Is COVID-19 virus part of a conspiracy that has a scripted narrative designed to justify closed borders and inspire residents to stay at home? No, that's not true: A conspiracy theory on Facebook claims that the coronavirus outbreak is a move
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Truth or Fiction?→ WIC-Approved Items and Coronavirus #SocialDistancing
On March 16 2020, the Facebook page “Vote Common Good” shared a screenshot of a tweet about social distancing, WIC-approved items, and conscientious coronavirus stock-up shopping: Labeled “a practical way to show kindness,”
Truth or Fiction?→ NTNU in Norway Warns about Coronavirus, the United States’ Healthcare and Infrastructure
On March 14 2020, the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) advised students abroad to return home in the face of a global COVID-19 pandemic. The warning was for “countries with poorly developed collective infrastructure, for exa
Snopes→ Was a Rare White Giraffe Killed by Poachers in Kenya?
The giraffe and her calf, which both had a condition known as leucism, went missing over four months ago.
Washington Post→ Sanders versus Biden on Social Security: a guide to the claims
Bernie Sanders keeps attacking Joe Biden for decades-old statements on Social Security, but these snippets are missing important context
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
Truth or Fiction?→ Rush Limbaugh Claims Coronavirus is No More Dangerous than the Common Cold. Is it?
In a transcript dated February 24 2020, radio personality Rush Limbaugh claimed that novel coronavirus (COVID-19) is no more dangerous than “the common cold,” adding that he believed that concern over the new strain of disease was simply p
Truth or Fiction?→ Do 78 Percent of Women Considering Abortion ‘Choose Life’ After Seeing an Ultrasound?
A September 2019 claim by the anti-abortion group “March For Life” was exposed to online scrutiny in February 2020. The group claimed at the time that “78 percent of women considering abortion choose life after seeing an ultrasound o
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘He’s 18’: Twitter Trending Topics Amplifies Quaden Bayles Conspiracy Theory
Not long after Quaden Bayles became the virally popular star of an anti-bullying campaign, Twitter’s trending topics boosted a conspiracy theory under “He’s 18,” linked to tweets alleging the nine-year-old boy was a much olde
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Obama, Clinton And Rice NOT Pictured Chumming With Osama bin Laden
Is a post making the rounds on Facebook showing Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and Condoleezza Rice chumming with Osama bin Laden real? No, that's not true. The faked photos, arranged in a collage, are poorly altered images. But they are gainin
Truth or Fiction?→ Do Twenty States Now Suspend Driver’s Licenses of People Who Haven’t Paid Back Student Loans?
In February 2020, a screenshot (missing a date) circulated on Facebook, featuring a tweet by journalist Barbara Ehrenrich about how “20 states now” revoked driver’s licenses of people who had not been paying back their student loans:
Washington Post→ How misinformation helped spark an attempted coup in Gabon
The first episode of our miniseries, “Fakeout,” takes us to the Central African country of Gabon, where a missing president and a suspect video helped spark an attempted coup.
Truth or Fiction?→ Are Americans Getting Jailed for Unpaid Medical Debt?
On February 10 2020, a story about people in Kansas being jailed over medical debt spread on Facebook and Reddit: "You wouldn’t think you’d go to jail over medical bills": County in rural Kansas is jailing people over
FactCheck.org→ Trump Repeats Falsehoods in Celebrating Acquittal
A day after his acquittal in the Senate impeachment trial, President Donald Trump made celebratory remarks in the White House on Feb. 6, thanking many Republican politicians and repeating several false and misleading claims, many of which we’ve c
Truth or Fiction?→ What is a ‘Recanvass’?
Democratic National Committee chair Tom Perez’s demand on February 6 2020 not only prolonged ongoing controversy surrounding the Iowa Democratic Party Caucuses — it also ignited interest in the process of a recanvass. “Enough is enou
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Irish Midget NOT Accused Of Posing As A Leprechaun To Extort Sex From 26 Women In Exchange For Pot Of Gold
Was an Irish midget accused of soliciting sex from women by posing as a leprechaun and promising a pot of gold? No, that's not true: This is, while possibly funny to some, a piece of satire that has been presented as real news and is being wid
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: NO Proof A Biology Experiment By 9th Grade Students Reveals A Dark Truth About Wi-Fi
Did a biology experiment by ninth grade students reveal a "dark truth" about the dangers of Wi-Fi? No, that is not clear: The study was conducted as a classroom experiment without the proper scientific controls of a professional lab experiment
Snopes→ Kansas Residents Find Boa Constrictor in Living Room Couch
Firefighters are looking for anyone who might be missing a boa constrictor after some Kansas residents found the 6-foot snake in their living room couch.
