Trump” shared the following meme, which contrasted the purported federal deficit on January 20 2017 (1/20/17, President Trump’s inauguration), with that of January 20 2019 (1/20/19, two
Truth or Fiction?→ Do Images Show Tears of Grief, Tears of Change, Onion Tears, and Laughing Tears?
In December 2019, a months-old post by the Facebook page “Words of Women” that purportedly showed a four-square collection of tears produced by grief, change, laughter, and cutting onions continued to circulate: The status updat
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Kathy Griffin Did NOT Announce Run For Senate
Did comedian Kathy Griffin announce she is running Senate? No, that's not true. The story was published by a liberal satire website that tries to mislead Trump supporters and Republicans into sharing made up stories that are clearly marked as
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Alabama Did NOT Become the First State to Ban ‘Radical Islam’
Did Alabama become the first state to ban "radical islam"? No, that's not true. The story was published by a liberal satire website that tries to mislead Trump supporters and Republicans into sharing made up stories that are clearly marked as
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Nancy Pelosi NOT Asked To Leave Children’s Benefit After Drunken Outburst
Was Nancy Pelosi asked to leave a children's benefit after a drunken outburst? No, that's not true. The story was published by a liberal satire website that tries to mislead Trump supporters and Republicans into sharing made up stories that ar
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Asylum Seekers Are NOT Housed In Luxury Hotels While Homeless Veterans Are Left On The Street
Are asylum seekers housed in luxury hotels in the United States, while homeless veterans are left in the street? No, that's not true: Refugees who apply for asylum in the United States are eligible for limited financial support for housing, bu
Truth or Fiction?→ Was Rep. Ilhan Omar ‘Recruited by a Foreign Government’?
On November 25 2019, the co-founder of a far-right group supporting United States President Donald Trump took to Twitter to misrepresent allegations against Democratic Party Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota. Ryan Fournier, a leader of the group Students F
Truth or Fiction?→ Dyslexie Font
In November 2017, the Facebook page “Feminist Info” shared a screenshot describing a font called “Dyslexie,” designed for people with dyslexia: That screenshot read: The Dyslexie font Graphic designer Christian Boer
Lead Stories→ Fake News: People Shown In The ‘Stolen Lives Quilt’ Meme Are NOT Victims Of Illegal Alien Killers
Are the people shown in this "Stolen Lives Quilt" meme victims of illegal alien killers? No, that's not true. While many of those pictured were killed by undocumented immigrants, the 30 images on the right half of the meme show victims of the
FactCheck.org→ Viral Headlines Wrongly Report Indictment in Ukraine
Quick Take Ukrainian prosecutors said they have expanded their investigation involving Mykola Zlochevsky, the owner of Burisma, a gas company in Ukraine. But no “indictment” has been announced, as false headlines circulating on social media
FactCheck.org→ Did Obama Fire All Bush-Appointed Ambassadors?
Q: Did President Barack Obama immediately fire all Bush-appointed ambassadors “the day he was elected office”? A: No. As is the custom, Obama immediately replaced most — not all — of Bush’s politically appointed ambassadors. Obama did
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Pelosi Did NOT Demand Doctor Hand Over Trump’s Medical Records
Did Nancy Pelosi demand that a doctor hand over President Trump's medical records? No, that's not true: The claim that House Speaker Pelosi ordered the president's doctor to send the medical file to Congress is a work of satire, published by a
Truth or Fiction?→ Was Jeff Bezos’ $98 Million ‘Gift’ to Homeless the Equivalent of $45 to a Person Earning $50,000 Annually?
On November 23 2019 @EatTheRichPod shared the following tweet, referencing volumes of laudatory headlines about Amazon chief executive officer Jeff Bezos donating $98 million to homeless people — asserting that Bezos’ generosity was equivalen
FactCheck.org→ Meme Distorts Hatch Quote
Quick Take A meme on Facebook misrepresents a year-old comment from former Sen. Orrin Hatch. He did not say, “I don’t care if Trump broke the law.” Hatch said, “I don’t care” about allegations that Trump paid hush mo
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Chris Wallace NOT Fired By Fox News; Did NOT Say ‘We Can’t Let Him Spread Lies Anymore’
Did Fox News dump anchor Chris Wallace, claiming Wallace was "spreading lies" through his reporting? No, that's not true: The story was published by a liberal satire website that tries to mislead Trump supporters and Republicans into sharing m
FactCheck.org→ False Meme about California’s ‘Illegal Aliens’
Quick Take A meme on Facebook falsely claims that the California attorney general “bragged there are now 10 Million Illegal Aliens” in the state, when in fact he was talking about immigrants. The estimated number of people living in the sta
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Pepsi And Others Are Not Making Us Cannibals One Bite At A Time
Do Pepsi Co. and other food companies use cells from aborted fetuses as ingredients for their products? No, that's not true: The false claim is based on the use of HEK 293 cells -- which were developed decades ago from live-baby birth fetal ce
Climate Feedback→ Ian Plimer op-ed in The Australian again presents long list of false claims about climate
SCIENTISTS’ FEEDBACK SUMMARY This op-ed in The Australian by Ian Plimer, titled “Let’s not pollute minds with carbon fears”, makes many claims: that polar ice is not melting, that human-caused CO2 emissions can’t cause clim
Truth or Fiction?→ Is This an Actually Photograph of an Albino Painted Wood Turtle?