Lead Stories→ Fake News: NO Large Explosion In Wuhan, China, Tied To Coronavirus Outbreak
Did a new video show a large explosion in Wuhan, China, the epicenter of the Coronavirus outbreak responsible for killing dozens and sickening thousands? No, that's not true: The video, which is recirculated footage, is actually of a massive e
FactCheck.org→ Nadler’s Russia Claim
Democratic Rep. Jerry Nadler went too far when he claimed that President Donald Trump “worked with the Russians to try to rig the 2016 election.” The special counsel investigation found there were “multiple contacts … between Tr
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Mall Santa Was NOT Arrested For Making Kids Touch His Genitals
Was a mall Santa Claus arrested for making his touch his genitals, which were allegedly coated in sugar and painted like a candy cane? No, that's not true: The story was fabricated by a Canadian entertainment website that publishes fictional s
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Florida Swimmer Was NOT Partially Emasculated After Taunting Baby Shark With His Penis
Did a Florida swimmer become partially emasculated after taunting a baby shark with his penis? No, that's not true: The story was fabricated by a Canadian entertainment website that publishes fictional stories about bizarre crimes, weird sexua
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Pepsi Did NOT Make New Can With Empire State Building And Pledge Of Allegiance That Omitted "Under God"
Did Pepsi make a new can featuring the Empire State Building and Pledge of Allegiance that left out the words "Under God"? No, that's not true: Pepsi has never produced such a design for its soft drinks, and this urban legend has been circulat
FactCheck.org→ Amid Military Tension, Meme Misdates Soldiers’ Deaths
Quick Take A meme circulating on Facebook displays photos of five U.S. soldiers that purportedly were killed “this Tuesday in Afghanistan.” Actually, they died in 2013 and there was a sixth soldier killed in the same incident who isn’
Lead Stories→ Fake News: Malia Obama NOT Busted Selling Priceless White House Trinkets
Was Malia Obama busted selling priceless White House trinkets that she stole while she lived there? No, that's not true: The story was published by a liberal satire website that tries to mislead Trump supporters and Republicans into sharing ma
Snopes→ Congress Demands Answers from Trump about Soleimani Killing
President Donald Trump insists that Iranian cultural sites are fair game for the U.S. military, dismissing concerns within his own administration that doing so could constitute a war crime under international law.
Snopes→ Trump Doubles Down on Striking Cultural Sites in Iran
President Donald Trump insisted that Iranian cultural sites were fair game for the U.S. military, dismissing concerns within his own administration that doing so would constitute a war crime under international law.
PolitiFact→ @mooncult – A deceptively edited video of Joe Biden falsely suggests he made racist comment
The Truth-o-Meter says: False | A deceptively edited video of Joe Biden falsely suggests he made racist comment An out-of-context clip of Joe Biden speaking in New Hampshire is deceptively edited in a way that suggests he made a racist comment. &qu
FactCheck.org→ No Evidence Clinton Sent ‘Nooses’ Email to Brazile
Quick Take There is no evidence to support claims that Hillary Clinton sent fellow Democrat Donna Brazile a profane email in 2016, calling Donald Trump a “bastard” and saying “we’re all going to hang from nooses” if he win
Truth or Fiction?→ Aldi ‘Free Food on Christmas Eve’ Facebook Post
A December 12 2019 MSN.com post with the headline “Aldi issues plea for vulnerable people to come and collect free food on Christmas Eve” was making the Facebook rounds as Christmas Eve 2019 approached, with innumerable shares appearing in
PolitiFact→ Joe Biden – Congress put roadblocks in front of efforts to close Gitmo, as Biden said.
The Truth-o-Meter says: Mostly True | Congress put roadblocks in front of efforts to close Gitmo, as Biden said. Former Vice President Joe Biden is usually first to bring up the record of the Obama administration in his 2020 presidential campaign.
Snopes→ Was Trump Impeached With More Votes Than Any Other U.S. President?
While this is technically true, it's missing some important context.
Truth or Fiction?→ Did J.K. Rowling ‘Confirm Her Stance Against Transgender Women’?
Rumors that author J.K. Rowling (of the popular Harry Potter series) was a trans-exclusionary feminist circulated for years due to her comments and behavior on Twitter, culminating in a viral June 2019 Medium piece by Phalen Fairchild titled, “
FactCheck.org→ The Whoppers of 2019
Summary As he has done since entering the political scene in 2015, Donald Trump dominates our list of whoppers of the year. We identified a top 10 of falsehoods and factual distortions from the president, beginning with several impeachment-related topi
Truth or Fiction?→ Folgers ‘Incest Ad’
If you frequent internet culture sites like Reddit or Fark.com, chances are you know the “Folgers incest ad” — and if you do, you either love or hate this polarizing commercial. If you have no idea what we’re talking about, read on
FactCheck.org→ Biden Exaggerates Science on Burn Pits and Brain Cancer
Democratic presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden claimed without evidence that “more people are coming home from Iraq with brain cancer” than “any other war.” He also suggested that burn pits — open air waste incinera
Truth or Fiction?→ Downward Tilting Toilet
On December 2019, Twitter and Facebook were flush with posts about a downward tilted toilet — purportedly designed to be unbearable to sit upon for more than five minutes — installed by employers to discourage lengthy bathroom breaks: BREAKI
Snopes→ AP: Thousands of Ohio Absentee Applications Denied
Thousands of Ohio voters were held up or stymied in their efforts to get absentee ballots for last year’s general election because of missing or mismatched signatures on their ballot applications, an Associated Press review has found.
PolitiFact→ Lie of the Year 2019: Donald Trump’s claim whistleblower got Ukraine call 'almost completely wrong'
President Donald Trump started the morning of Sept. 20 dismissing headlines about someone who blew the whistle on a phone call he had with the president of Ukraine. The call, he tweeted, was "pitch perfect." Later that morning, Trump and firs
FactCheck.org→ Trump Misleads Rallygoers on IG Report, Impeachment
During his first campaign rally after Democrats announced two articles of impeachment and the Justice Department inspector general released a report on the FBI’s Russia investigation, President Donald Trump distorted the facts on both topics. Th