A colorful photograph circulating online in November 2019 may be authentic, but experts we talked to suggested that readers should be wary of the source material. The striking photo was featured on Science and Space, a blog that has no bylines and no
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Has Anyone Had to Give Back the Security Deposit?’ Landlord Round Table Facebook Group Post
On November 20 2019, a Twitter user posted an unredacted apparent screenshot from the Facebook group “Landlord Round Table,” in which an original poster appeared to ask fellow landlords if any of them ever had “to give back the secu
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Ilhan Omar Did NOT Say "After We Win, Deportations Of Trump Supporters Begins"
Did Ilhan Omar say that deportation of Trump supporters would begin "after we win"? No, that's not true. The story was published by a liberal satire website that tries to mislead Trump supporters and Republicans into sharing made up stories th
Truth or Fiction?→ Allens Green Beans ‘My Wife Found This’ Facebook Post
On November 21 2019, a Facebook user shared the following post, claiming the images showed the contents of a can of Allens Green Beans, namely an unpalatable dead creature: Norwood said his wife purchased cans of Allens Cut Italian Green Be
Lead Stories→ Fake News: California Legislature Does NOT Remove Christmas From All State Calendars And Events
Did the California legislature remove Christmas from all state calendars and events? No, that's not true: The claim started as a satirical story published on a website that features fake reports designed to lure conservatives into sharing. Lea
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Now Listen You Rich People, Weep and Wail’ Tumblr Post or Bible Verse?
In November 2019, a Tumblr screenshot beginning “now listen you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming on you” was shared to the Facebook group “Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s Revolutionary Meme Stash̶
FactCheck.org→ Revived Falsehood that Trump Fired ‘Muslim Judge’
Quick Take A viral story shared on Facebook falsely claims President Donald Trump has fired a “Muslim federal judge” over “Sharia Law.” The story was published two years ago by a website that calls its work satire, but it is bei
Truth or Fiction?→ Are Koalas ‘Functionally Extinct’ as of November 2019?
In November 2019, Facebook page “The Other 98%” was among others on social media sharing the news that koalas had become “functionally extinct” after bushfires in Australia: Under a photograph of a koala that appeared to
Lead Stories→ Fake News: 13 Uber Drivers NOT Arrested For Sex Trafficking In Georgia
Were 13 Uber drivers arrested for alleged sex trafficking in Georgia? No, that's not true: The claim began with a now-deleted tweet that claimed 13 Uber drivers were arrested in Atlanta for sex trafficking. The false claim spread through socia
Truth or Fiction?→ A Four-Megaton Atomic Bomb Was Lost off Georgia’s Coast in 1958 (And No One Knows If It’s Active)
In November 2019, the Facebook page “Weird History” shared the following meme, which claimed that a four-megaton atomic bomb remained missing near Georgia — and that it might be live: Under an image of a Cold War-style bomb or missil
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Brian Stelter Did NOT Say Trump Is A Destructive Cult Leader
Did CNN host Brian Stelter say that President Donald Trump is a "destructive cult leader"? No, that's not true: A psychologist who studies cults made the comment while being interviewed by Stelter on CNN's "Reliable Sources" program. Stelter d
Truth or Fiction?→ Did BBC Edit a Clip of Boris Johnson Getting Laughed at in a Televised Forum?
The British Broadcasting Corporation faced accusations of political bias in November 2019 after social media users spotted the difference between a television audience’s live reaction to a question directed at UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Israel Did Not Invent 5G Technology, And It Did Not Ban It
Did Israel invent 5G technology, then ban it because of health concerns? No. That's not true: Israel is aggressively pushing the 5G networking service through a tender to incentivize that country's carriers to start rolling it out, according t
FactCheck.org→ Bogus Photo Targets Rep. Elise Stefanik
Quick Take An altered image makes it look like Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik stuck up her middle finger in a House committee room at the end of a public impeachment inquiry hearing. She didn’t. Full Story Rep. Elise Stefanik, a Republican from
FactCheck.org→ Trump Repeats False Ukraine Claims
President Donald Trump called into “Fox & Friends” a day after the impeachment hearings ended and repeated false statements that have been debunked by fact-checkers and, in some cases, members of his own administration. Trump repeated
FactCheck.org→ Erroneous Claim of ‘End of Youth Hunting’ in Virginia
Quick Take Posts on Facebook wrongly claim that Virginia has “announced the end of youth hunting.” The state’s Department of Game & Inland Fisheries confirmed that there have been “no such changes” in state laws, and s
Truth or Fiction?→ Trump Regurgitates ‘Crowdstrike’ Conspiracy Theory in Call to Fox News
United States President Donald Trump called into a Fox News program on November 22 2019, spending nearly an hour pushing an already-debunked conspiracy theory that was also refuted during the congressional impeachment inquiry against him. During his c
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Treason for the Season’
On November 19 2019, a purported Fox News “Treason for the Season” chyron was shared to two subreddits, r/CrappyDesign and r/theyknew: Treason for the season! from CrappyDesign Both posts were titled “Treason
Truth or Fiction?→ Ivanka Trump and the Alexis de Tocqueville Quote
On November 21 2019, Ivanka Trump tweeted a quote attributed to political philosopher Alexis de Tocqueville in 1835 about a “decline in public morals” and impeachment: “A decline of public morals in the United States will probably be
Lead Stories→ Bernie Sanders At Dem Debate Did NOT Say The Planet Only Has ‘8 or 9 Years’ Before Major Cities Go Underwater
Did Bernie Sanders say at a Democratic debate that the planet has only eight or nine years before major cities go under water? No, that's not true: What the Democratic presidential hopeful said was that, unless "we get our act together within
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Ilhan Omar’s Children NOT Arrested For Starting Church Fire
Were the children of Ilhan Omar (named Impala and Diego Omar) arrested for starting a church fire? No, that's not true. The story was published by a liberal satire website that tries to mislead Trump supporters and Republicans into sharing mad